What is a BLOG?
About BLOGs
Blog is the abbreviation of the original term web log. It is an online version of a diary, and needs to be maintained with regular entries.
For a business a blog can be many things but it usually has topical matters that the business believes to be relevant and of interest to both it’s existing and potential customers. It includes such things as information on new products and services, special offers and in depth technical analysis of a particular topic. If used correctly it is a very powerful marketing tool.
Does your company need a blog on its website?
This answer depends on the type of business and website you have. For example, if you have a three page website (called a web design starter package) that is designed to provide brief information and contact details about your business then a blog is not appropriate. You also have to be in a business that can generate interesting and relevant blog topics. For example if you are a plumber, a blog topic could include water saving techniques.
So why is it important to have a blog?
Most website designer experts will tell you the reason to have a blog is for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). While it is true that having a blog is very good for SEO, this is NOT the main reason to have a blog, although if you want to increase your website page ranking a blog is a good tool to use.
The main reason to have a blog is to engage both your customers and your potential customers. There is really no point in working so hard to get people to your website if your site does not provide the information needed by those people.
So how does a blog engage your customers and potential customers?
Firstly as a good blog is continuously updated it gives a reason for people to visit the site on a regular basis, to see what’s new or of interest. How many times have you visited a website where the blog has not had an update for six months or more – this doesn’t look good as it makes it seem that nothing new is happening in the business, or they are too busy to be reliable. It is important that if you have a blog that you are organised and committed to keeping it up to date on a regular basis. At least once every six weeks.
The type of information contained in your blog will depend upon the type of business you are running, but it must always be relevant. For example if you run a garden supply business your blog could contain information on what vegetables to grow each season. If you run a gym your blog could contain details of new exercise equipment that you have recently purchased. If you are a café you could list some new recipes to try at home using seasonal ingredients.
What are the benefits to having a blog?
There are lots of benefits to having a blog.
- First Impressions: A website is quite often the first point of contact a potential customer will have with your business, so the information made available here can give them confidence in your capabilities.
- Building Trust: A blog with interesting articles posted regularly over a period of time will show that your business is genuine, reliable and trustworthy.
- Brand Awareness: A blog will give you the opportunity to create brand awareness and set you apart from other businesses within your industry.
- Industry Expert: By providing good technical information and advice, your business will be viewed as an industry leader with blogs containing interesting and educational information.
What are the costs of running a blog?
Dynamic Websites specialise in small business web design. We are based in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn and provide services throughout Australia. We understand what it takes to get a small business online at an affordable price and with the minimum of fuss. Along with designing websites for small business, tradies and NDIS service providers we provide online marketing services. Our online marketing for small business extends to Google Ads, Google My Business, Microsoft Advertising, search engine optimisation (SEO), content writing and, blog writing.
