We have recently developed a new blog for Base as well as our Calypso and NJoy.  Both have the potential to be very cool and market leading, but what is the real value of them?  In this post I list a few reasons every company should have a blog.

1. Fresh content attracts more attention from search engines.  Search engines love fresh content and there is no easier way to create relevant regular content than a blog.
2. Search engines crawl websites with fresh content more regularly.  Although search engines will come past your site frequently, daily or even weekly visits are limited to sites that are more popular and more importantly, those with regularly changing content.
3. In the case of hostels a large amount of the content on a website does not change very often - room types and location don’t change - and getting search engine traffic can become difficult.  A blog can offer a means of introducing fresh content on a regular basis.
4. Fresh informative blog content can help a site be seen as a greater authority on a topic
5. The nature of readers commenting and linking to blog posts creates a web community of interlinking sites generating new traffic to your site.  Links are perhaps the biggest factor used in modern search algorithms; the more links the better the site ranks in organic searches.
6. A blog containing original ideas and opinions will be an invaluable way to attract links from other blogs and websites in your market, improving the overall footprint of your website and business across the Internet, while raising your profile within your relevant community/industry.
7. Blogs can be an ideal way for companies to reach out to their customers in a less formal communication.  Although usually more relaxed than other websites hostel sites are still conveying pretty standard information - where the hostel is, the rooms types, the features and rates.  A blog can create a more customer friendly face giving opinion, news and a human side to the business - something that is the backbone of a successful hostel.
8. Blogs can be fun; a way of staff rallying around the website and communicating with past and future customers and the industry at large

With the launch of the Base and Calypso/NJoy blogs expect to see more of the same in coming months.