Can a small business really benefit from a blog? You bet your sweet can-can it can.

OK, so that's too many cans for one article. Bottom line. You CAN run a small business blog and make it profitable. Here are a few tips on how:

• First, don't try to swallow the whole apple in one bite. Take it slow. You may not need a daily blog. Start with a weekly blog and move up from there as you need to.
• Secondly, make a list of keywords before you do anything. Then, focus each blog entry on a single keyword. Write 150-200 words on that keyword and link back to your main web site.
• Thirdly, don't over-promote yourself; but don't promote your competitors either. Promote best practices for your niche. When your readers see that you know what you are talking about they will trust you. And they will tell their friends.
• Fourthly, speak to your audience, not at them. Invite them to participate. Sponsor contests or encourage comments and interaction. That's really what blogs are for.

Blogging is nothing new. It's been around awhile. But it is relatively new for business. Some corporate blogs have been quite successful, but not too many small businesses are taking advantage of this free promotional tool. They should.

A blog on your small business web site gives you fresh new content every time you post a blog. That's very important for search engine saturation. Also, every link from your blog to your web site is counted as a link by Yahoo! and MSN. Google is a little more strict, but that may not be important.

Your local business can benefit from a company blog if you understand your customer and address each blog post to meet their needs. Key things to remember:

• Blogging takes time. If you don't have it, don't start one. At least, don't do it every day. Once a week or twice a week is OK. But keep a consistent schedule.
• Use a software that allows you to timestamp entries. You can write several at one time and set them to post at an appointed time.
• If you can't do it yourself, hire someone else to do it for you. You can get a blog ghostwriter for as little as $5-$10 per post.
• Make it keyword focused, for the search engines.

Above all, have fun. Small businesses can connect with their customers through a well designed and optimized business blog.

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