Blogging is a great way to promote your organization, communicate with your customers and update your website with fresh new content on a regular basis. There's an additional benefit from regular blogging - search engine optimization. With a little effort, a blog can help get your site ranked in the top of the search engine results.
Search engines put extra weight on blogs in their rankings because they are updated more frequently than other web pages. By adding focused, relevant posts to your blog a couple of times a week, you provide search engines with the content they crave - and the content they reward. Here are some tips to make sure your blog posts get Google's attention:
Link It Up
Add links to related sections of your site or to external websites where appropriate. For example, if your blog post discusses advances in your industry, linking to an industry news website is beneficial to both your readers and the search engines. Similarly, if your post names one of your organization's professionals, linking to their bio or department in which they work gives readers quick access to more information about that person and their expertise.
Optimize Every Post
Each blog post is seen by search engines as a unique page on your website. That means every post is an opportunity for you to include keywords about your organization and its products or services. The title of your blog post should be viewed as a headline designed to grab the reader's attention. It should also include at least one of your keywords. Use those keywords again in the first paragraph of the blog post as well.
Consistent Content
Search engines like Google reward frequent bloggers. The more often you blog, the more frequently Google will return to index your website. Blog about topics that are relevant to your industry and to the services or products you provide. Use your blog to publish news announcements and press releases. Provide links to news articles that your readers will find relevant and beneficial. Bloggers who start out thinking they don't have much to say on a blog quickly find they have much more to offer than they first thought.
