Successful Web Design and Internet Marketing Strategies from Desiree Scales, CEO--Bella Web Design, Inc.

Should I Use A Blog Instead of a Website?

I had an interesting question come up the other day from a client who noticed a lot of folks have been using blogs instead of full-blown websites. Is this a good idea? Well, I would say that a blog would work for those with a very strict budget and who already have an audience. However, for people who really want to brand themselves and get their sites found in the search engines, I would say its not a good idea. Here's why:

1. You're very limited as far as design with a blog. You get a title on top and a few columns to work with. Each entry looks like a diary or journal post. I think a lot of people are pretty savvy know what blogs are and can differentiate when they see a blog versus a website because of this layout restriction. If they are looking at your blog and see you don't have an actual site listed, they might think you're not spending enough your marketing and you run your business a little too frugally. Not a good message to send out. Blogs and websites work together to support one another. I would say your site is the mainland and your blog is an island unto itself with a more personal message.


2. You can't control optimization in the search engines as well as you can with a website. You can't really build meta tags that work to get you to the top of the engines. Also, there is a lot of garbage content the spiders can pick up if you don't know what you're doing with SEO. Spiders are becoming much more savvy in who they list and can tell if you have a blog or a site. I don't see too many blogs in the top 10 on those engines these days. I doubt that will change.


3. The public expects to see a web site for your company and will get the wrong impression about your company if they see a blog instead of an actual site. See point 1.

The bottom line is that blogs can serve a purpose to help you brand your company and support your message. If you already have an audience who knows your company, that can be a very inexpensive way to market your site. However, if you're trying to grow your audience and build your company's exposure, a blog isn't going to be the place to do it. I do encourage all of you who have sites to start a blog to support your site and message this year in 2007. Its a different way to send your message out there and your posts can get picked up in the search engines and bring traffic. But I guarantee anyone who comes to your blog will immediately look for a web site link on the home page. If they don't see one, your message might not hold as much weight.

Technorati Launches State of the Blogosphere Address

Every quarter or so, Technorati CEO and founder Dave Sifry issues a status report for the Blogosphere at large. Here are some of his findings.

• Technorati is now tracking more than 57 Million blogs.
• Today, the blogosphere is doubling in size approximately every 230 days.
• About 100,000 new weblogs were created each day, again down slightly quarter-over-quarter but probably due in part to spam fighting efforts.
• There is a strong correlation between the aging and post frequency of blogs and their authority and Technorati ranking.
• The globalization of the blogosphere continues. Data appears to show both English and Spanish languages are a more universal blog language than the other two most dominant language, Japanese and Chinese, which seem to be more regionally localized.

Blogging continues to be an ever popular means to communicate to the masses. The most popular blogs are written by well-known magazines and newspapers such as CNN, MSN and New York Times.

Business blogs are still coming on strong and the most successful blogs are the ones who post multiple times per week. This is my own main area of interest. Businesses with blogs that are active become the authority in their field organically. This means the word spreads via "word of mouth" about these blogs. I'm hoping to do that myself with my own blog and help my clients do the same.

The bottom line is that blogging isn't going away anytime soon and will probably evolve into something even bigger in the future. Its very inexpensive and easy to do. The only hard part about blogging is finding the time to do it. My time is usually 5 am, but I actually enjoy blogging in the peace and quiet of my home. It helps me to collect my thoughts for the day and prepare for the hours that are busiest. Can blogging and meditation be linked somehow? Hmmmm, interesting thought to contemplate in another post....

Business Blogging: Why I Finally Decided to Take My Own Advice and Create This Blog

After preaching about how blogging can help my clients build their businesses for over 2 years, I thought it was about time to take my own advice.

Blogging is actually not new to me. I've had a personal blog about knitting and hand-spinning yarn for some time now. I considered my blog at www.knitandspin.com my own scientific experiment in blogging. Funny thing is, it worked. I immediately saw my blog come up on the first page of Google within a week and I knew I was on to something. I had found another way for my clients to market their business and get their sites in the search engines.

Debbie Weil inspired me to start this blog because she had a great podcast about her blog posted at TypePad. She had some really good points about blogging and using a blog as a business tool. After listening I realized this is what I've been telling my clients--"One of the best ways to establish yourself as an expert in your field is to get a blog!" Everyone complained that it would take a lot of time, they wouldn't know what to write, it was too hard, blah, blah, blah...then one of my clients took me seriously and started reaping some serious benefits.

Take a look at http://atlanta575realestate.com/ Brad Nix, one of the top brokers at www.maxsellrealestate.com, started his blog about a year ago and hasn't looked back. He is now on the 500 Real Estate Blogs to Watch List! Pretty amazing in such a short time. Talk about learning from your clients--Brad is a perfect example of this!

So then I had yet ANOTHER idea! I hired Brad to help us sell our house back in June. I knew that creating a blog for our home would be a quirky yet innovative way to market our house and enable us to put a lot of really good pictures and information up on the web. We created the blog and IT WORKED! Our house sold in 36 days and I know the blog was part of our success. It was an easy way for people to get really solid information about our home and it stood out in the field of 90,000 homes for sale in Atlanta. Genius!

So, now I circle back to my own shoes. I realized I'm the shoemaker making shoes for everyone else and I'm standing here in bare feet! Not anymore.

Welcome to the new Bella Web Design, Inc. blog where you'll learn more about:

1. How to make sure your site is found on the search engines

2. How to create a site people will come back to

3. Latest industry news/ideas/breakthroughs

4. Different ways to market your site using the web as a tool

5. Challenges I've had as an entrepreneur and how I've overcome them

So far so good, eh? I'm sure I can find some little surprises here and there to tantalize you into coming back for.  Hope to see you again soon and if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to click on the link below. I'd love to hear from you and share your knowledge with others. That's what its all about!