Should you start writing blogs? The short answer is yes – you should definitely have a blog on your website. The long answer is also yes – so let’s dive right in.
If you’re anything like me, then you may have been closed off to blogs at a certain point in your life. Wondering “What the hell is the point? Does anyone even read these things?”
Well the truth is, maybe.. But really what you’re really doing at the core of blogging is feeding the beast that is Google – as far as local, small business is concerned. Blogs are great for a little thing called SEO – search engine optimization.
You see, Google needs information to index, and the more information you throw at it, the better. Now that’s just the base layer of things. From there, your blogs should really work to attract and actually help your ideal customer.
If people are reading your blogs and spending time with them, meaning they’re actually useful, then Google recognizes that and rewards you by ranking your website higher in search results.
So – what should you write about? You should write about anything under the sun. I mean, here I am, writing a blog about writing blogs. And I’m doing it because it’s clearly a service that I can offer, and I seem to know a bit about it – so it’s being shared with you now, who could also be a potential client.
As for what you should write, that depends on your industry. Into construction? Then think about what your clients will be searching for in Google. I like to use the “How the cook chicken in the oven” method.
Have you ever Googled “How to cook chicken in the oven?” Well if you have, every single recipe that you click on is a blog. So now take that type of wording and apply it to your industry.
So, again, back to the construction industry. You can write blogs such as “What does an addition cost?”, “What’s the difference between a remodel and a renovation?”, or “Should I build new or do a full home remodel?”
Get very specific with this and put yourself in your potential client’s head. What do they want to know more about and how can you help them with that?
Now, moving on to some more industries. Say you’re a physio therapist. You can write blogs such as “How long will it take me to heal from a sprained ankle?”, or “What are some exercises to do for a pulled calf muscle?”
By choosing topics that are helpful to your ideal client, and then geotagging any photos that you use and including specific keywords and locations within the posts themselves – you’re going to attract ideal clients who are in your area.
Once you have the blog written, you’ll want to choose a good image to represent the body of the text. Make the image 50% smaller in size by importing it into a photo editing software and re-exporting it as such. From there, you’ll want to visit a website called geoimgr.com.
You’re going to drag the image onto the site, and follow the steps! This is called geotagging. It bakes specific coordinates and keywords into the metadata of a photograph, and it really comes in handy when trying to get discovered on Google.
And that’s it! Have fun with the process and write about things that you care about, are knowledgeable about, and that can actually help your ideal customer or client.
As always, if you’re in Barrie, Orillia, Muskoka, Toronto or any of the surrounding areas, please feel free to reach out for a hand with your blogs.
To Your Success,
Jay Ashcroft
four32 MEDIA