Why is blogging so important for small businesses?
Blogging can help your company’s website rank for industry-related (and valuable!) keyword phrases. One of the more important ways a search engine ranks a website is by the original and relevant content that it has. Most of the products and services you offer don’t really change, you are probably not adding or even changing the pages often, so the content you add to your blog increases the relevant keywords you can rank for.
Adding information to your blog regularly will increase your traffic over time, and rather dramatically when done right. Knowing some keywords that are frequently used to search for companies like yours is a great starting point.
What do I need to start blogging today?
- Analytics. No strategy is complete without the ability to measure your success. There are many free analytics programs out there that are very effective. Google Analytics is the staple product and for most, more than you will ever need.
- A good blogging platform. It is best to blog on your current website since it is the most likely place for a visitor to become an actual lead. Is your current site set up with a blog built-in?
- A good attitude! Writing blog posts should be fun and you should try to blog about a subject that you’re passionate about. Make sure you let your personality shine and write articles that give value to your readers. Checklists or frequently asked questions are always a great place to start.
What should I blog about?
There is any number of topics in every industry that can be leveraged for blog writing. As previously mention simply tackling some of the more frequently asked questions is a great place to start. Not only will it provide valuable information to visitors of your site but will inevitably capture common keywords consumers use to find businesses of your type. Community-based blogs are also relevant and effective in driving local traffic.
Local Presence Blogs:
These types of blog posts can be used to demonstrate your connection with the local community. If you are involved in local charity events or community bases activities even if you are attending as a vendor, also make great blog posts. You may find it takes some of the pressure off since these are not written as advertisements, they are generally informational.
I have found these can be great ways to get traffic and build your brand. Many community events are not widely covered if at all outside of print or the 15-second mention on a local station but people do search for them online.
Top 5 Problems Posts:
These are also easy and useful ways to think about content for a blog. Consider the various services you offer, each one could have its own “Top 3 Problems with X”. Or taken from another angle, “Top Fixes for Y”. These simply use the knowledge you have and turn it into useful information for the consumer. When they look for these types of problems/fixes online, your website will finally be entering into the mix to get found.
Comparison Blogs:
In this type of blog post, you will take two different services and detail out which one works best. If they are both products that you offer, then instead explain in what circumstance each one is more suited.
When you get right down to it, there are tons of things worthy of writing about pertaining to your business. The key is to get organized. Use my examples to come up with 12 blog posts to write about, which is 3 months’ worth. Then each week spend a couple of hours; one just free writing, and one-hour re-reading and re-wording and you will have a great start. Lastly, remember each one will provide benefits well into the future. Once they are posted they stay up indefinitely. People can be reading your “Carrier vs Goodman home a/c comparison” or “Top 3 80’s hairstyles that are making a comeback”.
Looking for a reliable content marketing agency that could help with your blogging strategies? Anthem Software can be of help. Contact us today to get started.
