Image by lafra via FlickrMany bloggers obsess over statistics – traffic and subscriptions most frequently. When it comes to business blogs, I’m wondering how important subscription numbers really are.
Sure, every blogger would like tons of subscribers. But if the purpose of a blog is to write about your firm’s products and services, subscriptions may not matter that much. Far more important is proper search engine optimization (SEO).
Why SEO Matters More than Subscribers
Readers are unlikely to be interested in reading about a firm’s products and services on a daily – or even weekly – basis. If you’re writing about packaging, blast furnaces, legal issues, or even popular consumer products like cosmetics, people just aren’t looking for a daily dose.
On the other hand, when a customer needs packaging or a blast furnace or legal consultation or lipstick, then they must be able to find you. If your blog posts rank well on Google, you will obtain highly qualified traffic from people who are in the market for what you sell.
Business Blog Poem
Subscribers are swell,
But it takes SEO to sell.
Bottom line – Business bloggers should invest time in selecting and properly deploying the right keyword phrases. Whatever time is leftover can be devoted to building the subscription base.
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Brad,
Actually, as a reader, I have a great passion for keeping up to date with the latest developments about blast furnaces on a daily basis. Indeed, as well as being the first topic I search on Google at the start of every internet session, it is also the first topic which I look for when reading the daily newspaper, and I have set up several daily news alerts just so that I can keep up-to-date with any changes in terms of structural design or manufacturing technique.
I am glad to say that I am kidding, and as you say, I cannot imagine that a blog on topics like those which you mention is likely to witness the development of a large ongoing subscriber base, and even then, there would be a question mark over the value of regular subscribers in terms of generating sales.
Given this, and your point about the need for one-off purchasers being able to find your page easily, I could certainly understand why SEO would be a significantly greater priority for business blogs when compared to personal blogs, and also why owners of business blogs would not be as concerned about subscriber numbers than their personal blogging counterparts.
Andrews last blog post..Free her – Fiat’s big call on Burma (part 2)
Brad, this is an excellent post with great insight. Too often we tend to view blogging with one finite set of principles and rules but there are many shades to blogging. Thank you so much for pointing this out about subscribers. Well done!
Good point – and another good reason to use WP, and then make sure you’re doing the SEO bit right. Better to put the effort into that than obsessing over keywords but not having the google juice to get them found.
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Audacious Faith in the Future
Andrew, You’ve inspired me to begin a blast furnace blog! The niche shall be mine.
Karen, Amazing but true how quickly blog thinking has gotten locked into “traditional” patterns.
Joanna, Very good point. Was SEO performance a reason you made the switch to WordPress?
Brad Shorrs last blog post..How Important Are Subscriptions for Business Blogs?
Yes, one of them… but as you know, there were many
Joanna Youngs last blog post..Do You Ever Feel Like a Stranger on Your Own Blog?
Cute poem! (I like poetry a lot.)
The whole SEO battle for the top always bewilders me, as let’s say there are 1000 sites trying to sell the same product and come up on top of a search. That to me is Just Not Possible. You know what I mean? Or say it is even 300 sites, and I have no idea of the numbers here, I’m just throwing those out arbitrarily. There just seems to few top spots for too many clamberers. Why do people even bother I wonder? What’s the trick?
Jannie Funsters last blog post..Armani Condom Heart — Inappropriate?
Hi Jannie, Good questions. SEO can get very complicated, and it is indeed hard to predict how and when SEO techniques will “kick in” and get a web page on page 1 or 2 of Google. That said, the techniques do work if you have the right strategy. For example, small companies and entrepreneurs have a much better chance of rising to the top with niche (smaller volume) keyword phrases. Trying to win on the phrase “financial planning” is going to be a tall order, but winning on the phrase “financial planning single moms” – very possible to win.
PS – Listened to a few of your MP3 clips. Great voice!
Brad Shorrs last blog post..How Important Are Subscriptions for Business Blogs?
Brad,
In that case, I’m sure your new blog will jump straight to number one on Technocrati, as readers clamor for those crucial daily updates.
Andrews last blog post..Free her – Fiat’s big call on Burma (part 2)
Create unique profiles for yourself and your business on OySite.com – no other professional networking site lets you do that!
Yes, SEO is more important, but it’s more likely to be the subscribers who keep conversations going!
And, Brad? I just gave you the Premio Dardos award over at my blog..come see!
–Debs last blog post..Premio Dardos
Hi Deb, Subscribers leave lots of comments, true, but lately I’ve heard people saying they’re cutting down on subscriptions and finding blog posts via Twitter and other media. How do you think that will play out? Thank you for the award! That is incredibly nice of you – I’m honored.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Silly Sales Wordplay – Invest versus Spend