--AD--
Did you know there are more than 30 million small businesses throughout the United States? So if you're an owner of a small business, you've got a ton of competition.
This can be intimidating. You might not feel like you know how to effectively and affordably market your company.
That's why we've created this post outlining one of the best ways to make it happen: blogging. Keep reading for the tips you need for creating a small business blog without breaking the bank.
First Pick a Blogging Platform
First and foremost, you need to pick which platform you want to use for your blog. There are many different options out there including WordPress, Drupal, Blogger, and Weebly.
Why does this matter? Depending on the platform you choose, you'll have different abilities when it comes to design, functionality, and SEO capabilities.
If you're a true beginner, it's probably best to go with WordPress. Their interface is the easiest use, especially if you aren't an HTML expert.
If you do have more experience, though, and want something more custom, it might be smart to go with a more advanced system.
Register Your Domain
Next, it's time to pick what your domain will be. Not sure what a domain name is? It's the URL that people use to get to your site.
Nike.com, Google.com, and Spotify.com are all examples of well-known domain names.
Once you've decided on what you want your blog to be called, it will be much easier to choose your domain name. In almost all cases, you want these to match up so that users will instantly recognize your brand.
How do you actually purchase your domain name? There are a few main sites out there that can help you do this like GoDaddy or NameCheap.
Also, think about the end of your domain name. This is where you can choose if your site includes .com, .org, .biz, .net, or something else. In most cases, you should choose .com as this is the most trusted domain.
Get Your Hosting
Now that you have your blog platform and domain chosen, think about your hosting. This is the service that will keep your website up and running.
Once again, you have your options when purchasing web hosting. Some of the most popular options include BlueHost and Hostgator. For Mac users, click here for Apple web hosting information.
Perform Keyword Research
You've got the technical side of things established. It's time to work on your blog's content.
For many people who are just starting to blog, this can be a paralyzing moment. There are so many things you could write about, but where do you start?
That's where keyword research comes in to play. This will help you know what your audience is searching for. And when you know this, you can create blog posts that answer the questions they have, leading them to doing business with you.
As you're writing, be sure to include your keyword throughout the headline, meta description, and post copy itself. This will give you the best chance of ranking on Google.
Recommended
1. How to submit blogger sitemap to Google
2. How to reduce the bounce rate of blog visitors
Use Visuals
Copy isn't the only important part of a blog post. Visuals matter too!
The truth is that people have short attention spans and you need to do whatever you can to keep them interested.
This is where visuals come in. Using engaging images and videos throughout your post can help grab people's attention, getting them to continue scrolling and reading.
And remember that the longer people stay on your blog post, the better it will rank on Google. When Google sees that people are spending a higher than average amount of time on your post, they know that it's engaging and valuable.
Also see if you can include a chart, graph, or infographic. This can be another way to keep people interested.
Post Consistently on Your Small Business Blog
Last but not least, it's important to be consistent. As with many things in business, it's easy to get started on the right foot but to get distracted as time goes on.
But when it comes to blogging, this is a big mistake. Instead, you want to be producing regular engaging content for your visitors.
When you do this, Google recognizes that your content is fresh and up-to-date, which can also improve how you rank in search results.
In order to stay organized, it may be a good idea to create a posting calendar. Take time at the beginning of the month to plan out your articles for the rest of the month, noting which topics you want to hit on and when you will post them.
We're not suggesting that you spend your entire week writing blog posts. But for the best chance at success, you should carve out time in your weekly schedule that's devoted to growing your blog.
Closing Thoughts
There you have it: tips for creating a small business blog that doesn't break the bank. The best news about this type of marketing is that you don't have to pay to distribute it.
It's not like Facebook ads, billboards, or print advertisements where you have to pay for each impression or click. With a blog, you can generate interested traffic for free. And once you have this traffic, you can turn it into leads and sales.
Have additional questions or want to learn more? Keep browsing our blog for more small business tips and tricks.
This can be intimidating. You might not feel like you know how to effectively and affordably market your company.
