using blogs to promote traffic to a Web site

In this entry, I would like to consider the use of blogs as a marketing tool to promote traffic to a Web site, such as my own at http://www.programhouse.com

The rationale for this strategy can be expressed as tenets of search engine optimization (SEO) as follows. You can increase traffic to a site by presenting content of interest to your target visitors, regularly updating that content, using appropriate keywords for search engines, and as needed, paying for placement in search engines for certain search terms.

Of these tenets, the first two can be realized in part through the use of a blog that is connected to the Web site. Not only can the blog be easily updated (including through plugins or updates that allow posting by mobile devices), but as blogs are examples of the read-write Web 2.0, you can provide opportunities for visitors to your site to read the latest blog entries and also post their comments in reply.

By doing so, you can not only create relevant content, you can also update it regularly and encourage blog readers to make return visits through receiving RSS feeds of changing content. You can also create tags for blog entries that improve their ranking in search results.

This all makes sense to me, but I wonder what other techniques and strategies can be used to encourage visitors to the blog to migrate to other areas of the Web site to achieve goals associated with the site, such as e-business transactions?

I also wonder to what degree or under what circumstances using a blog as an extension of a Web site (or the Web site itself) might not always be realized in a positive manner?

For these questions and other issues associated with the use of blogs to achieve Web site goals, I welcome your comments in reply,

Doc

About this entry

Title: using blogs to promote traffic to a Web site

Published:: 20.04.09

Category:: blogs for business

About

Welcome to my blog!

This blog is one of the software tools used to support communication and learning on the programhouse.com Web site.

Riding the Crest of Change is the motto of this blog and a phrase that I often use in describing the unifying topic area covered here: technology innovation and how it affects us (and vice versa).

As we reflect on this great wave of change and where it has carried us, we can see that it is dynamic and constantly growing. It is not merely technological, but social; not merely fixed, but mobile. We look forward as well, to where we sense it is moving so that we can catch and hold it in ways that help us continue to ride the crest of change.

I hope that you will find the on-going dialog that develops here of interest to you as well. Please feel free to offer your posted comments to enrich this dialog.

Thanks for joining us here and welcome aboard,

Doc

Bob 28.05.09.09 / 3pm

I have seen over the last couple of years how blogging has really increased the flow of traffic and even more importantly how blogging has increased communication. Sure we can have plenty of web pages created as long as the message or content does not change much, but as new information becomes available blogging makes the distribution or communication of the information to the masses happen far more quickly and readily.

I have even seen a blog open up within my company’s intranet so that employees can communicate more readily with upper managers.

Thanks,
Bob

Doc 28.05.09.09 / 3pm

Hi Bob, Thanks for that early and informative response to my request for ideas about the relationship between blogs and Web sites. What you point out is that beyond providing more traffic, a blog associated (linked) to a Web site can handle the important role of quickly changing information and the interaction of communication by Web site users.

Stephen 29.05.09.09 / 9pm

One thing about blogs is the frequency at which it can be updating thus stimulating more web hits as interested people like to keep up with the latest entries. And as mentioned before, it can be easily updated using todays mobile technology such as blackberries and portable laptops. So I see blogs as an important way of generating web traffic. Another strategy may be to allow users to create their own account and start their own blogs. This might be an interesting way to get repeat hits on the site.

Josh McElfresh 29.05.09.09 / 11pm

Blogs are very different. I have not used them for any reason. This is all new to me and I am learning how to use it in the eBusiness world. I have found that the use of blogs has increased exponentially over the past five years. It has been making the business world very fast paced in the communication networking. I am going to really look at blogging seriously and try to understand it. It is all hard for me to understand right now.

Jennifer 30.05.09.09 / 2pm

Blogging is a fun way to get ideas and useful tips. I have never really posted to blogs but have read them.

Casonti 30.05.09.09 / 9pm

I have had very little experience with blogging. We learned how to have students use it when writing a critical anaysis paper as a group. I don’t quite get how it can be used as a marketing device unless bloggers would discuss a product. Or are you saying that on a website important product data could be updated? I think that would be useful.

Ty L. 31.05.09.09 / 12am

Blogging and most recently Vlogging which is the use of blogging thru video are current phenoms of the internet state that we are in. It can a great weapon or a great defeat depending on the blogger and what the blog is ultimately about. I have blogged on occasion and must say that it is a good tool to vent and give an opinion about particular issues and I can forsee the “blogging” era evolving for many years to come.

