Why You Should Start a Developer Blog for Your Company
If you’re reading this you are probably thinking about starting a developer blog for your company. It’s an easy thing to start but perhaps not always easy to sustain. And a little harder to describe the value to internal stakeholders that might require some time and understanding to appreciate that this isn’t a marketing or business development exercise. It’s more… our thing.
What is (and isn’t) a Developer Blog?
When we think about a developer blog we imagine a platform where software developers can share their knowledge, experiences, and insights about various aspects of programming and technology. And do so in a very human and authentic way.
These are important spaces to share the passion and joy that we have for tackling the challenges that underpin the work that we do on a regular basis. And as a result should always be as free of the overhead of organisational perfection, approval committees, or “professionalism” that defines (and at times constrains) the key brand channels.
The more official of those channels are important to protect and form a very core part of a company’s content strategy. Even for frontier tech and deep tech companies like ours here at Quantum Brilliance. But when I think about my team and what we want to explore and talk about, it’s a whole other part of the conversation and one that can exist in a more authentic dialogue with the industry and communities that surround us.
Here at Quantum Brilliance these topics range from what we are working on, why we are open sourcing a lot of it, and how we’ve discovered effective ways of work as an organisation made up of quantum physicists, engineers (of all varieties), researchers and the odd scattering of product managers and designers. With that in mind let’s explore some very real and very excellent benefits.
Benefits of starting a developer blog
1. Facilitating Knowledge Sharing and Documentation
A major reason for any blog to exist, let alone a developer blog, is to share information. There’s no marketing requirements to be short and snappy and stick to the brand vision and value proposition. Quite the opposite at times — where the more specific and niche and focused that information the better. This doesn’t just apply to public or external blogs, as there’s a lot of value in a team’s internal musings might help the team document and share their experiences and insights. This can foster a culture of learning and collaboration within an organization.
- Example: my colleague Pat Scott’s incredibly detailed exploration of the Qristal SDK that we’ve just released.
2. Showcasing Technical Expertise
It should go without saying that a developer blog is an ideal platform for showcasing a company’s technical expertise. It allows the space and consideration to demonstrate the milestone achievements in what can often be long and difficult journeys. It can also just be a lot of fun to share how a team has explored various technologies and methodologies (with the potential to end up one of the dreaded thought leaders).
3. Attracting and Retaining Talent
Brenda Michelle, a tech blogger, emphasizes the networking benefits of a developer blog: “By writing a developer blog and putting it out into the universe, a lot of other developers are going to read your articles… and that will help you meet other developers… they can even maybe help you find a job by recommending you jobs that you can apply to.”
4. Enhancing Brand Image and Credibility
It should go without saying that a developer blog can significantly boost a company’s brand image. As Adrian Twarog, a successful developer and YouTuber, puts it, “Programmers that don’t blog should start right now. Your future self will thank you when your blog helps you get a better job, earn more money, and of course, have an easier time learning new concepts.”
5. Improving SEO and Website Traffic
This is a very real benefit but one that it can feel a little awkward to dwell on lest a growth marketing team get too excited and take a little too much interest in our corner of the internet. But it is true that a developer blog can significantly improve a company’s overall web traffic.
SEO will benefit more on a technical blog hosted on the companies own domain. The trend to write where the technical audience lives will see teams gravitating towards the likes of Medium, Hashnode or even Dev. All of which have nofollow links to limit the chance of spamming and abuse. So don’t do that. Instead focus on being authentic and speaking to your peoples, whoever they might be, and earn the resulting organic traffic as a result.
How to Start a Developer Blog
Starting a developer blog involves choosing the right platform, deciding on a content strategy, setting up a publication schedule, and encouraging team participation. It’s important to choose a platform that is easy to use and has the features you need. Your content strategy should align with your company’s goals and audience’s interests. A regular publication schedule ensures that your audience always has something new to look forward to, while team participation can help generate a diverse range of content.
Best Practices for a Successful Developer Blog
To ensure the success of your developer blog, focus on writing engaging and informative content. Incorporate visuals and code snippets to make your posts more interesting and easier to understand. Promote your blog effectively through various channels, and regularly update and maintain it to keep your audience engaged.
Case Studies of Successful Developer Blogs
There are many examples of companies with successful developer blogs. These blogs not only enhance their brand image but also help them attract and retain talent, improve their SEO, and facilitate knowledge sharing.
Conclusion
Starting a developer blog is not a seasonal tactic for content strategists and marketers but a very real effort that provides very real benefits for the very real humans both inside of and around a technical organisation. Whether it’s a serious and informative effort or an act of cultural transparency or a mix of the two like we do here at Quantum Brilliance, the undertaking is one that celebrates the challening work that we undertake in an era of almost continual innovation. And no shortage of breakthroughs, discoveries, or just plain interesting insights along the way. Happy writing.
David Ryan is the Head of Product at Quantum Brilliance, where he focuses on solving the challenges of achieving quantum utility a part of the world’s leading provider of room-temperature quantum computing solutions.
