Losing customers just because you don’t have a proper blog on your website? A new blogger might not be able to create conveniently due to the lack of necessary know-how and required blogging skills.
So, we have listed the things to consider when creating a blog. In this article, we want to lend a hand to any novice who wants to build a blog for small business. And especially for those who have a limited budget.
How to create a blog for a small business
Read this short but comprehensive blogging guide for small businesses and kick-start your blog. No professional coding experience is necessary to create something truly unique.
Spy on competitors
It is one of the most important things to consider when creating a blog for small business. Seeing what competitors are doing provides insight into what you should be implementing on your blog.
Keep an eye on competitors to check that what they are doing and how they are doing. It will aid you in choosing the right hosting plan to promote your blog in search engines as well as on social media platforms.
You can use SEMrush or Ahrefs (most popular tools for competitive analysis) to keep an eye on other blogs relevant to your industry or niche.
Buy hosting and a domain (if you don’t already have a company website)
To create a blog for your small business, you will need to buy a domain and hosting plan if you don’t have a business website.
A domain name is the URL of your online presence whether it is the blog or website, so choose it cautiously because it is something that will always be associated with your brand. The hosting plan must also be reliable and able to handle the traffic that your business blog will receive.
Choose a name that will represent your brand. Make sure you stand out from the rest. If you already have a business website, then create a blog as a new page of your site. Doing this will help you rank faster than a sub-domain or new domain.
Find a best CMS or website builder
WordPress is an excellent example of CMS, Wix as well. Before choosing a website builder, do your research. B10WB offers in depth reviews of website builders like Wix, Site123 and Squarespace.
A CMS (Content Management System) helps you with the creation, editing, and management of content that you are about to share with your audience through your small business blog.
Numerous website builders are also accessible on the internet that can help small business owners to create blogs conveniently. These are especially helpful for those with a tight budget.
You should always choose a website builder or CMS which provides features like web-based publishing, content & format management, media library, plugins, to make your blog appealing and user-friendly.
Blog design
Overall blog design or layout is something vital that will help you get more visitors as people. Visitors love blogs which are easy to understand and appealing to eyes.
If you are taking advantage of a website builder to build a blog for small business, try to choose a blog design similar to your business branding and website theme.
When creating a blog for small business, you will have a wide range of choices in the form of free and paid themes that you can make use of to make your blog awesome.
Do some research and spy on competitors (as I have mentioned at the start) to check and understand the taste of your audience with an intention to make your blog stand out among competitors.
Plan your content
It’s all about what you are going to share with your audience or customers through your blog.
There are a lot of things to consider when creating content for a small business blog such as what your competitors are talking about, what your target audience loves to read, who will write the content and who is responsible for managing the content of your blog etc.
An ideal small business blog is always down to earth and user-friendly as well, so your valuable customers and clients will feel happy and free as well to engage, convert and connect with you.
Always create content that lends a hand to your visitors in getting their issues resolved. For example, you can add how-to guides, video tutorials, infographics, and documents to make your blog informative and easy to use as well.
Be consistent while publishing content
Consistency matters a lot when you are creating a blog for small business and want more eyeballs on the content that you will share.
Always try to be consistent while publishing content on your blog because it not only helps to engage your readers but also shows your excellent blogging skills and professionalism.
Now its time to promote
Plenty of promotional techniques and ways can be used to get more eyeballs on your blog content.
As a small business owner, you might not have enough finances to hire an SEO expert or digital marketing company, but you can do it yourself by sharing your blog posts on our personal and business-related social media profiles to bring more visitors.
Commenting on most relevant blogs and participating positively in forum communities are two great ways that not only brings traffic to your blog but can also help you secure high ranks in search engine results.