I had a client recently ask me why he should have a blog on his website and in fact, why do people blog?
Well there a few motivations for blogging. The most obvious is because you have something to say and you need to be heard. Perhaps a better reason to blog is to feed search engines with fresh, updated content. Search engines index your site at regular intervals and keep a snapshot of your site on file. If nothing changes from one snapshot to the next, the search engines will start visiting your site less frequently until eventually they stop coming altogether. A blog is a good reason for a search engine to keep coming back to your site. This is why blogging became so popular.
What is a blog? A blog is a web-log. A log being a list of events or ideas and a web-log being a web based version of a log. Hence the name “blog”.
But perhaps the best reason to blog is to establish yourself as a market leader in your chosen space. Giving away all your knowledge and insights in your industry sets you up as a market leader and helps to build trust with your audience. The more useful your insights are, the more loyal a following you will build. And we all know people buy from those they trust.
So yes you should blog and you should blog often. Publish a 300 – 400 word article once a week around a specific topic. Keep it focussed and brief. Give search engines a reason to visit you and build trust with your readers.
Hi Troy, I’m just trying to get into the habit of blogging regularly. As topics come into my head I create a draft post, then I come back later and write the actual content for it. It ensures I don’t forget a good idea – even if I don’t have time to write the full post then and there. One question for you: do you also blog while driving your car? 😉 James
Hi James, jotting down ideas as a draft post as you think of them is a great way to capture your inspiration. And yes, I spend a lot of time in the car, so I have started capturing ideas while I’m driving – of course I don’t touch the phone while driving as that would be illegal. 🙂 Thanks for the comment.
This is an awesome little video, great explanation that I will use as a reference for future client meetings!! Thanks so much for sharing, Cheers! Caz