Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/714159
32 SEPTEMBER 2016 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com 8 reasons why you need to get blogging ■ BY COLLEEN MALLOY If I told you there was a relatively easy way to drive website traffi c and sales for your dealership that only costs a bit of your time, I wouldn't be surprised if you looked at me like I was crazy. Lucky for you, this solution actually exists, and you've most likely heard of it: It's blogging. By writing regular blog posts, you can drive traffi c to your website, improve your search engine optimization (SEO), capture leads, and encourage sales. In fact, according to HubSpot, businesses that have prioritized blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy a positive return on investment. 1 Still not convinced blogging is right for your dealership? I have eight reasons that might change your mind. Keep reading for an in-depth look at why your dealership should be blogging and how you can get started. Reason #1: Grow your website authority Why it matters: When Google and the other top search engines receive a query for "lawn mower blade replacement," they want to make sure the results they show the searcher are as helpful as possible. To determine what results get shown, search engines look at a number of factors, including how often your website is updated. Having a blog that you update frequently and host on your website can improve your site's authority — how well it ranks in search engine results. Search engines like to see that websites are active and feature fresh content; each time you publish a blog post, you're showing that your website is active and engaging. Success tip: Create a blog editorial calendar. As you're setting up your blog, fi gure out how many posts that you can reasonably publish a month. Try aiming for at least one post every two weeks to start; then, make a schedule and stick to it. Sit down with your team and plan blog topics based around holidays, in- store events and seasonality. Having a schedule and planning topics ahead of time will help you stay on top of keeping your blog active. Reason #2: Boost your SEO Why it matters: Blogging gives you an enormous amount of room to naturally incorporate strong keywords that will boost your position in organic search results. If you're writing a blog about how to do a specifi c repair or maintain a specifi c type of unit, work in strong short-tail keywords (like the brand or model name) and long-tail keywords (like "lawn mower maintenance") to help search engines connect you with potential customers. Success tip: Don't "stuff " keywords into your posts. Search engines can tell when content is crammed with keywords that don't make sense. If your topic is about a service tip for a particular model, mentioning a number of other brands because you think it will help your post appear in more searches can actually backfi re and negatively impact your search rank. Reason #3: Gain website traffic Why it matters: Even if your blog isn't hosted on the same domain as your website, you can still use it to drive traffi c with inbound links. An inbound link is a link back to your website from another website, and a large number of inbound links sends strong signals to search engines and will help your post's organic search rank. Companies that blog have 97 percent more inbound links. 2 Use your blog to link back to relevant pages of your website. If you mention a specifi c model, link to where readers can fi nd the model on your website, or if you talk about service, link to where readers can book an appointment with you. Success tip: If you write a blog post about how to perform a specifi c repair, link within the post to where readers can buy the needed parts on your website to encourage them to order directly from you. 8 reasons why helpful as possible. To determine what results get shown, search engines look at a number of factors, including how often your website is updated. Having a blog that you update frequently and host on your website can improve your site's authority — how well it ranks in search engine results. Search engines like to see that websites are active and feature fresh content; each time you publish a blog post, you're showing that your website is active and engaging. Success tip: Create a blog editorial calendar. As you're setting up your blog, fi gure out how many posts that you can reasonably publish a month. Try aiming for at least one post every two weeks to start; then, make a schedule and stick to it. Sit down with your team and plan blog topics based around holidays, in- store events and seasonality. Having a schedule incorporate strong keywords that will boost FEATURE STORY | Website Solutions IMAGE ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/YURY SHCHIPAKIN