Why You SHOULD Blog
1) You have a business website that you would like to attract more traffic to.
Blogs are great for attracting more traffic for several reasons including:

• Search engines like regularly updated content. Many business sites are informative but not updated very often so are hard to keep at the top of the rankings, without buying keywords. Blogs can and should be updated on a regular basis with fresh content.

• Bloggers typically link to each other in their ‘blogrolls’ so once you start to exchange links with others, you will start to gain new traffic  as your site is exposed to a new audience. Additionally the more inbound links you have (ie other sites linking to you) the more the search engines will like you.

• The variety of content you post on your blog will naturally expand the number of keywords and phrases that will lead people to your site. On a purely informative business site, you don’t always have the opportunity to target keywords outside your direct focus but a blog gives you more range.

2) You would like to give your business a more personal voice and develop a relationship with potential customers.

• A blog is a great way to add to and enhance your brand. It allows you to craft a more personal voice for your company, which is engaging to the reader. If a reader likes what you have to say and reads you on a regular basis they start to trust you.  You can’t build that type of dynamic relationship with a static site.

• A blog allows you to share success stories from your customers, and engage with them through comments.  Once you’ve built a decent readership a blog can be a great way to do free consumer research – test out product ideas and poll your audience.

3) You would like to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

• These days a lot of information is available for free on the internet – it’s almost expected. So you may as well join the fray and give people a taste of what you are all about and the knowledge that you have.

• A well-written, informative blog may help you to attract the attention of other high profile people in your industry that you may not otherwise have access to.
• You may also be able to pitch yourself as a guest blogger on other popular sites and blogs, further increasing your profile and credibility.

4) You would like the opportunity to network with other people and bloggers in your field or related areas. Being part of the blogging community allows you a way to network with others in a friendly fashion, without having to push a hard sell. It’s easier to make friends with people when you have something to offer (a link exchange, good content), rather than something to sell.

DON’T Blog If…..

1) You really don’t have anything to say. If you’re not inspired about your subject matter or feel that you have nothing to contribute, blogging may not be for you.

2) You think it will be a quick fix. Blogging is not an overnight quick-fix to getting more traffic. It takes a little time to start generating traffic, although once you get going you may see a snowball effect.

3) You’re not in it for the long haul. To really get the most out of having a blog, you will have to spend some time working on it, writing and promoting it. There’s no real way around that, so if you’re not prepared to carve out some time for it, you won’t be maximizing it’s presence.