As mentioned in previous posts, using blogs to generate additional traffic for your primary site can pay huge dividends. Just “doing it” can mean significant increases in traffic, but what you really want to do here is – as in your main site – generate qualified traffic.
Post Writing – Content Creation Discipline
By that, I mean you want to draw in people who want exactly what you offer. That requires a disciplined approach to content creation;
– Research and consider carefully what your post is about, and know why you are writing it – the objective!
– Identify the keyword phrase/s that people are using to find information relevant to the topic you will write on.
– Ensure you place keywords in the post title, and early in the first paragraph, with some additional emphasis on the words, such as bold / italics.
– Include “exact match” keyword phrases throughout the body of the article.
– Add tags/slug i.e. a short list of specific relevant keywords – this may be used in the post page Keyword meta-tag.
– Write a concise Excerpt, loaded with keyword phrases – this may be used in the post page Description meta-tag.
– Use the Spell Checker!!! This article may be the first introduction a potential client has with your business.
Remember that “You NEVER get a second chance to create a first impression!”
Business Blogs Should Inform & Educate
In a business blog, which is there to inform & educate potential clients about aspects of your business, try to provide useful information, without a blatant sales pitch. By all means, encourage readers to “Inquire about Free Personal Advice” or “Contact us for More Information” but don’t overdo the sales pitch. Your goal is to convey your depth of knowledge and experience, and build credibility.
Blog Search Engine Optimisation
To maximise the *********** of your Blog posts, it is not sufficient to just write it and forget it. You need to ensure that your Business Blog is properly “optimised” to produce unique, accurately categorised, and clearly labelled content. This requires a SEO package implementation on your blog to ensure that your Posts, static Pages and Category pages are UNIQUE! We think WordPress is the fastest and easiest blog platform to customize. It also has a comprehensive array of free SEO options, and following comments are specific to WordPress.
This is best done dynamically, with installation of plugins that provide automation of;
– HTML Page URLs – using mod_rewrite to generate verbose, keyword-rich page file names.
– Page Title Tags – if you write good post titles, these can be used verbatim in the Title Tag.
– Page Description Meta-Tag – uses the post Excerpt, or the first 20 words of 1st paragraph.
– Page Keyword Meta-Tag – used the post Tag or Slug to generate keywords.
Accurate Content Cataloguing Pays Dividends
The combined impact of attention to detail in posting generation and publishing, plus Search Engine Optimisation finesse on the page production, will deliver dramatic improvements to blog traffic. At the same time, it wil ensure that visitors get exactly what they were seeking due to the resulting accuracy of your content cataloguing efforts.
That will encourage them to bookmark the site, or specific page, and to come back looking for additional details.