4 Reasons why a blog could be very good for your sites health

Unleash the Power of Blogging for your web site and your business

4 Reasons why a blog could be very good for your sites health

Back in the early days of the Internet blogs were strictly the preserve of two distinct groups - the geek fraternity and the personal journaler. The former group would use their ‘weblog’ as a means to share their discoveries while the latter would share the adventures of their cat.

I realise that’s a sweeping generalisation, but it’s true; the use of blogging as a traffic-generating tactic is a relatively recent one. Blogging is now a standard weapon in the Content Marketers arsenal. Video and podcasting may be getting a lot of attention at the moment, but the humble blog still has a significant role to play.

Should I Blog?

This is a fundamental question. To blog, or not to blog? And like many questions, the answer is personal. For many, the thought of creating fresh new content on a regular basis is too daunting. The time factor is simply too great to ignore.

Here are the four main reasons why we think a blog shouldn’t be dismissed so readily.

Four Reasons To Blog

Increase Traffic

Creating a blog and publishing it will boost your website traffic. Your blog can be the central hub of all your marketing activity. Each and every blog post you create is a new web page for your site. It’s a new entry point to your site and gives you more opportunity to be discovered.

Suppose you have a site with eight static pages. By simply blogging twice a month for a year (24 Blogs) you are quadrupling your websites footprint. If those pages are optimised for Google, then this alone will help increase your traffic. To get the most traffic building power from your blog, harness the power of social media. Share your blog posts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to drive people back to your website.

Increase your Search Rankings (SEO/SERP)

Search Engines, by their nature, are in the business of discovering the latest web content. If your website never changes, then your footprint with the search engines won’t change. In the hyper-competitive world of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), a blog is a proven way to boost your rankings.

Why is this? Google’s (other search engines are available!) job is to serve up the most relevant content to their customers. Particularly, they are looking for content that answers their customer’s questions. You have the opportunity to be the best answer on the Internet for any given question. Do that consistently and Google will see your site as a supplier of great content. Your reward? Better search rankings.

Positioning

A blog can be a powerful positioning tool for your business. It’s your opportunity to share your expertise and demonstrate your status as a thought leader in your field. From helpful hints and tips to in-depth ‘How to’ articles, your blog content can shape how your customers and the wider World sees you.

By sharing not just ’what’ you do, but ‘why’ you do it, you have the power to make a much more personable connection with your audience. And those connections can build one of your most valuable assets - trust.

Your goal might be to develop a group of ‘raving fans’, or perhaps, it’s simply about being recognised as a ‘thought leader’. Whatever the positioning goal - a blog can help you achieve it.

Relationship Builder

Your blog can be the strongest relationship builder for your business. By posting content consistently your audience gets to know you and your business on a much more personal level. More importantly, the blog encourages engagement. A unique feature of the blog is the ability for users to comment on the post. Some blog owners switch this function off, but that’s a mistake.

Embrace the engagement by posing a question at the end of your blog post. Encourage your readers to get involved. And if they do, make sure you take the time to respond to each comment. Who knows? A blog reader, today, could become a high-value client, tomorrow.

Time to blog?

There are other reasons to blog, but these four are the most compelling. If you currently have a blog, please share a link to it in the comments below. We’d also be interested to hear why you made the decision to blog? Again, share it in the comments.

If you need any help to get blogging, give us a call on 01786 700006 or drop us a line here.  Our Marketing team is on hand to help.