by Ford Saeks

One of the most important components for your website is your blog. Using your blog you are able to  position yourself as an expert with valuable content for your target audience which in turn will draw qualified traffic to your website.

Use these 5 tips to help you increase traffic and build a more qualified list of leads:

1. Blog Consistently: First and foremost keep your blog up to date. Yes we know you are a busy, we all are but it is important for your customers and search engines that you are blogging on current, relevant information. Even if you can only do one a month, make sure you are putting in the effort to help your blog work for you.
2. Focus on Your Customer: Use your blog as a way to share information that is relevant to your customer. When searching the internet people are mostly looking for an answer to a problem, providing that solution will not only help the customer but draw more attention to your website from search engine web crawlers. What problems does your product or service solve for your consumer? The answer to this questions is what you should be blogging about.
3. Create Relevant Lead Captures/Promotions: Create promotions that you can add to your sidebar of the blog to draw readers to specific areas of your website or to a landing page where you can offer them more information and capture their name and email. Landing pages are a great way to give your customer special offers while building your list and increasing your digital reach through relevant content.
4. Engage the Reader: Encourage your reader to comment on your blogs. The conversation that gets started will help you to learn more about your customer base and also give you a look into new ways to offer content, help and solutions. Comments on your blog also help to validate your content for search engines and other users. Start a conversation!
5. Utilize your Social Media: There are several social platforms you can use to reach your customer base. This is assuming you are using social media for your business already (if you aren’t you need to be here are 8 Tips to get you started). Social media helps you reach customers quickly and draw them to your website. Post excerpts from your blog as well as promotions.

Your blog is a great way to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry by having the solution to your target audience’s problems. Remember to promote it in your emails, social media and client interactions to help grow your following and keep your customers informed.

Do you have another tip or advice on building your blog? We would love to hear what you have to say in our comments below.