If you haven’t started a blog on your small business website yet, it’s time to set one up. Here’s why.

I’ve seen so many small business websites that don’t include a blog and they are missing a trick. I get it, blogging is time consuming and time is something we small business owners don’t have much of, but trust me, if you can find a way to make it work, blogging is going to really help your website and your business.

What is a blog?

A blog is an online platform where individuals or groups regularly publish articles or posts, commonly known as blog posts. Blog posts are made up predominantly of text and images but can include other media such a videos and links. A blog post is a place to express personal opinions, share knowledge and news announcements and to start conversations. The term "blog" is actually a contraction of the words "web" and "log," reflecting its digital nature and the chronological arrangement of its content.

How will a blog help my website and my small business?

Blogs, when done right, are truly a game changer for small business websites. To begin with, a blog will give your website life and personality. Through writing regular blog posts, you are sharing your visual voice. You are giving potential customers another way to get to know you and as well all know, the more your audience gets to know you, the more they will like you and trust you, and that’s where your sales come from.

A blog is also the perfect place to showcase your expertise and knowledge. Use your blog as a place to educate and inform your audience and show them that you know your stuff. This is so valuable in building on the ‘know, like and trust’ factor. It’s also the perfect way to encourage people to sign up for your mailing list.

And finally, perhaps one of the most important benefits to blogging, is boosting your visibility in search engines. When you regularly update your website with good quality blog posts, your posts will start appearing in Google search results. This is where the real magic happens. Your blog will start creating brand new routes for potential customers to find you and the more people that find your website, the more chance you have of making sales. This is invaluable for a small business and should not be overlooked. If done right, your blog could become the main source of traffic for your website. Sounds pretty good, right?

So how can I write a good quality blog post?

A good quality blog post is made up of valuable, well written content that’s written about topics that your target audience are search for. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, you might write a blog post called “10 must have photographs on your wedding day” or “5 of my favourite con….”. Try and write your blog posts to serve your audience. What information are they searching for? What content will they find interesting? Write it for them!

It’s also important to write your blog posts in a well written, easy to read style. Use clear headings and subheadings and as a rule of thumb, write your posts in the same style as you would talk to a friend (for more information on this, see: 3 tips for writing great copy for your small business website).

From a more technical aspect, include your target keywords in the blog title and title tag. Write a compelling meta description that also includes your keywords. Include your target keywords in your H1 heading tag and in amongst the body text (keep it natural, don’t keyword stuff in a spammy way!). Add links to other relevant sources on your website, as this will help Google to find other content on your website and finally, be sure to add alt text to all your images.

How often should I blog?

Wouldn’t it be great if we had the time, the inspiration and the stamina to write a blog post everyday? But as we know, this is completely unrealistic and actually, completely unnecessary. I think the ideal would be to write a new blog post each week, but again, if this is not achievable, don’t do it. Work out what works for you and your business. Can you write a blog post each month perhaps? This would be better than not at all. I also think quality or far more important than quality. Whatever you decide, just try to be consistent.

You blog content can do even more.

Writing a good quality blog post can take some time, so how can we make it work harder for us? Well aside for all the benefits I’ve just listed above, you can get even more out of your blog posts by repurposing the content. Use is to create content for Instagram. You can easily create a carousel post, a couple of reels and a quote/factual post from just one blog post. The same goes for other social media platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest. You can also use your blog posts to help build out your newsletter, making it really valuable for your readers.

Want to add a blog to your website? Not sure where to start? Get in touch today and we can work out how to make this happen on your website.