Construction Marketing Ideas

Communicating with bloggers

Yesterday, after reviewing the contractortalk.com thread on blogging for Search Engine Optimization, I contacted two bloggers who posted on that thread, and visited their blogs.

Brian Phillips of Houston Painters and Houston Radiant Barriers (see htt://www.philpaint.com) wrote in his thread posting:

I started a blog last month for 2 of the web sites I own. It is too soon to tell what the results will be. While I enjoy writing, it is a hassle to "have" to write several articles a week. I try to spend a few hours on Sundays writing. I then post a couple of the articles each week. I've built up a little bit of a backlog, so if I don't want to write, I still have something to post.

I searched without success for signs of his blog, then emailed him. He responded: "The blog is relatively new so that is why it may not be showing up. You can view it at outofthebucket.wordpress.com."

Phillips has a well-written blog with lots of insights into business processes and systems. It doesn't contain links to other places within the web, yet, and that I think is an important part of the blogging process. Notably, I've blogged that bloggers start blogs to create links that raise their main business site's level within the search engines -- a good idea, indeed -- but I'm taking the approach that I will gladly link outbound without expectation of reciprocation -- when it comes time for people to link here they will, because of the blog's value.

As it is, indeed, you'll find one or another of my sites now is on the first page for keywords such as "construction marketing" -- of course it is uncertain how many people are searching these keywords (I don't think too many).

Meanwhile, the contractortalk.com thread starter, Susan Betz of Fences of Distinction sent me this correspondence:

Hi Mark,
I ran a retail dot-com from 1996 to 2002. The only reason I closed the business was my main distributor changed their online marketing strategy and discontinued product to their top online retailers. I wrote all my own code, integrated QuikStore as my shopping cart, did all my own organic (top page in Google for my keywords)and PPC advertising. In other words, I am fairly proficient at web stuff. I don't toot my horn on ContractorTalk because I don't want to do work outside my home town (I do web work for my husband's company and good friends only).
Since '02, the main changes I've seen are the search engines folding into the top three or four engines, and the rise of the blog.
I haven't seen any real traffic from our company blog yet. But I figure it's an "everything helps" deal. I haven't integrated the blog into my site yet; I'm using the Google blog tool.
Thank you for the link to us on your site! I will check it out and comment for you. All the best,
Susan Betz"

Useful comments, indeed. Thanks Susan and Brian for your contributions here.