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You’re at your desk on your fourth cup of coffee. You’ve spent endless hours perfecting your website’s design and, finally, it’s finished. The look is creative, yet polished. The concept is unique. The copy is perfect.
You’re ready. You grab your mouse and your hand hovers over the “publish” button. You’re about to click when suddenly out of nowhere a thought wanders into your mind: Does my website need a blog?
The answer: Yes. But not right now.
Why Blogs Matter
#1 - Tell Google your website is alive and relevant
Blogs tell Google your website is alive and relevant. This is huge, and deserving of the #1 reason why blogs matter. Unless you are running a website that will never need to rely on Google to get traffic, you need a blog. Why? Because blogging, and the content your blog produces, plays a huge role in SEO. Every blog post you write is an opportunity to tell Google that you are a relevant authority on the keywords important to your business. Secondly, it tells Google that your business is active and not a dormant piece of internet real estate (think informative, constantly-updated resource vs. a static brochure - which do you think Google would rather route its traffic to?) The more you do post, the more Google has to opportunity to recognize your website as active and relevant, and the more opportunity your business will have to gain Google searching clients. See why people on Google are easier customers than people on Facebook for more information.
#2 - Position yourself as an authority in your field
Answering common questions from your target audience helps position your business as an authority in its field. This is known as a differentiator - something that will help you stand out (or differentiate yourself) from your competitors. By offering free useful information, you are demonstrating your expertise and sending a signal to potential customers that your business is able to offer value, which can be an enticing factor when asking people to choose you over your competitors. Just think of what would happen if two competing chiropractors set up websites - one that said “I’m great at adjusting necks! Believe me!” and another that offered a series of well-written articles on different topics related to neck adjustment. Which would you be more inclined to do business with?
#3 - Build relationships with potential customers
By featuring a blog on your website that is frequently updated with engaging, relevant content and allows for user comments, you are giving potential customers the opportunity to engage with your brand before buying from you. This engagement is key to building strong relationships with your target audience, and is part of the process of helping potential customers know, like and trust your business. This can be dine by simply encouraging engagement on your blog bys asking questions at the end of a post, interacting with reader responses and asking follow up questions where relevant. Additionally, by engaging with your audience, you have the opportunity to gain insight into your customers’ world and gain a deeper understanding or what they are looking for.
When to start a blog
The best time to have started a blog for your business is on the day you opened your doors. The second best time is now. Blogs are a powerful tool for engaging and understanding your audience, but they are by no means the way to do so. Holding your launch back while you furiously type out blog posts is going to do nothing but cause you stress, create more distance between you and your potential customers, and feed into a perfectionist mentality that has been proven to hold businesses back. Your best bet is to launch now and build on your foundation as you grow, adding the blog to your marketing efforts when the time is right.
What to do next
View our complete collection of blog posts to learn more about how to successfully launch, grow and scale your small business through killer design tips, up-to-date business strategies and bite-sized blurbs of wisdom.