You’ve decided that blogging would be good for your accounting firm or finance company. You agree that it can help generate more traffic to your website and is a good way to showcase your company’s expertise. You want visibility and recognition by the search engines for keywords related to your specialty. Where do you begin?

We’ve already covered the basics of selecting a blogging platform, and hopefully your platform has offered you tutorials on the mechanics of setting up the blog. Now it’s time for you to start adding content to your blog.

One of the concerns I had when I started blogging four years ago was whether I’d be able to find enough material to blog several times a week. Did I really have anything to say?

I started out mainly posting news stories related to fraud. I would find an interesting current events item, and post a few paragraphs about the facts of the situation. Initially I didn’t add much commentary, but soon I found out that my blog was more interesting and engaging when I injected my opinions into what I was writing.

In addition to posting fraud news stories, I also started seeking out tools and data sources that could be helpful to investigators, accountants, and executives. It took about six months before I felt like I was in the groove of blogging. At that point, I still didn’t have a lot of readers, but I had a better idea of what things generated more traffic and interest.

Initially, I did not allow comments on my blog posts. If I had to do it over again, however, I would allows readers to comment from the beginning. Comments allow your readers to engage with you, and when a conversation starts, it keeps readers coming back to your site.

The longer you blog, you will find it’s easier to come up with material for your site. When keeping up on current evens and industry trends, I often find ideas that would make good blog fodder. In fact, I now have more material than I have time for blogging. I simply can’t get to all the topics I’d like to discuss on my site.

Lots of new bloggers are worried that their material is not interesting enough. The longer you blog, the more confident you will become, and the better idea you will have of what your readers like. Your material will develop accordingly. Remember that blogging is a skill acquired over time and through trial and error, so stick with it even when you doubt your skills.