Why your business needs a blog

You’ve got your company up and running, you have a beautiful website, the content on that website is optimized for search engines and now you just sit back and wait for customers to come knocking at your door … right?
 
It’s a start, but your website is missing something that likely will make the difference between being seen by potential customers and becoming just another pretty face in a crowded room.
 
In today’s world a static website without updates or fresh content is like a neon sign without electricity. Plug it in and it glows – day and night. Adding high-quality content to your website on a regular basis is the power that your website needs to draw in customers.
 
The more often you add fresh articles, blogs, or other content, the more often a search engine will swing by and visit your site. And, the more those search engines drop by, the greater the chance your website will achieve higher rankings.
 
Don’t believe me? Here’s a page out of my own experience. I blog regularly – at least I try to when I am not writing blogs, press releases, handling social media or media relations for my clients. Usually, I try to write blogs that are informative and hopefully useful.

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Late last month, Turing Pharmaceutical’s CEO Martin Shkreli was being blasted in the media for raising the price of a drug by nearly 5,000 percent. It was a public relations nightmare for the guy. I took the opportunity to write about it from a PR standpoint.
 
A few days later, I put Shkreli’s name and “public relations” in the Google search box and lo and behold up pops my blog on the first page – sixth down just below an article written by the Financial Times. Not too shabby.

What I also noticed from my Google analytics was that on that particular day my website visits also increased. And … according to my website’s own analytics page Google was the top referring site. Previously it was Pinterest (that’s a blog for another day).
 
I also shared my blog on my Twitter account, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest. This is a great way to maximize your blog.
 
And blogs have considerable staying power. Three years ago I wrote a blog about grammatical errors and the difference between writing “Let’s eat grandma” and “Let’s eat, grandma.” To this day that blog remains among my highest ranked.
 
Not only do blogs help with SEO, they also help to establish you as an expert in your field. And, every time you write a blog, it gives you something to share on your social media channels. While not every blog is going to result in new business, it helps to put you out there in a space where you otherwise might not be noticed. Sort of like those little goodies grocery stores put at the checkout lane. You might not be thinking – “Gee I really need gum” but when you see it while you are waiting to pay you are more likely to pick it up.
 
In my business blogging allows me to show potential clients what I can do, and it allows me to share my expertise – and along the way yes, it also has resulted in my being hired to do what I do best – write.
 
Susan R. Miller is founder of Garton-Miller Media, a full-service, South Florida based public relations firm. Susan is a former journalist with more than 30 years of experience. She has two daughters, two golden retrievers and two cats, but just one guinea pig who is happy not to have to share his cage or his daily stash of veggies with anyone.