Jennifer 31.05.09.09 / 10pm

I obviously have troubles using blogs because I added alot more to my post and it didn’t show up…anyway, the rest of my blog was suppose to say how a group of mother’s who used a blog actually had an impact on the removal of a commercial on TV. They found it offensive to mothers in general.

Mandy 31.05.09.09 / 10pm

I think that blogs are a wonderful marketing idea for some businesses. If you are an independent person, such as an insurance broker like I am, or a small business, or especially someone that does personalized or handmade items a blog can be a very powerful tool. So far in my experience these are the people that I have seen have great sucess. I just started a blog a few weeks ago to write about my experience as a homemaker and share ideas and recipes and such. I also use it to promote my ebay store and I new store that I am opening on Etsy, a site for people that make handmade items, its a specialized market. The bloggers that I talk with regularly are all fans of these sites so this is a great way for me to promote my small and just starting business.

Catherine 01.06.09.09 / 11pm

Hi,
Blogging to me is a great way for consumers to provide companies with free advertisments as well it is a space that is open for individuals to voice their opinions regarding products or services; negative or positive. A blog is also a spot where people with similiar interests can have conversations. I enjoy blogging and reading blogs especially travel blogs or my community blog. Blogging is an automatic “word-of-mouth” advertisment opportunity which is not limited by relationships or location.

Alley Miller 04.06.09.09 / 9pm

I feel that I am on track with a few of those who commented and completely outdated by others. I quit working in the tech world a year ago to do laser tattoo removal….big change. Anyway, I have never blogged (I don’t myspace, facebook, non of that stuff). I have this problem with giving out personal information on the internet. My kid did our family a big disservice by putting out too much info. Since then, I am gun shy to say the least. I am sure there are good uses, I will just have to do my research.

Fran 30.06.09.09 / 8am

Blogging is an effective way to gain trust and customers for an e-business. By sharing ideas freely and in an honest voice, customers feel a connection to the company and begin to form loyalties. In addition, having the ability for the consumer to blog back and forth with the e-business, they feel they are important and that their opinion matters. Knowing that someone is on the other end of a blog “listening” makes customers feel important and will likely lead to more feedback. Lastly, as an e-business trying to gather customers, blogging regularly can create a large searchable database of information hyperlinked to the extra relevant information.

Doc 30.06.09.09 / 11am

Well said, Fran. You bring up an important point: the Web site owner must read and post replies to comments to reinforce the interaction of the blog. There should be links on the Web site to the blog and vice versa, but also posted interaction to reinforce their complementary nature.

Melinda 01.07.09.09 / 8pm

I agee with Fran’s blog. I think that the interaction available to the web site owner with the consumer is so important to the retention of a consumer. A blog allows a consumer or web site vistor to talk about what they think, have others agree or disagree and will return to the site to see what was said. This promotes a continuous traffic to the web site and the word of mouth will get people to the site to look at the blog.

Brent 03.07.09.09 / 11am

Hi Doc;

The use of blogs to attract traffic is dependent on the frequency and relevance of updates to that blog. To encourage exploration of the site in general, it would seem that the use of “teasers” with links to other parts of the site would be the most effective. If the visitor is given a snippet of information in the blog, with a link to more in-depth information in other parts of the site, this would be likely to induce the visitor to explore further.

Mike 04.07.09.09 / 1pm

I know in this weeks reading it was explained that blogs tend to help create customer trust. When I read blogs one thought is very much on my mind and that is I am reading the opinion of others. Carefully monitored blogs by a particular e-business can be effective because they are controlled and the content is managed and should be correct. However blogs in general may require some additional research to check content validity. It would seem a trusted source at the outset would be the most efficient way to secure relevent information.

Derek Jones 05.07.09.09 / 7pm

I think that blogging is a great way to increase traffic and loyalty. This is a great advantage when shopping for an item that one is not familiar with or for gaining information about subject one is not familiar with. This allows people to bounce info and ideas off each other and in doing so people take ownership over the blog, which keeps them coming.

T 07.07.09.09 / 1am

I think blogging is an excellent tool for marketing research purposes and honest feedback. Once you understand the emotional needs of a shopper its easy to use that data to drive more business to your site.

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using blogs to promote traffic to a Web site

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