Why small businesses should be blogging

Every business, small or large, has to have a website. That’s an absolute given these days. But should every business be blogging?

That question has a fuzzier answer, but I’m going to really go out on a limb and say that yes, no matter the size of your business, you should be blogging.

Even if it’s just a post a week or every two weeks because you’re really busy, blogging on your site is better than nothing. And I’ll think you’ll see that benefits of having a blog are going to vastly outweigh the costs.

Helps with SEO

So I first want to start off by saying that I’m not an SEO (search engine optimization) expert. During my time as a web developer, I’ve picked up some things here or there about it. But if you need massive SEO help, you really should see an SEO expert.

Still, one of the best and simplest ways to boost your site’s SEO is to blog. Google loves sites that add content regularly. It shows that the site isn’t static nor no longer in use. And the more posts and pages you have, the more content Google has to potential show in search results.

Just as a brief example, I’ve noticed recently a lot more traffic coming to this site from search engines. And the things drawing people from the search results onto the site are blog posts about WordPress and creating tables and Gutenberg.

So if you’re blogging and blogging about relevant things for your small business, it will help you in search results. And those clicks from people to your blog posts might turn into prospective customers which is a win for you.

Blogging can be a chance to relax a bit

As a small business owner, it can get downright tiring trying to run the business. After all, you where so many hats on a given day. But blogging, even for an hour a week, can be a chance to relax.

Now, maybe this is because I’m naturally more a writer than other people are. And sometimes writing a post that others are going to read can be stressful for other people, but bear with me for a bit.

With your blog, you get to write what you want to write. And I’ve found that when I’m writing about something I want to talk about, be it WordPress or sports related, I’ve had a much easier and more enjoyable time writing.

Plus, you’re writing time can be a time where you’re not thinking about your business. Now, most of the time you’ll probably be writing about something tangentially related to your business, but you’re not worrying the day-to-day stuff. And that can help you regroup, gather your focus and get better.

Helps tell your story

But most importantly, it helps you get your story out there for the world to read. Sure, you probably have an “About” page (or at least you should), and sure it might be fairly in depth. But blog posts allow you to go deeper.

For example, maybe on your about page you talk about how you got started in the business. But to keep the story moving, you don’t cover a lot of the details in that story. With a blog post, you can tell that exact story with all of the details so that people get a better understanding about why you’re doing this.

Or, maybe you’ve learned something new about the business. With a blog post you can explain what it is, which can really help your credibility in the field.

All of this helps people see who you are, why you are in this business and, most importantly, why you’re the person they should be doing business with.

Again, I understand that small business owners are busy people with the many hats they have to where. That’s part of the challenge that comes with the gig.

But I highly suggest that you try to block out at least an hour a week to blog. Even if it’s just a post a week, having a blog on your small business’ website will more benefits than you might imagine.