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So, you want to increase your small business’ online presence? Creating a business blog is the first step you should take. It’s an effective and low cost tool that can greatly support your business strategy, including your marketing, brand-awareness and interaction with both existing and potential customers. The reason for the explosive popularity and growth of blogs is that they have made sharing thoughts and ideas easier than ever before - studies have shown that over 409 million people now view blog posts every month.
A business blog that incorporates features such as tutorials, articles, opinion pieces, as well as question and answer sections can easily become a trusted source of information for both your customers and for search engines. SEO companies often use tools such as keyword research, link building, and rank tracking to generate visibility. For any business, the purpose of a blog is to share valuable insights and information not only about it’s own products, but also about the general business landscape.
A successfully created business blog will return higher trust and share factors among the public, which in turn will produce higher search rankings in search engines for your blog. Blogging offers you the ability to add keywords that are relevant to your product or service, and to add external links to your business website which will ultimately drive traffic. Your business’ website, social media platforms, and blog all join together to form the face of the business online, with the end result being improved brand awareness.
All that’s needed to create a successful small business blog is commitment, creativity, and a well-grounded plan that you and your team can follow. If you’re just starting out, this guide is for you!
Step 1: Consider the purpose of your blog
Before creating your business blog, it’s important to consider its purpose and what you would like to accomplish with it. Start by asking yourself questions such as what is your blog’s main objective? For example, is it to drive leads, increase your email list, or to become an expert within your industry? It’s also worth considering how often you will be able to commit to your blog. For the best results, it’s recommended to write at least one blog post per week, but depending on your schedule, you should ideally aim to post two to three. A blog that’s abandoned or inactive may not create the best impression of your business for customers, and it may be difficult to develop a devoted readership.
While posting articles that relate to your small business can really help to establish your authority with your field, try not to directly focus around your product or service. Instead, consider creating informative posts that solve your ideal customer’s problems such as through helpful tips or links which subtly promote your business. Keep your blog posts relevant and useful, and remember to update regularly to keep your audience engaged!
Step 2: Who’s the voice of your blog?
Will your blog be self-managed, or will it include several people? If it’s the latter, your staff writers should have their own bio included on the site, including their own photograph, a description of themselves, and their relevant social media links. Having more than one voice can easily make your blog more interesting and personal, and can also be a great way to consistently tackle the time commitment that comes with blogging. From here, you can set out a content plan for your writers that can benefit your audience. If possible, you could even assign one staff writer the role of a lead blog editor to check for any typos, grammar errors, or inconsistent tone before entries are posted.
Decide on your business blog’s tone of voice: do you want it to be conversational or academic? Other tips for your staff writers include using subheadings, shortened paragraphs, and a conclusion at the end of each blog. Posts that include questions will encourage readers to respond, write comments, and engage with your business.
Step 3: Choose your blogging platform
When you’re searching for the perfect business blogging platform to use as a beginner, there are a few things you’ll need to consider. Some of the main points to look out for in a blogging platform is that it is easy to use, beginner friendly, and if it offers the features that you need for what you want your business blog to do. There are plenty of blogging platforms you can trust, but you’ll want to look out for feature-rich platforms, such as Wordpress.org which can be ideal for small businesses. You can easily customise the feel and look of your blog to align with your business’ values through adding navigation menus, widgets, and specific colour schemes.
Step 4: Register your blog’s domain name
After deciding on which blogging platform you’d like to use, you’ll need to set up a domain name through a domain registrar. This will be the URL that is used to access your blog, and is inexpensive to purchase. Top tips for creating the best URL for your business blog include using .com, avoiding hyphens, your trademark business name if it is available, and ensuring that your domain is not easy to forget yet specific enough to distinguish you from other businesses or sites that have a similar name.
Step 5: Buy Web Hosting
After registering your domain name, you’ll need to invest in a web host. Put simply, web hosting stores all the files necessary for your blog to function, including HTML and CSS files, media files, documents, allows visitors around the world to access these website files, and ensures website security.
Step 6: Reach out for advice
Your blog may take a while to perfect, and that’s nothing to worry about. However, don’t be afraid to consult with any of your trusted advisors, whether it be asking other business owners about their experience with a business-oriented blog, or discussing your blog’s appearance, tone, content and goals with a trusted marketing expert or web-savvy advisor.
Step 7: Work on SEO
You'll need to actively work on your SEO in order to bring customers to your website. These guides are easy to follow and they will help you to greatly enhance your business blog traffic quickly and effectively.
Step 8: Drive thousands of potential customers to your website with Pinterest
Pinterest is an amazing source of traffic if you know how to use it correctly. This guide tells you everything you need to know to send thousands of potential customers to your website.
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