What Makes a Blog Different? The Tools
The static web sites we're used to seeing are what I fondly refer to as (cob)web sites. Even the "dynamic" web sites that have some flash or moving parts get boring (annoying?) after the first or second visit.
I won't go so far as to say your home page no longer matters, but it may not be as important as you think. Four challenges in relying solely on your (cob)web site:
- How often you make changes depend on the cost involved. If you're (cob)web development company charges you, or if you have access to make the change but aren't confident in using the tools - changes are rare.
- Search engines index by pages, not by site.
- Your home page may have been written by a copywriter. If the copy wasn't written by someone on your team, are the words and voice recognizable to your customer face-to-face? (I could hop on a rabbit trail here, but refrain)
- How findable and subscribe-able is your content?
Conveniently, here are the four main differences of a blog site and a web site:
- Frequently updated content, using a tool as simple as sending an email
- Each new article (or post) appears on the main page, but also gets indexed in archived pages (a permalink) - individually and by date and/or category. You're creating lots of pages with a blog.
- Your voice. Your audiences voice right back atcha! I believe it's important to have comments - especially at the outset. Don't even think about stifling the conversation at the outset.
- Content Feeds and Tags. These two are the additive to the gasoline that
powers a blog site.
- Content Feeds - Part of the power of blogging is being able to get the content delivered in a feed aggregator. The reason I don't send email "blasts" is because I offer a feed. My reach (action taken by the audience) is between 50% - 70%, not that wonderfully celebrated 18% success rate (?) that email newsletters receive. All permission based.
- Tags - Go to Technorati and do a Blog Finder search on one of your keywords. Do you show up? If you're not blogging, you don't. If you are blogging and don't, find the fix ASAP. Who's more findable? You or your competiton?
You company's web site is your online brochure. It's what your prospects and clients see first because it's on your business card, brochures and other marketing material. That's fine. However, offline - do you expect your brochure to close the sale or build the relationship all by itself? Thought not.
But what about your online message? Who wrote it? You or a copywriter that you hired? Your voice or the copywriter? Shouldn't you be engaged in a conversation with your prospects and customers?
We've covered the differences of blog sites and (cob)web sites as a tool - but frankly, the real power behind blogging isn't the tool or even the findability benefits. It's the conversation. We'll get to that shortly
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