Like an online journal, a blog is a place to share your thoughts and knowledge on subjects related to your business, create links to useful information, and post news and other announcements. You can use a blog to give a personal face and voice to your business, and create a useful resource your customers will want to revisit often. Blogs can also help you build your professional reputation and gain your customers' trust.

You can easily set up a blog for free, but they're not for everyone. Developing and updating your blog will require an investment of both time and thought, so before you get started, consider whether you can stick to a regular update schedule.

You'll want to update your blog at least once each week: Keeping your content fresh will help show your readers that you're serious about your business. Your posts don't have to be long, but you'll want to keep them interesting with up-to-date news, facts and figures, commentary, and other useful information. Make a schedule for yourself, and dedicate time each week for brainstorming, researching article ideas, and writing your posts.

We've added the industry-leading blog tool WordPress so you can easily set up a blog at your own web address.

Learn more about WordPress.