How to Cook up Blog Posts That Help You Get More Business

Now more than ever, I hear designers talking about fresh content as an important ingredient in web marketing. Like Internet nutritionists, they remind their clients, week in and week out, to post new, keyword-rich articles and blog posts. It’s the online equivalent of eating our greens; quality writing is one key to building websites that look healthier and more attractive to search engines – not to mention customers.

But then, just like so many offline healthcare professionals, they finish dispensing their advice and sneak out back to have a quick cigarette… or in this case, get back to the next project or layout without giving any thought to be content on their own sites. In fact, I routinely come across web design sites with blogs and articles that haven’t been updated in weeks, months, or even longer.

So why are designers having so much trouble practicing what they preach? Because they face the same obstacle as their clients: time. Like cooking healthy meals, crafting strong articles and blog posts takes consistent time and effort. Many of us barely have enough hours to finish our paid work, much less grind out content as part of a long term promotional strategy.

Ignoring your own blog, however, is a very bad idea. Not only does it give your competitors a chance to get a leg up on you, but it makes your clients wonder why you can’t follow your own advice. Besides, putting fresh content online – and reaping the tasty benefits – doesn’t have to be a chore, so long as you follow a few simple guidelines:

Make a shopping list ahead of time. For a lot of people – writers included – few things are as intimidating as a blank page. It’s just very difficult to produce words from nothing. For that reason, I advise you to give yourself a head start. Make a list of topics and rough ideas that you might want to write about in the future and keep it somewhere near your desk. That way, when it comes time to put some words on the screen, you’ll already have a starting point to work from.

It’s best if you let this list grow over time. At any given moment, I have hundreds of ideas waiting in notebooks and Word files, and I add to them every day. I’ll never get to all of them, of course, but it keeps me from running into writer’s block when I’m putting together an article like this one.

Follow the right recipe. Readers won’t spend time on your company’s blog because of anything you care about – they’re only interested in what they care about. Pay attention to the kinds of questions and issues your clients raise, and then use those as starting points for blog topics. Writing to other people’s concerns is the first step towards building a loyal base of returning visitors, not to mention steady search engine traffic. Which leads us to…

Stay away from the junk. Have you ever noticed how there’s a ton of junk food located right in the checkout lane of your grocery store, but you have to work to get to the fresh fruits and vegetables? Well, it’s like that with your design blog. Avoid taking pre-written sales material and posting it online. Posting pieces on your blog with titles and themes like “Why you should hire me” isn’t just lazy – it hurts your cause.

People don’t want to work with marketers; they want experts who can help. That’s a good thing, because you probably know exactly what it will take to help set someone’s online marketing in the right direction. Show off that knowledge and expertise with articles that prove you can solve problems, not pitch products.

Try slow cooking. From my point of view, one of the most welcome developments in the past few years has been the increasing power of “long tail” searches, which take the emphasis off the most-heavy handed keywords (and writing) and put it back onto more subtle copy. Write enough coherent, quality posts on a niche topic and Google, Yahoo, & MSN will find you.

All of this takes time, naturally, and a willingness to go beyond the first four or five obvious keywords. So put a little thought into your topics and opening paragraphs; find the real issues and phrases that are a big concern to your clients. Over the course of a few months, you’ll create a spicy mix that’s irresistible to searchers and engines alike.

Order takeout. Calling your local pizzeria might be bad for your waistline, but getting strong copy delivered straight to your inbox is a good move for your bottom line. As a professional blog ghostwriter, I’ll freely admit that I’m biased; but then again, there’s no easier way to get fresh, crisp articles that taste as good as they look than by calling in a hired pen. With a few notes and a few nickels, you can get all the great content you need without devoting any time or energy to the project, so it’s something to consider if you’re struggling to keep up in-house.

Adding new content to your site and blog might be a pain, but it’s critical to the health of your design site and business. So keep these tips in mind, use quality ingredients, and enjoy a tasty 2010.

About: Matthew Aaron

Matthew Aaron is a professional blog ghostwriter who works with dozens of design firms across North America and the United Kingdom. You can see more about him and his work – including several free articles – at blog-ghostwriter.com.

You can also contact him directly at matt@blog-ghostwriter.com to find out about special pricing for designers.