Nora Brown Design

Keep your business blog focused

Jakob Nielsen, everyone’s favorite “web usability guru” lists mixing topics at number 8 on his Top Ten Design Mistakes for blog usability:

If you publish on many different topics, you’re less likely to attract a loyal audience of high-value users. Busy people might visit a blog to read an entry about a topic that interests them. They’re unlikely to return, however, if their target topic appears only sporadically among a massive range of postings on other topics…

The more focused your content, the more focused your readers. That, again, makes you more influential within your niche. Specialized sites rule the Web, so aim tightly. This is especially important if you’re in the business-to-business (B2B) sector.

In a nutshell, if you are blogging to promote your business, it is important pick a focused topic and stick with it. There are many benefits to keeping the topic of your blog narrow:

• Makes it easier to generate ideas for posts
• You’ll have less competition, allowing your blog to stand out
• Your blog will establish you as an expert (presumably in your business’s field)
• Your blog can become a reference source for your topic
• You won’t waste time and effort on tangents
• You’ll develop confidence in your knowledge of the topic
• Your readers will know what to expect, and their expectations will be met

So, if you’re convinced that you should pick a narrow topic for your business blog, in my next post, I’ll cover how to go about choosing that topic.