To blog or not to blog, that is the question

Words, words, words. Words are everywhere. Words are communication. Words are important and words are becoming increasingly important for businesses especially as the fight for website traffic and Google placing gets more competitive by the day.

Whilst first appearances are everything when it comes to your website’s design, it is the actual content that matters most. Those letters of the alphabet threaded through the amazing graphics and animation on your website, is what will actually get people to your website in the first place. And the more relevant words and content you have on your website, the better the chance that you will be found by those almighty search engines.

This is why it is imperative to keep your website filled with relevant content but also, up-to-date content. New and existing customers will most likely use Google (or other search engines) to find your business on the internet. And we all know that Google LOVES websites with new content and updated information and the best way to keep the content and information flowing . . . a blog.

So what is a blog? Essentially a blog is webpage, or in some instances, an entire website, dedicated to publishing articles. These articles can be used for any content that the user/business wish to share and can either be informative or conversational (point of view). So how does having a blog page on your website help? There are many reasons why including a blog on your website will improve your website’s performance such as:

SEO – A great way to include key words for Google to latch on to. The more information and the more updates, the higher the ranking you will receive.

Branding – Blog articles are an excellent way to portray a specific image for your business which will in turn appeal to a relevant customer base.

Increase traffic – Blogs offer updated content and information which is ultimately what people are searching for. If your articles are interesting and informative, your blog can act as a gateway for potential customers to find your business. And if the articles are good, they will keep coming back.

Now you know how beneficial a blog on your website can be. Where do you start in creating a blog? Well, this is the hardest part. Creating content is tricky and time consuming.  There are many elements that need to be taken into consideration when writing a blog article, even if it is only a few paragraphs long.

Research: Even if your blog page is being used purely to voice your own opinions, you need to have research to back-it-up and make the content credible. If you don’t, people just wont bother coming back. For informative blogs that compliment your services, you should research the information and service to ensure it is being properly represented.

Content: ‘So What?’ This is the question you should ask yourself when writing content. What is the end result or the one piece of information you want your readers to take away with them. If there is no definitive point of interest and you are purely focusing on incorporating as many key words as you can, this could inadvertently bore your readers and possibly dissuade customers. Ultimately try to write an article that YOU would want to read.

Language: You need to adopt a writing style that your target market will relate to. If your business is offering security services for businesses, your style of language is going to be different to a business selling baby clothes. Also, use spell check. It’s free and it’s easy. There is nothing more off-putting than reading a blog with typos.

Consistency: Blogs are like a marriage, they requirement commitment and a lot of work.  In order for your blog to benefit your business and connect with customers, it needs to be updated regularly. If you simply pop a few paragraphs up every couple of months, you are not giving Google or visitors any incentive to come back to your website. It really needs to be all or nothing.

Overall, having a regularly updated blog page is a great way to reach your target market and to brand your business. Your articles can reach people through the wonderful partnership with social media. Post a link to your article through your Facebook and Twitter pages to help increase the reach and visits to your website. The best thing about a blog (aside from the initial cost of setting up your website) is they are free – if you have the time and resources to write them.

If you don’t have the time to maintain an active blog for your website, this is where we come in. We have just introduced a new Content and Social Media package which focuses on updating your website and social media with relevant and up-to-date content. If you would like any more information on the package or need assistance in setting up your own blog page, give us a call today.