One of the easiest ways to promote your online presence is to keep an active, healthy blog. If you’re wondering what a blog is, you’re in luck because you’re already reading one! A blog post about blogging…it doesn’t get any better than that does it? In all seriousness, blogging is a great, easy way to keep your Google rankings and overall online presence healthy and growing. Whether you already have an active blog or need to start one up, continue reading to learn more about blogging and how to keep your readers engaged.

What Is A Blog?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a blog as “A regular feature appearing as part of an online publication that typically relates to a particular topic and consists of articles and personal commentary by one or more authors.”

You might be asking yourself, “How does this benefit my business?” While there are a variety of answers, the most prominent one is that it helps drive organic traffic to your website.

For instance, say you run a bed and breakfast that is located near a ski resort. If you write a blog post about your proximity to the resort and what you can offer your guests, your site is much more likely to be ranked higher in searches for skiing in your area.

Additionally, the more organic traffic you receive to your website will likely increase your site’s authority on Google. This will give you a competitive edge in search results since you’ll have better rankings on Google.

But how do you go about creating blog posts?

Write Something Worth Reading

First and foremost, when planning out your blog posts, you want to be sure that your content is relevant. This means that your content needs to be both accurate and relevant to your business / website.

For example, let’s use the ski resort example from earlier. If you run a bed and breakfast in Maine, but are writing about a ski resort in Colorado, Google will not like that one bit. In this case, your blog post will actually do more harm than good. This is because Google will actually rank you lower due to your lack of relevancy, which will decrease both your organic traffic and your overall online presence.

The best way to ensure that your content is relevant is to practice good topic research. This could include using sources such as your own specials / offers, your competitors’ content, or sites that provide information regarding local updates / events / attractions in your research. This will allow you to confidently keep your content accurate to your business and your area.

Captivate Their Attention

This may go without saying, but be sure to make your content engaging. Remember, blog posts are not meant to be academic essays that challenge the reader. Instead, they are meant to be fairly easy to read while still being entertaining for the reader.

One way to make sure that your content is engaging is to make it relatable to the reader. Write informally in an almost conversation-like fashion. But remember, you still want to keep it professional. So be sure to find that sweet spot where your tone is fairly informal, yet still professional. Think of your verbiage as one you would use when explaining something to a friend or colleague.

Doing this allows the reader to see that you are coming from a place of authenticity. Not only will this keep the reader engaged, but it also instills the reader with a feeling of trust that they now associate with your brand.

Show Your True Colors

Speaking of being authentic, be sure to always write blog posts in your own brand’s voice. Doing so will keep your brand consistent for the reader’s experience with your business. If your brand is not consistent, your readers / guests will most likely feel like they’d been lied to. Obviously this is the last thing that you want for your business.

Gaining a reader’s trust and keeping it that way go hand in hand. Both are vital for keeping your business alive and growing. The easiest way to stay on brand is to just be yourself. Your authenticity will speak volumes and reader’s / guests will greatly appreciate it.

Consistency Is Key

Lastly, speaking of consistency, be sure to create new blog posts often. We recommend putting out a blog post every week. Better yet, create a schedule for your blog and post on a consistent day of the week. This allows for readers to know exactly when to expect new content.

Doing this further instills your readers with a sense of trust for your brand. Think of it almost like the Sunday comics that you would receive in the newspaper. This was something that you could expect to receive on every Sunday morning, which gave you a sense of excitement when that day was approaching. Strive to fill your readers with this same type of excitement by providing consistent, engaging content for your blog.

Our Blogging Webinar

Still not sure how to blog properly? If you are an InsideOut Solutions client, please join us for our monthly blogging webinar on every first Tuesday of the month at 11:00am PST.

Stay In The Know!

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If you have any additional questions about blogging, please reach out. We’re here to help.