1. What is a blog?
A blog is short for weblog. A weblog is like a journal or diary that is
frequently updated but it is intended for the general public to read (although we
recommend you make your blog as niche as possible to reflect your line of
business). The owner of the blog typically has full administrative rights and
is the one to create new blog posts while others may post replies to these posts.
2. Do I really need a blog?
That really depends on you and your business. The more you can share your
opinions, view points, articles, resources, links, etc. with your visitors or clients through your
website, the more you can position yourself as an authority in your line of
work... and when you are viewed as an authority (both from the search engine and
visitor’s perspective), you will ultimately (although not immediately) be
rewarded with higher rankings and more repeat visitors. And we all know those
two things can mean more sales!
3. Where do I begin?
To begin your blogging adventure, you’ll first need to have access to a
blogging application or contact us! There are a lot of them to choose from but I would stick with the biggies like Blogger.com and WordPress.com. They are all free and most are pretty
easy to install following some basic instructions. If you need blog set-up, tutoring or posting services, give us a call.
4. Will it really help bring in traffic to my site?
Your number one goal when writing any content for your blog (or website) is that it will
be interesting and hopefully useful to your visitors. When you accomplish that
goal, we believe inevitably the search engines will soon follow suit and start
indexing your blog. Because blogging usually means frequent updates, the search
engines will make note of this and visit (index) your site more often. The more
visits, the more pages that get indexed, and the more likely your site will rise
in the rankings.
5. What in the world will I write about?
- The answer is three words: What you know. I am a firm believer that we truly are experts in our own fields (or at least we strive to be) and with that... we are full of useful knowledge and information your visitors might really benefit from. OK, need some ideas to get you going:\Industry news. What’s happening in yours and what do you think about it?
- Articles. Have you written some lately (and if not, why not!). Write a quick synopsis of the article and provide a link to the full article.
- FAQs. This would make for a great blog category, don’t you think? And don’t rely on your customers to ask you the questions, write the questions you WISH they’d ask you and then provide a solid answer.
- Announcements. Have you added to your staff lately? Get recognized in the local paper? Make the biggest sale of your career? Don’t be shy; share the good news!
6. When will I find the time to blog?
Now that’s a tough one. Where do you find the time to do anything that you
might otherwise put off? I tell my clients and I tell myself: put
yourself on your calendar and stick to it. Spend at least 2-4 hours a
week writing articles, getting links, images and now, adding to your blog. It can be
pretty addictive by the way and there’s immediate gratification since your posts
are immediately seen on your site thanks to blogging software.
7. How do I name my blog?
We saved the easiest for last! Name it whatever you like, but the right
name can really catch on like wildfire so definitely give it some thought. If
you have a newsletter, think about naming it something that will complement
that. Have fun with it! Give us a call when you are ready for us to get your blog started!
