With any business blog, I explained the other day, there’s no getting away from it – the title is going to be the first thing readers (and search engines, for that matter) are going to encounter.

To illustrate a couple of important points about elements Indianapolis blog writers ought to include in the titles of business blog posts, I chose three headlines from the August 4th issue of the Indianapolis Star, and on Monday, discussed the first of those. Here’s the second of the series:

“At the Airport, What Once Was Lost Now is Found”
(The article describes the vast and random collection of items left at the airport by passengers.)

An engaging title – no?  I know it aroused my curiosity – just what was lost and now found? I wondered.

For a blog, however, the title could be better.  In a corporate blogging training session, I might advise content writers to ask themselves what words a reader might type into the search bar that would lead them to this article about lost items left at the Indianapolis airport.

“The Lost and Found Department at the Indianapolis Airport” – that title would be more informative, to be sure (as a reader, I’d know whether I’d come to the right place to get the information I needed), but somewhat prosaic (read booo-ring). How about this one: “At Indianapolis Airport, Between Arrivals and Departures, There’s Lost and Found.”
(I invite Say It For You readers to submit their own versions of this title.)

We business bloggers love to write, but we sometimes forget an important fact: online searchers don’t (at least not generally) like to read. Instead, they scan to be sure your blog content a) answers their question and b) shows them how to satisfy their need or solve their problem.

Indianapolis freelance blog content writers must remember, as well, that the search engines must make that match between the inquiry and the blog content. The title is the “Aha!”, verifying that match.

We all have our vices, says Dr. Oz, who devised his Vice-o-Meter to give readers a sense of which habits do real harm and to suggest strategies for breaking them once and for all.

Business bloggers have common vices, too.  So, by way of corporate blogging training, I thought a Vice-o-Meter for content writers (both business owners and professional ghost bloggers) would prove useful.

Consuming more than one drink a day –
After one serving, the cons of drinking alcohol start to outweigh the pros, says Oz.

The parallel bad habit in corporate blog writing?  Focusing on more than one main concept in any one post. Remember the Power of One. Your one idea might include busting one myth, offering one testimonial, describing one special application for your product or service, one problem and how you help solve it, or one new development in your company or industry. Try to do more than that in any one post and the cons start to outweigh the pros.

Constant sitting –
A sedentary lifestyle, Dr. Oz explains, increases the risk of disease. Embrace NEAT, he advises (non-exercise activity thermogenesis or small movements throughout the day).

The parallel in blogging for professional practitioners or business owners? Allowing the blog to become “inactive”, with weeks and even months elapsing without posting fresh content. It's crucial to maintain frequency and consistency in posting content on the Web; both of these are measures search engines use in ranking a blog, and a higher ranking makes it easier for you to "get found" by your potential customers.

Yo-Yo dieting –
Continually losing weight, then putting it back on is hard on the cardiovascular system.

The parallel lesson I stress to Indianapolis blog content writers is “yo-yo blogging”.  Spacing SEO marketing blog posts at regular intervals and maintaining consistency has a double advantage. The blogging becomes part of the business owner’s or blogger’s routine. Meanwhile regular readers and subscribers (and search engines as well!) come to expect a regular flow of information.

Walking in high heels every day –
Towering shoes disrupt blood flow to the legs while putting strain on leg muscles and tendons. “If you’re not ready to give up stilettos, at least change into more supportive shoes for walking farther than the printer,” cautions Oz.

This parallel might seem a bit of a stretch (no pun intended!), but showing off by using blogging as advertising almost always turns out to have a negative effect on readers.  In blogging for business, it’s better to take an advertorial, “trusted adviser” stance, softening your selling approach.

Have you checked your blog writing vice-o-meter lately?