For a business today, having a web presence is essential to expanding its exposure. But, for many businesses, a website has become nothing more than an online brochure. If traffic to your site is waning and you’re looking for a free way to increase page views and search engine placement, then you need a business blog.
A business blog is a web page usually made up of short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically. The idea behind a blog is that it allows a business to share it’s expertise directly with current and prospective customers, get feedback, and draw traffic for its website.
The purpose of your blog should be to provide useful information about the products and services that your business provides and give insight into aspects of your industry. Providing lots of useful information is the key to a successful business blog. This information builds your image as an expert in your field and helps readers to feel more comfortable doing business with you.
Once you’ve started your blog and get a readership you will begin to get comments and questions from them. Your readers are your customers and leads and it is important to respond to every comment and e-mail in a prompt and courteous manner. This feedback can be a great way to determine what your customers know and don’t know about your products and services and can help to point out areas of improvement for your business.
A business blog can also dramatically improve your search engine rankings. The more you post, and the more your customers comment, the more opportunities for search engines to pick up your content. Make sure to use the blog as a portal to get traffic to your website and not as a big advertisement. People will stay and read the information if it is informative and entertaining. From there you can direct them to your website, increasing site traffic.
If you start a business blog, be prepared to stick with it. A client who enjoys your blog only to have it go silent will make some negative assumptions about your business as a result of this. Create a blog that is consistent and relevant and you may just work your way into readers hearts and daily habits.
