How to Write a Blog

Part 1 - Prep Work

In the first blog, “You Own a Business…  Should You Blog?”, we discussed why home business owners should write a blog, much like the press releases provided by brick-n-mortar businesses.  We also talked about blog topics and how frequently you should blog.

This blog focuses more on the “how-to” aspect of blogging.  Since the point of blogging is to connect with others to market yourself and your business, there are several practices you should follow to increase your blog’s visibility on search engines, which is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  As the search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc modify their algorithms to determine ranking, it is possible those who post to the interest will have to modify their SEO tactics to improve their rankings.

However, there are several standard techniques that can be incorporated into your blog to aid your rankings.

1.      Keyword / Keyword Phrase:  once you have decided on a topic, you should determine the word or phrase search engine users are using when performing a search for your topic.  This word or phrase should be incorporated within a few places in your blog:

a.     Blog title

b.    First and last sentence of your blog

c.     Subheadings

d.     URL address of the blog

Do not saturate your blog with your keyword or phrase.  It should fit into your blog naturally and flow intelligently.

There are a couple of easy ways to see what words are being used in search engines:

a.     Google Keyword Planner:  this does require an account with Google Adwords, but the account is free and the benefits great.  Sign up for your free account at: http://bit.ly/1cSJJkS.

                                                                   i.            Select the Keyword Planning tool:

                                                                 ii.            Select “Search for new keyword and ad group idea”

                                                              iii.            Enter your keyword topic

                                                               iv.            Look for results between 800 and 1400.   Your goal is to get on the first page of the search engine results.  If you select a keyword or phrase with a larger search result, you are going to have a lot of competition and the chances of you ending up on the first page drop sharply.  However, if you look for words or phrases in the 800-1400 range, you will have much less competition and a better chance of showing up on the first page of the search results.

b.    Google Search Engine suggester: Google attempts to help you out when you type into a search box, offering suggestions:

2.    Length – Your blog should be around 750 words.  If people want to read a book, they will read a book.  Very few will sit around and read a blog of a couple of thousand words.  If your blog is that long, it should be broken up into 2 – 3 blogs.

3.    Internal links – this ties back to the previous strategy, length.  A blog is a category, with multiple posts within it.  Providing a link within your post to one of your other posts keeps the blog reader within your sphere and increases your posts’ popularity on the search engine.  A perfect example of this is the link at the beginning of this post to one of my other, related posts.  However, don’t get too crazy with the links.  Doing so could drive off your readers.

4.    Add an external link if it is relevant to your blog.  When readers click on the external link, your blog link will appear on the list of referring sites for the external link’s site analytics.  This will then make your blog’s existence known to the owners of the external site.

5.     Add relevant pictures and videos.  Again, less is more.  Depending on the length of your of your blog, you should have no more than a couple of pictures and one or two videos.

6.    When adding pictures and videos, be sure to complete the alternate (Alt.) text and Title / Caption with accurate information.  If the picture is of a man riding a horse, than the alt. text should be “Man riding horse.” and this tells the search engine what the picture is about.

7.     If your blogging site allows keywords or meta tags, enter a reasonable number (5-6) keywords.  Don’t stuff.

8.    Make your blog look attractive to help draw readers back to your site in the future.  Check your spelling and grammar.

There are more techniques you can use to increase your ranking in search engines, but these are pretty much the standard ones to use.  Look for more techniques in upcoming posts in this series on how to write a blog!

You Own A Home Business… Should You Blog?

To Blog Or Not To Blog

A member of our team recently asked me if I thought she should be blogging to build her business.  I explained to her that owning a business is more than just selling products or services.  She also had to sell or market herself.

Every single business in the world has to sell itself and they work hard to maintain a good reputation.  A company can have the best product or service in the world, but if they do not treat their customers or their employees well, their business is not going to do well.

The process a company uses to sell itself starts with the company’s philosophy or mission statement.  This starts at the top and should permeate the attitude of the entire company.  This message is also spread via company press releases.  A press release is a written statement to various media outlets and can announce scheduled events, personnel promotions, awards, new products or services, accomplishments, etc.  It is a way for the company to sell itself.

Is a blog the only way you can market yourself?  No, of course not.  Video marketing is another valid way to market yourself and your product or service.  In many ways, this is like a commercial on t.v.  With the advent of YouTube and other video sites, video marketing is taking the world by storm.  In fact, some people take advantage of both blogging and videos to market themselves.

Blog Subjects

Trying to figure out what to write about in blogs can sometimes be a struggle, but usually it is because people worry too much about what other people want to read. 

Blogging is about marketing yourself, and by extension, your products, service or business opportunity.  People read your blog to get to know you so write about things that interest you.  For example, I am an affiliate for a wonderful health and wellness company (with a twist!).  I have always felt very strongly about using as many things from nature as possible to deal with illnesses, so this is an absolutely perfect fit for me.  Many of my blogs are about things in my spice cabinet and the health benefits from them such as ginger and cinnamon, or exotic fruits such as mangosteen. (Some blog links below.)

Will these particular blogs interest a car mechanic?  Probably not.  However, there are many women out there who feel the same as I do and may find my blogs interesting.

As a mother raising three boys, I followed this practice as they grew up.  My youngest developed an avid habit of drinking Monster, Red Bull and other energy drinks and I worried about how they were affecting his health.  So I did the research and found a healthy alternative we are both happy with.  This eventually became a topic for one of my blogs.

At other times, I will hear something in the news that will catch my interest and I will do some research on the topic.  In all of these cases, I am first writing for myself, then by extension, writing for my audience.  As they get to know me they can determine if they can relate to me.  I love it when they comment and we can begin a conversation and get to know each other.

This blog with the topic “if you should blog to market yourself” will also go out to my blog site to help people get to know me and, hopefully, help others who have decided to use blogging to market themselves.  Check out future posts for additional blogging tips.

Do You Have to Write a Blog Every Day?

No, you don’t have to blog every day, but you should do it on a regular basis.  Some people are able to sit down and whip out a blog or two every day.  I cannot.  I usually have to spend a day or two letting the thoughts gel in my brain and a few hours on the internet researching reliable sites I can use as resources for my blogs.  After I write my blog I leave it for a few hours or a day, then come back and proofread it and look for pictures or videos to add to my blog.

You do need to plan on writing blogs for a long time, perhaps a few years, before you start to see results.  There are many people writing blogs and it takes time before you will start to attract an audience.  However, once posted, a blog can continue to help you build your business for years after you posted it.

You should also take some time to read and comment on the blogs of others, especially if their blogs hold something of interest to you.  This is a great way to introduce yourself to others and will help you build relationships. 

All-in-all, blogging is a great way to reach out and meet others all around the world.  You may live thousands of miles apart, but through blogging you can build a community as stimulating as the one in which you physically live.

Sample Blogs:
Cinnamon's Health Benefits

Mangosteen - Miracle Fruit
Verve - Healthy Sweet Energy

Read How to Blog - Part 1 on how to prep your blog.