Keeping and maintaining a Blog on your website is important to the overall success of your goals. So the content you place on there for the consumption of your readers needs to fulfill a specific purpose. A blog can be more than just a day-to-day about your business. It can also boost traffic and show that you are a thought leader of the brand you purport.

But just like any aspect of your website, a blog should follow a set of rules and structure that pay you a return for what you put in. A blog should be a two way street, a reciprocal union between you and your readers. This can be a challenge if you are just starting out. Or as one expert says:

The real power of a blog is that it’s a living, breathing community…  Its purpose existing is to share information, promote engagement with other people, and stimulate conversation… A blog is an online resource full of information about your business that is available to everyone in the world with an internet connection.

But how do you attract people to your blog? By following, and staying up to date on current SEO practices. Here are 3 tips to help you along.

1. Keyword research is a must

Your blog should be full of relevant keywords so that when a particular set of words are typed into search engines, traffic is directed your way. But don’t be fooled by people who say your blog needs to be saturated with high search volume words, because using long-tail keywords is sometimes even more successful.

2. On-Page optimization

Sure, getting people to your page is fundamental to the thesis of having a page to begin with. However, what is on your page is just as integral. You should have content that impacts, a design that is built to be shared through social media and with easy URLs and descriptive tags, providing valuable UX, and so on.

3. Be unique

One of the most frustrating parts about blogging is that everything has already been said a thousand times somewhere else on the Internet. So sometimes what came to you as a one-of-a-kind thought (not that it isn’t), has already been outlined and dissected elsewhere. Cut through the fuzz by making your content indicative of you. Embed pictures and gifs; come up with infographics that have never been put together before, etc. Stay on topic, but make it your own.

Blogging can be as simple and effective as you make it. Especially if you already have a blog, it may be very easy to add a few tweaks here and there for maximum return. More so if you are just starting one.

Want more information on website marketing, SEO, or blogging? Please contact us any time. For more tips, check out our ebook.

Blogging is the way to share your knowledge with others.  In order to get customers involved in conversation there are comment boxes available.  Encouraging comments means welcoming positive and negative comments into the fray.  Negative comments drag the company down and may push readers away from your blog.  In blogs there are ways to handle negative Nancy’s without giving them the power to ruin your reputation:  turning comments off, monitoring comments, create a comment policy, deleting comments, or kill them with kindness.

 

Turning off comments in posts is not a good idea.  In this day and age speaking your mind will always be a trend, and this shows that readers don’t have freedom of speech on your blog.  It shows that you don’t want to hear what the readers have to say.  It’s the same thing as being fearful or running scared.

 

Monitoring comments is noticing every comment; how to handle it is a different issue.  Monitoring needs an action to take place:  post, post and respond, or delete.

 

Comment policies are rules and regulations that must be followed on the blog.  Readers are free to comment, but the comment is posted only if the comment is within those rules.  The policy must be listed on the website (preferably the blog).  For this to work, companies must allow both positive and negative comments within the guidelines to post.

 

Deleting comments is deleting comments the company doesn’t allow.  This can turn into a bad thing; only positive comments are shown on the page.  It works now, but in the long run readers will catch on.  They won’t feel like they’re being heard.

 

Addressing comments is not about fanning the flame wars.  It’s about killing them with kindness.  Learn about the reader’s issue and respond to them on the page.  The negative reader will come back to see if you responded.  Convince the reader to respond by email or phone in private to resolve this issue.

 

Sweeten the pot by sending the negative reader a letter of concern.  A little love never hurts anybody.  Mention their negative comments, that you’re concerned, apologize (if necessary), and if something is wrong come to us and we’ll listen.  Readers aren’t expecting this which catches them off guard.  They will respond in a positive manner stating why they felt that way.  It makes both parties feel good to talk it out and those negative comments will turn into positive ones.

 

The one thing you don’t do is never respond to negative comments.  They will linger.  Other readers will find the post through search engines and links.  Allowing them to post but never respond shows you don’t care.  Another thing you don’t do is answer every negative comment.  Just by reading it, some comments are looking for a fight.  They are attention-seekers looking for trouble.  Don’t give in to it.  The only one that looks foolish is the company.

 

Brainstorming the idea, then writing, editing and posting the article is not an easy process.  Writers block happens and happens often.  It’s normal to be offended by a negative comment and respond on impulse.  It’s not the best way to deal with it.  Feedback gives people the power of persuasion.  They see your company in a different way; let the way be a positive one. Contact us for more information, and let freedom of speech ring.