Should you have a blog on your website?

To blog or not to blog? That is the question.

We have the answer…

Some individuals or businesses use blogging and social media to establish a personal brand, make a name for themselves and become an influencer in their niche. This in turn can result in new leads or sales.

People tend to trust the advice that they read in blog or news articles. The articles, if written well, tend to have a personal tone – making a topic easy to read about and understand. That is what the writer should aim for.

At Aubergine, we’ve had a blog on our website for many years and so the following advice comes from both personal experience as well as first-hand experience from our clients that run blogs and report on the interaction and engagement. In this article we are going to touch on some key points about blogging and ‘blog sites’, also referred to as ‘news’ pages.

• Before considering a blog site, ask a key question – what are the benefits for the readers? Without a focus, blog posts may not give the right impression of the business and so should not just be the indulgent muse of the author/s.
• Blogging builds brand awareness. A business website is a 24/7 sales person – blog articles will bring people to the site. Building online traffic to the business website should be part of your marketing strategy.
• Marketing-wise, the website is the end destination and a blog is a means to capture people’s attention and to provide a reason to link to it back to the website. They probably won’t stumble across a business website though random browsing, but they will stumble across an interesting article written on a social channel that links them through to the website. Think of it a bit like bait.
• A blog helps to show that a company is an expert in its field and helps educate the readers. If you are writing the content, there is an added benefit ­- it will help keep your knowledge of your industry up to speed through research for each article. This makes you an influencer and you are adding value to your customers by sharing your expertise.
• Blogs are good for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). They add fresh content to a website and Google loves fresh content, especially well written and relevant content, supported with appropriate images.
• Blog articles are a social media asset. Sharing blog articles from the website through social media platforms is free advertising for the business (and this means your competition are most probably doing it too). Don’t forget to check work for basic mistakes, such as spelling, grammar and broken links.
• Having a blog gives readers a reason to come to the website if they know there are regular additions of quality articles.

A blog can standalone or be added to a website. Either way, good blogging adds value for clients and the future prospects of a business, which is why when it comes to the question ‘to blog or not to blog’, we answer with a resounding ‘yes!’

Check back again next month when we’ll examine further aspects of blogging, including the best place on a website for a blog, best practice – and how to find out what readers are interested in.