10 Things Every Business Blog Needs
Last week we wrote about the reasons that a blog could benefit even a technology business. This week, we’re letting you in on the secret to what makes a good business blog…
It’s impossible to quantify the number of blogs currently in existence, but it’s easy to agree that making a new blog stand out in such congested surroundings is difficult. You may be able to encourage friends and relatives to read your latest oeuvre, but attracting anyone else’s attention will be considerably harder.
A vast global industry has developed around blogging in the 16 years since this term entered the Oxford English Dictionary. Companies rely on blogs to improve keyword density on their websites, while marketing experts use rank-tracking tools to identify particular words and phrases that will appeal to search engines. Meanwhile, private blogs provide a platform for individuals to discuss anything they like – and plenty of things they don’t…
Regardless of a blog’s intended purpose or target audience, some aspects should be universal. These are ten key rules that should be followed by anyone planning to launch a new blog, or raise the profile of an existing one:
- Start with a flourish. Sub-editors always trim articles from the bottom up, so front-load any blog with the most relevant facts. Don’t bury your key point/argument/discovery in paragraph six, expecting people to still be reading. Instead, make your primary statement in the introduction, and then expand on it.
- Don’t lose focus. If the stated aim of your next blog is to discuss the forthcoming EU referendum, ensure every paragraph relates to Europe and Westminster. Blogs should be short and tightly written, so make sure you haven’t started talking about irrelevant or tangential topics.
- Finish what you started. In a related vein, don’t ramble your way into a conversational cul-de-sac and give up without a defined conclusion. Ensure that the last sentence or paragraph of your blog somehow ties back to the introduction – or at least to the topic under discussion.
- Keep it short. If you can’t say something in a few hundred words, you probably shouldn’t be saying it. Blogs on the UK2 website are typically between 550 and 700 words in length, but personal blogs should ideally weigh in below 400 words. Strip out any non-essential lines – every sentence should be crucial to the finished copy.
- Break up the body text. This article features a brief intro, followed by ten bullet-points with a couple of sentences justifying each argument. People love reading lists and compilations, while copyright-free images and pull-quotes (extracts from the main article) also break up slabs of text that could deter people from reading on.
- Don’t be too serious. It isn’t necessary to crack jokes or construct torturous play-on-words headlines, but a bit of levity can bring life to even the driest subject matter. People remember witty captions and amusing observations, and a light-hearted blog will be a much easier read than a dull factual one, no matter how interesting the topic.
- Never overuse keywords. It can be tempting to use a blog as a way of boosting SEO results, shoehorning in keywords at the expense of readability. A well-written blog can incorporate keywords in modest quantities, but it’s more important to sound organic to readers than it is to appeal to search engine algorithms.
- Keep it regular. Platforms like Blogspot and WordPress are littered with long-forgotten blogs that were abandoned after two entries. If your blog is to survive (let alone thrive), it’s essential to upload regular content. Weekly updates will help to achieve better search engine rankings, demonstrating that your site is regularly active.
- Re-read before publishing. Ask a friend to proofread your work – they’ll often spot mistakes or point out inconsistencies you’ve missed. Some people find it easier to identify typos on paper printouts, rather than reading on a screen. Proofread each blog twice and run at least one spell-check (in UK English) before clicking upload.
- Promote yourself. There are hundreds of millions of blogs out there, and even dedicated blog search engines like Bloglines won’t find your entry unless you publicise it. Bolster reader numbers with word-of-mouth publicity, links on social media pages, discussion forum posts, LinkedIn articles and anything you can think of.
Click here to read our article on just why you should take the plunge and start blogging even if you’re in the business of technology. Cloud hosting from VPS.NET is the perfect option to power your business blog, find out more here.