A Simple Guide to Blogging

If you want your business to be noticed online, you must have a blog.

That’s probably something you’ve heard a lot of people say; well, they’re right.

The pros and cons of blogging

Pros

Google loves great quality content; the more you can produce the better. And if Google loves it that means you’ll be rewarded with great rankings in the search results.

So blogging is great for search engine optimisation, but that’s not all.

Writing regularly on your blog will also position you as an expert in your field. It’s a great stage from which you can offer help and advice to others, widening your exposure on the Internet and driving traffic to your website.

Cons

If you’re going to start one you must be prepared for the commitment it needs. A blog isn’t just something that can be played with every now and then when you have time. A blog is something that must be used regularly.

All too often you see new websites launched with a blog that’s updated religiously for the first month or so, but then…nothing.

There’s nothing worse than landing on a website to see a blog that’s not been updated for months on end.

Warning: A blog won’t self-populate – you have to do that bit. And that takes time, commitment and creativity.

Keeping your blog on track

Once you’ve made the decision to start blogging and are confident that you have what it takes to cut it as a blogger, you have to decide what you’re going to write about.

If you’re using it as a way of promoting your business, it makes sense to pick a niche that complements your business activities. I am a copywriter, therefore my blog contains posts that relate to copywriting, marketing, social media and freelance businesses.

Once you’ve made that decision, stick to it.

Your readers will soon get to know what kind of information they can expect to find on your blog. If you suddenly change tact and throw in something completely unrelated you could lose them.

What type of posts to write?

The type of post you write should vary.

News articles are interesting, but people like variety, so try and mix it up a bit and write:

• How to posts
• Reviews
• Comment on the latest industry news
• Top 10 lists
• Advice and tips

At the end of the day, what you write should be interesting and add value to your readers.

As you can see, blogging is a great way to improve your online visibility, elevate yourself to expert status and drive traffic to your website. But it takes time and commitment.

Over to you

Do you blog? If so, how do you manage to keep on top of it?

If you don’t blog, why don’t you? What’s stopping you from having a go?

Leave a comment below and let’s chat.