Did you know that small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads than companies without one?
Blogs tend to be one of the easier and more cost-effective ways to generate not only interest but actual sales and revenue. Why? Consumers tend to regularly follow and check-in on companies that publish content relevant to their interests. Blog posts also contribute to inbound links—other websites and blogs that link back to your webpage—which helps build your brand’s awareness and credibility. Still on the fence about starting a blog for your small business? Here are some other reasons why you should get started creating material that will interest and engage your clients. This is part 1 in our 2-part series on blogging for business. This issue goes over why you should have a blog.
3 Reasons to Have a Blog
- Search Engine Optimization: One of the best and most important reasons to have a blog on your small business’ website is to improve your performance when potential customers search for the products or services you offer on search engines. When search engines crawl websites and index data, they are seeking keywords and other details to rank your page and pingback relevant information to people searching for something online. Blogs help amplify your SEO by consistently providing content that can attract people to your website when using online search engines. Ensure search engines are picking up on your content by using keywords relevant to your business, products, or services and by publishing original content on a regular basis. You’ll also want to make sure your blogs include metadata and click-worthy links. Metadata put simply, is data on the information within your website. This includes a blog’s title, descriptions, and keyword(s). Strong links include hyperlinks that direct readers to applicable web pages and pertinent clickable text rather than words like “click here.”
- Social Media Presence: Roughly one in seven Americans use social media to connect with others, engage with news, and share information; so you’ll always want to share the content you are creating on your social media channels so your followers and viewers can effortlessly access it and share it. The useful material will engage your existing audience and draw new readers (and potential customers!). Be sure to include social media buttons on your posts for readers to effortlessly share your blogs, which can help contribute to your own viral content.
- Demonstrate Your Expertise: Blogging is a powerful way to establish yourself as a leader within your field. Provide your readers with “news they can use” while simultaneously demonstrating your expertise. Write posts that contain thoughtful, informational, and valuable content and people can come to think of you as an information source, which can lead to additional sharing of your content. Providing useful content that your audience can share is also a free advertisement, which can increase your marketing efforts and sales.
Hopefully, your first reaction to the reasons above is “I need to add a blog to my business’ website!” But, your second thought may be, “What should I write?” quickly followed by “How will I find the time to write a blog?” In the second part of this series, we’ll explain.