Time and time again, I constantly here people say, “I just want that top search result on Google!”

For a business website, the top spot in the search engine returns can be a lead generating machine. Think about it. Google is where most people go when they are researching. What if there was a way to get your company’s website on that coveted first page?

So, how do you propel your ranking on Google to get you to the top?

One of the best ways to gain that top spot is by blogging. Incorporating a blog into a website can have a huge impact on the overall website’s search engine rankings.

A blog does two very important things in terms of the search engines:

1. Adds naturally occurring, keyword-rich content
2. Increases the potential for incoming links from high-quality websites

The average small business website includes anywhere from 6-20 static web pages. These are the basic pages you see on most sites such as the “home” page, an “about us” page, “product description” and “contact us”. Once created, these pages rarely change.

If the site is well-built with all the appropriate code and metadata, the search engines will index these 6-20 pages of content.  If the site is highly optimized and focused on a limited number of keywords, the search engines may connect those 6-20 pages with the right keywords (the search engine terms used to find information). Although, due to the essential needs of a website, some pages aren’t indexed for the desired keywords, like a contact form.

Now it’s time for some math.

Each time a new blog post is added, a new page is indexed by the search engines. Let’s say for this example, that you have a simple website that only has 8 pages indexed. If you planned on creating two blog posts a week, by the month you would have doubled your pages that are indexed with Google. Stretch that out over the course of a year and you would have 112 pages indexed with the search engines.

Let’s now forget about the power of incoming links.

Now let’s say that your bog posts are on topics of interest to people in your industry. Word gets around that there is some valuable information and at the very least offer a voice for the company.  A couple of blog posts have been emailed to fellow colleagues and even better, fellow industry bloggers are starting to link to the blog. The site starts to appear on fellow bloggers’ blog rolls and specific posts are linked as references and points of discussion in other online publications.

Google loves these incoming links. Google loves them even more when the links come from sites that are relevant to the content in the blog.

Incorporating a Blog

If the goal is to raise the search engine results of the larger website, it is important to incorporate the blog into the larger website. Use a call to action at the end of the blog post to direct the reader to other parts of your website. Keep it on the same domain and provide clear links that encourage visitors to explore the rest of your website.

Make it easy for your reader. If the path to your larger website isn’t clearly marked, they will never find their way.

ROI

Measuring the ROI of social media is tricky, but consider the value of the top spot on Google. How much would you pay for the top organic search return? Although it doesn’t happen overnight, a blog can be one of the best ways to get there.

Have you seen a jump in the search engine rankings since adding a blog? If your business is not blogging, what’s holding you back? Contact Propel Marketing & Design today and we’ll get you right on track!