What Google and other search engines are ranking as important is old school. In other words, the world of SEO is morphing a bit yet again. The Pigeon update really shook things up, and the result is search engines are going back to traditional web-ranking factors to determine local search rankings. This means website content is crucial for local businesses to be found in searches. If this describes you, it may be time to change your strategy.
Let’s talk about the way you post on your blog. Do you post just to have content? If so, this practice could be potentially damaging. Instead, you should have a purpose to each post and have a subject that engages your local audience. For instance, if you own a local roofing company and want more clients, there are a plethora of subjects to write about, and it’s best to keep them seasonal. For example, the crippling amount of snow some parts of the Northeast have received this winter is severely damaging roofs. It is causing ice damming and roof leakages. You can write one blog about ice damming, perhaps giving advice on how to avoid it, signs that you have it, and when to call you, the experience roofer. Another blog post could be about roof leakages, what may be causing them, and when to contact you, the roofing expert.
That leads to the next step of defining your audience. Think about your target audience and who you would like to reach. For instance, using the aforementioned roofer example, big apartment buildings may do contracts with roofers and that may be a boon for your business. Therefore, you would want to target property management companies who handle buildings and complexes. Or maybe you would like to target the individual homeowner, and thus she has a more DIY style of using a roof rake to clear snow before she calls in a roofer. This would call for two different types of advice: the property management company is looking for quality and experience in maintenance and problem-solving, while the homeowner is seeking advice online first and then calling a roofer when she knows she can’t solve the problem.
You also have to think about your company’s voice that is used in the blog. The voice can be a more relaxed, layman’s type of style, or it can be very professional. These days some blogs opt for creative-type voices that use humor or wit, or even talk about provocative topics, depending on the business. Either way, you have to think about the best voice for your business and maintain it on your blog. Your audience will appreciate a consistent voice, since it will know what to expect. If you choose to hire a professional writer, make sure she has references and clips, and that her voice is right for your company.
This blog was inspired by an article on Search Engine Land