Help/Your blog
Your blog
Every business on SME AI Office can keep a blog, on every plan, free included. It lives at your usual link, smeaio.com/s/your-name/blog, wears the look of your website, and every post is listed on Google so new customers can find you when they search.
Where to find it
Press Blog in the sidebar of Online Shop, Bookings, F&B or Fitness Studio. They all open the same blog: a post written in one shows in all four. The top of the page shows your blog's address and, once a post is live, an Open your blog ↗ button.
If your business has no link name yet, the page asks for one first. Type a short name for your business and press Save this name. It becomes your booking page's link too, so pick one you are happy to share.
Write a post
Press + New post.
Type a title, and a line under it. Google often shows that line under your link, so make it say what the post is about.
Tap the grey box under Cover photo to add a wide photo, then say in a few words what is in it.
Write your post. Leave an empty line between paragraphs. The buttons above the box add a Heading, a Small heading, bold or italic words, a list, a quote, a link, or a photo in the middle of the post.
Press Preview to read it as your customers will, and Back to writing to carry on. Press Save draft any time; a draft is never shown to anyone.
Publish it
The box on the right counts your words and ticks off what is needed. A post needs a title and at least 300 words before Publish can be pressed. Press it and the post is on your website straight away, and Google is told about it.
To change a live post, open it, edit and press Save changes. Its address stays the same, so links to it keep working. Take off website turns it back into a draft; Delete this post removes it for good.
How it looks to customers
- If you use the F&B website (Café or Tavern), your blog comes in the same look, and a Journal link appears in your website's menu. See the examples at Linden Lane and Tía.
- If you use the Fitness Studio website (Forge), it comes in that look, like KIN.
- Otherwise it is a clean page in your shop or booking page's colour, with links back to your shop and booking page.
The blog page lists your newest post large at the top, then the rest. Each post ends with a button to order, book or shop with you, and two more of your posts.
What makes a good post
- Answer one question a customer really asks you: "How long does a custom cake take?", "What should I bring to my first reformer class?"
- Say where you are. People search for things near them: "the best kaya toast in Tampines".
- Use headings to break it up. Most people skim first.
- Use your own photos. They beat stock photos with customers and with Google.
- Write it the way you would explain it to a customer at your counter. A post that repeats the same few words over and over is refused.
Questions
Why at least 300 words?
Google rarely shows very short pages to anyone. 300 words is about a minute and a half of reading, which is enough to say something useful. Drafts can be any length.
Does it cost anything?
No. The blog is on every plan, free included.
Can I link to other websites?
Yes, up to 10 links in a post. Links to other websites open in a new tab.
Can my staff write posts?
Yes. On Settings › Team, tick Blog for them: with read only they can look, with edit they can write and publish.
How soon will Google show my post?
Usually within a few days to a few weeks. Your posts are added to our sitemap as soon as they are published, which is the list Google reads to find new pages. Sharing the link on your Instagram or WhatsApp helps people find it sooner.