Q: Does My Company Really Need A Blog?
A: For starters, I'd like to clearly define what a blog is. Wikipedia defines a blog as a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.
Now on to the importance of having a blog. If your website is missing an on-site blog, then you are missing out on many valuable opportunities such as branding, achieving additional organic results, an increase in site visitors, etc. Blogs should have fresh and regular content, which Search Engines (like Google and Bing) love when crawling. One of the most important aspects of having an on-site blog is updating it on a regular basis with relevant posts. The minimum being once a week, but preferably several times a week when possible. Although there is no "perfect" number, we typically suggest 250 words for each blog post.
From a user's perspective, a blog provides an interactive and engaging experience for your visitors. The more engagement your website offers, the longer your visitors will remain on the site, the greater the likelihood they will return and then (hopefully) suggest your website / blog to their Facebook friends, Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections and Google+ circles.
So do you really need a blog? The answer, with 100% certainty, is a definitive yes!
