Newsletter - Blogging & SEO

Welcome to this semi-frequent installment of the MWI newsletter. As always, subscribing to newsletter notifications is as easy as a visit to MWI's website at www.mwi.com/about/newsletter/, and you can unsubscribe in the same manner.

First, some announcments, and then we'll get to the meat of the newsletter.

THE OFFICIAL MWI BLOG LAUNCHES

If the occasional newsletter isn't enough then head on over to the newly launched WeLoveBlue.com, the official blog of MWI. Once there, subscribe to the RSS feed and you'll be able to stay current on all things MWI as well as frequent posts regarding web design, content mangaement, graphic design, branding, web development, and search engine optimization and marketing. If you're not sure what RSS or a feed or a blog is, head on over anyway. And if you'd like to learn more about RSS feeds and how to subscribe to them check this page out.

By the way, if you're interested in even more content related to MWI, check out our CEO's blog where he writes about Utah's business scene, search engine optimization, web design, leadership, entrepreneurship, and more. And if you're hardcore about SEO, check out our search engine optimization blog TheOrganicSEO.com.

SEO PRESENTATION, JANUARY 18TH IN PROVO, UTAH

A free presentation, "10 Search Engine Optimization Tips Anyone Can Implement," will be held on January 18th at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Corporate Alliance Hub, 746 E. 1910 South in Provo, Utah. Joshua Steimle, founder of MWI, will present and his presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The public is welcome to attend.

BLOGGING & SEO

If I could sum up this newsletter into one sentence it would be "search engines love blogs." Now the trick is to figure out if you or your business can benefit by having a blog that is getting indexed well in search engines. If so, then you should probably get to it and set up a blog. But first, what is a blog and why do search engines like them so much?

A blog is a type of website. Above I already mentioned a few that MWI has created and manages. There are literally millions out there and more every day. Even in Utah there are more business blogs than I can track. Blogs can be run by individuals or companies. Individuals will typically use them as a type of public diary. Businesses often use them as a way to connect with their clientele or other interested parties. One of the nice things about a blog is that the Internet community does not expect them to be formal like a corporate website, in fact, quite the opposite. If the content on a blog is informal, personal, and lacking the structure and finesse a professional copywriter can lend, that's perfectly normal and acceptable. Blogs are expected to be full of content that is more human and personable.

On a technical level a blog is made up of "posts." That is, the person who updates the blog (a "blogger") logs into the blog software and posts new content which becomes a new page on the blog. Generally a limited number of summaries of these posts are displayed on the homepage of the blog in reverse chronological order, or newest posts first as you read downwards. Site visitors can click on the headline for a post and then be taken to a page that contains the full content. One other key feature of blogs is that they generally allow visitors to add their own comments to the end of a post. This enables a dialogue to take place between the blogger himself and as many "commenters" as want to participate.

So why do search engines love blogs? The principle reason is that blogs have lots of content, and search engines love content. Blogs tend to have a lot of content because of how easy it is to post the content. As fast as a blogger can write a few paragraphs he can have a new page on his website, and thus a blog can grow to hundreds of pages very quickly. However, there are several other reasons why blogs do well in search engines as detailed by Lee Odden, including structured content, search engine friendly URLs, fresh content, RSS feeds, and non-search traffic (which many people have forgotten matters).

In addition to benefitting search engine rankings blogs provide a number of other benefits. Because subscription functionality is built into all blogs it can replace email newsletters (like this one, not that we're saying that's going to happen), and because it's easier to post content on a blog you can stay in touch with subscribers on a more frequent basis. The ability for blog visitors to post comments about posts as well as about other visitors' comments creates a sense of community that can do wonders for the company running the blog. And blogs can become magnets for links from other websites, leading to increased non-search traffic that can turn into more traffic for your corporate website. Almost any type of company could benefit from a blog including law firms, universities, ski resorts, and realties.

However, while search engines love blogs it's not enough to just throw one up and expect your business to double in size. A poorly designed and maintained blog could be a liability. A good rule of thumb is to find a blog in your industry that seems to be getting a lot of attention, imitate it (imitate, but don't copy), and improve upon it. And of course all the other rules of search engine optimization apply, and a blog that is receiving SEO treatment is going to rank better than one that is not.

How does one create a blog? It's a lot like creating a website. You can find cheap ways to do it yourself that may work for you, you can hire a freelancer to help, or you can hire a firm. There are even firms out there that specialize in creating and maintaining blogs for certain industries. It just depends on what type of company you're in and what you're trying to accomplish. If you're a larger company with larger budgets then you will probably want to hire an experienced firm or consultant to create your blog.

I've used various types of bloging software and my favorite so far has been MovableType. I've chosen to get it by signing up with MediaTemple web hosting where I can get it all in one package and they set it all up for me. All I have to do is add the design and do some configuration and they make it relatively easy. But when I say relatively easy I don't mean it would be easy for anyone. I just think it's easier than some other packages out there. I can also highly recommend WordPress.

If you have any questions feel free to shoot contact us and maybe we'll turn the answer to your question into a post on our new blog at WeLoveBlue.com.

DID WE MENTION WE'RE GIVING AWAY FREE IPODS?

Yes, we're still giving away iPods. Refer a client and once we get the first check from them you'll get the iPod of your choice, up to a $500 value. Send us a really good client and we might even throw in some accessories.

The process can be as simple as you sending one email to one of your associates recommending us and copying us on the email as a way of introduction. If we land the deal, we'll let you know and you can choose whatever iPod you want and we'll send it to you once we receive the first payment. And yes, you can refer yourself.

LOOKING AT GETTING STARTED ON A PROJECT?

MWI never charges for a consultation, and we are low-pressure when it comes to sales. We refer most of our business to other firms and individuals because we realize we're not the right fit for everyone. If we don't think we're the best firm for you to work with we'll tell you so and we'll let you know who you should contact. If you're interested in getting more information, send us an email at info@mwi.com or fill out our "request for proposal" form at www.mwi.com/hire_us.html.

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