You want me to write a BLOG?

I’m sitting down with a potential client to discuss developing their website. We’re talking about all the components that will go into that site: what will the domain name be, what content should be included, what’s the purpose behind the website, and of course, how they are going to get found online. And then I say, “We should add a blog.” The look  on the client’s face is always priceless. What?!? I have to write a blog? The responses I get are usually: “Maybe not at first” or “I don’t really think I need one” or “Uhhhhhh….”. And at that moment, I launch into all the reasons I recommend writing a blog, or updating website content regularly in some way. It’s all about the Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If nothing else, you are putting up a website in order to be found. And you won’t be found unless you have good SEO in place. Updating your website regularly (through a blog, portfolio, or other means) is one of many key components to good SEO. But what else can you do?

Luckily, this post from BlogTyrant.com gives us some useful suggestions on how else to make sure you have good SEO in place. If you’re not blogging (even though you should be!), then there are other ways you can ensure you are getting some good SEO. Some of the suggestions in this article might be a little over your head. For instance, where your site is hosted and where your domain name is registered may not even be something you control. Same goes for what plugins you are using on your website. Do you even know what a permalink is? But some other valuable suggestions from the article that I often recommend are:

1. Follow other blogs that are related to your field and comment on their posts. You often have the ability to input your website as part of your comment (or as your commenting profile) and that counts as a back link to your site.
2. Keep up on your social media! You may not even have any followers, but that doesn’t always matter. The key is that you are putting unique content out there in the web universe that will help your SEO in the long run.
3. Create original content. Ok, this mean blog. Or create podcasts. Or take photos and post them. Or make videos. It doesn’t matter what it is. Search engines are looking for the authority on a subject. The site they deem to be the authority comes up #1 in the results. The more original content you have, the higher up you show up in results. The higher up you show up, the more likely you get clicked on. And the more often you get clicked on, the higher up you get. It’s the circle of SEO!

When I speak to clients about blogging, the fear is always that I’m suggesting you blog everyday. It doesn’t have to be every day. It doesn’t even have to be every week. But create a schedule and stick to it. Start off with once a month! If you are regularly updating the content on your website, regularly posting to social media, and regularly commenting on other blogs, you’ll likely start to see the results in your Search Engine Ranking within 6-8 months.