I've noticed something since I started blogging, a nice little hidden side benefit that I've never really heard anyone talk about before. The popularity of your various posts tells you how many people are interested in the topic you're blogging about. If you're an entrepreneur, I'm sure you can see how this would be invaluable information.
For example, a few weeks back I posted a business idea I had for an online, Web-based data modeling tool. This is a tool that I personally would love to use, and half the reason I posted it on my blog is because I knew from experience that Google would pick up the post and I'd get a gauge on how many other people need this as well. I had no idea if I was the only one on Earth who saw the utility in this, but it turns out that there are quite a few people looking for something like the tool I described (a bunch of inbound traffic in my referral logs is what prompted the post you're reading).
Now, if you know anything about search engine optimization, you know that blogs are traffic magnets. (They're rich in inbound link, Google appreciates original content, and their content is regularly updated, among other reasons.) This means that if you post something on a blog, your post will usually float up to the top of the search results:
One of the primary benefits of being at the top of an extremely targeted search result is that you have a pretty good bearing on how many people are actually looking for that particular thing, and what search terms they're using to find it. This is like conducting marketing research with your target audience, for free.
If I were trying to see what the market reception would be like for an idea, I would post it in my blog, it's the perfect gut-check. Some people will inevitably worry that someone will steal your million dollar idea, but I wouldn't worry so much about that--as someone smart once said (name escapes me): "If you have a truly great idea don't worry about protecting it, you will have to beat the people over the head with it." That's the Marketing Department's job




Originally Published by Jason Kolb