Many businesses are using social media these days to enhance or support their business functions, however most ignore business blogs in favour of the more popular networking sites like Facebook & Twitter. A business blog is a very powerful and versatile tool that, along with its own numerous benefits, can also be used to effectively harness the power and reach of other social media. This book discusses why businesses need a blog and then goes on to explain how to go about creating, maintaining and promoting it.

The history of computers and related technologies played a vital role in the emergence of e-businesses that brought new dimensions to the traditional “brick and mortar” way of doing business in the early 1990’s. It follows a very logical sequence, of course, that is not difficult to comprehend considering the speed with which the computers could be used to add, sort, analyse and process all sorts of information and data with just a few keystrokes. It was a boon for any business, big or small.

In the late 1990’s, the Internet transformed the business world drastically replacing dusty old ledgers with modern computer networks that connected millions of businesses worldwide and helped in the transaction of billions of dollars across fibre optic cables.

1. Basics of Blogs 
   
   1. What is a Blog? 
      
   2. History of Blogs 
      
   3. Classification of Blogs 
      
   4. Who Can Blog 
      
   5. Why do People Read/Write Blogs 
      
   6. How Does a Blog Work 
      
2. Business Blogs 
   
   1. Define a Business Blog 
      
   2. Categories of Business Blogs 
      
3. Why Businesses Should Blog 
   
   1. Reasons to Start a Business Blog 
      
   2. Business Blogging Stats and Facts 
      
4. Benefits of Business Blogs 
   
5. Planning the Business Blog 
   
6. Creating a Business Blog 
   
   1. Choosing a Blogging Service 
      
   2. Creating the Blog 
      
   3. Other Essential Elements of a Blog 
      
7. Start Blogging 
   
   1. Essentials of a Great Blog Post 
      
8. Content Ideas for the Business Blog 
   
   1. General Ideas for Content 
      
   2. Content Generating Tools 
      
9. Guidelines for Business Blogs 
   
10. Google’s Insight into Good Content 
    
11. Enhance Your Blog 
    
12. How to Promote Your Business Blog 
    
13. Monitor Blog Performance 
    
14. Free Handy Tools 
    
    1. Domain Name for Blog 
       
    2. Google Webmaster Tools 
       
    3. Google Analytics 
       
    4. Google Traffic Estimation Tool 
       
    5. Google Website Optimizer 
       
    6. Google Alerts 
       
    7. Google Suggest 
       
    8. FeedBurner 
       
    9. Scribefire 
       
15. Blogs Go Mobile – Moblogs