As a business owner beginning their journey into effective internet marketing you may have seen the phrase “Content is king” repeated across the web. It is true! Effective, relevant content is the most powerful tool at your disposal when it comes to increasing traffic to your business’ website. But what does this mean? What can you do to make sure your website’s content is fully optimizing your visibility online?
The easiest and most efficient way to ensure your website is filled with recent, high-quality content is to utilize your site’s Blog feature! In this article, we’ll share our pro-tips for quality blog-writing!
Why is Blogging Important?
Taking the time to post on your business website’s blog has a multitude of benefits. Search Engine Optimization doesn’t occur in a vacuum. How your website ranks online happens in relation to your competitors, your target consumers, and the search engine’s algorithms. In order to truly benefit from your website, you have to take an active approach to internet marketing.
A major benefit to blogging is it helps your business to compete. There are always other businesses providing the same products or services as you, but no two companies are identical. Your business is unique and you’re the best person possible to spread the word about what sets your business apart from the competition! By emphasizing the distinct characteristics of your business, you show your potential consumers that you’re a knowledgeable and passionate expert in your field.
If you’re too busy to blog, BroadLeaf has Web Content experts who can help!
In addition to improving a consumer’s perception of your business, blogging is the best way to update your site with quality content! Think of the SEO process like this: Search engines such as Google send out little “spiders” that crawl the web for sites with relevant information. By regularly “feeding” these spiders with quality content, you keep them happy, resulting in more traffic to your site! Google wants its users to get the most out of each search query, and blogging is proven to help businesses increase their organic search rankings.
What is Quality Content?
We’ve mentioned the importance of quality content several times, and you may be wondering what this means. Simply put, you want to thoughtfully compose each new blog with useful information that is easily accessible to your readers. It’s crucial to keep quality over quantity in mind when updating your website’s blog. Your readers will want informative, easy to read material that answers common questions that your potential customers might have.
It’s not a secret that keywords and phrases are a large factor when it comes to optimizing your business’ web presence, but it’s important not to saturate your blog posts with them. Remember Google’s spiders? They love to snack on keywords, but if you use too many they’ll tell the search algorithms that your website is full of “spammy” content, thus impacting your site negatively!
Quality Blog Content Solves Problems
Think of the last time you used a search engine to answer a question or solve a problem. Chances are high that you received the information you were looking for in the form of a blog post! As the primary expert when it comes to your business and industry, you’re the best possible person to share solutions to common questions and issues that your target audience may be searching for.
Not only will problem-solving content drive more users to your website, these types of blog posts are more likely to be shared by readers. When your blog is shared on social media, for example, it exponentially increases your reach and shows Google that your site is trustworthy and a source of quality information!
Getting Started on Your First Blog Post
Now that you know the importance of blogging, and have an understanding of quality content, it’s time to write your first business blog post. The best blogs are of short to medium length, use small paragraphs for easy reading, and deliver useful information quickly. Each post should have an attention-grabbing headline, a short introduction to the blog topic, quality content for the blog body, and end with a thoughtful conclusion.
Share Your Expertise
First, pick your topic. For example, if you own a plumbing business a great first topic would be “5 Plumbing Mistakes for New Homeowners to Avoid”. In this example, using a numbered list post format with this attention-grabbing headline lets potential readers know exactly how much information to expect and who the information is intended for. Remember, you’re the expert! You’ve worked one-on-one with tons of customers and you know their common questions and potential problems that need solving, so pick a topic that will let your expertise shine!
Use Visual Elements
People have short attention spans, especially online readers. It’s important to keep the attention of your audience by avoiding “wall of text” posts, helping your reader get from introduction to conclusion without clicking off your site. The best way to break up the monotony of text-heavy posts is to use visual elements such as pictures, videos, and infographics, to deliver information in an easily consumable way.
To effectively get your main point across, consider creating visually striking infographics with important facts. Your reader’s eyes will be drawn to the image first, ensuring that the most important information is being seen immediately!
Share Your Hard Work
Now that you’ve crafted your first business blog post and hit that publish button, what’s your next step? Share that post! You should already be using a combination of different digital marketing strategies, and these can be used to get the word out about your brand new blog.
You can quickly share your blog posts on your social media accounts, through your email marketing campaign, and even by word of mouth. Blogging is not only great for the authority of your business’ website but it gives you another reason to make social posts or reach out to your customer base via email! Assuming you’ve taken the time to write quality, easy to read content, your posts will be shared and commented on by others in no time.
Conclusion
Writing blogs about your specialties, products, and services is one of the best ways to increase the visibility of your business online. Content is king, and each blog you write adds more relevant content to your site. Blogging is an easy digital marketing tool that can be added to your existing strategies, bringing your site traffic from your target demographic.
Now that you’ve learned some of the blogging basics, it’s time to get out there and write! Let your customers know what makes your business great, let them know about new projects, great promotions, and more!
Are you a business owner struggling to find the time to compose effective blog posts on your website? BroadLeaf Marketing & SEO can help! Contact us to speak with one of our Web Content experts today!