Do I Really Have to Blog? (Can I Get You Some Cheese with That Whine?)

Short answer: No, you don’t have to blog.

But lots of companies are blogging in order to join the online conversation about their products/services…

and because their sites are even more Search Engine Optimized by the practice of blogging!

Google loves fresh, unique content - lots of it and often. It’s one of the factors they consider when choosing websites to move up the page rankings.

Writing a blog is an easy way to upload content frequently. A simply - forgot those cumbersome content management systems of yesteryear; wait until you try (free) blogging software.

Still think of blogging as too personal, too opinion-oriented, too ‘young’ for your business?

You can use blogging software to do other things, too, that will make The Big G happy.

What else can I do, beside blogging, to help SEO?

Fresh and unique content can go up on your site via:

• Product pages - featured items, discounts, new items carried; good writing as well as tech specs and great product photos.
• Articles - “how to”, “Top 10 tips on using XX,” etc. relating to your products or services.
• Newsletters (monthly at the minimum) posted as HTML or PDF on your website, and archived.
• Press releases, ditto re: archiving and formatting and frequency.
• User Forum on your site - but remember, you’ll have to moderate the discussion to keep it clean and focused on your chosen subject(s).

Maintaining a steady stream of new, relevant content to your website is an integral part of a successful SEO strategy. We tell our clients that once we’ve search engine-optimized your site so that you get found online, we hand the reigns over to you to keep getting found and read, over and over.

I’m B2B - who blogs in that space?

Please don’t assume that blogging doesn’t suit your market. You might be surprised to know that many “unlikely” businesses write blogs (e.g. FirstAidKitBlog.com written by a manufacturer).

These companies - small, large, retail, industrial, whatever - find it an easy and emotionally engaging way to serve the information needs of their market. Blogging software is free, and it’s faster and easier than you think. (MA in English Literature not required.)

And be aware that cyberspace is increasingly becoming the “blogosphere.” Blogs don’t just get ranked in Google and the other major search engines; they also show up in blog search engines such as Technorati and Google Blog Search.

The more exposure the better. And the more feedback from your customers and prospects the better - newsletters and press releases don’t allow for user commenting. Blogs do. Think online focus groups; free market research, anyone?