Why Your Small Business Website Needs a Blog

Turns out blog posts are good for business.

Last year's statistics on blogging are pretty compelling. Blog posts continue to be among the top performing web pages for both business-to-business (B2B) companies and those businesses that target consumers (B2C).  

Don't take our word for it. Review the blogging statistics infographic from Gate 39 Media, a financial services marketing and technology agency . It's worth a look. And be sure to review the additional resources and tips below the infographic on how to get your small business blog started.

Infographic created by Gate 39 Media.

Additional Resources for Your Small Business Blog

We understand that committing to creating content for a small business blog can be like commiting to staying on a treadmill at the gym for longer than you'd like. To make it a little easier we have some additional tips and tricks for staying on top of your content calendar and posting a blog at least once per month. 

Need content ideas for your blog posts? Check out the JKM Content Idea Cheatsheet. It's handy infographic that you can refer back to any time you need a little inspiration. 

Want to be sure your blog posts are optimized for best readability? We have a handy infographic for that too. Review JKM's 7 Steps for Blog Readability to help ensure that your content is reader-friendly and engaging. 

Enlist the help of free online editing tools. If you're plan is to DIY your blog posts to get a blog off the ground, we highly recommend using both Grammarly and Hemingway Editor. Grammarly will catch your typos and misused parts of speech among other things. Hemingway Editor will help you adhere to best practices for readability - like avoiding the use passive voice and run-on sentences as long as CVS receipts. (Have you seen those? They're six feet long!) 

Blog posts with images receive 94 percent more views. While this is the last datapoint in the infographic above, it's an important one. Adding engaging images to your post can be less expensive and easier than you think. Use online graphic design tools like Canva or Visme. And there are many free image sites, like Pexels and Flickr where you can find images to complement your content. 

Remember, Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (TWMTDW)

Managing a small business blog really is a team sport. Enlist the help of your team to come up with topic ideas and write blog posts. Do you work with a trusted supplier or partner closely with another complementary business? Considering asking if they'd like to contribute a guest post. Be sure to promote their authorship and include a link back to their website. 

Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. So give it a go and get help when you need it! 

Bonus Tip: Be sure to promote your blog posts to your email subscribers. Tease the post with a compelling  subject line, feature just the first few paragraphs in the email body copy, and include a button to "Read More" on your website.