| Blogs have been around for a number of years now, | | | | server and they are updated constantly. Themes you |
| and they don't look like they are going anywhere. | | | | can use to change the entire look of your site - are |
| There is nothing looming on the horizon ready to | | | | free, or paid for premium themes - up to you. Even a |
| take their place. That's a good thing, and there are | | | | premium theme isn't priced out of the reach of most |
| some reasons that your business website could use a | | | | people, at $70 per theme on average. |
| blog. Adding a blog to your business site accomplishes | | | | 6. Blogs increase interaction between you and surfers |
| some crucial things you'll need to find success. | | | | at your site. Commenting, polls, voting on posts or |
| Using WordPress.org content management system | | | | other content, suggesting links... all of these increase |
| (CMS), blogging system, enables you to add a blog in | | | | your connection with people that before blogs would |
| a subdirectory of your site quickly and smartly. Name | | | | have never interacted with you at all. You need |
| your blog subdirectory either /blog or /news in most | | | | interaction to build trust and fondness for you and |
| cases. | | | | your company. |
| The WordPress (WP) system is unparalleled in the | | | | 7. Free Plugins. These add functionality to the |
| blogging world. The best of the best are using it and | | | | WordPress CMS and help you do more 'stuff'. Plugins |
| you can too. The cool thing is - it's free for anyone | | | | are created by individual developers that ask for |
| to use. | | | | donations and also sometimes get links back to their |
| These are reasons you should add a blog to your | | | | sites from your site. |
| business website today. | | | | 8. CSS - Cascading Style Sheets save heaps of time. |
| Here are some reasons to add a blog to your | | | | WP is built so you can change one line of code to |
| business website: | | | | affect your entire blog layout. For instance - if you |
| 1. Blogs are ever changing. They are dynamic. By | | | | wanted to bold all the hyperlinks in your blog - that |
| adding content often and maybe regularly according | | | | would be an easy CSS change to one line of code. |
| to some schedule you can keep your audience up to | | | | Change colors, font type, size of fonts, background |
| speed with what's going on in your business. | | | | colors, column widths, image borders, and many more |
| 2. Google loves new content, especially a site that | | | | variables from the CSS! |
| continually creates new content. | | | | 9. Backups. There are backup plugins that allow you |
| 3. Blogs let Google, Yahoo, and other websites and | | | | to setup backups - daily, weekly, or other time length |
| readers know you've updated them using RSS. A | | | | on a regular schedule. We have our blog backups |
| regular website doesn't do anything proactively... they | | | | daily and sent to an email address where they are |
| just wait for a search engine or surfer to come by | | | | archived. When you have over 40 blogs this feature |
| and see that the content changed. RSS brings the | | | | alone makes blogs worth it. |
| new articles or other changes to the search engines | | | | 10. SEO - Search Engine Optimization is much easier. |
| and viewers. | | | | There are many plugins that can set your blog up for |
| 4. Blogs are much easier to start than is a regular | | | | you, and after configured will format your site for |
| website someone needs to create from scratch. The | | | | being found more easily in Google. |
| WordPress CMS makes managing your blog site | | | | Though blogs have been around for a long time, they |
| super simple and you'll appreciate the finite control - | | | | aren't going anywhere. Now they are easier than |
| and the empowerment you suddenly have because | | | | ever to setup and use. If you are technically illiterate |
| with blogs you can make changes yourself. An | | | | try the Thesis theme for WP, it's made for people |
| experienced person can setup a WP blog in about 10 | | | | that need it ultra simple. It provides an easy way for |
| minutes. Customized, it might take 1 day, but | | | | you to customize the look and feel of your blog and |
| probably less. | | | | there is little in the way of pre-knowledge needed. |
| 5. Free. WP blogs are free to install on your web | | | | |