“Do I need to write a blog for my business?”

If you want your business to get seen, then yes.

If you are happy for your company to be squirreled away on page 10 of online searches, then no.

This is not to say that adding a blog to your website will magically whisk you away to page one of Google (other search engines are available….) – if it were that easy everybody would be doing it – and not everybody can rank number one on Google.

But writing a regular, quality, industry related blog post will help your SEO – your visibility online when people are looking for the services or products that you are providing.

The more quality blog content that you create, the more opportunities you’ll have to show up in search engines and drive organic traffic to your website. Those Google bots love to see new and interesting content – their aim is to provide the best results for a search query. And this includes the latest results. There may be bigger organisations writing about similar themes, but if you are more consistent and produce more interesting and relevant content than the ‘big boys’ Google will keep popping back to take a look at you and your miniscule marketing budget gives you a chance to rank higher.

And, if you keep at it, you’ll find you’ll start to be able to engage in internal linking. If you’ve heard about SEO, you’ll have heard that links are important. Now the holy grail of links is to get those National publications to link back to you, but until you have the time, budget or connections to get this in place, internal links will help you along the way.

Here’s a great example of an online magazine compiling a list of 50 ideas that relate back to articles they have already published: 50 Best Mental Health Tips

But it’s not just about SEO – Business blogs are a great way to demonstrate to the world your expertise and knowledge whilst sharing a bit of your company culture, your personality. They can help build trust not just with search engines but with your audience as well. Sharing ‘free’ tips and advice for example can help persuade potential customers that you care about them.

Committing to regularly writing a blog also ensures that you are on your toes when it comes to your niche – be that your industry changing, or your audience tastes changing – or both. We can become so immersed in our own business worlds that we forget to raise our heads and take a look at the world outside. By regularly thinking of blogs that will resonate with your customers, you will be regularly thinking about your customers.

Then there is the sharing advantage – does your business have a Facebook page? Or a LinkedIn profile? Maybe you’re toying with Instagram or have a Twitter account. If you do, you can use your social media accounts to share your blog content; you can use the blog posts in email marketing; you can adapt them for other publications. The blog can act as a platform for a whole host of other marketing material.

“Are there any downsides to having a business blog?”

The biggest downside to having a business blog is your time – with everything else that you have to do how are you going to find the time to blog? In an ideal world, the blogs should come from your company, but that is just not possible for everyone. Employing a blogger could be your answer – someone who will be able to understand your company culture and learn enough about your industry to be able to write, upload and share those blogs for you. It is an extra expense, but your website reports and analytics should quite quickly show that those blog posts are driving traffic and potential customers, to your website.

If you would like any further help or advice about how to get started on your own business blog, please feel free to get in touch with us. In the meantime, we wish you happy blogging,