Would you believe the internet was still relatively new back in 1997? I know that because I got a job as an account manager for a website provider, possibly one of the very first!
Back in those days, there were no such things as content management systems – if you wanted to update a page, you had to ask your designer or developer and they scheduled it in and charged you for it! The websites of the day also focused on whizzy designs and huge images that took an hour to load … zzzzz
Things have changed a lot – and content is vital
We now know how important content is – it’s the reason people visit your website. It keeps them up to date with what you’re doing, it tells a story about your business. It gives them a flavour of you. And more importantly, it helps your organic rankings and means you’ll be found more easily in the search engines.
A blog helps you promote your goods and services
And that’s really important in a competitive business climate.
You have a new product? Great, get it on a blog.
You’ve just finished a project that really showcases your skills? Great stuff, shout about it and put pictures up.
What about an interview with the CEO talking about how you’re helping customers during the pandemic? Yes! If it’s helpful, get it out there.
A blog helps you attract customers
As long as your content is relevant, it’s useful. Blogs can increase traffic to your website, and more importantly, the right kind of traffic. Through a blog, you can add keywords and meta descriptions to help you get found in the search engines. And each blog adds another page to your website, a page with new content that will be indexed by Google and the others.
You can share your blog posts on social media
If you have a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook page or a twitter account, you can share your news with different communities and that gives you a reach that’s much wider than just your website. The best thing is that you can direct visitors back to your website from your social media channels which widens your profile and gives you greater visibility.
Blogs help you tell a story
By writing about your products, your services and your customers, you’re building up a profile of your company that people start to trust. And when they trust you, they’ll use you – that’s a fact.
But how do you know what to write about?
It’s not always easy to think about subjects for blogs but if you know your audience, you’re halfway there.
So first, you might have to think long and hard about who your audience really is but you’ll need to do that whenever you want to write for your business, so the work you put into it won’t be wasted.
Keep the subject relevant. What does your audience want to know? Do they have a need and are you providing a solution?
Write about something that relates to your business. Will your audience be interested in it? It doesn’t always have to be about your products or services – if legislation in your industry is changing, for example, and you think your customers should know about it, blog about it.
Keep the content fresh. If a blog has a lifespan, think about archiving it when it’s time is up. Your visitors (and Google) both prefer information that’s current and relevant.
It’s not always easy to think about what to write, but it is important.
