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Published by: Judy Cobb 12-04-2012  |  POSTED IN: Traffic Tuesdays

Words Blog 7: To Blog or Not to Blog

 
A blog is a type of website or web page that promotes discussion of a specific topic or information sharing. Many blogs found on the Internet are intended as personal journals or opportunities to promote a particular worldview or opinion.
 
Used well on a business site, a blog can become a powerful tool for building credibility, increasing traffic to your website and providing your customers (or future customers) with useful information. SEO may deliver hundreds or thousands of hits to your website. Once they arrive there, the blog can give them a reason to return regularly, to recommend your website to their friends, and to promote your website by adding your link to links on their websites (back link).
 
The primary purpose of a blog is to create a reason for people to remember your website and to return there, so the blog must have a focus or a goal. An informational blog can be particularly useful to your visitors if customers for your product or services require information to select and use your products.
 
For example, a company that sells antique porcelains and ceramics might have a blog that discussed various types of manufacturing techniques, particularly collectible porcelains, products of various countries, and other useful background or purchasing information. Businesses like law firms, financial advisors and insurance brokers might also benefit from a blog that focused on information: different types of products, the pros and cons of different investment options, tips for deciding which products are right for an individual or business, current trends in the marketplace, or the effects of recent news events on the purchase of those products.
 
If you or someone on your staff has a deep knowledge of a topic and the ability to write about it, sharing that expertise via a blog becomes more than a marketing tool. It can provide a useful addition to the body of knowledge on that topic. However, the expert has to have the time and willingness to make the commitment to sharing that expertise.
 
Blogs can also provide timely information. A local realtor might provide a weekly or monthly calendar of events in the geographical community that realtor specializes in. This type of blog would be particularly useful if information in the blog focused on "insider information": events and activities that are not widely publicized; tips that direct visitors to restaurants or venues that are best known only to locals; suggestions about new businesses that offer good products and services but that have not yet been  discovered by many people.
 
Blogs might also develop ongoing contests, trivia questions, and other information of general interest that would draw people back from curiosity or interest.
 
One of the most important aspects of writing a blog is to select a topic that can be sustained over time. It is one thing to think, "A blog about my business would be interesting to people." Before making the commitment to create that blog, ask what type of topics you would choose from week to week. If it simply sounds like a good idea, think about what topics would be appropriate to write about over time.
 
To be successful, blogs have to develop a track record for regularity and reliability in order to draw visitors back. If you or one of your staff members does not have the time to do the research and write a regular blog, you are probably better off to adopt another strategy by producing an intermittent newsletter or adding notes or frequently asked questions to your website when someone has the time to produce them.
 
Blogs are a unique and exciting feature of the Internet because they allow many people to create and share their ideas, knowledge, expertise, attitudes, and opinions. However, creating and maintaining a blog does require an investment of time and energy if it is going to produce the best results. At the same time, that investment can powerfully strengthen the effectiveness of your website and can produce a tangible return in traffic to your website and business opportunities.
 
We want to assure that every blog post in this series provides you with tangible suggestions and ideas for building or improving your website. Please share your ideas, comments, questions and suggestions with us through the comments down below or email Judy directly at [email protected].
 
Judy Cobb is an independent writer and business writing coach whose clients have included Parsons Engineering, Mattel Toys, The Los Angeles Times and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has specialized in developing training materials for instructor-led courses as well as interactive online courses and websites. She holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and Stanford as well as an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Thanks for reading. Jason.
P.S. Don't forget to subscribe below to this blog.
 
About Jason Ciment
Formerly an attorney and CPA, Jason has been working online since 1997. His columns on affiliate marketing can still be found on www.Clickz.com and his book on search engine optimization can be found at www.seotimetable.com.

This blog is published 4x per week and covers website design and SEO tips as well as a wide range of tips and advice for working and living online more efficiently and enjoyably.
 

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