Ever considered writing a blog? Although the initial idea can be a little daunting, there are many benefits to adding a blog to your website.

A blog allows you to showcase your knowledge

Blog posts can be a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and create confidence in potential clients. For instance, you can use your posts to answer FAQs in detail, helping to address potential clients’ queries and concerns and therefore making them more likely to contact you. You could even write about hypothetical situations: problems that you can help with, how you would go about treating the client etc. to help give nervous clients an idea of what to expect. If a client does email you with a query you have already covered in your blog, you could send them a link to the relevant post as part of your response, allowing them to read a detailed answer (along with your other posts), which may help them feel more at ease about beginning therapy.

A blog also gives you space to write about topics that interest you professionally, including any articles you may have written. You could consider posing a question at the end of each post, to encourage discussion with both clients and your peers within the comments. Be sure to respond to comments, as it makes your readers feel valued and therefore more likely to read and comment in the future. This can be a good way of networking and building relationships with other therapists, and can help boost your professional reputation.

It’s good for SEO

With every blog post you write, another page is added to your website. This, paired with the regularity of your posts, improves your site’s SEO, making search engines more aware of your website, and therefore more likely that you will pop up when users type in key words relating to your type of therapy and location. In terms of content, writing about topics that are likely to be searched for also helps improve your visibility online. Be sure to include key words frequently throughout your posts (although don’t go overboard – your posts should still read naturally). Combined, these elements help boost the organic traffic your site receives, and therefore the number of potential clients you reach.

A blog can have a positive impact on your social media 

In addition to your regular updates, new blog posts provide great content for Twitter and Facebook statuses. They are easy to share across social media, making self-promotion quick and simple.  Regularly linking to your blog also encourages your existing readers to keep looking through your website, and introduces it to new followers. Blog posts are also easily shared by readers who enjoyed them or found them interesting or helpful. If a link to your blog appears on a reader’s Twitter feed or Facebook wall, it opens you up to a new world of potential clients! Posting a link to your blog is also a quick way of adding valuable content to your social media outlets when you’re in a hurry – perfect for PR on the go.

A blog keeps your website fresh

Blogs make adding new content to your website easy. Keeping your website fresh and up to date makes it more appealing to visitors and also ensures that you keep abreast of trends and important developments within your field. Rather than making changes to your existing pages on a regular basis (there are only so many things you can write for some sections, after all!), blogging provides a natural and uncluttered way of adding valuable content to your site. Blogs also give you space to keep people aware of developments in a quick and convenient way, and help to convey a sense of your personality, making you more personable and approachable to clients.

What are the downsides?

Despite all the benefits, there are downsides to blogging. Creating new content on a regular basis can be time consuming and you may find yourself stuck for ideas. Also, it can take time (and a lot of effort) to build a readership. Blogging works best if you are persistent and ensure updates are made at regular intervals, which can take time away from other tasks relating to your business.

 

Do you have a blog on your website? Let us know about your experiences with business blogging!