Blogs—Your Personal Online Forum to Inform People About Your Products or Services and Brand Yourself as an Expert in the Field.
In This Chapter, You will Learn:
The definition of a blog.
What sites I recommend to create your blog.
How your blog can help increase traffic to your web site and positively impact your search engine rankings.
In its simplest form, a blog (short for web log) is a web page that provides content for others to see. You can share stories, testimonials, articles, pictures, advertisements, thoughts—whatever your heart desires. You can create the content yourself, or you can republish someone else’s work so long as you cite them as the source. Blogs are free to create, easy to maintain, and are powerful tools for winning the search engine game and driving traffic to your web site.
One of the reasons I recommend having a blog as part of your web presence is because it attracts search engines. This is due to the fact that blogs are content heavy and loaded with keywords. So, by having one, you’re increasing your chances of being noticed by a search engine when any of your important keywords are searched.
A complaint I sometimes hear is that having a blog show up on a search engine can actually be a negative because it distracts a user from finding the person’s actual web site. I believe that as long as your content is showing up—versus a competitor’s—you are ultimately winning the game. And don’t worry if a user does click on your blog instead of your actual web site. The blog can act as an introduction to you and your content, and it can lead the person to your web site when they’re ready. Remember, the object is not just to appear on a search engine once, but rather to dominate the search results with your content and leave the user no choice but to click on a link to one of your sites.
Along with the important role a blog plays in the search engine game, it can also give you the opportunity to create an online relationship (eRelationship) with customers and potential customers. If you’re offering real value, people will be more likely to become frequent visitors of your blog. They also won’t hesitate to forward your blog to others who might find the information useful. A well-maintained blog full of desirable content can spread like wildfire as word-of-mouth is still one of the most effectivemarketing tools on the planet.
So as you start thinking about what to put in your blog, think about what customers and potential customers might find valuable. A sales coach, for example, might include a daily inspirational sales quote. And a golf instructor could offer a daily tip for improving one’s golf game. As an Internet marketer, I like to provide weekly web site recommendations that I think my readers will find valuable.
Take some time below to create a framework for your blog.
