Why Blog?

In my last post, I suggested that we are all now owners of our own television broadcasting station courtesy of YouTube. Today, I propose that we also now all own our newspaper as well. That newspaper of course is our blog.

Most of us by now know that blog is a word that developed from "web log" and was conveniently shortened. Social media buffs might joke however that blog actually is an acronym for Better Listings on Google. Which brings me to one of the answers to my title question. I mentioned that Google loves YouTube. Google also loves Blogs. An active blogger will list higher on Google with her keywords than those who do not blog.

Here's another reason. Think about shelf life. The blog you wrote last year about how to guestimate sizes for apparel to be given away at a large event will come up today for someone searching for "How do I know what sizes of shirts to order for my event?" question. We often say the Internet is forever and so is your blog content. So make it good.

There are three great free resources to help you get some traction with your new newspaper—er, blog. Blogger and WordPress are both free, intuitive and easy to use and easy to customize. Look them up on Google and download whichever you prefer or both of them. Make sure you add RSS—really simple syndication—for those who like you and your content. This will push your content out to them when ever you update your blog.

To make your blog more effective, use lots of great keywords around your area of expertise. Google has some wonderful analytics (again—free) and one of the best is Google Adwords. Here you can check how many people are searching for whatever you want to sell and you can fine tune your wording for peak results.