<p><b>You've heard over and over again about blogging and it seems everyone is doing it. But is it really a big deal?</b></p><p>For myself, I dragged my feet on starting a blog for a long time. I felt I didn't have much to say that would be of interest to anyone, plus I didn't see how I would have the time. While searching for ways to get my site higher up in the search results, I repeatedly saw references saying that search engines love updated content and blogs are a way to continually update a site. So, I sat down and made a list of things I could blog about that would be relevant to my business.</p><p>While I can write the occasional article about my line of work, I didn't see how I could come up with something on a continual basis. I'm sure a lot of other people have this same problem. Then I got the idea of posting my current projects, including the client's name and thumbnails of the design concept. That was the birth of my blog.</p><p>In the four months since I started my blog, I've noticed that I was coming up higher in the search results. But was the blog responsible?</p><p>You decide...</p><p>Last week a client emailed me and asked that I take their name off of my blog. Most clients don't mind a mention since it gives them a bit of free advertising, too. I took the client's name off the blog, but asked them why they wanted it removed, just for reference. The client said that ordinarily they wouldn't mind, but when they would do a search on their business name, my blog post was the number one result generated by the search!</p><p>That made me come to the conclusion that my blog is definitely an asset to my business and I find the time to post to it.</p><p>If you think a blog is too much work or not necessary, you just might want to rethink that notion. You don't have to write lengthy articles. The important thing is post regularly. Posting consistently doesn't mean that you have to post every day, it simply means that you need to publish content on a regular basis, whatever that may be. Almost every blog that successfully draws traffic is publishing new posts with some consistency.</p><p>Here are some things to consider when making the decision to blog:</p><ol><li>1.Decide what you want to blog about...make it something about your business that you're passionate about.</li><li>Decide to host or not to host. You can blog for free at places like Blogger or Wordpress, but if you want it to have your domain name, consider downloading and installing the free Wordpress software on your hosting server. If you want to go the free blogging service route, check out the free blogging services. If you want to host your blog, read on...</li><li>Find a domain name if you don't already have one.</li><li>Sign up for web hosting. I prefer GoDaddy.com since I know I won't have any trouble installing the Wordpress software. I also recommend getting the Wordpress for Dummies book to help you install the software and how to manage it.</li><li>If you want your blog to match your website and/or you don't want to use a template, consider hiring a graphic designer to help customize your blog's design.</li></ol> 2008-10-09T06:18:10Z -16.0904 507 1905 true 14 6558 why-a-blog-can-be-an-important-tool 6 2008-10-12T03:04:59Z 2008-10-12T03:04:59Z

Thinking about a blog but don't know what to write about or have the time? Here's an anecdote that might give you a push.

0 2009-02-24T09:46:27Z