The Benefits of Business Blogging Beyond the Blah, Blah, Blah….

What the Heck is a Blog, and Why Do You Need One? The term “blog” is short for “web log.” According to Wikipedia, “ a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. ‘Blog’ can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to your blog. ” A blog is like a personal diary that you write to everyday – except that it’s on a website. Marketing tool - professional communications B etter L istings O n G oogle! Blogs mean business! 06/06/09

The term “blog” is short for “web log.”

According to Wikipedia, “ a website where entries are written in chronological order and commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. ‘Blog’ can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to your blog. ”

A blog is like a personal diary that you write to everyday – except that it’s on a website.

Marketing tool - professional communications

B etter L istings O n G oogle!

Blogs mean business!

What the Heck is a Blog, and Why Do You Need One? How Will a Blog Benefit My Business? Develop relationships with your customers Sell your business or product Establish you as the “go-to” expert Build your brand and differentiate your company Affordable, speedy marketing tool Improved Search Engine Optimization increase the link popularity of your website adding new content to your website daily causes the search engines to crawl your website more often higher rank in the natural results pages in the search engines Increased traffic to your website 06/06/09

How Will a Blog Benefit My Business?

Develop relationships with your customers

Sell your business or product

Establish you as the “go-to” expert

Build your brand and differentiate your company

Affordable, speedy marketing tool

Improved Search Engine Optimization

increase the link popularity of your website

adding new content to your website daily causes the search engines to crawl your website more often

higher rank in the natural results pages in the search engines

Increased traffic to your website

What the Heck is a Blog, and Why Do You Need One? But I’ve Already Got a Website – Why Do I Need a Blog Too? Quickly and Easily Add Content Get to the Point Customize Your Look Add New Features Market Your Brand Customer Interaction Make Your Information Search Friendly Your blog is a promotion tool for your website Do People Really Read Blogs? 06/06/09

But I’ve Already Got a Website – Why Do I Need a Blog Too?

Quickly and Easily Add Content

Get to the Point

Customize Your Look

Add New Features

Market Your Brand

Customer Interaction

Make Your Information Search Friendly

Your blog is a promotion tool for your website

Do People Really Read Blogs?

Getting Started: Set Up Your Blog for Success On-Site Blogs vs. Off-Site Blogs On-Site Blogs domain name = website address http:// www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com “SmallBusinessMavericks” is domain name hosted at the same domain as website – blog’s address is: http://www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com/InternetMarketing each posted blog entry blog adds additional new content to website Off-Site Blogs hosted at separate domain name from website - http://www.BlueChipMarketingTips.com is separate from both of my websites creates relevant inbound link to website - search engines LOVE relevant inbound links Start with an Off-Site blog 06/06/09

On-Site Blogs vs. Off-Site Blogs

On-Site Blogs

domain name = website address http:// www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com “SmallBusinessMavericks” is domain name

hosted at the same domain as website – blog’s address is: http://www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com/InternetMarketing

each posted blog entry blog adds additional new content to website

Off-Site Blogs

hosted at separate domain name from website - http://www.BlueChipMarketingTips.com is separate from both of my websites

creates relevant inbound link to website - search engines LOVE relevant inbound links

Start with an Off-Site blog

How to Blog Like a Pro Know Your Keywords! What, Why, Who and How Ask Your Customers! Google Keyword Analyzer Spyfu.com Go to competitor’s site and select: View>Page Source or View>Source Discover their Keywords in their Keyword Meta Tags - looks like: <META name = ‘keyword’ content= ‘keywords here’> Choose WordPress for Optimized Blogging Organize Your Blog set-up your categories to correspond with your keywords 06/06/09

Know Your Keywords!

What, Why, Who and How

Ask Your Customers!

Google Keyword Analyzer

Spyfu.com

Go to competitor’s site and select: View>Page Source or View>Source

Discover their Keywords in their Keyword Meta Tags - looks like:

<META name = ‘keyword’ content= ‘keywords here’>

Choose WordPress for Optimized Blogging

Organize Your Blog

set-up your categories to correspond with your keywords

How to Blog Like a Pro 06/06/09

How to Blog Like a Pro Avoiding Bloggers-Block Blog Regularly Keep a Blog Ideas List Read Other Blogs! Read and Respond to Comments Read Industry or Trade Journals Read Newspapers (or Anything) Online and Use Clipmarks Visit http://www.clipmarks.com/ Break Long Posts Into Multiple Posts Write a Book Review Interview Someone List Your Top 5 Challenges and How You Solved Them Visit Google Answers and Forums Invite a Guest Blogger One Warning: Don’t Sell 06/06/09

Avoiding Bloggers-Block

Blog Regularly

Keep a Blog Ideas List

Read Other Blogs!

Read and Respond to Comments

Read Industry or Trade Journals

Read Newspapers (or Anything) Online and Use Clipmarks Visit http://www.clipmarks.com/

Break Long Posts Into Multiple Posts

Write a Book Review

Interview Someone

List Your Top 5 Challenges and How You Solved Them

Visit Google Answers and Forums

Invite a Guest Blogger

One Warning: Don’t Sell

Conclusion Blogging is here to stay! Blogs are great business tools Blogs are a promotional tool for your website Successful bloggers invest time Start with solid keyword research Blog frequently (daily for best results) Read and comment on other blogs and Social Media sites to build community Get blogging today!! 06/06/09

Blogging is here to stay!

Blogs are great business tools

Blogs are a promotional tool for your website

Successful bloggers invest time

Start with solid keyword research

Blog frequently (daily for best results)

Read and comment on other blogs and Social Media sites to build community

Get blogging today!!

Contact Information We are a full service marketing communications company specializing in Web Design, Development and Web Promotion for small & medium-sized businesses. I am passionate about helping you succeed online! If you have any questions about how you can improve the search engine rankings of your website, feel free to contact me! Caroline Melberg • 952-473-1007 www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com [email_address] 06/06/09

We are a full service marketing communications company specializing in Web Design, Development and Web Promotion for small & medium-sized businesses.

I am passionate about helping you succeed online! If you have any questions about how you can improve the search engine rankings of your website, feel free to contact me!

Caroline Melberg • 952-473-1007

www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com

[email_address]

The Benefits of Business Blogging Beyond the Blah, Blah, Blah….