Is Your Blog An Asset Or A Liability?

I analyze websites every day, as well as a lot of Facebook pages, and a ton of blogs attached to websites and Facebook pages.

I realized something this week. There are a lot of junktastical blogs out there, and I now wonder why people have even added this feature to their site.

Here’s the truth….you don’t have to blog to have a successful online business. It might be a good idea, but if you hate it, and it becomes a chore, it’s not worth the time, and you could probably find something more profitable to do

6 Habits Of Highly Effective Blogs

• You’re getting organic search traffic that converts. If you don’t have analytics on your blog, and you don’t look at the numbers frequently, you’re not really paying attention to what your blog is doing for your business. Blogs should drive traffic and engagement, traffic and engagement should drive sales.
• You should have an editorial calendar or plan with the content you want to write and need to write.
• Your business is making money – your main website is dialed in and functioning well. If you add new content, write updated descriptions, run PPC campaigns and test buying paths on a regular basis; and blog – you’re doing it right.
• Posting regularly is important, a random post every few months isn’t really going to engage an audience unless you’re an industry guru.
• Social Network Integration is key. Are people in your network and audience reading your stuff, leaving comments, liking your blog posts on Facebook and tweeting and retweeting your stuff? You’re doing it right if this is happening.
• Engagement is everything. I truly believe a successful blogger interacts with their audience via comments, either on the blog or on Facebook. I’m more likely to read a blog if I know a question or comment is met with an answer or a simple “Thanks for the comment!”

How To Tell If Your Blog Is Not Very Effective

Image Courtesy OwenBrown via Flickr

• Check out your analytics, are you getting traffic to posts you’ve written in the past? If those pages aren’t getting traffic, you need to step up your game, or go play another one.
• Is your last post older than 2-3 weeks ago? Blogs benefit you by having fresh up-to-date content. If you’re not writing regularly, you’re probably not doing a very good job interacting with everyone. (Unless you’re Matt Cutts and have groupies who hang on your every breath…then you can take some time off.)
• Are you interacting with your audience via comments? If you have no following, no traffic, and no engagement, you need to either blog more, interact on social networks more, or spend your valuable time on the tasks that are making you money.
• Does the thought of writing a new post go after 20 other things on your “to do” list, right behind “pairing unmatched socks in the laundry room?” Let’s face it, if you hate writing, you’re going to hate blogging, and having a realistic outlook on what you can and cannot make work is the most important thing you can do for your business.

Are you blogging because someone, somewhere, told you that’s what you’re supposed to be doing?

Or are you blogging because you truly love writing, sharing information, informing your readers and reaping the traffic an link rewards it can provide.

So here’s the bottom line:  It’s okay, people… not everyone can, or should, be a blogger.