How Blogging Can Help Your Business

The creative world of blogging and the technical world of business may seem like two separate things, but actually, having a blog to go alongside your business website can bring incredible benefits. These benefits include increased website visitors, reaching a wider audience, building authority in your chosen niche, and more. If you are thinking of starting a blog as a way to bring more custom to your business, or want to take your existing blog further, this guide gives you the know-how.

So, What Exactly is Blogging?

A blog is different from a website. A business website may have a set amount of pages that describe the services offered, contact information and a business ‘about’ page that lets customers know all about the company. Once it is written and live, it may not often get new pages added. On the other hand, a blog is a running log of news and information that is regularly updated with fresh posts. Why do businesses benefit from blogging?

• Search Engine Results

Search engines such as Google like websites that are regularly updated with fresh content, and rates them higher in search engine results. For example, you own a company that makes bespoke furniture, and you have a few competitors. If someone types into a search engine ‘furniture designer,’ the list of results should contain your business.

The best place for your business to show up in the search result is on the first page, as that is what people will see first. If your business is only a static website, it might show up somewhere a few pages into the results, where potential customers may not find it. However, having a blog gives search engines new pages to crawl and index, making it seem more knowledgeable and important than a static website, and as a result, it pushes you further up the list.

• Authority

Having regular, quality posts published about topics in your business niche brings you a reputation as an expert, adding increased authority in your field. When your blog posts help people to solve a problem, or answer questions, you are more likely to get readers to come back to your blog again and again for advice.

• Marketing

Having a blog is a great way to communicate with people who are interested in your products or services. It gives customers a place where they can see a more personal side to the business and make a connection. Having a base of loyal customers is a great way to secure repeat business, so a blog is a way of marketing that can be very effective.

You can also encourage your audience to subscribe to your blog, which means adding their address to your email list. An email list is one of the most powerful tools you can have to sell to people directly. Think about how often you check your email: once or twice per day? More? Imagine sending information to people who have subscribed to your blog. They are already interested as they have signed up to your email list, so if you have something to sell them, the success rate is much higher. With a blog, you get to send targeted sales emails to people who are already interested in your products!

• Social Media Presence

Having a blog means that you can share your posts on social media, putting your business in front of more people. Not only will that, but visitors who like your blog posts often share that content on their own social media. This advances your reach as a business and brings more visitors to your website who may go on to buy from you.

How to Start a Blog

There are both free and paid options for starting a blog. For example, you can have a WordPress or Blogger account for free, and choose a name for it that fits with your business. However, in order for your blog to be truly linked to your business, then it needs to share the domain name.

If you already have web hosting for your business website, adding a blogging platform such as WordPress will be a straightforward thing for your host to set up for you. WordPress, and other platforms, can also act as both business website and blog if you a starting from scratch.

Posting Tips

To bring good traffic to your blog and website, aim for a new post at least once a week. Longer posts carry more weight and authority, so try to have posts that are at least 500 words and more if possible. Try to include keywords that are relevant to your business. To find out what keywords to use, try to think of what someone might type into a search engine as a way to find your business.

It is also important to bear in mind that quality is better than quantity. No one is going to want to read a long post that is overstuffed with keywords, making it sound stilted and awkward to read. To keep visitors on your website, write for your audience rather than for search engines.

The Power of Guest Posting

A guest post is where you write a post to be published on another blog or website. Usually, it will be on a helpful topic in which you can include a link to your website. Having a guest blog published helps you find a new audience, and also gives you a backlink to your website. Search engines like website and blogs that have lots of other websites linking to them, so this also helps to push your business further up the pages of search results.

Having a blog helps to show your business to a wider audience, as well as being a way to communicate with potential customers. Having great content not only helps people, gives you authority, and makes marketing effective, but it also provides other influencers with plenty of opportunities to get in touch. If your business hasn’t got a blog yet, then don’t delay any further! Start your blog, post regularly and watch how visits to your blog convert into sales.