A Common Question Answered

Do I really need a blog?

Blogs have been around long enough now that most people know what
they are and a large percentage of small business owners have
found ways to use blogs as part of their web presence. There are
those who are still sitting on the fence though so let’s count up
a few good reasons to go ahead and get one started.

Blogs make adding fresh content easy. Posting to your blog is as
easy as writing an email. You don’t need any special skills or
web design knowledge. Just start sharing what you know about your
subject and even ask for comments.

Blogs help to pull traffic in a new way. Blog posts are
distributed by RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. If you
take some time and submit your RSS feed address to a wide
variety of RSS and Blog Directories, every time you post to your
blog, the directory will know about it. Recently updated feeds
are featured prominently, bringing you greater exposure. RSS
also connects you to individuals who subscribe to your feed.
By using a resource such as pingoat.com your updated blog is
broadcast over the internet. How easy is that!

Blogs also help to pull traffic through the search engines as
each blog post or series of posts depending on how you set up
your blog, creates a new page of content. And what do the search
engines love? Right - good quality updating content.

Blogs give your website the sticky factor. Partly because your
readers subscribe to the RSS feed and get alerted whenever you
post, but also because readers can comment on the blog if you
allow that option. Your visitors return again and again to
check for comments.

Blogs add personality to your website and to your business in
general. It gives you the freedom to let your customers,
potential customers and business acquaintances see your lighter
side. You don’t have to get too personal, but sharing little
bits of yourself can be beneficial to your business relationships.

Frequency is important but blogs don’t require a lot of time and
effort to keep them fresh. You don’t have to write full length
articles; you can share shorter, useful tidbits as a series and
keep your readers quite satisfied.

Perhaps the biggest reason to have a blog is simply that they are
so popular with so many people. Blog fanatics can hardly resist
clicking on a link to a blog and will subscribe to your feed to
satisfy their hunger for fresh blog reading. Makes you want to
come down off the fence doesn’t it?