The 5 Elements Every Business Blog Must Have

When you sound like a broken record about something, that’s what we call a niche.

I write about business blogs. A lot. But I realize that I’ve been running along with basic assumptions in place. I want to address those assumptions in this post. I’m going to make this post as basic an explanation as I can for necessary elements of a business blog (a blog that supports the sales and marketing objectives of a business). The idea here is that if you don’t have these foundational items in your blog, the blog is incomplete and will fail to support your business objectives.

1. Clear Basic Business Info

This goes into the smack-your-forehead-no-duh category, but I see business blogs all the time that haven’t managed to communicate the most basic of business information to people:

• What the business is
• What it does
• Who it does it for
• Where it is located

Your audience are not mind readers. Imagine a person who doesn’t know you, your business, what it does–they know nothing. Write with that person in mind.

2. Highly Visible and Functional Contact Page

Would you like your business blog to, um, actually get you some business? You need to make it ridiculously easy for your potential customers to contact you. Use the Cforms plugin for WordPress if you want killer contact forms. If you’re not even reachable, how is anybody supposed to feel good about handing over their money to you?

3. Highly Visible Services/Products Page

What do you sell? Please tell me. Don’t make me guess, because I won’t–I’m already gone.

If there’s one thing on your blog that you shouldn’t write, it’s these pages. You’re in business to make money, not lose it. It’s worth the return on your investment to hire a good copywriter (contact me for referrals–I know legions of awesome copywriters). Every business blog needs great pages (not just posts) about its products and services. Hire a pro to write them for you. You want these pages to convert for you. You will make your money back so many times over it’s not even funny. Pay for good copywriting, seriously.

4. A Killer About Page

Your about page is your secret weapon. Why? People expect straight information on it. What if you had your about page professionally written by a master copywriter? That puppy would convert for you! Take a look at how I rewrote the About Gateway Blogging page at Gateway Blogging.

5. Highly Visible RSS and Email Subscription Area

You want your blog to support business objectives. And yet, it’s probably not going to convert masses of people on first visit. What’s great about business blogs is that they’re the long, gently sloping edge to your sales funnel. People can subscribe, hang out, see what you’re all about, and before they know it, they’re sucked in and clicking that buy button.

But until they feel they can trust you, that will never happen. Reading a blog over time instills trust. You want to make it as easy as possible for others to trust you. The best way to start that process is to make it as easy as possible for people to subscribe to your blog via RSS or email.

You Have No Excuse Not To

You can do these 5 steps. They’re not that difficult. They will help immensely. Remember: you’re not in business to lose money, but to make it. Hand over fist is preferable.