I’d like to take a few minutes to answer some questions about blogs. I received a number of questions since my post on blogs as well as to a blog-related email we recently sent out to our contact list.
1. “Jeff, haven’t you previously said that blogs are not for serious business?”
Well, yes I did. I even mentioned that mentality in the earlier blog article. Back in the day, a blog was seemingly and overhyped way for people to express themselves. Why would any business need such a thing unless someone just needed to have their ego stroked? “Hey look I wrote this great article that anyone can see!” Since no one would really care, there would be no point.
But, like many things in the internet industry, times change. Blogs became mainstream. People who are researching businesses like to read what is being said. Search engines love to have good content to work with so rankings can be pretty high. Without a corporate blog, your business is at a disadvantage.
Heck for some businesses it might make sense for a blog to be the primary website. For new businesses, a blog can also be a low-cost method of entry into the web.
Keep in mind that a blog does require updates. Unlike a static website, people do expect blogs to change, for new information to appear. That means someone has to be willing and able to update. Fortunately the process is easy, technically. So all that is really needed is an ability and desire to write.
2. “Why is the cost of a blog so inexpensive?”
You know Comstar for custom website solutions and you have probably realized that we’re rarely the low cost provider. (Designing a site with your business in mind takes more effort than can be accomplished cheaply.) However, we can keep our blog pricing low for several reasons:
- We can use a lot of tools and templates that already exist to speed up the development process.
- The design of the blog is less important than the content so we can reduce design effort.
- You are providing the content on your schedule.
- We believe it is so important to have a blog that we are lowering the barriers to entry, helping to make it a no-brainer decision for you.
- We don’t want you to wait until the price goes up, we want you to get started now.
3. “What’s more important, SEO or a blog?”
Well, that depends. They can really work well together. Search Engine Optimization of a website helps make that site appear more favorable to the search engines. A blog creates another entry point to your business. Assuming you already have a “sales site” you would want the blog to point to it. That creates additional links to your site. Search engines like this too. And, if you can provide interesting information in your blog you might attract others to link to your blog, thus more incoming links for the search engines to follow. So, ideally you would consider both.
If you say that you can only do one things, SEO or have a blog, then consider budget and time. At Comstar our blog price is less than the cost of SEO. But with a blog we set it up and train you to do the work. With SEO we are doing the work month after month. Got money and no time, go with SEO. Have time, but less money, go with the blog. Want to give your business the best benefit, do both! And also consider SEO for your blog.
4. “How soon can the blog be up and running?”
How fast are you willing to go? Generally we can have the site up within a week, sometimes less. While we’re putting the site up you should take some time to think about blog articles. They don’t have to be complex. Pretend you are having a conversation with a client or prospect. What would they want to know? What would you like them to know? Answer those questions with a paragraph or two and you’re all set!
Now that I’ve answered your questions, are you ready to get started? If so, go on over to www.startmynewblog.com.