Lately I’ve been reading more and more articles emphasizing the importance of blogging for improving the Google rank and website traffic of local businesses. The beauty of blogging is that it doesn’t cost a thing – except your time.
If you’re short on cash but want to improve your Google rank, blogging is a great choice.
Note: There’s an awesome infographic (aka, picture) at the bottom of this post that you don’t want to miss. Make sure you see it before you go!How Can Blogging Improve Your Google Rank?
A) Frequently updated websites are ranked higher in Google than those that are static and unchanging. And every time you post, your website is updated. Check out this great article by Business2Community.com for more.
B) Each new post = a new page on your site for Google to index. Your website probably has 5-10 pages: Home page, About page, Contact page, etc. Imagine if you added one new page (a blog post) every week for a year. That’s 52 new pages for Google to find that are associated with your business! For more detailed info on this concept, check out Social Media Examiner’s excellent article, “The Fastest Way to Increase Your Google Ranking.”
C) Links to your website, from other websites, increase your Google ranking. (Explained clearly at The Site Wizard.) Blog posts on interesting, relevant information are more likely to be shared and linked to than static pages.
D) Blogging regularly can increase traffic to your website. Each time you post, you’re likely to get new visitors who are searching for the information you’re discussing (back pain, for example). Increased traffic also helps improve your Google ranking. So there’s a positive cycle of more traffic > improved rank > more traffic, etc.
Improved Google ranking, of course, is the key to getting your business in the top search results.
Why is it so important to be near the top of the list for Google searches of acupuncturists in your area?
1) 75% of people don’t click to the second page of Google search results. So if you’re not on the first page, forget it.
2) The coveted number one spot on a Google search listing gets 33% of the clicks.
3) In comparison, the website ranked #5 gets only 6.1% of the clicks! Yikes!
So the higher you’re ranked, the greater your chances of getting clicked (and then called for an appointment).
Why else is blogging good for your business?
Blogging regularly improves your credibility by emphasizing that you are an expert in your field. This could be mean an expert on acupuncture in general, or in your particular specialty, if that’s what you prefer to write about.
The point is, when potential patients see that you can write clear, articulate articles that help them understand a foreign medicine, they realize that you really do know your stuff. They’re more likely to trust you, and trust leads to more appointments.
You’re busy. How can you make regular blogging work for you?
The key in blogging, of course, is commitment. You need to post regularly in order for Google to take notice. Below is an outstanding infographic, but at one point, it mentions writing 16-20 blog posts per month. What?! That’s crazy and unnecessary. Unless you have a marketing intern whose only job is to create blog posts, forget it. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
HOWEVER, you can still improve your ranking and traffic by posting once a week, or even twice a month. Your website would still be refreshed and updated on a regular basis, which makes the Google monster happy.
In addition, if you blog regularly, then sending out your monthly newsletter (which you need to do!) will be a cinch. You can take a few of your most recent blog posts, pop them in your email newsletter, and send it out pronto. Done and done.
One last thought before you dive into blogging on your acupuncture website:
As a warning, if you do commit to blogging about acupuncture on your business website, you really need to do it regularly. A blog that hasn’t been updated in four months simply doesn’t look good to potential patients. They’ll wonder if you’re still in business. They’ll wonder why you don’t write anymore. They’ll be disappointed that there’s nothing fresh for them to read. So if you’re going to do it, really do it.
Still not convinced that regularly blogging on your acupuncture website can help your Google rank?
Check out these compelling stats from the amazing infographic below:
“Companies that blog get 80% more new visits.”
“Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads.”
Need more? SearchEngineJournal.com adds that “Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages. And companies with more indexed pages get far more leads.”
Finally, here’s the fantastic infographic I keep mentioning, from one of my favorite internet marketing websites, http://www.QuickSprout.com.
How Blogging Affects Your Bottom Line:
Do you have a blog associated with your acupuncture business website? Do you think it helps generate interest and improves business?
Have blogging suggestions for us? Please share in the comments!
These are such great points, Michelle! Wow, thanks for breaking down the Google searches into percentages for us to get an idea of how important Google ranking is. Blogging does take time and commitment like you mentioned but can help drive more traffic and business to your site.
Hi Kelly! I’m so glad you found the stats helpful. Info like that reminds of why it’s important to always keep posting! Thanks for your comment, Kelly!:)