It is incredibly easy to set up a great business blog. Once you set up a blog, you will see that it has a ton of benefits when used the right way. You can drive traffic to your Website, get more sales leads, earn the trust of your customers or target audience and enhance your company’s reputation online all with the help of corporate blogging.
If you are unsure of how to set up a business blog, here are 6 simple steps for setting up a blog the correct way and adding information that will gain new readers and keep them coming back for more.
1. First you need to pick a blogging service. Wordpress and Blogger seem to be among the most popular blogging services; however there are plenty of free ones out there to choose from. With Wordpress you can have a free or paid blog. With the paid blog you get more services and your own URL that doesn't include "wordpress.com" attached to it. For SEO purposes it's better to host the blog on your main site, meaning leaving the blog in its original domain (yourbusiness.wordpress.com) won't get you the SEO benefits that will drastically help your business. However, this means shoveling out some cash for your blog and if you aren't prepared to do so, you can always upgrade it to a paid blog later down the road.
2. Set up your blog. Once you choose a service, setting up your blog is easy. Make sure it has a title, description, and relevant photo. Use keywords in your title and description to increase natural SEO. You do not need to put your business's logo on your blog. Some sites have blogs that totally stand alone from their Websites but use the ad space on the blog to feature only their products. It's up to you whether you want to make it obvious that your company owns the blog or if you want to gain loyal readers based on the information then try to entice them with eye-catching ads and occasional links back to your original Website.
3. Think about your audience. It's very important to figure out who your ideal target audience is, and what kind of information they would want to see. Set the foundation of your business blog from the beginning so it seems organized and doesn't go off track down the road. Do you want your blog to be totally informational with no mention of your products? Or do you want to feature some products on your blog mixed with information, breaking news and other tips and trends that deal with the industry? It is okay to do a mix of product features along with breaking news as long as you aren't only using your blogs for advertising purposes. Your audience isn't coming to your blog to learn about your products. They want information that will help them, educate them and interest them. They want breaking news, tips, reviews, event details and the like, with an occasional product feature or launch information.
4. Figure out your voice. This goes hand in hand with establishing your target audience. Once you figure out your audience you must figure out what voice that audience will appreciate. If your audience members are teenagers you'll speak to them in a different tone than if your audience members are senior citizens. No matter who your audience is, make sure to speak to them in a personal, more casual tone so they feel like they are interacting with a human, not a company.
5. Brainstorm keywords related to your business. Concentrate on long tail keyword phrases (3-4 words long) in order to target your audience's searches more effectively. It's better to choose some slightly more obscure keywords that are highly relevant to your business so your blog has a better chance of showing up in search results. Make a list then try typing them into the Google Wonder Wheel for more ideas.
6. Have a variety of authors who contribute. Blog posts are more interesting when they are coming from different perspectives. Even if it’s mainly just you writing the business blog, try to get a guest writer in a few times a month to spice things up. Whether there's just one or a few people contributing to the blog, make sure you feature an "about us" section so people can put a face to the posts. This will increase the personal experience of each blog visit and help encourage trust and loyalty in your company.
If you are unsure of how to set up a business blog, here are 6 simple steps for setting up a blog the correct way and adding information that will gain new readers and keep them coming back for more.
1. First you need to pick a blogging service. Wordpress and Blogger seem to be among the most popular blogging services; however there are plenty of free ones out there to choose from. With Wordpress you can have a free or paid blog. With the paid blog you get more services and your own URL that doesn't include "wordpress.com" attached to it. For SEO purposes it's better to host the blog on your main site, meaning leaving the blog in its original domain (yourbusiness.wordpress.com) won't get you the SEO benefits that will drastically help your business. However, this means shoveling out some cash for your blog and if you aren't prepared to do so, you can always upgrade it to a paid blog later down the road.
2. Set up your blog. Once you choose a service, setting up your blog is easy. Make sure it has a title, description, and relevant photo. Use keywords in your title and description to increase natural SEO. You do not need to put your business's logo on your blog. Some sites have blogs that totally stand alone from their Websites but use the ad space on the blog to feature only their products. It's up to you whether you want to make it obvious that your company owns the blog or if you want to gain loyal readers based on the information then try to entice them with eye-catching ads and occasional links back to your original Website.
3. Think about your audience. It's very important to figure out who your ideal target audience is, and what kind of information they would want to see. Set the foundation of your business blog from the beginning so it seems organized and doesn't go off track down the road. Do you want your blog to be totally informational with no mention of your products? Or do you want to feature some products on your blog mixed with information, breaking news and other tips and trends that deal with the industry? It is okay to do a mix of product features along with breaking news as long as you aren't only using your blogs for advertising purposes. Your audience isn't coming to your blog to learn about your products. They want information that will help them, educate them and interest them. They want breaking news, tips, reviews, event details and the like, with an occasional product feature or launch information.
4. Figure out your voice. This goes hand in hand with establishing your target audience. Once you figure out your audience you must figure out what voice that audience will appreciate. If your audience members are teenagers you'll speak to them in a different tone than if your audience members are senior citizens. No matter who your audience is, make sure to speak to them in a personal, more casual tone so they feel like they are interacting with a human, not a company.
5. Brainstorm keywords related to your business. Concentrate on long tail keyword phrases (3-4 words long) in order to target your audience's searches more effectively. It's better to choose some slightly more obscure keywords that are highly relevant to your business so your blog has a better chance of showing up in search results. Make a list then try typing them into the Google Wonder Wheel for more ideas.
6. Have a variety of authors who contribute. Blog posts are more interesting when they are coming from different perspectives. Even if it’s mainly just you writing the business blog, try to get a guest writer in a few times a month to spice things up. Whether there's just one or a few people contributing to the blog, make sure you feature an "about us" section so people can put a face to the posts. This will increase the personal experience of each blog visit and help encourage trust and loyalty in your company.
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