I would be delighted to share with you the importance of blogging…

and there it is — I heard your eyes roll from here. Not this again.

I know.

Blogs are everywhere. It seems like everyone’s got one these days. Bloggers used to be eccentric individuals who thought they could change the world with a collection of profound statements…and they were quite pretentious, for sure.

“What do you do for a living?”

“Oh, I’m a blogger.”

Return your tray table and seat to the upright position and make your way to the nearest exit. There’s no hope for this conversation.

Before you run away, allow me to tease you with one last morsel: Blogging was once for the elite…those with elevated self images and an on-again, off-again relationship with income. Then it evolved into something done just to be part of the “in crowd.”

But now, it’s been pressure-treated, fossilized…into something a bit more practical.

You see, the blog is now an essential part of staying in business.

Yes, you read that correctly. The chances of survival –particularly for those businesses that rely on an online presence — are slim, at best, without a blog.

No blog? Well then, just buy a storefront and skip the sign out front.

No blog? Okay, then unlock your front door and hide in the back when customers arrive.

No blog? Open a business, but don’t publish its address or phone number. And just for fun, let’s see how many people show up.

Think I’m kidding? Think I’m being melodramatic without the mellow? Fine. Stop reading and go about your day in obscurity while your target market french kisses your competition.

Or, give me five minutes.

How Blogs Seduce Google

Google’s a persnickety thing with very specific tastes. It will pass by your blogless, stale, old website like a penny in a Westchester Avenue gutter. But, if you spice it up, just the way Google likes it, the search engine will stalk your website like a sleep-deprived Taylor Swift fan.

Google loves blogs, especially blogs that are updated regularly and that adhere to a few simple criteria:

• It’s Fresh: Google likes its fixations to be up-to-date with their style, and so a blog that’s updated often, with highly relevant and timely information on a weekly basis, is a Google dream.
• It has a Solid Reputation: Google chooses its favorites based on who’s got clout. In other words, it wants to showcase content that’s been recently added, but only if that content is part of a website that’s had a history of significant traffic and long stays. If you’re thinking you can’t have that because your website hasn’t been around long enough or because it simply hasn’t had much traffic in the past…well, there’s a good way to fix that. Start blogging! Like my good friend Burge Smith-Lyons of Essence of Being would say, “Until recently, I didn’t have a blog that was pulling in hundreds of leads a day.”
• It’s Easy to Read: Google works to appeal to the average human, and so it chooses content that the largest number of people will agree to read. For this reason, it will apply readability scores and give precedence to content that’s simple, without long words, sentences or paragraphs.
• It Says all the Right Things: Google wants to see that the keywords your page (webpage or blog post) is ranking for are not only included in the content, but that the content is relevant to those keywords. There was a trend not too long ago that revolved around creating blog post titles that would appeal to Google, but then talking about something completely unrelated in the text. Google is no longer falling for that pretty little lie.
• It has Connections: If a website is going to catch the eye of Google, it must contain a network of links that prove its relevance and authority. If links are going out from a blog post that are relevant to the post’s topic, if links are coming in from reputable sources, and if those links are both internal and external…then Google will have a twinkle in its eye for sure.
• It Appeals to the Visual: Some of your website’s visitors will want to read. Some will want to listen. Others will want to look. Google knows that its users have a variety of predilections, and so it will take a second look at any blog showcasing a number of different types of media. And when all of those pieces of media are optimized for the blog post’s keywords…look out! Google is gonna be all over it.

As you can see, a blog gives you the opportunity to check off many of the items on Google’s list. But Google is only part of the equation. Let’s talk about the importance of blogging in relation to your most precious resource: your target audience.

How Blogging Appeals to Your Ideal Client

You know your ideal client: he or she might live in a particular area, might be of a certain age, may have a specific occupation…and has a problem you’re ready to solve.

You know that person better than you know your second cousin Lloyd, but more importantly, you know them better than your competition does…or at least you should.

A blog is your chance to demonstrate that. I can count on one hand the number of entrepreneurs who have made it big by holding information hostage — and they’ve been in it for all the wrong reasons from the start.

The most successful business owners help people because it’s their passion to do so. I am not suggesting that you give away products or services for free. What I am suggesting is that you share some of the knowledge you’ve acquired in order to demonstrate just how interested you are, how knowledgeable you are, how much of an expert you are, and how committed you are to making a difference.

And I can’t think of a better way to do that than with a blog. Each article in your blog can pull out one aspect of the problem your ideal client is experiencing and show them how and why you know what they’re going through. It can offer solutions that will help them to improve their lives, immediately.

Include a comment option, and share that powerful, connective blog on social media, and you’ll have a full-fledged conversation with your dream client before you can refresh the page.

That’s the importance of blogging…and the power of blogging.

The Importance of Blogging, Today

Blogging is not only more important than it had been in the past, it’s a different kind of important. It’s no longer an add-on to feed an ego. It’s no longer a way to demonstrate just how trendy you are. It’s an indispensable facet of business, as critical as a storefront sign or a customer service department.

When you start a blog and maintain it like the crucial business element it is, you will notice a few things. Your website traffic will increase, along with engagement and leads. You will make more meaningful connections with those who will prove invaluable to your business: lifelong customers and brand ambassadors. You will appeal to Google and increase your chances of taking over its front page of results, pushing your competition into Page 2 Netherworld and beyond.

And, at the risk of sounding overly sentimental, the importance of blogging will become oh-so-real when you feel the connectivity between you and your brand…and watch as that grows into relationships between your brand and the people who will bring it to light. It’s like journaling, but for the whole world to see. It’s a conversation — one between you and your future.

So I guess my title was a little misleading. I’m not a blogging cynic. And maybe you aren’t anymore, either.

Do you already have a blog? But it’s just not working in the ways I’ve outlined here? Then contact me and ask for your FREE blog audit. I will take a look and tell you what needs to happen for your blog spot to become a hot spot.

Haven’t started a blog yet? Let’s talk. Blogs do different types of work for different brands, and together we can design a strategy that will make blogging the turning point for your business. Contact Jacinda Little today.