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Some say that blogging is dead, but those people have a hard time convincing the huge numbers of internet marketers who still blog regularly and consider it an integral part of their success equation. Whether you are interested in affiliate marketing, ecommerce, a freelance career, or any other online business model, starting a blog is a smart step on your way to impressive earnings.
How to Start a Blog the Right Way
Anyone can learn the mechanics of building a blog, from choosing the right platform to setting up post categories. This starting a blog guide can walk you through the process.
A blog should have a main focus, a purpose, that gives potential customers or clients a reason to stop by and stay. Keywords come into play here, but quality information with an entertaining twist helps too. Focus on search engine marketing and reader engagement from the start.
Five Main Reasons for Regular, High-Quality Blogging
1 – Attract Search Engines
Constantly added content with proper search engine optimization (SEO) will do more to attract search engine users to your website than anything. The better you are at this, the higher your pages will appear in the results’ pages.
2 – Keep Your Site Sticky
You have anywhere from three to eight seconds to convince someone to stay on your website. An eye-catching blog post headline or featured image can do this. Stickiness comes when they find quality upon closer and longer inspection.
The length of time someone stays on site can determine how likely they are to contact you, sign up for an email list, or purchase something. The frequency of quality blog posts can convince them to come back again and again.
3 – Build Brand Reputation
The two main ways any company or individual builds a positive reputation online is by sharing their authority on a subject and having positive, helpful interactions with the public. Customer service is the cornerstone, and blogs can help you make it happen.
How? The more quality information you give, the more of an expert you will be. While creating authority is what this HubSpot post calls a “fluffy metric,” it still makes a difference. People will learn to trust what you have to say. Combine that with friendly, professional, and quick interactions, and your reputation will soar.
4 – Make Direct (or Indirect) Sales
Blogging provides repeated perfect opportunities to introduce products or services to a targeted consumer base. You do not want every post to be a come-on for what you have to sell, but it is a good idea to include appropriate links to ecommerce shop pages, individual products, or service descriptions where they fit naturally into the content.
5 – Network and Build a Community
Remember all those people who love coming to your blog and reading every word you write? These are not only potential buyers or clients. They are your community, potential help to grow your business, or even possible friends.
Keep an eye on who comments on blog posts. Reward the regulars with positive attention. If an industry influencer or successful entrepreneur comments, you may have found a new mentor or a chance at guest posting on their popular site. Always answer every question as soon as possible. Thank people for their time and attention.
Instead of dying and slipping into the oblivion of internet marketing techniques that do not work, starting and sticking to a business blog continues to make sense for a variety of reasons. Quality content and personal interactions build trusting communities eager to explore what you have to offer.