It goes without saying that blogging can help raise our search engine rankings.
We only need to type ‘Blogging and SEO’ into Google to receive an abundance of information, tips, secrets, ‘simple truths’ and how-to guides on all of the ways that we can write and structure our blogs to increase traffic to our site.
But while getting that illustrious position on page 1 in Google is important, it’s also worth remembering that our blogs are a tool for speaking to target markets and the wider public, not robots.
Yes we should continually come up with new content and provide value for our readers. Yes we should be consistent across various mediums. And yes, we should try to maximize our blog’s visibility. But continually writing exact phrases, linking to other sites in the hope that we get a return mention or social share, posting at a certain time of the day and keeping our blogs to a specified length should not dictate our blog posts.
One of the key attractions of a blog is that it’s more personal than the content available on our websites and in promo material. Through our business blog we can show our audience what our organisation is really like and what we care about. We can use our voice to show our character, how we think and what our opinions are so that we connect with our audience.
Instead of searching for ways blogs can increase traffic to our site, let’s get genuine and find the ways that we can create a truly great, engaging, value adding non-robotic read.
We recommend a read of the following article and post for insight on how to keep it real when blogging:
Leo Babauta – What Makes Great Blogwriting?
Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus – How to Start a Successful Blog Today
May authenticity prevail!