What happens when people search for your business online? You can open a browser on your smartphone right now and find out. Type your business name into Google and press the Search button. Do you see ads for competing businesses, incomplete or incorrect Google Business information, and review website listings? If you don’t have a website, you don’t have much of a chance.
No matter what kind of small business you’re running, your website is the chief component to your business’ success. Your website acts as your promoter, advocate, and in most cases, it serves as the first impression for your customers. You might go so far as to say that your website helps you take back control over what your customers see when they search for your business.
As a small business website is so crucial, it’s equally vital to keep your blog relevant and evergreen. Read on for tips on why and how to keep your website’s blog spruced up and on-purpose.
Why You Should Keep Your Blog Current
Blogs are essential for drumming up organic traffic, which is necessary to gain your customer’s attention. If your small business doesn’t have a blog, consider getting one because content is still king when it comes to magnetizing visitors and gaining potential sales.
If you do have a blog, good for you because it’s a powerful opportunity to connect with your followers and fans who can be converted into loyal customers. That being said, it’s important to keep your blog current. An outdated or stagnant blog gives your visitors an impression there’s nothing going on or maybe you can’t be bothered anymore. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring your blog and letting it go stale; it reflects poorly on your brand and your business.
Ways to Make Your Blog Relevant
There are many ways you can refresh your blog so it stays ranked in search engines and keeps your business relevant on the internet. Read further for content ideas and strategies to keep your small business blog on the cutting edge.
Research Current Trends: The most obvious action for maintaining a relevant small business blog is to publish current, trending topics on it. For example, if your small business sells beach balls, then stuff your blog with up-to-date content about current beach trends. Do a simple Google search about trending topics in your niche for content ideas to add to your blog. Staying current is key to keeping your blog relevant.
Check Out the Competition: Research your competitor’s blogs to see what they’re talking about. There’s nothing wrong with this strategy. In fact, checking out the competition can give you a winning edge. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) copy what they’re doing or saying on their blogs, but you can get inspired and even improve upon your competitor’s blog content.
Invite a Guest: One of the best ways to make your small business blog pertinent is to invite a heavy hitter in your industry to weigh in on your niche. Guest bloggers offer unique perspectives and provide a different voice that lends relevance and diversity to your blog. Furthermore, a guest author can lend credence and authority to your brand, thus potentially converting visitors into customers. Lastly, guest blog posts help keep your blog fresh and engaging.
Utilize Social Media: If you use Facebook or Twitter, you’re probably touting your small business, placing ads, or writing promotional posts. But social media can be reversed-engineered to help you keep your blog top-notch. To explain, social media is a brilliant source of present-moment occurrences and trends. Research social media and make notes on what topics are hot in your industry and write about these subjects on your blog. Social networks are some of the best sources you can use to keep your blog contemporary.
Stay Organized: All these tips on improving your blog might seem mind-boggling, but you can avoid getting overwhelmed by staying organized. As you surf the internet for ideas and trends, take a website capture or screenshots of juicy content you can repurpose for your blog posts. Keep these web clips in a dedicated file on your hard drive. When you’re brainstorming ideas, this file will be an endless resource for inspiration.
Consistency is Crucial to Staying Current
As mentioned, the key to keep your blog relevant is keeping it current. Make a commitment to publish new posts every week and stick to a schedule. The most successful small business websites have blogs that are consistently providing fresh content. This keeps site visitors coming back to read new content for weeks in the future.
An evergreen blog is tantamount to a successful website and results in improved traffic which can lead to better sales for your small business. Keeping your blog relevant is one of the best ways to enhance your brand, gain authenticity, boost followers and ultimately increase your business’s bottom line.
