As The Blog Squadtm, we hear this complaint from entrepreneurs who start blogging: "Why isn't my blog working for my business?" As part of our "blog crisis prevention" program, we have reviewed hundreds of business blogs and can spot common errors immediately.

Blogs that work well for attracting new clients have these key elements:

1. A great blog name
2. A tag line or blog purpose statement
3. An easy way to get automatic blog updates
4. A list of categories
5. A list of recent posts and recent comments
6. Links to useful websites, products and services
7. Frequent posts with links relevant to the blog's purpose
8. An easy way for readers to have a conversation with the author

Ingredient 7: Post Frequently and Stay On Purpose

The best way to drive traffic to your blog is to post frequently, at least 2-3 times a week. The more you post, the more traffic you attract. We've experimented with this and found when we post everyday, the number of visitors goes up dramatically.

Where do you find enough stuff to write about? You may need to read other blogs to find sources and ideas for blog posts. Be sure to use blog search directories like www.Technorati.com, and www.blogsearch.google.com to find relevant blogs in your field. If you are posting 2-3 days a week, use the other days to search for good content on other blogs.

Sign up for Google Alerts ( http://www.google.com/alerts ) to get daily emails with blog posts related to targeted keywords. Not only will you know what's going on in your niche, you'll get tons of ideas for blog posts.

When you find good stuff on someone else's blog, make sure you refer to it in your own blog posts, and leave comments on those blogs. This helps you get known in the Blogosphere, establishes your reputation as an expert and builds your credibility. It's also a good way to build traffic to your blog.

While it's important to share information and educate your readers, always write with the readers' best interests in mind. Make your blog posts benefit oriented. Besides relaying information, add your perspective and tell readers why this is important to them. Then ask for their opinions.

Be careful of the "ho-hum" factor. Too much bland information can get boring, unless you add some feeling to it. Connect with the passion you have for your business and communicate your emotions. Remember the old maxim, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Don't be afraid to disagree with others. A good conversation requires different perspectives. Of course, always be respectful. Once you leave a comment on another blog, be sure to blog about it on your own blog.

Be clear about what you want your blog to do for your business: clarity will help guide you in selecting topics and linking strategies. Yet many new bloggers skip this step and just start writing. You will have an advantage over your competitors' blogs if you know why you are writing on your blog, and what you want readers to do. Do you want to educate them, do you want to build credibility and trust and a relationship with them?

Be sure to stay on target. Telling personal stories is a great way to build relationships with readers, but only if there is a point to it, something that the reader can take away. Beware of sharing personal details of your life, your kids, or your pets that may only be of interest to you.

On the other hand, revealing some details about yourself will allow readers to see you as an authentic human being, rather than as an automaton only interested in making a sale.

For more leading edge Internet Marketing tips subscribe to The Blog Squad's ezine Savvy eBiz Tips at www.savvyebiztips.com . To learn about using social media tools like blogs, go to www.buildabetterblog.com . Denise Wakeman ' Patsi Krakoff are The Blog Squad and can be found online at www.blogsquad.biz