When a visitor comes to your blog, you have less than 3 seconds to engage them.  So you want them to immediately feel that they have come to a place where they can get the information they seek presented in a way that is easy to use and interesting to read.

Put yourself in your reader’s place, and think about what you like to find when you visit blogs on topics that interest you.  Use some or all of the following guidelines to make your blog stand out from the competition.

First impressions are always critical
Does your blog have a professional look?  You want your blog to have a branded look and feel that matches well with your professional presence and your website and displays your logo.

Make yourself accessible
People like doing business with people they can relate to.  Include a photo of the business owner or the team in your “about us” page.  Make your contact information easy to find, so your visitors can get in touch with you.  It also gives credibility to your business.

Add value to your readers
Make sure that you are first bringing value to your readers with good information and resources that they can use before pitching your product or services.  Your blog is a means to deepen the relationship helping your visitors get to know you and become comfortable with your credibility and authority through your blog posts.

Add interest with multimedia
Try adding audio and video components to your blog.  Not only do visitors enjoy the multimedia aspect, but it can add to your credibility and expertise as a painting contractor to describe things in your own word, demonstrate a technique, or show a skilled craftsman in action.  Photographs of your recent projects, galleries, before and after photos are also interesting to your visitors.

Provide opportunities for interaction
Asking for feedback, and comments on your blog allows your readers to interact with you which also helps to develop the relationship.  Another good tool to involve your readers is by placing polls on your blog and allowing readers to see the results.

Use testimonials
If most of your business comes from referrals, posting testimonials to your blog can help the visitor who is not already familiar with your company to feel more sure that they are making a good choice in contacting you.  Consider getting an audio or video testimonial for even more impact.

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