What are the benefits of blogging for your business?
The short answer is … lots!
This article will give you some of the best ways to write your own business blog.
Table of Contents
Google Loves Content
… but not just any old content.
You might think the content on your web pages is sufficient content for Google and other search engines.
You might also think you don’t need to blog at all.
This is not always the case.
Benefits of Blogging has moved on from just being an outlet for personal experience.
While it is acceptable to blog in this way, businesses who box clever know differently.
Blogging is one of the most beneficial ways of creating regular, relevant content for your website.
Be Relevant
Topics need to be relevant to your business.
You will need to write blogs in a certain way (professional bloggers know the secrets).
And nothing beats well-written content for both the human reader and for pleasing Google’s search algorithms.
Driving Traffic
A good blog will help drive traffic to your website.
If you think about your website, some of the pages will probably be fairly static in terms of content.
You might tweak them now and again.
Yet writing and publishing a blog say once a month is another page for Google to index, providing it is carefully put together in a certain way, is unique and has lots of key features which we’ll discuss in this blog.
It also ‘flags’ up to Google that your website is active.
Find out how I can help with your blog writing strategy.
https://faithyoungwriter.co.uk/how-it-works/
Who is Your Audience?
No-one knows your core audience better than you.
You are in the perfect place to write a blog that will appeal to them!
And not just one blog … lots of them on a regular, routine basis.
It could be young mums; retired walkers; dog owners; someone looking to book a holiday …
You can also research your potential audience if you have a new product or service to offer your customers.
And hey, a new product is an excuse to write a brand-new blog!
What About Keywords?
There is a huge amount of work that goes into this and there are some very expensive tools that can help you.
However, if you’re just starting out, then the easiest place to start is to list the topics your first blog will cover.
Check out your competitors to see what terms they’re using, too.
Pretend you are your customer.
What keywords would new customers tap into their phones or their computers that you could include?
Warning! Overdoing the keywords is also a ‘no-no’.
So, use with care.
What About Asking Questions?
If you use Google (who doesn’t?) then chances are you will ask Google a question.
If you’re a dog owner looking for a dog walking business in your area, chances are you’ll do one of two things.
Ask for recommendations
Ask Google to find dog walkers in the Scarborough area.
A good website is www.askthepublic.com which allows you to have a couple of free uses each day.
You can discover those key questions which are relevant to your blog topic and therefore this will help flag up key words for your own particular niche.
Good Citations!
Of course, you need to also be listed (citations) too.
What, do you ask, are citations?
These are accurate, local listings for your business.
It is one the factors Google considers when determining which websites to show in search results.
This could be with your local tourism bureau, a listing for dog owning businesses and more.
This aspect takes time to do.
Coupled with your blog writing schedule, you are helping get your business noticed.
Citations also indicate your business has a good reputation and it trustworthy.
Need more help? Get in touch today!
Use the Benefits of Blogging in Other Ways!
If you have social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn – then you can share your blog on one or all of them.
Then in turn, as you are the expert about what your business does, this increases the likelihood of others sharing it too.
Don’t Be a Copy Cat
While most of us wouldn’t do this, never pass off other blogs posts as your own.
Duplicate material is not acceptable.
It is fine to link to other blogs (preferably your own!) and to one or two relevant websites.
Where to Start
One of the best ways to start using the benefits of blogging (and then implement a blogging plan) is to write your first blog about the basics of your business
- What do you do?
- How much does it cost?
- What are the benefits of using your business?
- What do your customers say?
- How do I get in touch?
You will need to be sure you can write around 1,600 words … it sounds a lot but actually, once you start, it can be hard to stop.
Be the Expert
Good blog content is relevant, accurate and displays the knowledge of your craft.
Being an expert in your business area is doesn’t mean giving away your trade secrets.
You can write about the benefits of hiring a professional dog walker as opposed to revealing how you became one, the routes you use and how you take care of the dogs.
Breaking Up
Once you’ve decided what to write your blog, then be sure to break up the text with relevant headings which make it easier for your customers to read.
Google is looking for well-written, easy-to-read, unique content that ensures the reader (customer) has a positive online experience.
And always remember to link to pages in your own website.
This might just be to the contact page.
Or if you’re a hospitality business, be sure to include a link to your booking page or your tariff page.
And always embed the links.
UX or User Experience.
You might have heard of UX and wondered if what it means.
It stands for User Experience and again it is an important part of the blog post.
UX includes things such as readability, page speed and formatting.
Readability refers to the clear, concise style in which your write your blog with clear headings.
Using images is to be encouraged but ensure they’re not huge as this slows down the page speed.
Also be sure you use relevant descriptions for your images, too
Using a Blog as Part of Your Digital Strategy
If you use email marketing, then you can use your blog in this too!
The key to any good blog is accuracy.
Let’s say you’re a hospitality business and one of your most asked questions is about parking.
This immediately gives you a potential blog topic with the ability to have outbound links, photos, FAQs and more.
The best way is to plan ahead.
A good blog writer will come up with topics for say three months (preferably six months ahead).
This means there is plenty of organised use of content both for socials and more.
And of course, a really, really good blog writer will suggest possible additional topics that will help your content strategy.
This could be a big event, a business anniversary or a major new product launch.
Add photos
Add photos and tag and name them as part of your blog.
As mentioned above, consider the size of the images and videos if you’re using them.
Be sure to use the alt text option … a bit of work but worth the effort.
Grab a Good Title!
Sticking with the dog walking idea, you could write:
Top Ten Benefits of Using a Professional Dog Walker …
Some websites have SEO built into them and as you upload your blog, it will use a traffic light system of approval.
Keep looking for ‘the green light’ for that appealing, effective title.
Include CTAs
CTA stands for Calls to Actions.
You can use two or three in your blog.
Blog writers know where to put these for potential sales leads.
What About Titles, Tagging, Headers and Meta Descriptions?
If these terms make you want to run for the hills, you’re not alone.
Professional bloggers will use these key elements to best effect.
It takes lots of skill to get these going in the right direction.
A good place to start is your title and ensuring the resulting URL is easy to find.
Your Meta Description is also something you can do.
The idea of this is to give search engines the nitty gritty of what your blog is about.
Check Out the Small Screen
As most of us use our mobile phones to search the web, you’d be daft not to check out to see if your blog looks great on a mobile device.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to write a blog?
While it varies, a professional blogger will take around 4 hours to write do the relevant research, analysis and come up with a good draft.
Sounds like a long time? Well, it is but can you spare four hours to do this?
What is the main benefit of regular blogging?
Regular blogging also encourages Google and human customers to see that you take your business seriously.
What are the key elements of a ‘good’ blog?
A well written blog about the benefit of your business, with links, photos, a great title, FAQs, subtitles, and some key bullet points tick an awful lot of boxes.
What To Do Next …
If you have time to do all of the above, then what’s stopping you?
So many business owners start off enthusiastically and then their energy peters out.
Not so with someone who writes blogs and article for a living.
They will devise a blog plan, know how to write it and really good blog writers are just left to get on with it.
Paying for a professional blog writer may cost you money but if done correctly then it will reap the rewards.
