A recent study estimates that a third of all companies now use blogging for marketing purposes. This is predicted to rise to 43% in the next two years, according to eMarketer. There’s also evidence that smaller companies are becoming more enthusiastic adopters of blogs than larger companies.

Meanwhile, in the consumer market it is social media use that is growing faster than blogging.

According to eMarketer the difference between corporate and consumer social media use is that companies and businesses are finding that blogs fill a specific niche that other forms of social media can’t do so well.

Blogs are claimed to more effectively “drive site traffic, improve brand awareness, generate sales and improve customer service”.

You can speak to WebCreationUK about blog intergration on your website or any of your other web design needs.

Many businesses now incorporate blogging as part of the SEO efforts. At the start you’ll probably find you have a great deal to blog about – and the chances are you’ll have the energy and enthusiasm to sit down and write regular posts.

But, as with so many things, writing a blog can end up feeling more like a chore. You might also run out of interesting and engaging topics to blog about.

With blogs playing an important role in SEO, PR, customer service and event recruiting it is a good idea to have a blogging plan/campaign.

Here we bring you a guide to effective and long-term blog writing:

Put it in your diary: Make a note of when you’ll blog. Twice a week is the minimum. And jot down topic/subjects every time they spring to mind.

Plan ahead: Look at forthcoming events in your field, for example a business conference, and plan to blog about these topics. Or perhaps there’s a week or a day each year that is earmarked as a, for example, national health week. These all provide relevant topics to blog about and to keep your readers interested.

Keywords: As time goes on you will be able to analyse your blog via Google analytics. Watching the keywords that send traffic to a business blog can be insightful and help inform what customers are interested in. While you do not want to over-stuff your blogs with keywords it is good to know what topics most interest your readers. Knowing your keywords can help to focus your blog writing.

Get people commenting: You do not have to post blogs that people will agree with. Readers often like to be mentally challenged. If relevant, why not create a debate by offering a post about a view that is contrary to others?

Use it again: The social web, for the most part, has a short memory.  This means you can revisit topics that were previously well received, and update them with current info and details.

Interviews: Contact leading figures in your business arena to see if they would be willing to do a quick phone interview or answer questions via email. This makes a great topic for a blog – and one that is likely to be well-read.

* A blog should look like it is part of your website. Most web design companies can help you to achieve a good–looking blog. Check our what WebCreationUK can do for your new blog.

We’ve all heard the experts telling us that blogging is a vital part of any company’s SEO campaign but is it simply a case of quantity of blogs, or is it more about quality? No doubt there is a balance to be struck but according to the search engine giant Google, quality is a high priority.

When asked recently about this very topic Google’s response went along these lines: “Whenever you’re thinking about search engines, it’s much, much, much more important to think about the quality of your content.”

Google even suggests that you do not need to blog every day, maybe just once a week, but that what you blog about should have value and quality. Because: “This strategy is likely to attract a lot more links.”

However, we do still think that “freshness” is important, too. Google’s time filters, and the real-time results, add some benefit to providing fresh content.

So the answer?: Quality and quantity. Isn’t it always?

You can speak to WebCreationUK about blog intergration on your website or any of your other web design needs.

Blogging is on the rise – and many more businesses are recognising the importance of blogging for business purposes. As you’ll have learned through our own blogs, it takes time, energy and creativity to write a successful blog.

A successful blog isn’t just a great chance to build links and include keyword-rich relevant content, it’s also a great way to boost your company’s reputation.

Here is the second in our two-part series on starting a successful blog:

* Get people to subscribe: Make sure your blog has an RSS feed and a “Follow” on Twitter and Facebook option.

* Show-off your blog: Make sure that your blog is very clear and labelled on your website. People will not bother to go in search of your blog so it’s a good idea to have it very clearly labeled so they might just take a look.

* Be a linker: Linking out is a useful tool for your readers. It enhances the value of your site and makes you look like a generous blogger.

* Sign post back to other posts: If you are writing about a topic you’ve blog about before then make sure you link back to this. Readers will then see that you are a busy blogger and that you know your subject.

Happy blogging! And why not talk to WebCreation UK about up-dating the look or style of your blog. Web design is important – just like content.

Blogging is on the rise – and many more businesses are recognising the importance of blogging for business purposes. As you’ll have learned through our own blogs, it takes time, energy and creativity to write a successful blog.

A successful blog isn’t just a great chance to build links and include keyword-rich relevant content, it’s also a great way to boost your company’s reputation.

Here is the first in our two-part series on starting a successful blog. Look out for the second part next week.
Headers: Not only should this engage the reader, but a header should also pay attention to search engines, which pay a lot of attention to header words and titles. Forget cryptic headlines; just go for something simple and explanatory.

Keep blogging: You should be aware that blogging takes time and energy. To be effective, you blog must be updated regularly. Google and other search engines are forever on the look for new content so to stay in the SEO game you need to be writing a lot – and with relevancy.

Think of your audience: Make sure your blogs will appeal to the type of person/customer that you want to engage.

Be kind to the eye: People skim read internet words, and especially blogs, so make sure you keep the look of your blog simple. Use short paragraphs, lots of sub-heads, bullet points etc. Anything that makes the writing easier on the eye.

Go guesting: Guest blogs are blogs that you offer or are invited to write for other blogs. They will include a link back to your website so they offer a great outlet for marketing your website and for backlinks (backlinks are important SEO tools).

Get social: Use Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites to promote your blog. You’ll soon find that people get to know about you.

Happy blogging! And why not talk to WebCreationUK about up-dating the look or style of your blog? Design is important – just like content.

More and more blogs and websites are now including podcasts. With the right piece of relatively cheap kit a podcast is easy to produce and embed on your blog. Here’s why a podcast could help to boost your website or blog traffic.

Podcasts talk to people: Not everyone wants to read advice and tips but they may well be keen to listen, especially as they can listen while doing something else (such as making a cup of tea).

You can be shy…and still have a podcast. Not everyone likes to stand up in front of people to offer advice, tips and information so a podcast makes the ideal medium for people who are a little shy.

New ways to blog: It’s not always easy to think of new topics to blog about on a business website. A podcast offers the opportunity to record short interviews with important people in your industry. It’s a great way to keep your website updated.

Podcasts are still new: A podcast can help to get your website noticed. If there are other similar websites in your niche that don’t have podcasts then your website will be just that bit different. And these days web visitors are always on the look out for something different.