Blogging has revolutionized the way information is shared through the Internet. What once was a word wide web updated by only a few savvy coders, quickly became a sea of contributors offering their opinion on virtually any topic.
Business blogging in particular is gaining steam as more businesses are finding its utility in attracting more of their core target audience. Although monetization of blogging is still up for grabs, businesses aren’t waiting around to find out what the buzz is all about.
If you are already a blogger, you probably know how much work it takes to maintain and engage your readers. This isn’t just an ordinary website with an “about us” page, it’s an organic living tool which must be updated on a regular basis to feed its hungry audience. But even if you are good at writing, that alone won’t guarantee success. Online promotion is a critical if you want your business blog to be found and read.
So how do you get more visitors?
First and foremost, you must understand the importance of a good title of your blog posts. Not only does it inform the reader to what they are about to read, but also it is a tool for search engines to find and rank your content in the billions of documents lying out on the Web. Don’t just pick something that sounds good, but try to include important keywords that web searchers would typically to find your information.
Make your content useful and not salesy. Are you an authority on your topic or are you trying to sell me something? This is important if you value return visitors. Blog resourceful information and leave your company website for the latter.
Blog Directories and Search Making your blog content available to others is surprisingly easy. All it takes is some time and a hard-hitting sales pitch. A search on Google for “blog directories” yields millions of results where you can submit your blog such as Technorati.
If you’re trying to hit a niche category like business, other niche directory resources such as the Business Blog directory by iBlog Business might also be worth a look at.
Take some time to identify some of the best directories that fit your needs and write a keyword rich title and a clear concise statement as to what your blog includes. (10 words or less is a good rule of thumb)
Best of all, search engines love links from directories and will use them to index your postings in a timely manner. Be patient and the traffic will come.
The Major Search Engines Search engines are no doubt important for any web strategy. As I stated above, good titles and directories are a good way to be found. But if you really want to excel your readership, there are a couple of key items to keep in mind that search engines find useful:
- Update your content regularly. Search engines will find your website more resourceful if you update it on a regular basis. This is a shear advantage over traditional Websites because blogs typically post information continually.
- Improve your link popularity. Request links from blogs in similar industries and don’t forget to show your link appreciation in return. Write articles and publish them at popular article websites with a link back to your site. Submit press releases to online news sources for enhanced pickup and link building. Find and support community forums that could aid your authority.
- Include a site map. Publish a page with a list of links that direct to all of your internal pages. Also, consider using Google Sitemaps for enhanced indexing by Google.
- Optimize your postings by including important keyword phrases in your URL extensions and links.
- Repeat keywords from your title early in your posting to reinforce your posts content and keyword density.
Blogger Resources Blogging is a community that can be rewarding to belong to. But just like any social group, insider jargon must be learned to fully participate and appreciate the community. Here are some of the bare essentials that you may find useful in the blogosphere:
- Permalinks- this is the name given to the link for any particular post so that it may directly accessed or book marked. Typically, if you click on the posts title that will lead right to permalink. However, many blogging platforms and blog templates will reference permalinks differently such as permalinks, link to this post, etc.
- Trackback URL’s- if read another bloggers post and want to reference it later and let the other blogger know that you are giving them credit, a trackback is a great tool. Look at the bottom of any post and click “trackback” to get the URL that you wish to reference in the future. When you enter your post, put in this URL in your trackback field and when you submit, your blurb will appear on the other bloggers post as comment.
- Blogrolling- a collection of blogs that you frequently read that are listed on your homepage. By noticing other bloggers, you in effect are sharing other resources that your audience might find useful. Your visitors can also learn a great deal about you by the very things you read.
Summary As business blogging gains traction, promoting and differentiating oneself in the sea of Websites will be increasingly more difficult. However, business blogging offers a unique opportunity for those who are willing to make a long-term commitment in building a valuable community. As more businesses find their way to the blogosphere, the future of the business community looks bright!
