Some businesses, such as Eie Flud, (first mentioned in this post) have a website as well as a blog. But for some, such as CT BizBlogs, the blog is their website.
Here’s a very nice example of that. The Aldo Coffee Company has been blogging for almost a year now, and their site is very well-designed.
First, the banner is a beautiful graphic which includes nice photos along with the most important information for a coffee shop: location and hours of operation. Plus a little bit of whimsy to let you know it’s a cool place.
Even though it’s a blog, they have links to permanent pages, rather than time-based posts, on the left sidebar. These lead to information that will only change rarely, and which give people the basic facts about the business: things such as menus, directions, and even profiles on the baristas.
Notice that, as important as that information is, it is on the side, not the main section. This is what differentiates a blog from a static, “brochure-ware” website. No one will come to the latter more than once. People will come back again and again to the blog. This is a good thing.
Of course, the trick is, to keep them coming, you have to keep the content flowing. They are doing that as well, with new posts at least every business day.
On the right sidebar, they have links to recent comments. This is an excellent way to show people that there really is a conversation going on. Of course, that only works when people do comment. If you’ve got a new blog, you might want to hold off on doing that.
And on the top of the right sidebar, they have a very important permanent post: “Why our coffee tastes better.” When I first came across this blog, I read this article right away. This post works in two ways: it shows how much they care about their coffee and it shows why that coffee is so good. In other words, it builds confidence in them — their expertise, passion, and commitment.
A blog like this happens over time, by post after post, by connecting to the other bloggers in their neighborhood, by giving people the information they’re looking for, and by remaining committed to their vision and their strategy.
![email address: ctbizblogs [at] gmail.com](http://www.ctbizblogs.com/wp-images/email.png)
September 13th, 2005 at 7:23 am
Sabine,
Thanks for the nice write up and for taking the time to notice some of the “workarounds” like the menu.
In all likelihood we will eventually post pdfs or other static pages eventually, but for now the format seems to work. Most of our customers have no idea they’re looking at a blog anyway (although the ones who get the RSS feed definitely appreciate it). But doing a blog instead of a “regular” site has a lot of advantages, not the least of which is search engine presence.
The other key for us was cost. I already had a TypePad account for my other business (tsmi.blogs.com) so it was a no-cost way for us to have a web presence (and it’s only $12/month anyway). While I’d eventually like to upgrade to MT or port the thing over to WordPress to add more flexibility, the TypePad platform performs admirably and is flexible enough for the time being.
Btw, I am originally from Stamford (with stops in Weston, Norwalk & Bridgeport), so I’d like to say hi to any old pals who might be visiting your site.
Thanks again and if you’re ever in Pittsburgh, please stop by!
September 19th, 2005 at 8:31 am
[…] For example, I was very pleased by the feedback I got from the posts I wrote on examples of small business blogs. Several bloggers indicated, in comments or posts, that I understood their blogs, and what they were trying to do. It was validation that, when it comes to blogging, I know a thing or two. […]
November 30th, 2005 at 7:04 am
I’ve closed this post for comments. I’ve been seeing some comments that appear to link to spammy sites.