Blogging as a means of promotion is a good way to boost your main site’s search engine optimization as well. Let’s consider the advantages of maintaining a blog as part of your online market strategy.

Content is King, Relevance is Key

The best way to draw visitors regularly to a site is to offer something new every time they come. Your core audience is more likely to share your URL and information if you have something to give, and blogging provides a good way to get content live and distributed easily. Whether you have a blog connected to your main site or separate, you are more likely to gain high positions in relevant search by having updated content on hand. You don’t have to write a book every day – even a few paragraphs about your products, services, or events can help.

Create Variety, Blend Search Results

As major engines like Yahoo and Google move toward a blended paradigm in search that pulls results consisting of more than static sites – videos, Tweets, and social links – bloggers have an opportunity to shine. Search engines place special emphasis on blogs as reliable sources for updated content, so as you continue post and link back to your main site, you increase the authority of your presence under your given expertise.

More Sites = More Search Real Estate

If your business has an established relationship with specific keywords, you may enjoy good results with your main site in search. The addition of an off-site blog, a Twitter account, or other sites dedicated to your business can help boost the relevance of your main site, and also keep your brand prominent. Have you ever performed a search that called up several sites belonging to one company? It may look excessive at first glance, but with all the top sites belonging to one group, there is little room if any for competitors.

New content drives people to a site. If your static main site is constructed to present your products and services, the supplementary blog keeps visitors returning. Social media may change the way people promote online, but blogging is a tried and true strategy one must continue so you can promote via social media. The support will help you main site in the long through links, relevance, and high search results.

Kathryn Lively is a social media specialist assisting clients with social media writing and Facebook marketing. Clients include vendors of  organic mattresses, travel companies offering cheap European hotel reservations, Virginia health care services, Norfolk Realtors, global trade portals, and Gainesville bed and breakfast inns.

Enter SEO writing. SEO, or search engine optimization, uses keywords to attract Google, Yahoo and other search engines to rank results. Web sites that are rich in certain keywords rank higher than similar ones that don’t use as many keywords.

So what does this have to do with your tourism Web site? Everything. Not only should your site have keyword-rich content, but you should consider running a blog posting new content once or twice a week. By continuously posting new, relevant content about your destination, you are more likely to get noticed by Google. When search engines notice that you are continuously writing about the same categories, your site will move up the search rankings, improving your visibility online.

Don’t stress: content writing is easy. Just focus on your destination’s best features, continuously highlighting something new each time. A simple rule of thumb: do not overuse keywords for the sake of using them. Keep in mind that people will continuously revisit your site if it is written in a non-monotonous way. Sunny beaches, powder-white ski slopes or historical landmarks are the topics people will want to read about when they visit your travel blog.

If you have no idea where to begin, or just need to get your feet off the ground with SEO, look no further than Simple Tourism. We will work with you to figure out what your CVB, tourism bureau or travel agency needs to move its Web site up the results list. For more information, or for a free quote, contact us today.

Jessica Swink is a freelance writer specializing in articles about Social Media Optimization and SEO for travel Web sites.