Web Marketing and blogging have a few Gray Areas…
Sometimes, a really awesome question comes around that I think would make an excellent blog post. Unfortunately, I am usually too busy working on client accounts to actually post something about it. This morning, I had a client ask me such a question, and fortunately, I had a few minutes to toss my thoughts into an actual post.
There was a time when I could take on an account, throw some directory listings up, and build a few “free” blog pages through wordpress, blogspot, reddit, and/or somewhere else, and have that client’s presence ranking pretty quickly. Unfortunately, those times are no more. Partly because Google no longer trusts newer sites, and partly because…well, Google has made it more difficult and punishable to artificially manipulate their search rankings system. (Keep in mind that these were considered ethical practices when we used them here at Groove)
So, when my client, who owns a DJ company in North Carolina (with four offices in three states) asked me if he should have seperate blogs for each office, I had to take a minute to consider how to respond.
Given his multiple locations, the question was initiated from his Virginia office. The question verbatim was, “Is there any need to have four separate blogs for the four locations? Specifics are important because each situation warrants different strategies.
Here was my response:
Creating a separate blog just for the sake of blogging will only give a slight, if any, boost to search rankings. The real problem with attempting to do that is the time and effort it would take to actually see that slight boost. You would need to build an entirely NEW web reputation for each separate blog-site, and those efforts would probably be better served creating blog posts on the existing site for the following reasons:
- The existing presence for your business is a mature presence on the web. That is to say that it is already a trusted resource by Google and the other search engines. Creating geographically specific blog posts within the existing presence will gain you quicker results.
- Making blog posts specific to geographic locations will serve a similar purpose as creating a lone blog for that territory.
- Having all of your blog posts under the same domain only serves to strengthen that domains presence online. More virtual real estate and content equates to better rankings all around.
How do you get the most out of your geographically specific blog posts?
- Utilize Keywords/phrases along with Geographic specifics in the title.
- Mention your location in the body of the post multiple times. A good rule of thumb is once every 300 words.
- Like I mentioned above, use geographically specific blog categories.
- Make sure that your image titles/alt titles include key phrases and location.
- Use easily readable sentences.
- Make sure your image sizes are such that they load quickly.
So, there’s my two cents. Hope it helps.
As you can see above, my advice was to leave multiple blogs out of it…but there’s a catch with this particular situation; he already has a very strong web presence.
So the question becomes, is there ever a time when I should have my blog
site separate from my main website?
The short answer is maybe, but there are only a couple of legitimate circumstances that would keep it from being unnecessary. They are as follows:
You have a custom coded site that makes it difficult for you easily post and manage your own blog content.
Sometimes, it’s just a pain in the rear to get your webmaster or web designer to update your content in a timely manner. In relation to online marketing, it is best to post a minimum of one new article a week, so waiting 5 business days for your web dude or duddette to post your article is really slowing your marketing down. (Yeah, i know we don’t do that here on the Groove Site, but it’s like the landscaper’s yard around here…we’re working on client stuff, SO DON’T JUDGE US!).
Some of the subject matter on your blog posts may not be applicable to your main site.
Sometimes, you just want to write about political matters that impact your business…or some cute cat videos…or whatever. In that case, you should definitely keep your blog separate from your main site as things of that nature can cause rifts with clients and/or water down your main site’s message.
Will it hurt my web presence to have my blog separate?
Not necessarily. If your blog sucks, you use it for controversial or questionable content, or something similar, then yes it will hurt your presence. If your blog is an example of these things, it’s probably best to just not blog at all and pay a professional to do it for you. In most other cases, it may not help very much…but it won’t hurt either.
This post may or may not have been very helpful, but like I said in my opening sentence, Web Marketing has a few gray areas. There is actually an art to it, and like art, there are different brushes, techniques, and mediums used to achieve results. Blogging has a process, but one that has a few variables that can lead to the same objective. Either way, you should be blogging.
Should you have any questions on effective blogging, web marketing, or would just like to shoot the breeze about business growth, contact us by clicking here