Most business owners do everything they can to ensure that potential customers are learning about their business. Some business will spend thousands of dollars on expensive advertising schemes or tactics that end up providing a low return on their investment.
Even if the advertising campaign works, not every business has the budget to afford glamorous marketing techniques. These businesses have to get creative with their advertising methods and think outside of the box. One of the most cost-effective ways to advertise your business is to start a blog. Blogs have a low barrier to entry due to the speed that they can be produced at and the low cost. However, a blog on its own is not being utilized to its full potential. All blogs should be formatted for SEO (search engine optimization). A blog that is properly formatted for SEO will have more traction and garner tangible results over one that simply puts words on a page.
- Take Advantage of Keywords
A keyword is a word or phrase that is used to pinpoint target customers through SEO. When a potential customer searches for a product like “laundry soap”, any companies using the words “laundry” or “soap” as keyword have a higher chance being at the top of the search results.
Keywords offer loads of potential for marketers and advertisers as they can be placed in a number of areas. In addition to the main body of the blog post, keywords are used in titles, headlines, subheads, introductory or concluding paragraphs, image tags, and meta descriptions. This makes them extremely versatile and easy to use. Try to take advantage of long tail keywords, which is a phrase with more than one word in it. Long tail keywords are extremely useful as they offer more opportunities to be used in a search and they match the way modern internet uses phrase their search queries.
However, the saying “less is more” often applies to keywords. It is wise to not overwhelm the reader with too many keywords. If the reader sees the same phrase too many times, it becomes obvious to both your reader and to Google what you’re doing and you’ll likely be penalized as a result.
- Be Consistent
People will often say that consistency is key, and that is especially true with SEO. It is important to be constantly putting out as much content as possible. This will leave you with more keywords and more opportunities for potential customers to find your site.
Consistency can be easily obtained. It is never a bad idea to create a content schedule, as it can remind you as to when you need to upload fresh content. If there is room in the budget, it may not be a bad idea to hire a copywriter or invest in an outsourced copywriting team. Having access to a copywriter will benefit the business greatly, as they can produce quality content quickly and easily.
Those who don’t have room in the budget have no need to fear. Just like any other skill, copywriting can be practiced and you can build on your experience. Try to focus on aspects such as vocabulary, relatability, and formatting.
- Utilizing External Links
Although it may seem counterproductive, it is quite beneficial to include links to other sites in your content. Not only is it proper internet etiquette to post the links to any article you use as a reference, but it is a great way to build connections and your SEO ranking.
Linking is a great tool for building connections within your industry or field. Chances are, if you link content from a company or publication, they will notice. It is also possible that they will return the favor. This is a valuable connection, that opens your content up to their entire audience as well as your own.
Your SEO ranking is your status within Google search results. There are a number of ways to improve your SEO ranking, including building these valuable backlinks. The more that an article is linked outside, the higher its status gets, making it easier to find in the top search results.
Ultimately, the end goal is to become the website that gets linked to, as it will improve your SEO ranking.
- Make Use of Social Media
Chances are, if you are thinking about starting a blog for your business, you have or are about to create social media profiles. Social media is great as it is an afforable way to expand your audience and an easy way to spread the word.
Those that have built an audience over social media can greatly benefit from sharing their blogs on their profiles. Promoting your blog over social media will advertise to an audience that has already shown that they are interested in your products or services.
- Be Patient
Although it can be difficult, it is always best to be patient with SEO strategies and let it run its course. SEO can take up to 6 months before there are any noticeable signs of progress. However, even if the initial results are not what you expected, it is best to stick with it and let the SEO do its magic. With this in mind, it isn’t a bad idea to have an SEO budget that can supply you for 6 to 12 months.
Anyone who is not seeing the results that they would like may need to make some changes in their SEO strategy. Being patient will allow you to observe your SEO results over a long period of time. Using analytics will help you identify what keywords or links are benefitting the content (or vice versa).
Many business owners will quickly jump at any opportunity to increase their social media audience or web presence. The first thing that usually comes to mind is big, bright, bold advertisements that catch the eye potential customers. However, it seems that the more subtle approach of blogging is a viable advertising option, especially when integrated with SEO strategies.
There are a number of ways you can optimize the SEO of your blog, including taking advantage of keywords, consistently uploading content, utilizing external links, and making use of social media to share your content with your audience. It is also wise to be patient with SEO, as it may take time for the results to meet your expectations. Regardless, it is never a bad idea to dig a little deeper into the benefits of SEO and see how it can benefit your company as you build your blog.
