If you're creating great content on regular basis, but not driving traffic or engaging new customers then you need to understand what to change, before expen
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Why blog?
Blogging works! It doesn't matter if you are a college student thinking about making extra pocket money, or a entrepreneur looking to promote your brand.
It also doesn't matter what topic you decide to write about, provided it is a relevant to your niche and something you are passionate about and interested in.
Starting a blog is exciting, but it is also a medium to long term commitment (if you want to derive any real benefit from it), but if you have the drive to succeed there's no better time to start.
Owning a quality blog with lots of great content has enormous value and can benefit you in any number of ways going forward.
So here's why you should get started today...
1. It's easier than ever
Online website builders make it really quick and easy to build a blog without requiring much time and effort or knowledge of the Web.
Don't be put off by the fear that you don't have the technical know-how to get started. It won't take more than a few minutes to get started (provided you use the right tools).
If you don't have an existing blogging platform, check out how to build a free website with Weebly for more details.
2. Opportunity comes knocking
You never know who is going to stumble onto your blog, like what they read, and reach out.
You might find your life changing in ways you couldn't imagine. That's the beauty about a blog - you might have followers from all walks of life, kings and queens, celebs, astronauts... anyone.
3. Google's algorithms are getting better
Spammers have run circles around Google for a long time. But, they are finally getting their comeuppance as Google unleashes waves of updates (like Panda & Penguin) to find and penalize spammy sites.
This means that (finally) genuine bloggers with great content have a better chance of bubbling up the rankings to capture juicy search traffic and be seen.
4. Meet people
Oddly enough, blogging is a pretty social activity because, in order to be successful, you have to build up a network of fans, followers and friends.
This means that part of your blogging experience includes reaching out to other people, responding to comments, making connections, attending events and functions.
5. Social media is mainstream
Are you taking great pictures for your blog? Share 'em on Pinterest and gain access to a larger audience.
How about video clips? Set up a YouTube account and share your content there too.
If you have something interesting to share, social media makes it possible to spread the word like never before.
6. It's fun
Learning how to be a great blogger takes a bit of time and patience, but it is also really rewarding.
There's a lot of satisfaction to be gained from creating something that helps or entertains people. Plus, you are your own boss.
7. Everyone reads online content
It's taken a while for people to fully get comfortable with reading stuff from an electronic or mobile device. But, more and more people have made the switch.
In other words, you don't have to be a published author, or a magazine columnist to become really popular.
8. It's flexible
Working nine to five can be a drag. But, the beauty of blogging is that it can be done from anywhere.
Go sit on a beach, or in your favorite coffee shop. Travel the world and be inspired to write about your experiences.
Write three blogs posts a day, or write one or two a week. Write in your pajamas.
Write early in the morning before work, or on a lunch-break, or late in the evening when no-one is around to distract you.
9. It's one of the best ways to become a recognized expert
Blogging, done properly, forces you to learn a huge amount about your chosen niche.
You can't help but find out facts and figures, who's who, what's happening, and so on. You'll become an expert, write about what you know, and the proof of your knowledge is there for everyone to see.
10. There are potentially significant financial benefits
If you can get people to read your blog, you can make money. The more people like what you create, the more money you can make.
How visits are converted into revenue is completely up to you and depends on whether you have a business to promote, are selling stuff from an eCommerce store, or simply make money with ads.
You can learn more by reading how to blog.
I think those are pretty compelling reasons to start a blog and run with it. Provided you focus on something you enjoy, blogging will be extremely rewarding.
What other benefits or reasons do you have to become a blogger? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Blogger outreach and PR is difficult - I've read a lot of How to articles and guides that say stuff like "Get bloggers to review your site or product", or, "Get as many backlinks from other bloggers as possible".
So everyone knows what to do, but no-one's talking about how to do it. In fact, gathering backlinks is often time consuming, ineffective and infuriating.
Hands up anyone who has spent several hours emailing other bloggers asking them to take a second to look over your new [blog/site/product/service/article/video] and gotten almost no response. It happens all the time.
Google recently ruined our startup launch with a 'false positive' phishing warning that coincided perfectly with our launch announcement to 4500 existing customers.
The article I wrote about that hugely damaging mistake attracted the attention of John Mueller, who responded sympathetically and said he would 'let the team know' about the problem.
Good to his word, I noted a few hits from Mountain view, California on the affected site and at the article, and a few hours later the erroneous phishing message was removed.
Learning how to blog is an important business skill that can increase page rankings in Google and bring plenty of traffic to your website.
Learn how to start a blog using WordPress by following this super easy step-by-step guide that covers both hosted and self-hosted blogs.
If you're blogging regularly, using SEO, sharing content socially, sending out newsletters, marketing, and doing everything right without success, then I've
Content syndication (sharing stuff with permission) can be a great way for small businesses to get more website traffic.
Drupal & Joomla are two popular CMS systems that offer powerful Web design and development features, and both have been overtaken in popularity by websit
Genuine bloggers and businesses use high quality articles to build high page rankings in Google and generate plenty of valuable organic search traffic.
The problem is that the better the content, the more likely it is that others will duplicate, copy, or spin those articles and publish them on their own sites (without permission or attribution).
Most of the time this is not an issue because low quality, article spinning sites generally tend not to rank well in Google search results.
Inset text can make your Web design look beautiful, and while it is cutting edge, it's also super easy for beginners to implement using CSS and a bit of HTML
Well researched, planned and implemented sales funnels can simultaneously boost traffic and increase conversions and revenue to make more money for blogs and
A lot of popular blogging techniques have died out as Google's search algorithms (and the rise of social media) have changed the content landscape of the Internet.
For startups and small businesses utilizing blogging as part of their content marketing strategy, keeping tabs on industry best practices can be a bit like trying to herd cats.
As a result, unfortunately, many people find themselves swimming upstream as their content fails to capture high rankings in search results, generates little to no buzz, and generally offers little to no return on investment (ROI).
