I have always found that my sites that are built around blogs are consistently the most successful. Blogs are fresh, keyword rich, and can easily produce hundreds or thousands of pages that search engines are more than happy to index. Typically, the more fresh and original content you produce, the more you are rewarded with quality traffic. I’ve also found that this traffic can sustain itself for years, even if you neglect your blogs….which I sometimes have. I have one particular blog that I have not written an article for in over 16 months. Yet, traffic levels over that period remain virtually unchanged for my most popular posts.

For that reason, I recommend that you include a blog in almost any website that you are creating. I’m sure there are situations where a blog is not appropriate, but there is no reason not to include a blog on most websites including corporate websites or an e-commerce website. Not only will you attract new customers, but you will also build loyalty from customers who continue to look to your blog for quality content, advice, tips, and updates. I am a regular reader of Google’s gmail blog because its a great place to find new features or learn new ways to use gmail. The blog adds value to my experience as a regular gmail user and reinforces the gmail brand as fresh and innovative.

Having hundreds of indexed blog posts gives potential customers a much better chance at stumbling upon your product during a search. Make sure your blog clearly links to your main webpage or landing-page to give visitors a chance to explore your site further and purchase your product or inquire into your services. The more quality blog posts that you produce, the better chance you will have to appear high in the search rankings for long-tail keywords. I typically try to focus on a few keywords in my blog posts, but I’m often surprised that I will end up ranking highly for certain keyword combinations that I never predicted.

Blogs also add a sense of credibility to your site. If a user has a chance see that you have produced a significant amount of quality content, they will be more likely to trust you when you offer them paid products or services. They may also get to know you better by reading your blog and develop a greater comfort level with you or your company, which may lead to a “conversion” in the future.

Make blogging a part of your overall Internet strategy and you won’t be disappointed. Its hard work, but its a great way to provide fresh content for your current customers as well as giving future customers a better opportunity to find you and get to know your brand.