Benefits of a small business blog

One of the first steps small business owners take when they are trying to build a business is starting their own website or a blog to attract more customers to their company.

According to NeighborhoodNotes.com, a blog is a tool that has many functions, meaning it can be extremely helpful depending on how it's used. A blog can be efficient and affordable for any business, but deciding how to use it can be the difference maker as to whether the company succeeds or fails.

The source recommends demonstrating a level of expertise on a blog and building authority on it. According to Ben Lloyd, president of Amplify Interactive, content is the most important aspect of a blog because it establishes the level of expertise that the business owner has on the subject. Since business owners can only talk about one subject for a limited amount of time, a blog allows creativity to become more natural to the entrepreneur.

Blogs can also establish credibility and provide value that websites wouldn't be able to since they are more structured.

“Blogs can give businesses a lot of power to build the company’s credibility,” says John McPhee, vice president of Formic Media. “Talking about the latest and greatest things happening within their company or industry can help turn the blogger or company into a pioneer or thought leader. Everyone wants to work with those people who provide value and are on the cutting edge.”

McPhee added that it's extremely important to provide value when considering content creation. Creating a "how-to" section could attract more readers to the website when they are looking to try a do-it-yourself project and need guidance. With more consumers visiting the blog, revenue could also increase. Incorporating keywords in content can also be a helpful small business marketing tool to increase appeal.

“If you do a bit of keyword research, then place your targeted keywords into the appropriate page elements (title tag, meta description tag, header tag, alt tag, etc.), it can have a very positive effect within search results,” McPhee explains. “Google loves fresh content. The more valuable, optimized content you’re pumping out, the better chance you have at obtaining increased SEO rankings.”

The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently announced a new digital unit that can be used by small businesses, and its services are expected to cost from $400 to $1,000 a month and will help startup companies increase their marketing efforts.