When Substance Matters More Than Style: Blogging for Business

Visitors to the websites run by entrepreneurs and small business owners do not place much emphasis on flashy graphics or unnecessary widgets and other “junk” that can clutter or slow down a site. They visit small business and entrepreneur websites to learn how to find solutions to problems, ranging from how to fix a broken fan motor to creating the perfect holiday menu. Creating compelling content that helps your website visitors solve difficult problems is just one of the strategies for how to blog for business.

Blog Calendar

How to blog for business starts when you develop a weekly or monthly blog schedule. You cannot expect to wake up one morning and create a compelling blog that addresses a problem commonly found in your industry. Entrepreneurs and small business owners must adhere to a blogging schedule that includes predetermined topics.

SEO Friendly

Blogs represent one of the best ways for you to get your website ranked high in Google’s search engine. Although Google often tinkers with its search-ranking algorithm, it rarely changes the criteria for rewarding fresh and relevant SEO friendly content. Entrepreneurs and small business owners who blog regularly must integrate the search engine keywords website visitors use to find their businesses online. Before you get caught up in the technical terminology, think of “keywords” as footprints that lead customers to your blog and website.

Short and Sweet

You want your blog posts to capture the attention of website visitors. Nothing turns off potential customers more than a blog post that reads like War and Peace. Tackle one issue per blog post and get to the point of solving problems. Break the content into easy to read sections highlighted by catchy headings, and use bullet points when creating a list or steps that is easy to follow for your reader. Fluff is only good for pillows.

Guest Posts

For some reason, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are wary about inviting guest bloggers to post on their websites. Yet one of the best strategies for blogging for business involves inviting guest bloggers to post content. Guest bloggers can reciprocate your offer of online exposure with back links. Establishing credible links is another way you can garner a high ranking in Google’s search engine.

Lights, Action, Camera!

Look at any Google search results page and tell me the common theme you see. You do not have to be a CSI to understand that YouTube videos prominently appear on Google’s first search engine page. This means some of your blogs should include short videos that help visitors solve problems. Entrepreneurs and small business owners especially benefit from including “How to…” videos into a few of their blogs.

A Toll Free Number

Now that you’ve got an idea or have set up your blog, don’t forget to include or link back to your small business contact information. A helpful hint? This is a good spot to include your toll free vanity number. Once your blog becomes established and you generate a faithful audience, it’s a good idea to also have a toll free number that your visitors will instantly recognize and associate with you blog as well as your small business brand.

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