Business owners are often so busy with..well, running their business. As we should be! There isn’t a lot of time to dedicate to blogging for business and posting to social media, let alone thinking about updating your website all the time. I know, it’s tough but not having an online presence can actually hurt your business. Your potential customers are constantly searching for information when they are ready to buy. For instance, a couple of years ago, I traveled to Houston with my husband and we were looking for a Honduran restaurant nearby. We were not familiar with the area so I “Googled” it. I found one Honduran restaurant about 20 minutes away so off we went. We later learned there was one just around the corner from where I “Googled”. That establishment did not have a website or even a Yelp listing. Needless to say, I was perplexed.
As you can see….if this happens every day, this restaurant is losing some serious business!! What does this have to do with blogging you ask? Everything!
Blogging for your business simply put, consistently brings lots of new visitors to your website which in turn, increases your ranking on search engines. Search engines LOVE blogs! Add some great keywords to your articles and you’ll be found when customers are ready to buy or visit you. It also gives you an opportunity to highlight pages on your website and link to the wonderful information you have. Think of it like a personal conversation with your target audience where you can educate in your area of expertise. Depending on how you set up your site, readers can comment and ask questions on your post making it a two-way conversation. This is great for getting to know your customers.
Bloggers publish topics they are passionate about and are experts in their field. As business owners, we too are passionate about what we do and subject matter experts. Why not share it? We should be inspired to share our knowledge. In the end, you will see more traffic to your website, your page rank will go up and you’ll start to see more inquiries about what you do.
Don’t be passed up on a sale or opportunity because you don’t have a web presence. In the case of our friends at the nearby Honduran restaurant, if they would have had a local listing on the first page of “Honduran Restaurants in Houston TX” from my Google search, I could have easily clicked to their map to see where they were located and went to the closest location. They didn’t even have a presence at all. Do you have a website, business directory listing, or blog? If not, please read on to find out why you absolutely need to have one!
5 Reasons Why You Should Be Blogging
1. Blogging is good for SEO
Blog posts naturally rank higher than other content on search engines.
2. You can highlight new web content
Add links to new pages, worksheets, menus, coupons, offers, etc. within your blog post to your website and it will consistently bring new visitors to your site. Host your blog on your website and visitors will easily navigate to other pages and categories on your site.
3. You Can Share your knowledge
There’s no doubt that you are an expert in your field. Show what you know and build value with your readers!
4. Build trust and create fans with readers
If readers like what you have to say, they will subscribe to your blog and engage with your content. They will also share your posts, increasing exposure for your business.
5. Meet customer’s needs
If you have a blog, prospective customers can find you when they are searching for answers to a question. If they find your information valuable and helpful, they will be curious as to what products or services you offer.
It’s not all about making that sale, it’s also about helping others and understanding what their needs are. We have all been there….You need to know how to do something or find information right away and the first few sites that pop up after typing in your question into a search are the ones that get your attention. Don’t you want to be there? I do! Hence why I’m blogging right now! Even though we may not have time, we need to make time. As Cheri Ruskus of Victory Circles says, “Make it a habit and you won’t regret it!”.
I absolutely love to share knowledge so please leave a comment or question below!
If you’d rather ask your question in private, you can email me directly at alecia.macias@arisedigitalmarketing.com.
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