Blogging for Business: Get Traffic
How You Can Make Your Entrepreneurial Blog a Very Powerful Asset
Jun 14, 2008
Blogging has become a very popular activity online over the past few years. Technorati.com, a recognized authority and seasoned blogging directory, indicates that some 112.8 million blogs are currently online and that 175,000 new blogs are started every day.
So, what's it all worth? Are blogs merely rehashes of what people had for breakfast or what their hobbies are? Havens for unrecognized writers? Or perhaps soapboxes for armchair politicians? Not at all! Blogs are very important business tools, as well.
Spiders Love Blogs
Due to the nature of blogs, they are easily reviewed by search engine robots called "spiders." The RSS (meaning "really simple syndication") feeds, are inherent in every blog online and make blogs very easy to read in a hurry. Feeds are plain text without images, code, or other information that robots can sometimes get stuck on.
So, what happens? Because they're so easy to navigate, blogs are quickly ranked by the search engines. That's important because sites with first page listings get traffic, but not just any kind of traffic. Search engine traffic is not merely free; it's targeted. People who visit a blog from a search engine are there because they know what they want to read.
Blog with the Right Keywords for Your Niche
Using proper keywords and phrases in every post made is the key to getting high rankings. No matter what niche a business is in, it's important to make a thorough analysis of keywords relevant to that niche. This can be done at any number of free keyword discovery sites online. The trick is to use keywords and phrases that aren't the most competitive.
When looking at a list of keywords, find those that are less popular than generic terms, but still being requested at least 3 - 10,000 times a month. For example, don't use the word "golf" if you're selling golf books because the keyword phrase "golf books" or even "paperback golf books" might be easier terms to rank for in the search engine results pages.
Be sure to use these keywords and phrases to a density of around 2% in every post. This means that for every hundred words, two of them should be a keyword or keyword phrase. That way, it's easy for the spiders to see what posts are about and to give proper credit. When the density is much higher, spiders may penalize a blog post as keyword spamming--intentionally stuffing keywords into your writing to make them take note.
Be a Steady Blogger
Consistency in posting content is also important to using a blog as a traffic magnet. Each post must be pertinent to the niche topic. If dog training is the theme, don't make a political post, for instance. Not only will the search engine spiders be confused, but so will readers. People come back to a blog for expert information, and when bloggers go off track too often, they lose readers.
Blogging is a great way to gain search engine status, as long as the appropriate keywords are used in every post. Preliminary keyword research to find the less competitive terms is highly important. Maintain consistency and don't often lead readers in irrelevant directions to attract loyal subscribers. Posting regularly in addition to these bits of advice will also provide a constant flow of traffic and potential buyers.
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