Northern California SEO For Hire Search Engine Optimization
What Is A Blog?
A
blog is a frequently updated journal containing news, opinions,
information, web links, or ideas. Blogs have been around for a few
years, and business have started using them to connect with customers.
Adding
a blog to your current site is a simple process with the Yahoo! Small
Business integration with professional blogging tools WordPress and Six
Apart. So, you can start a blog in a few simple steps, but before you
hit "Go," Consider whether a blog can help your business generate new
revenue.
Blogs
can benefit your business by helping you start a dialogue with
customers that you can't have over a static web site. Consider the
following benefits:
Reaching Out
Since
the very beginnings of commerce, word of mouth has been a key motivator
in developing interest in products or services. If you were in the
market for a new car, you might ask someone you know about their make
and model. Word of mouth drives businesses and services in so many
ways. Use your blog as a tool to carry on a conversation about products
and services at the convenience of you and your clients. You can also
use your blog to recommend products and services offered by other
businesses, and hopefully they'll do the same for you.
Generating Buzz
Using
your blog to introduce a new product line or service will serve as a
great way to generate buzz-when the reader has time to pay attention to
what you are saying. When someone reads your blog, they are essentially
giving you a piece of their valuable time. An added side effect is that
as your blog grows and generates more traffic, your relevancy rankings
for search engines will also increase.
Getting Feedback
The
key to a successful business is not only generating new clients, but
maintaining the satisfaction of your current clients. The opinions,
input, and experiences of your current customers are extremely
valuable, as they help your company tailor products and services to fit
the customers needs-and keep them buying your product. Use your blog as
a sounding board of sorts, allowing customers to offer input, offer
suggestions, or even share experiences about your products. Your blog
will make feedback exponentially easier for your customers.
Although
maintaining blogs is still a new concept for businesses, a few best
practices have been established that will help your blog be effective:
Keep It Simple
Your
potential or current customer is now reading your blog-that's good. But
you don't want to settle for good, you want to make the experience
worth their time. Using four or five sentences to talk about why your
product is worth the reader's time and money is key. Don't get bogged
down in details. A smart blogger will spark a customer's interest and
then let that customer know where to go to get more information about a
specific product. Also, include links to direct them to open a new page
that will drive traffic to your site or a specific section of your site
that contains more information on what you are selling.
It's Your Blog … Be Who You Want to Be
Part
of the blogging's appeal is that you can be anyone you want. By
engaging in a dialogue with customers through your blog, you position
yourself as an expert. Your offerings of why this product is better
than that product will carry more weight. Customers want to feel secure
when they spend their hard-earned money, and using your blog correctly
will enable you to provide that security.
Update Often
For
a blog to be successful, it needs to be updated regularly. A good rule
of thumb is to add new content at least once a week, so your audience
will have something new to read each time they visit.
