The blogger.com interface - very simple to use!If you have yet to hear of blogging then let me warn you now, you will be hearing a lot about it over the next few months.

What is a blog? Here is the answer straight from the pioneers of blogging at Blogger.com:

“A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated posts that are arranged chronologically like a what’s new page or a journal. The content and purposes of blogs varies greatly from links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project updates, even fiction.”

Why Should You Consider Starting a Blog?

It would be a bad idea to underestimate the value and marketing potential that a blog can offer you.

Here are some significant selling points for maintaining a company blog:

1. Setting up your own personal or business blog is totally free! No setup fees and no monthly fees are required. With some basic customizations you can even have the system upload your posts to your own web site. This basic version will allow you to post your industry related news or insights on your site on a daily basis. This provides two massive benefits; daily fresh content which the search engines award web sites for and a reason for your visitors to come back to your web site more often.

2. The paid version of Blogger (currently being upgraded so it is offline) offers the most significant tool of all… automated RSS feeds. WHAT?! Well, RSS means either “Really Simple Syndication” or “Rich Site Summary” depending on who you talk to. In both cases the intent is the same; instant syndication of your content throughout the Internet. By combining the quality content that you include within your blog with automated syndication your ‘word’ will be instantly transmitted to millions of online viewers through the news portion of such search engines as Google, AlltheWeb and Yahoo!. In most cases content provided via an RSS feed is updated to the major search portals within 1 hour!

3. Build industry credibility! Blogs are your way of showing that you or your company is truly on the cutting edge. Write articles about the latest industry events and even provide tutorials to help your readers.

Essentially blogging is a simple and effective way of both keeping your clients informed and to build credibility in the online marketplace. If your content is useful and original you will not only build a healthy following of readers but a stronger and more loyal client base. The advantage of better search engine placements is also a plus 🙂

If you want to know more about blogging or you would like StepForth to help you setup an optimized blog please let us know: contact Ross Dunn at 1-877-385-5526 or ross@stepforth.com