Learn the Secrets of Making Money For Your Business With A Blog

I just read a couple of stats I thought I’d share.

750 million people use the search engines each month searching for products or services.

To find those products and services, these same people type in over 61 billion keyword searches each month to find what they are looking for.

Sounds like a lot, right? You really want to be there hanging out at the top of the search engines, right?

Well yes. And no.

The trouble is most people don’t understand what it means to be at the top.

If you’re a photographer, you don’t really need to be at the top of the keyword "photography".

If you’re a bronze sculptor, you don’t really need to be at the top of the keyword "artist".

When people type in generic words like "photographer" or "artist", it’s only a guess as to what they really want.

Are they looking for a school to take a class? Are they looking for someone to commission to work with? Are they doing research?

So why spend the money, time or effort trying to get to the top of these generic keywords?

Instead you need to niche down and get to the top of your exact keyword phrases. Things that people will really type in when they are trying to find you.

bronze sculpture vs artist = 1,240,000 vs 638,000,000 searches

Florida wedding photographer vs photography = 489,000 vs 412,000,000

And when you type in these key phrases, a funny thing is happening. It’s not just websites anymore that come naturally to the top of the search engines. It’s blogs. And social media sites.

Are you marketing your business with social sites yet? Why not?

Just read an article in one of my latest editions of Promo magazine by G.A. Andy Marken.

According to his article, Technorati now tracks 70 million blogs, up from 35 million less than a year ago. And according to the latest research, 22 of the 100 most popular websites in Q4 of last year were blogs.

More and more, people are relying on blogs to gain valuable information. Why? Because it’s the easiest and most effective way to share information quickly with your readers and with the search engines.

When I do research for articles, I’m usually looking for statistics or for current figures and ratios in online trends. Things change quickly online. Facts that were valid in 2006 for the most part no longer apply today in 2008. So I need information posted within the past few days - weeks at the most.  Blogs and blog directories are a great way for me to find the information I need.

By searching in blog directories like Technorati, they provide search results based on the date is was posted; not just by keyword. So I can find information that was posted just minutes before - not just the highest ranking keyword related site.

So as a business owner, if you’re writing on current issues, and you’re hitting on keywords that people are searching for, you have a higher chance of “being found” because your information will be at the top of the search results.

1. Write blog posts frequently and concentrate on writing about things of interest to customers and media.

2. Write appropriate titles that will capture the attention of readers. Don’t create titles for SEO purposes - make sure they attract the attention of your reader first, SEO second.

3. The more you write, the easier it is to find you. You can become an authority in your niche fairly quickly - just start writing.

More women than ever are now blogging in some fashion.

According to an article published in Advertising Age, BlogHer and Compass Partners recently conducted a study that showed more than one third of all women in the U.S. aged 18 to 75 participate in blogging at least once per week. Of those 53 percent read, 37 percent post comments, and 28 percent write or update a blog.

So…

Are you a woman business owner? Why not try blogging for yourself? I love blogging for two reasons. First, I can blog whenever I have time. I often get up at 6 am and sit down and write a few posts. I’m fresh and full of ideas at that time of the morning. I’m also active in the late evenings after my daughter is in bed. It’s a great time for posting comments on other people’s blogs. Second, it’s brought in a lot of opportunity. I’ve created a lot of sales for my products and services, and I’ve also received a lot of media exposure - which means I’m writing articles for more publications.

Do you sell to women? With over 53 percent of women reading blog posts, and women in charge of most household purchases, now’s the best time to start Blogging For Business.

photo by JadeGordon

You’ve heard of blogging. You may have even tried it a little yourself. But is anyone really paying attention to blogs? Will it really do you any good?

Overwheliming, the answer is Yes.

According to the BlogWorldExpo:

• Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog
• Over 57 million Americans read blogs
• 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years
• 9% of Internet users say they have created a blog
• Over 120,000 blogs are created every day
• 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs
• 51% of blog readers shop online

Convinced of the importance of blogging?

Are you blogging for business?