Over the last few years, I have noticed a definite shift in search results to sites with new content.  While focusing on key words will always be helpful, they are not enough to drive traffic to the website for your small business.  The search engines are getting smarter and they are looking for real, relevant and timely content.

Constant updates to your website can be difficult, expensive and impractical, but incorporating a blog as part of your site will accomplish the same thing.  If  you are going to add a blog to your site, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Write for your audience – Every now and then I get a little off track, writing to impress other bloggers who visit.  But my real audience is small biz owners, when I keep them in focus, my content is more relevant, and traffic to the site proves I am on target.
• Keep Posts Short – Your readers are busy.  Give them information in manageable doses.  Don’t be afraid of a series of articles, if people are interested, they will come back for more.
• Encourage people to comment, share their opinions.  My favorite posts are when other business owners take the time to add their ideas to my post.
• Pay attention to the numbers, but don’t focus on them  – Watch your stats, over time you will see which topics attract more interest.  But in the beginning it takes awhile to build a following, don’t let low traffic discourage you, get out there and write more!