If you have a website, but you are not actively maintaining a blog…
You are seriously killing your marketing game.
Let’s dive in.
One of the most popular questions I am asked:
“How do I get my website on the front page of Google?”
It’s not easy.
One of the most significant factors considered when ranking websites in search results is the freshness of your content.
If you built your website 6 months ago and have not updated it since, forget about it.
Blogging at least once a week can considerably increase your chances at ranking higher in search results.
Other factors include:
That is not the full list but this article is about blogging, not SEO.
Your #1 goal (no matter what) should be to drive all web traffic to www.yourbandname.com. You should then aim to engage with visitors.
You want them to 1) click play, 2) join your mailing list, 3) buy your music, and (most importantly) 4) engage with you.
It is one thing to say that, but it is a completely different monster to pull it off effectively.
Blogs (no matter what platform) are designed for community discussion. That’s why all blogs have a built-in comments system.
Even if you choose not to put any emphasis on blog comments, you can still use each blog post to entice fans to consume and share your content.
Blogging is how you keep current fans coming back. It also increases your chances at connecting with new fans.
In order to engage people, you need to have great content. Keep reading for examples and ideas.
It is a simple process to implement social sharing and bookmarking buttons into your blog articles.
If you want your content to spread, this is key.
This also helps your SEO.
Another part of SEO (and blogging) is considering keywords and phrases for the long term. The best way to explain this is to give you an example.
Our article, 3 Ways To Increase Your Chart Rank on ReverbNation, was written over a year ago but today remains the #1 read article on this site.
100% of the traffic comes from searches including phrases such as:
And the list keeps going.
If you are clever with your website design, you can take the opportunity to direct this traffic to other parts of your website. But, again, this is easier said than done.
You create music in the blues rock genre but also receive a lot of influence from the classical guitarists you enjoy.
You are a studio geek and have a deep understanding of the gear and software used during recording.
Some ideas for creating blog content include:
The possibilities are endless.
Notes
One of the best example’s of a band implementing this strategy is Mr. Hunter of San Diego, California.
If you visit their website, their blog feeds into the front page so simply scroll down. Pay attention to the headlines and the content.
Their newest post is titled, Mr. Hunter’s Songwriting Secret Formula, and discusses the creative process and the importance of setting a goal.
From this 1 article, the band has a chance of ranking in searches for “songwriting formula”, “creative process”, “songwriting goals”, or other variations.
They have 14 pages of blog posts including songwriting strategies, photos of events, videos, pictures of their new equipment, and blogs about influences to their music.
Do you still think blogging is a waste of time? Leave a comment below.
About Joshua Smotherman
Known as the fertile father of 3, Joshua is also a songwriter, producer and an entrepreneur. Since 1999, he has been writing and performing as BUNKS and has launched Middle Tennessee Music and Middle Tennessee Hip Hop. He also acts as consultant, webmaster, and online marketing director for bands, indie labels, and small businesses.