The Benefits of Blogging for your Business

Did you know having a blog on your website is one of the best ways to increase your SEO? It’s basically a virtual high-five for Google and other search engines. Google reads your content and places you in the rankings for that content by way of the keywords you used.

Google also loves it when you add new content to your website on a regular basis, and it especially loves it when visitors interact with your content (i.e. leaving comments).

Blogging also helps you develop a following and keeps people coming back for more. What happens is that by blogging consistently, you build trust with your audience and this positions you as an expert in your field. If you’re blogging about your service or product, your readers are going to see that you know what you’re talking about and feel more comfortable buying from you.

Here’s a little personal story about blogging: I had another business 10 years ago that was product-based. I manufactured a line of women’s accessories and sold them online, in retail stores and at craft fairs. I also blogged on a regular basis. My blog posts covered the spectrum from what I was working on (behind the scenes), new products, in the field at fairs and any other kind of creative inspiration that I loved. My blog was the most visited page on my website, and countless magazine editors found me and my products through my blog. This led to features not only in magazines but also online on other blogs and magazine websites. My profile is still up and searchable on the Country Living Magazine website 11 years later!

That, my friends, is the power of blogging! So why wouldn’t you do it? Sure it takes time and sometimes you don’t know what to write. But like exercise, it gets easier with time and practice.

How To Write Your About Page

There are five basic pages all websites should have: home, about, services, portfolio & contact. The addition of a portfolio depends on your industry; it could also be a process page or ‘how it works’. But one of the most important pages is your ‘About’ page - this is your introduction and your virtual elevator pitch to a potential client or customer. With so much business being conducted over the internet, it is often the only way someone can get to know you, so it’s important to make it count. Here are some things to include:

A Photo or Headshot

This helps to personalize the experience and lets them visualize who they are working with, plus there is an element of trust-building. It doesn’t have to be a professional photo, but try to use a clear image with a friendly smile.

A Story About Your Background

No need to dive deep here, but talk about how you started doing what you do and if necessary, include your education and professional affiliations. Keep it short, concise and to the point - we all have terribly short attention spans these days!

Links To Social Media

In the name of transparency, include links to your social media channels as another way for a potential customer or client to connect with you. And on that note, keep your social media clean and professional. Social media channels have become the new reference checkpoint, so don’t post anything that might be construed as racy or inappropriate.

Call to Action

Otherwise known as a CTA, this could be a request that they contact you for more information, a direction to your services page (where you should have another CTA for them to contact you!) and possibly an invitation that they join your newsletter list.

Be Yourself!

This is perhaps the most important piece. Use your voice and let your personality shine through! You can have a little fun with it with some quick tidbits as I do at the bottom of my about page, or talk about your hobbies and what you do when you aren’t working.

It might take a little time and tweaking to get it just the way you want it, but it will be worth it, and when it’s done, it’s one page that probably won’t need updating as time goes by unless you change direction or rebrand. So if you’re in the beginning stages of writing content for your website, use these points to help you outline your page. If you need a refresh, it’s a helpful starting point too. Let me know if there’s anything else you think should be included in an About page in the comments!

Web Design: Legends & Legacies

Where did summer go? It went by in a flash and was a whirlwind. I’ve been getting back into website design and to say I’m so excited about that is an understatement. If you’ve read my about page, you’ll see that I started freelancing in website design 20 years ago. So much has changed since then and I’ve been having fun getting back into the groove.

I completed the site for Legends & Legacies in August, and it was exciting because it was a full branding job from beginning to end. So many businesses come to me when they are already established and it was fun to help build this brand from the ground floor. This included brainstorming with my client on color schemes, font preferences and image selection.

Legends & Legacies is a personal history business, for individuals and businesses who want to memorialize their history for the future. The inspirational imagery we were using was classic and vintage, using soft colors for a relaxed and comfortable feeling. The challenge my client has is that she has to make her clients feel comfortable right out of the gate because they are sharing intimate family stories and antidotes.

It was a very fun project to work on and I’m thrilled that my client is already getting inquires into her services so soon after the launch.

Do you have a website project languishing? Contact me!