Google Crawlers and Stray Cats

A favorite topic that I write about is advice for small business website owners to add fresh content often for the benefit of their visitors. Those visitors include search engine crawlers, and the search engine optimization value is enhanced by adding new content frequently. A small business blog is the perfect way to create new site content, and making a post once a week may give you an edge over your competition.

Consider how many of your small business competitors have a blog. The majority do not. If you are a blogger, a weekly post could be the key advantage beating out the competition and attracting new prospects to your website.

Let's compare Google crawlers and stray cats with this fun analogy to illustrate the value of providing visitors with tidbits of advice compared to seeing a stray cat near your home and tossing it a small chunk of steak. Do it again each night for 2-3 days. Skip a day and do it again and eventually that cat will come back every day even if you toss the scrap of steak once a week. Search engines are no different. Fresh content, no matter how small, attracts search engines to your site more often.

Here's an example of the value of posting fresh blog content often. Search Google for tips shooting Moose+Maine and view results. As of the date this article was published, my personal blog was listed #3 and #4 on Google page one out of 353,000 results. It may be different as you read this, yet my Growin' Up in Maine bog is probably still on page one. Here's an explanation of why the results were exceptional which may relate to your small business website or blog because that personal site hasn't been around very long.

The storytelling blog was a test site for customizing templates and graphics for the new Blogger, and after a couple of weeks my plan was to scrap it. The topic is childhood stories and it ended up being fun, so I kept it online. The Google page one search results for the moose tips happened when the blog was less than 6 months old, yet by adding new posts at least once a week the new content attracted search engines with high ranking, and perhaps an occasional stray cat.

What's the moral of this story? Get in the habit of feeding Google crawlers once a week and your valuable posts with advice and expert small business content may just give you an edge. If your competition does not have a blog, the search engines are more likely to favor you and drive traffic your way.

Tip: Do not use your small business blog for personal posts with off topic subjects like your vacation, a great restaurant, or anything unrelated to your site theme. While perhaps cute, unrelated content may dilute search results when people search for your real product or service.

The most common mistake I see in new small business blogs is a lack of discipline, and misunderstanding of the true value of posting often. Some owners launch a blog and become distracted with day to day activities that bring immediate income. This is necessary from a tactical standpoint. Revenue means survival. However, blogging needs to become a habit in order to enjoy the strategic long term benefits. Post weekly and the value will continue to grow over time.

Writing may not be fun for you. It may not be your top priority. Once you make blog posting a routine, you may be amazed that writing actually becomes easier each time. Looking back at my posts I can see how the style and slant of my advice has evolved and improved. It can for you, too, and the seo or search engine optimization value makes the effort worthwhile, so do it.

In conclusion, the Google crawlers are no different than that stray cat. Feed them quality content often and they are certain to come back to reward you with results based on your contributions. Previous articles I wrote may help you jump start your blog and get over writers block, too.

Here's some final advice. Search using quote marks for "Small Business Blog Integration Advice" or "Small Business Blog Writing Tips" to find these articles I wrote that are published in a number of article directories. Blogging for small business is worth your time because it is a low cost way to add new content often with significant seo benefits to follow.

Jim Degerstrom writes small business advice based on 30 years in management, sales, and marketing, including GM or President of small companies in 5 states. He is proficient in website and graphic art design, and runs his online Small Business Resource Center and offers advice on his Small Business Advice Blog from Kissimmee, Florida USA.