"The day
of the Online Brochure is well and truly over. No longer is it acceptable to
have a basic website that just explains what you do and where you are…. that’s
very boring and Google agree! Blogs are the new websites. In the words of Paul
Chaney they are living, breathing sites, upscale chatrooms and constantly
growing newsletters. In essence blogs create vital energy and can help your
business to develop and grow.
So, I thought I would put together a
list of key tips and tricks to enhance your own blog, so that Google will love
it!
1. A business blog should be within your website.
If you are serious about your business, then you need to
incorporate your blog within your website rather than on a separate platform.
Don’t get me wrong, if you want to have a personal blog to reflect your
thoughts and opinions, then feel free to go with blogger or wordpress.com site.
Let me explain the difference between these two sites. The main
difference is the domain names. ie: if you want a freebie site then go with a
wordpress.com site. Your blog address will then look something like this
www.joeblogs.wordpress.com, however if you spend a little bit extra then you
can download the software for WordPress.org and create a completely unique URL.
(like the Green Umbrella site – which is a wordpress.org site).
3. Be consistent in your postings
Tempting as it may be, but please try and be constant in your
content. Ie: just because you are interested in Wimbledon, do not write a blog
about it on your business site. Think about your target market and why have
they subscribed to your site?
4. Mix the style of content
What do I mean by style? People learn in different ways.
Therefore on a regular basis I often embed a visual “how to video” into the
Green Umbrella Blog, and weekly I will also embed an audioboo (audio podcast)
with written show notes. Having a guest blogger on your site will also add
variety and a different dimension to your site.
5. No sales pitch allowed.
Ok, this is not completely true as I always recommend a call to
action at the end of every blog – but please do not post regular sales pitches
into your blog. This is what email marketing is for… not a blog!
6. Remember keywords and backlinks.
A backlink (otherwise known as link-bait or hyperlinks) are an
excellent way to help with that all important Google juice. To turn a word into
a hyperlink, simply highlight the word then click the cntrl K buttons – then
post the URL. It’s highly effective.
7. Maximum of 500 words (in my opinion)
A good blog article should be from 300 - 500 words (give or
take). It is quite acceptable to write very short articles (such as two
paragraphs). I subscribe to Seth Godins blog (author
of The Purple Cow and many others!) and his are often very short.
8. Quality is better than Quantity.
If you are looking for a quality blog then subscribe to Sunil
Bali’s blog (click
here). I enjoy the humour in his blogs and I
look forward to receiving it every Sunday morning (the blog that it is!!!!).
9. Lists, lists and more lists.
List articles like this one, are very popular and easy to read as
you can skim through the headers. List and tips are a great way to blog!
10. Import your blog into LinkedIn and Facebook.
If you are going to the trouble of writing a blog article on a
regular basis, then you are wasting a valuable opportunity if you have not
linked your profile to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn! LinkedIn has some great
apps – so use them!
11. The title of your blog is important
The title of your blog is the most important part of the
article. Make sure that you are using excellent keywords and that you are
maximising any Google opportunities.
12. Tip for Article Directories.
If you are uploading your article to any directories (and of
course the 4N website as its FREE for members) – what?? you are not putting
your articles anywhere else???? Oh no! Well, if you have taken the time to
write a fabulous article, then make sure that you also upload to these places
to maximise your opportunities for exposure. ezine, go articles,articlebase, 4networking.
Big
tip is to make sure that your article is indexed on your own site by Google
before you upload anywhere else.
13. Regurgitating other peoples content is a big NO NO
Please do not take credit for others efforts. If you feel the
need to share another persons work on your own website then please backlink the
original article and give credit to the person who wrote it. The best articles
are the unique and original ones that offer some authenticity.
14. Always add a visual
As people like to see something visual, then always try and add
a photo (original) or a picture of some kind to draw in the crowd.
For more specialist social media help
and assistance you can contact Julia via an array of different marketing
channels - namely twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, Google Plus, Wordpress
etc. Or if you are feeling a little nostalgic, then there is nothing wrong with
just calling her on 01604 726758 or 07855 522027 or emailing julia.doherty@green-umbrella.biz.
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