8 Key Steps to Starting a Blog

If you have finally committed to having a blog, there are certain things you need to know when you set yours up. Having a blog to call your own is just the beginning of the battle. You will need to have a plan to nurture it, get traffic flowing through it, and make sure that it’s driving your viewers to buyers with ease. Here are some more steps that you should take into consideration when starting a blog.do i need to have a blog

  1. Domain:

    Make sure you choose a domain that either has your name (if you’re branding yourself) or a name that’s easy to remember, easy to spell and has a few keywords. If you’re choosing to use your blog for local marketing, feel free to add the name of your city or town in your blog domain name as this will also help boost your rankings in the search engines.

  1. Hosting:

    You will need to think about where you would like to set up your blog. Some of the most popular sites are WordPress.org, WordPress.com, Blogger.com and Tumblr.com. Depending on the nature of your business, each of these sites will work for different purposes. The most popular site for hosting a business blog is WordPress.org but you may need some help along the way if you want to customize your layout or use certain theme functions. If you’re a beginner, WordPress.com or Blogger.com are easy choices as they are very basic and simple to use.

  1. Theme:

    You need to decide what type of theme will work well for your business. If you are selling products through an online store, you will need to use a theme that is compatible with an ecommerce platform so that your customers can do some online shopping at the click of a button and you will be able to get paid instantly. The theme should also depend on some search engine optimization factors. If you are interested in getting ranked in the search engines, your theme should be SEO friendly and give you the ability to work with keywords, tags, meta tags, image uploads and more.

  1. Layout:

    When choosing your blog layout, the first things you want to look for are simplicity and ease of navigation. Your viewers should see your site, and immediately know where to find what they are looking for. Your tabs, titles and pages should be easy to pick out amongst the rest of the content.

  1. Content Plan:

    Just having a blog isn’t enough. You will need to make sure that you are providing it with fresh relevant content daily or weekly. You should aim to post something new at least once a week.ottawa seo company

  1. Traffic Plan:

    Getting traffic is the hard part but it will get easier once you start generating a loyal following. The easiest way to get traffic is to post something that benefits the reader greatly. Offering something for free would help too. Once your readers are hooked on your content, they will be more interested in coming back to your site to read your latest content.

  1. Budget:

    If you do not wish to manage your blog by yourself, you should have a set budget in place and make sure that you stick to it. Managing a blog can be time consuming so you will have to determine if hiring a blog and content manager is right for you.

  1. Long Term Plan:

    When starting a blog, in the beginning it might all seem fun and exciting but when that excitement starts to wear off, you will need to stick to your original long term plan. Make sure you set up some goals and timelines that you can stick to so that your blog can outlast your competition!

Need help with your blogging needs? Don’t be afraid to contact us for help!

PS – Don’t forget to get your free SEO report HERE
Profit Parrot Marketing and SEO Company

Address: 551 Osgoode Main Street Ottawa, #292, Ottawa, ON K0A 2W0
Phone: (613) 706-0057

Lark Begin
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Lark Begin is a digital marketer from Ottawa, Canada. Lark is an SEO Master, PPC expert and content writer. She helps many small businesses get ranked on Google each day.