How to run a small business blog
A blog can be a great addition to your business website. We take you through why you should start one and how to do it.
Why have a blog on your website?
Your website will help your business be discovered. But, adding a blog to your website can increase the likelihood of being found by online searches. A blog will also provide extra value to your customers, and increase confidence in your business.
It’s a chance to share your expertise, show the benefits of your products, and market your brand. Blog posts are also great content to share on social media and in email marketing.
What should I blog about?
There are lots of different topics you can write about depending on your type of business. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Sharing your area of expertise
- Trends in your market
- Thought leadership
- Quick tips for your customers
- Customer case studies
- Business news, like product launches, events, sales and awards
- Introducing your employees or team members
Create a content calendar
If you choose to start a blog it’s important to post regularly. Ideally, this would be at least once a week, but you can find a schedule that works for you.
Instead of wondering what to write each time it comes to post you can try creating a content calendar in advance. A content calendar lists which posts you’re planning to make and when. By setting some time aside to plan ahead you’ll feel prepared when you need to write your posts.
You can include an outline of each post in your content calendar if you find it helpful, or if you’re getting someone else to write the posts for you.
Learn about SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) can help you get your website found in online search. SEO can be really complex and relies on a number of factors, so it might be best to work with a professional if you want to take it seriously.
If you’re on a budget but want to give it a try, you can use some simple SEO techniques when you write your posts.
- Find the right topics your customers are searching for using free tools like Google Trends to help put you on the right track.
- Use keywords in your blog title that relate to your product or service.
- Make sure your images have descriptive alt tags (you can find these in your website builder, or your developer can show you how).
- Write naturally on your website, and don’t try to use too many keywords!
- Update your blog regularly
SEO doesn’t have instant results, but is a good long-term strategy to grow your presence in Google Search.
Measure your success
Maintaining a blog can feel like a lot of work so it’s important to measure your results. You can see how your blog and website are performing by using analytics tools to see how many people read your blog. If you want to dig deeper, you can work with a professional or take online courses to understand your analytics in depth to see what’s working and what isn’t.
Share your posts
Make sure you share your posts so more people can see them. Social media is a great place to start! If you do email marketing, you can include blog posts there too to add some extra value to your emails.
