By Matt Cook

So, the company website is done and dusted, it looks slick and professional, there are no embarrassing errors, and the links all work perfectly. It has even been optimised for search engines and is currently ranking well for keywords. Job done, now what is next on the marketing list? Not so far! Running a successful website is no longer a case of just setting the thing up and leaving it. It may rank well at first but without constant care and attention, it will soon disappear from view and potential customers with it. But why? What has changed?

New goal posts
Google is in a constant battle to keep search results relevant. If users are unable to reach the answers they are looking for, a search engine becomes obsolete. In the latest updates to the way Google ranks pages fresh content has become vitally important. Rankings are now biased towards sites that are viewed for longer, shared on social media, constantly updated and are referenced by other sites; conversely, when searchers land on a site and immediately move on these ‘bounces’ count against it.

Engage visitors with a blog
For a company website, the easiest way to meet these criteria is with a blog, regularly updated with news and events. For example, take a look at our blog – http://www.abcselfstore.co.uk/storage-blog/. For a business looking to improve and grow there should be plenty to provide a steady stream of articles. Posts can feature company milestones, client projects, product launches and current events, keeping the subjects topical and seasonal. Allow visitors to get to know your company, encourage input from different departments as a way of recognising achievement throughout the company. Keeping the posts engaging is vital for encouraging visitors to come back.

Offer useful advice
Research has shown that the most effective blog posts involve giving advice that potential customers might find useful. For instance, we like to offer our readers tips, including how to improve their storage methods at home, and sometimes venture into complimentary areas. People are always interested in learning great advice and the key is that the tips you offer have to be high quality. Avoid generic information and go beyond to write excellent blog posts that offer actionable advice. If people really enjoy the articles, they may go as far as to share them with friends and family on social platforms, boosting your outreach.

Use multimedia
When thinking about content it is not all just about text. Pictures and videos and even cartoons count for just as much. When sharing ranks so highly in the ratings battle, a little well-balanced humour goes a long way. Videos have the benefit of keeping a viewer on a page for longer, as well as adding extra interest to a site. We regularly include videos of our fundraising efforts to highlight how much we care about local charities and to give them a little exposure. In May, we collected food for the Waterloo foodbank to help all the local families who live below the poverty line.

Providing excellent content on a company website is a win/win situation. It builds customer loyalty, spreads the branding among social networks and is rewarded by Google at the same time. Setting up a carefully considered company blog is the most effective way to achieve this.

____________

Matt Cook is a member of the ABC Selfstore team; he believes that blogging is very much here to stay and that companies should harness it to offer brilliant content to their visitors.