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Why [and How] to Incorporate Blogging into Your Business

Why [and How] to Incorporate Blogging into Your Business

General
Blog is a word that gets thrown around more than ever now, and for good reason! Before, you start thinking you don’t have the time to write blog posts (believe me, I get it, writing takes time!), you should know that blogs are actually a really important aspect of your digital marketing plan. Let me explain, I promise it’ll be worth the read.
It’s no secret that search engines love new content, which in turn boosts your website’s organic search ranking. (Note to all our car dealer readers – over 76% of car buyers will click on an organic search result!) So now that I’ve got your attention, let’s get back to the topic at hand. Blogs are a very easy way to keep fresh content on your website, thereby enhancing the optimization of your website. 
 
Why Have a Blog?
  1. More blog posts mean more ways to find your company.
  2. There will be more links and more website traffic, meaning more possible leads.
  3. Blogs allow you to convey your company’s personality and culture.
  4. Blogs can increase your search engine ranking. Google uses the keywords and fresh content of blogs to decide where your business ranks in search results. The higher your rank, the more people who will see your business.
  5. The best reason is that it’s typically free!
Now that you know why blogs are awesome, the next thing is how do you create a blog? The basics of blogging is finding topics your customers would be interested in and writing about them. But to really get people interested in your blog, there are some guidelines you should follow.
 
How to Create a Blog?
  1. Find the right platform for you. Many of the automotive websites have the option to add a blog by just adding a new page. If you’d rather have it off site, WordPress, Weebly, and Wix have great and free platforms!
  2. Decide on topics that will interest your customers.
  3. Create a title that would make you keep reading, like “How To Make a Smart Car Purchase.” 60% of readers won’t continue past the headline if they don’t find it interesting. Try to keep your title short, sweet, and to the point.
  4. Write your blog post. Don’t worry it doesn’t have to be perfect! Just make sure it shows your business’ personality and have someone proof read it. (Trust me on that one! \)
  5. Pick a picture that captures attention. (We all stop scrolling for a cool picture.)
  6. Post your blog!
 
To really have an impressive blog you’ll need to put in some behind the scenes work too. Each platform will be different, but there should be places to include:

 Meta Descriptions – a short description on Google of what the blog is about. Google can generate one for you, but creating your own gives you the power. Here’s an example:

 SEO keywords - Words and phrases that help people find your blog. The more relevant the keywords are to the content, the better. When someone searches, the words they use in their search are matched to your keywords. The more of your keywords that match yours, the higher your blog will be ranked in the results.

Use a URL that is easier to type in – which URL is easier to remember? Blog.com/XYZ16dg8756h816 or Blog.com/How-To-Start-A-Blog
 
Now the good news. There are a number of resources available to provide good quality content you can use on your blog. There are even agencies (ahem – HPR) that will manage your blog completely. So regardless if you tackle the blog internally or hire an agency to handle it for you, keeping the content on your website updated is an important component that is oftentimes overlooked!
 
By Stephanie Williams

 
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