Business Blogging
Since its creation in 1994 the internet has expanded into a vast network of information. Over the years search engines have developed ways to organise this content bringing the user the web page that best fits their search.
Over the past few years a large percentage of businesses have developed some sort of online presence. But with more and more sites giving information it is not always easy to find the correct page or if you’re a business, to be listed for the correct term so that people can find you.
The biggest concern for online businesses should be compatibility, you need to be compatible with Google, Yahoo and MSN. Search engines run on information, if you want to be listed for a keywords then you need to make it very clear that your web page is about a specific subject. Your page needs to stand out among the thousands, if not millions of other web pages competing for that keyword. But it is not enough any more to just make a page that matches keyword algorithms you need to show the search engines that you page is popular with other people. Google and other search engines look at who links to you and what they say about you. What other people say about you is important to Google as it is a second opinion on your site the more second opinions google can see about you web page the more relevancy it places on you web page and it content. This is called link popularity or PageRank on Google.
Internet technology is evolving enabling more people to post their information, for the world to see. Blogger is a personal publishing program where a person or business can post their information, what every that may be, from a political soap box to holiday pictures, if you want to share it blogger will allow you to do it easily. Similar software exists in the form of Wordpress (powers this blog) and Typepad. But now Blogging is becoming main stream with industry professionals writing what amounts to a newspaper columns, online. These blogs put across the ideas and information that are related to their industry, linking to the information that interests them and may interest people other like people.
The scope for blogging is vast. If every blogger links to like bloggers, then a vast network of information is created with a wide array of views and ideas. This is where you can take your place, put across your view of the world as you see it, your business, your interests, your information. If your in business it is likely you will have an area of expertise or knowledge that other people could benefit from. This information can then link to your services and products. It is also likely that you will have a good knowledge of the information related to your industry. The wider the range of information you display the greater the segment of people that will be interested in what you have to say.
You might think you do that already with you web site but usually websites have quite a narrow view looking at just the business information. Static content is rarely updated and is of interest to only a select range of people, for a short period of time. A blog section to your site create fresh content and can look at a wider area of interest while advertising your business. Through this information you can keep customers or clients informed of the latest development in your field or launch new product link to related news and even syndicate you own news to the rest of the web via RSS feeds.
If you don’t look towards blogging the chance is that you will be left behind in the information race. Your competitors will release better information and capture a greater share of the market. Start your blog now even if it is just to post press releases. If you don’t already do press releases then this is your chance to start.
One of the main aims of a blog is provided a starting point for peoples information search. From the users point of view you are removing their need to search for relevant information as you have done the work for them. You will also benefit from being able to tilt the information towards using your services.
Using RSS feeds means that you will be able to release articles to the web and any interested users. RSS can also provide your site with fresh information form other sites.