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12 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog

12 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog

On the fence about starting a blog? If you’re thinking of jumping into the blogosphere, check out Mohan Mittal’s 12 reasons to start a blog:

#1 – You Do Not Need To Know HTML

One of the biggest hurdles many hopeful website creators face is they don\’t know to design a webpage. Blogs overcome this – all you do is type into a box, and the blog software automatically converts it into a webpage and publishes it on the World Wide Web for anyone to see.

#2 – You Are ‘Forced’ To Keep Your Content Fresh

Blogs are essentially online diaries. It doesn’t make sense to write in your diary every month or two. Similarly, running a blog itself ‘forces’ you to update it often. And refreshing your blog often makes it more useful to readers and consumers – and by extension, to search engines who are in the business of presenting *their* clients with valuable resources.

#3 – Your Blog Is AUTOMATICALLY Optimized For Search Engines

Search engines love fresh content. But that’s not the only way blogs are powerful tools to rank high. Indeed, most blogs are structured to offer a high degree of search engine optimization.

All sections of your blog are linked together. The terms used as link ‘anchors’ are keyword-optimized. Categories can be created to host themed content. Navigating through your blog is intuitive. Archives can be customized, and generate hundreds of pages of content that act as ‘search engine spider bait.’

#4 – You Get A Built-In Linking Structure

With very few exceptions, most blogs are structured to be a tightly integrated network of links – to other sections of your blog! It’s quite easy for a visitor to get ‘lost’ within your blog… without ever leaving it.

Calendars link to posts on specific dates. ‘Recent Post’ listings point to your freshest content. Archives connect all your earlier posts. Search boxes let browsers look for certain kinds of content. And it all happens automatically, without you spending hours on creating a link structure or sitemap!

#5 – You Generate Multiple Content-Rich Pages

Every post you make on your blog is content. And by intelligently setting up your archiving preferences, you can turn each post into many different forms of content, each on a page of its own. Blog regularly for a few months, and you could end up having a 100+ page website – all filled with relevant, keyword-optimized, themed content!

#6 – You Can Keyword-Optimize Your Blog Extensively

All parts of your blog’s template can be customized. And a very powerful way to do it is by inserting relevant keywords. It’s a do-it-once job that will give you ongoing benefits for as the life of your blog. You can include keywords in your blog title, description, blog post headings, trackback links, comment invitations, archive titles, and category names.

#7 – You Create An Online Community

If your blog is on a specific theme, you can build a loyal readership and develop an online community. You can even take it a notch higher by tying it in with a forum or membership site. Ask for comments, suggestions, ideas and feedback, or invite reader participation. Pretty soon, your blog will be growing organically – even if you don’t write a lot!

#8 – You Initiate Conversations With Readers

Of course; the first step is yours – to initiate a dialog with readers. You could do it with your blog post, asking a question or by inviting comments and interaction. Your blog will be read by an audience that’s already interested in your subject or theme. This conversation will be priceless to you, the blog owner.

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#9 – Your ‘Inbound Link’ Process – Trackbacks

Blogging is about distributed conversations online. Links are an integral part of such an informal network. Trackbacks are a kind of blog technology that makes it possible – and simple! Your blog will benefit from the inbound links a trackback will bring, and you’ll also get extra traffic from other sources.

#10 – You Can Syndicate Your Content Easily

Getting readers for your content is good. Getting your content out where many more readers can see it is GREAT! Syndication (via RSS feeds) is built in to most blogging platforms, giving you a quick and easy way to get a wide readership for your blog posts.

#11 – You’re Creating Stuff Search Engines LOVE

Search engines exist to offer their audience a compilation of the best resources on a subject or keyword. Your blog is the answer to a search engine’s prayers! By sticking to a theme and presenting the content in an organized, structured, intuitively connected pattern, your blog will be appealing to search engines in a way only a very professionally planned and designed website can ever hope to be.

#12 – You Get ‘Alternate’ Traffic Sources

Remember what we saw about blogs being linked and networked together? Bloggers like to share opinions with others. And when they ‘talk’ about you, they are going to point to your site, or a post on your blog, to show their readers what they mean. They become ‘alternate’ traffic sources – for YOU!

Other tools like blog rolls, furls, favorite bloggers and more can drive sporadic – but sometimes big floods – of traffic your way. And best of all, it’s effortless and costs you nothing!

View Comments (11)
  • I always have this question – to build a blog or static website, whenever I have an idea about a niche.

    And I always go for blog for its’ simplicity. As you mentioned, we can have everything all at one go. SEO friendly, search function, onsite links, ping, RSS, ads insertion, tons of templates, widgets & plugins, social bookmarking, stats so on.

    It can be quite a chore doing all these on normal websites. But using a blog platform, it’s a breeze.

  • Blogs are so great because it’s really easy to get visitors when you know how to enter the conversation… And blogging is fun!

  • Nice article!

    Web blogging is really the easiest way to market your own website. Aside from being free to acquire, it is also personalize so you can really express the expertise of your company to your clients.

  • One thing that I prefer blogs over static sites is that blogs can give you the most features, even you, as the blogger or webmaster have no knowledge on HTMLs and codes of such.

    Another thing is that blogging allows interaction and this is a vital point to be a webmaster in Web 2.0

  • I believe blogging is good for letting ppl know ab you and your thoughts… and blog domain should be with our own name. this will ad ++ in web presence.

  • I am just reviewing the blogging. I really like the idea of an online diary although I wouldn’t know where to begin. I am old enough to remember a world when an electric typewriter was a big deal so this is all so new.

  • Can you make money from blogging? How long does it take and how hard is it to do?

  • …and the missing reason to start a blog is the transformations you will create for yourself by sharing your thoughts with the world. It really helps you grow as a person ; )

  • Great reasons.. and all very true.
    Starting a blog is great for many reasons. I don’t know any HTML yet but I enjoy blogging on my websites, and you’re right, Google does love blog content or content that changes often or is updated often!

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