That's why we've created this post outlining one of the best ways to make it happen: blogging. Keep reading for the tips you need for creating a small business blog without breaking the bank.
First Pick a Blogging Platform
First and foremost, you need to pick which platform you want to use for your blog. There are many different options out there including WordPress, Drupal, Blogger, and Weebly.
Why does this matter? Depending on the platform you choose, you'll have different abilities when it comes to design, functionality, and SEO capabilities.
If you're a true beginner, it's probably best to go with WordPress. Their interface is the easiest use, especially if you aren't an HTML expert.
If you do have more experience, though, and want something more custom, it might be smart to go with a more advanced system.
Register Your Domain
Next, it's time to pick what your domain will be. Not sure what a domain name is? It's the URL that people use to get to your site.
Nike.com, Google.com, and Spotify.com are all examples of well-known domain names.
Once you've decided on what you want your blog to be called, it will be much easier to choose your domain name. In almost all cases, you want these to match up so that users will instantly recognize your brand.
How do you actually purchase your domain name? There are a few main sites out there that can help you do this like GoDaddy or NameCheap.
Also, think about the end of your domain name. This is where you can choose if your site includes .com, .org, .biz, .net, or something else. In most cases, you should choose .com as this is the most trusted domain.
Get Your Hosting
Now that you have your blog platform and domain chosen, think about your hosting. This is the service that will keep your website up and running.
Once again, you have your options when purchasing web hosting. Some of the most popular options include BlueHost and Hostgator. For Mac users, click here for Apple web hosting information.
Perform Keyword Research
You've got the technical side of things established. It's time to work on your blog's content.
For many people who are just starting to blog, this can be a paralyzing moment. There are so many things you could write about, but where do you start?
That's where keyword research comes in to play. This will help you know what your audience is searching for. And when you know this, you can create blog posts that answer the questions they have, leading them to doing business with you.
As you're writing, be sure to include your keyword throughout the headline, meta description, and post copy itself. This will give you the best chance of ranking on Google.
Recommended
1. How to submit blogger sitemap to Google
2. How to reduce the bounce rate of blog visitors
Use Visuals
Copy isn't the only important part of a blog post. Visuals matter too!
The truth is that people have short attention spans and you need to do whatever you can to keep them interested.
This is where visuals come in. Using engaging images and videos throughout your post can help grab people's attention, getting them to continue scrolling and reading.
And remember that the longer people stay on your blog post, the better it will rank on Google. When Google sees that people are spending a higher than average amount of time on your post, they know that it's engaging and valuable.
Also see if you can include a chart, graph, or infographic. This can be another way to keep people interested.
Post Consistently on Your Small Business Blog
Last but not least, it's important to be consistent. As with many things in business, it's easy to get started on the right foot but to get distracted as time goes on.
But when it comes to blogging, this is a big mistake. Instead, you want to be producing regular engaging content for your visitors.
When you do this, Google recognizes that your content is fresh and up-to-date, which can also improve how you rank in search results.
In order to stay organized, it may be a good idea to create a posting calendar. Take time at the beginning of the month to plan out your articles for the rest of the month, noting which topics you want to hit on and when you will post them.
We're not suggesting that you spend your entire week writing blog posts. But for the best chance at success, you should carve out time in your weekly schedule that's devoted to growing your blog.
Closing Thoughts
There you have it: tips for creating a small business blog that doesn't break the bank. The best news about this type of marketing is that you don't have to pay to distribute it.
It's not like Facebook ads, billboards, or print advertisements where you have to pay for each impression or click. With a blog, you can generate interested traffic for free. And once you have this traffic, you can turn it into leads and sales.
Have additional questions or want to learn more? Keep browsing our blog for more small business tips and tricks.
Thanks so much for this information. Do you have any ebook or tutorial on performing Keyword research that really works? Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Paul,
DeleteThanks for your comment. Please use the contact us page here https://www.inforisticblog.com/p/contact.html to channel your request so I can have some materials forwarded to you.
Thanks