# Topic suggestions for my blog



## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

I created a blog last November, but never did anything with it. Now I am inspired to start posting. I was looking for some topic suggestions, and also any tips for design, etc. Thanks.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

Krud Kutter brush cleaner:thumbup:


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## Temple (May 25, 2012)

I just started one myself. Have a few things on there. check it here


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Temple said:


> I just started one myself. Have a few things on there. check it here


 Looks good :thumbsup:


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

there are things you experience everyday that can be a article. I have changed courses with my blog. at 1st I was trying to impress others in our industry, but i got burnt out with ot and my blog sat for months. now it seems it has turned.into guiding homeowners how to pick. tje right contractor, or elastomeric questionable. I get a post at least once a week on someone needing help with their elastomeric decision. some of the stories are.quite sad. 

I'm also using my blog to target some demographic areas.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Speak about your experiences, your passions and consider your audience.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

This is going to take some time  I am not good at this stuff. It took me forever to do this I am not happy with it :no: And now Im wondering if "Current Projects" is a bad idea? I just started that one Monday and powerwashed it. Do I add more photos as the job progresses? What do I do when Im finished? Delete it? Make a new post under recent projects? I guess its late and I should go to bed. :yes:


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## Temple (May 25, 2012)

I think current projects is ok. Just put a category for that. Make sure your not overloaded with it.


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## parodi (Mar 15, 2010)

Woodland said:


> I created a blog last November, but never did anything with it. Now I am inspired to start posting. I was looking for some topic suggestions, and also any tips for design, etc. Thanks.



Your experience so far has been repeated many times over by others. People start blogs and then they peter out. That's because it takes a tremendous amount of time and will to keep up a blog.

Most people IMO really have no interest in blogging for its own sake and do it because they read/hear that it is an important building block for marketing and SEO. Blogging is a great communcation tool to generate interest in a new product or service. It is a brilliant platform if you are a CEO and want to provide a different avenue of leadership and transparency. But for a painter or paperhanger? I have never quite gotten the point of a painter's blog.


This may be heresy to the conventional wisdom but ask yourself how many blogs you yourself follow written by a local plumber, window cleaner, or landscaper. I'm guessing a big fat zero. While I'm on the subject I also think e-newsletters from a painter or paperhanger are ANNOYING. I have so much sheet in my inbox to delete everyday it is staggering and someone who adds to that load just bothers me.

Even though blogs may help your SEO there are other ways to ensure that the "work in" will result in some tangible form of result as in "I got a call from someone in town because of my web presence." And that's another thing. Blogs are written for the world....you are trying to target paint job customers within a 100 mile or so radius. What good does it do to have fans in Alaska, Florida and Maine when you only work in 3 counties in Michigan?

But don't let me talk you or anyone out of writing. Writing is CONTENT. CONTENT is KING to Google. Unique content is absolutely priceless.

I just checked my stats for my paperhanging site today and so far in 2012 I have had 24,000 visitors. 18,000 of those entered my site through the "Wallpapering FAQ" page. It is this unique content on the subject of wallpapering that makes my site dominate the NY/NJ area because there is no other local paperhanger who has this type of consumer info. Google has rewarded me in local ranking even though I am getting visits from everywhere. But just because I get all these visitors doesn't mean I get 500 job calls a month....hardly. That's because they are from everywhere in the world and I am a local contractor and visitors realize I am not going to drive to Alabama to do a job. 

My suggestion to you is to write detailed and informative text on the subject of painting in your geographic area and put it in a navigable form on your site. 
Make sure it is all original (no clipping other sites' text), make sure it has anchor text and bolded keywords and keyword phrases. This will help you become a trusted "authority" on the subject. Then take the effort you would have put in a daily blog and redirect it to promoting the info on the site so that you get quality inbound links from sites like local paint stores, property managers, local zines, etc.


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## parodi (Mar 15, 2010)

Here is an example of what to do for a website:

In bold text you put the following on your first Frequently Asked Questions page,

*What is the best type of exterior paint to use in washington state or the pacific northwest?

I live in (important county name) in Washington State and had a peeling problem under the eaves. Is this caused by painting when the surface was too wet?

What is the best color to choose for the longest lasting job in the Pacific Northwest?
*

Don't overdo it with the geo specific keywords...just lightly pepper the pages with these types of references in between regular FAQ type painting questions. Do enough of this and your website will smoke the competition simply because your site will be unique in your area in terms of content.

Remember Google is in the business (and still prides itself) on quickly delivering relevant content to those who search.


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

Woodland said:


> This is going to take some time  I am not good at this stuff. It took me forever to do this I am not happy with it :no: And now Im wondering if "Current Projects" is a bad idea? I just started that one Monday and powerwashed it. Do I add more photos as the job progresses? What do I do when Im finished? Delete it? Make a new post under recent projects? I guess its late and I should go to bed. :yes:


imo I would lose the date in the title and relax on the caps, all caps say yelling and screaming. what you use in your title is what appears in Google result. dates are irrelevant since your blog already stamps it with a date and will appear on Google results too. 

do not delete your post, you will develop a string of post the more you have the better all around. you wouldn't want a blog to only have one post, the more post the more content, which Google eats up. 

personally I would break your one post into 2 different articles, egg "exterior painting - city and state" 2nd "deck restoration - city and state" also talk about what products your using, what process and even application methods. 2 or 3 photos per post max, I would lose the pic with the ladder laying on the ground unless your doing a article on ladders. I would rather show the home, performing work on the home, process and application methods, before and afters


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## Ultimate (Mar 20, 2011)

A good first one would be the value you place on building long term customer relations. That will help place you in the niche and with the customer you want I presume.

Effort into promoting one product or another... imo if you aren't getting kickbacks what is the point? The applicator who has ethics combined with knowledge in an ever-changing technological field of products will be flexible enough to change when something better comes along or when something turns out to not be working at all. Including relationships with vendors.


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## vividpainting (Aug 14, 2011)

I think writing about current jobs as well as articles that engage potential customers are important and effective. good content definitely helps.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

use it like FB

What you fed your dog this AM, political rants, musings from the porcelain throne, you know, all the important stuff that will drive people to you :whistling2:

J/K


It's tough to keep a daily blog with interesting and engaging material about your profession without getting old tired and frankly, boring. TOUGH, not impossible.

As they say in the entertainment world, it's better to leave your audience wanting more than wanting you to get off the stage.


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## DarrenSlaughter (Jul 16, 2010)

Just a bit of advice...be careful starting and stopping a blog, especially if you tie your company name to it. You don't want prospects coming across your blog (not your site) and seeing a two year old post...they will think if you can't keep that updated, what else are you not keeping updated. 

I usually tell clients who say "I want to blog" to sit down and either write or record (video) 30 posts, then we will talk. That usually will either motivate them or get them to realize that it really isn't something they want to do.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Good advice Darren. Thanks


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