If you run a company, you've probably got a blog, whether it's to boost SEO, establish credibility, gain new customers, or simply share the latest news.

But results from blogging aren't always tangible, especially because a company blog doesn't necessarily lead to direct sales. That's why it's important to find some other ways to measure your success.

If you aren’t sure how your blog is doing, it may be time to run a diagnosis to see where you can make improvements. Trust us-- a great blog is key to establishing yourself as an industry leader, so it's worth it to improve!

How to Tell if You're Really Attracting Customers

What're some good reasons for blogging? Well, attracting new customers and keeping loyal ones engaged, of course! A blog has the potential to be a great resource that can help build community.

But, unless you’re running honest metrics about who is reading and where they're coming from, you don’t really know how your blog is doing.

So, give your blog a proper diagnosis!

• Google Analytics. One of the ways you can tell if your blog is generating leads is to use Google Analytics, which includes multi-channel funnels. These funnels allow you to set conversion targets, showing exactly how often people are contacting your company or placing orders after reading the blog. You can also use Google Analytics to figure out how well your blog is performing compared to other areas of your site.

• Social Media Software. The software you use to share your blog posts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites records how often people click your links. Check to see what posts people are clicking and how often they're doing it.

• Unbounce. Try a 30-day trial of Unbounce, a testing software that will allow you to try out a lot of different page templates. Unbounce is designed for landing pages, but can help interpret how well your blog is doing too.

• Email Newsletters. If you send out an email newsletter with links to your blog, check to see which posts are getting clicked. If certain topics see a lot of traffic or none of them do, try to figure out why.

Don't just guess! Find out how your blog is doing with analytics.

Is Your Blog Really Establishing Your Credibility and Building Community?

Some business owners aren't interested in gaining conversions through their blogs; they simply want to use the platform as a way to establish their credibility and build community.

If you're in this group, you already know testing this stuff is tricky. How do you measure authority and engagement?

• Participation: You can look to participation cues like the amount of comments and social shares you get per post. Run a search for the URL or headline on Twitter to see if anyone's sharing.

• Analytics: See which keywords are pointing to your site. The more relevant the keywords to your industry, the more likely your blog really is establishing credibility.

• Your Customers: If you want to find out if your blog is building a community, ask some of your customers. Find out whether or not they read your blog and how often they do it. Ask them if what you've written about is useful.

• Others in the Industry: Check out what others in your industry are offering on their blogs. Are their blogs similar to yours? Better? Worse? Are people sharing their posts? See how you stack up.

• Quality: Is the content on your blog worth reading? Would you be proud to share it with a friend or family member? If not, you're probably not inspiring existing or prospective customers.

Don’t give up when it comes to credibility and community. It can take awhile to figure out how to best share your expertise. Building community can take awhile, too. Make sure you're including links to your blog in your email newsletters and sharing your posts on social media sites!

Making Improvements

If your blog isn't seeing the success you want, it might be time to re-focus, make some improvements, and consider a new strategy. If the quality of your posts are 'just ok' instead of great, you should think about new and innovative ways to present your topics. Remember: if you think the content of your blog is boring, others will think it's boring, too.

Not sure how to go about it? Read The Advanced Guide to Content Marketing by Quick Sprout, which will help you focus your strategy. Check out other blogs you admire for inspiration. Copyblogger has tons of great articles on how to boost your blog. Think about hiring a writer, content marketer, or finding top notch freelancers to help you out!

Do you have a company blog? We'd love to take a look! How does it bring you success? Please share in the comments below.