Wall Street Journal Extols Virtues of Business Blogging

In a must-read article, The Wall Street Journal extols the virtues of blogging as a way to "connect with consumers on a personal level -- and keep them visiting a company's Web site regularly."

While any size business can use blogs to increase visibility, small businesses may benefit most. However, the article doesn't address how to develop an audience for a blog, a process that requires both marketing and consistent effort.

Starting a blog can reap big increases in Web site visitors within months, thanks largely to search engines' enthusiasm for the medium. Quality blogs tend to rise higher on search-results pages because other Web sites link to them. Engines like Google consider those links virtual popularity votes and use them to help determine display order.