Blog = contraction of web log, a log (diary) in reverse chronological order, that you post on the web
In my view, websites are on their way down, while blogs are on their way up. There are a few reasons for this:
- Google likes regularly updated content
- By providing added value content, it’s shareable throughout the social media community
- People can comment and interact
What to write?
Apart from e-commerce on sites like Amazon and eBay, people go to the Internet for two reasons:
- Information
- Entertainment
So that’s what you need to provide. Information in the form of hints, tips and advice to demonstrate your expertise, and/or entertainment (in accordance with your brand values). Your blog can be keyword-rich if you want it to be found on search engines, and – if you allow comments – it offers your friends, fans and followers the opportunity to interact with you. Blogs are best when you include images and video as well as words.
How much?
A blog post only needs to be around 150-300 words. That’s 2.5 paragraphs or a page of A4 in 12-point Arial or Helvetica. Any longer than that and it’s an article. You can still keep to my suggested word count if you split longer pieces with a ‘Read more’ link.
How often?
You should blog ideally 2-3 times a week, if not daily, but once a week is fine. If you can’t post at least once a month, don’t do it.
71.4% of consumers say that blogs affect their purchasing decisions “somewhat” or “very much.”
Source: Hubspot
