This article about how to start a blog gives you must-know advice for building a great reputation online.
When someone searches for your company name on Google, is your website listed first? If not, you might have to do a little SEO work to ensure that you’re controlling your reputation. This post is a great place to start if you’re looking for some simple search engine optimization tips, but we wanted to expand upon one of these tips today: starting a blog.
Adding a blog to your website is one of the best ways to solidify yourself as an expert in your field because it allows you to showcase your knowledge and address customer concerns. Google loves to see websites that are updated regularly, so having a blog can also bring in search engine traffic. Additionally, blog posts are more shareable than press releases or pages on your site, so it helps you on the social media front as well.
Don’t worry — starting a blog is much easier than most people think it is! Let’s go over the basics of launching your very own blog online.
It’s possible to create a robust, positive online reputation even if you’re starting from zero or rebounding from a PR crisis. Call us at
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Step 1: Choose a Blog Platform
You don’t need a blog platform to start a blog, but coding it by hand is clunky and time-consuming. Luckily, there are several free options for your blog. You may also want to check your web host because you may be able to add a free blog to your existing site.
My personal favorite option is to create a WordPress blog and use a free WordPress theme, but you can also add a blog using Blogger, Tumblr, Typepad, Squarespace, Drupal, and more. This is a really great list of the top blog platforms out there.
Most blog platforms allow you to customize your blog using themes, which control the colors, layout, fonts, and more. Many platforms also have plugins that allow you to further customize your blog. If you aren’t a designer, don’t worry — most of the popular platforms make it very easy to get started for free.
Your blog platform may have blog hosting — also called web hosting — and a custom domain name available to buy, or you may need to get those services separately. You may even be able to get a free domain name when you sign up for web hosting.
Step 2: Brainstorm Post Ideas
When you start a blog, you must develop content ideas within your blog niche that readers will be interested in.
Don’t make the mistake of only updating your blog with company news. This is your chance to build your reputation as an expert so people will trust your company.
At times, posting information about your company will work well. For example, if you own a bar, you might post weekly drink specials. But if that’s all you’re writing blog posts about, you’re not using it to its potential.
Here are some questions to help you get started brainstorming ideas, along with examples for different businesses:
- Why is your service/product important? Example: If you’re a mechanic, you might write “Why Regular Oil Changes are Important” for your first blog post.
- How can people save money? Example: If you’re a contractor, you might write “10 Tips to Save Money on Your Bathroom Remodel” as a post.
- What are some secrets about your industry? Example: If you own a lawn care company, you might write “5 Secrets to Greener Grass in the Summer” as an article.
- What pricing information do people commonly want to know? Example: If you’re a wedding planner, you might write “How Much Does a Wedding Cake Cost?” to stay aligned with your blog theme.
You can also write about your company in interesting ways that promote your products or services without being just promotional.
Tell feel-good stories about your customers or staff. Describe what makes your products better. Answer questions that are commonly asked.
Remember, the more interesting your posts, the more they’ll be shared on social media and even by other blogs in your industry.
We work with clients to help them build their online reputation and take control of their digital presence. Give us a call at
844-230-3803
to learn more.
Step 3: Write, Write, Write!
The more you write, the more traffic you’ll attract to your blog. Do not sacrifice quality for quantity, but make sure the perfectionist in you doesn’t take over. If the information is good, most people will look over a typo or two.
Remember, posts need to be easy to skim. People are busy, so they want to quickly look at your post to see if it’s worth reading. Use headers, bullet posts, numbered lists, and short paragraphs. Big walls of text are intimidating for most Internet readers.
If you’re really stuck, you can hire a writer to help you develop your ideas or to expand upon posts you’ve written. You can also consider starting a podcast to “speak” your posts if you aren’t a strong writer. Podcasts are also an excellent way to repurpose your blog content and reach a wider audience.
Step 4: Promote Your Posts
There are a number of ways to promote your posts as you work on building a blog.
- Share your content on the social media platforms that your audience members use.
- Send your latest blog post or a link to it in a newsletter to your mailing list.
- Engage with your target audience on interactive sites like LinkedIn and Reddit, sharing links to your blog posts when relevant (and allowed!).
- Repurpose your content into a Medium post and link back to your original blog post.
Even with a solid SEO strategy, the “if you write it, they will come” mentality doesn’t work well since there is so much content out there that’s competing with yours.
Another important aspect of post promotion is internal linking. This means that every blog post should link to other posts you’ve written so people can find more information. At first, this is hard since you won’t have many posts on your new blog, but over time, it becomes easier to find posts to promote through internal links.
External links are, of course, even better. These are links on other websites that lead back to your posts. The best way to get external links is to write really amazing content because people will naturally want to promote your work. Build relationships with other bloggers in your industry so they are aware of your posts and will link back to them occasionally.
Today, online reputation management is more important than ever before. Get started with a free analysis here or explore our services offered through our parent company, NetReputation.
Step 5: Monitor Your Blog Traffic
At first, you might get little to no traffic to your blog, but keep up with it! If you update regularly and promote your posts, you should see your traffic grow. Monitor your traffic by asking yourself the following questions and using the blogging platform’s built-in analytics or Google tools to answer them:
- Where is the traffic coming from?
- Where is the most quality traffic coming from? (i.e., traffic that leads to sales)
- Which posts are most popular? What sets these posts apart?
- Are people reading several posts or leaving after reading one post?
- Which posts received the most social attention?
- What keywords are people typing into search engines to find my posts?
- What is the conversion rate? (i.e., how many readers take action by signing up for an email list, downloading a coupon, purchasing something at my online store, etc.)
All of these questions — and more — can be answered using Google Analytics and the Google Search Console, which are free to use with your blog.
Make sure to also monitor comments on your blog. Respond to questions and concerns to let your blog readers — including current and potential customers — know that you are listening to them and care about what they have to say. Comments are also great for generating ideas for new blog posts.
Good Luck On Your Blogging Journey!
Remember, manage your expectations when you start blogging and as you continue to create content. In some industries, blogs are just not as popular as they are in other industries.
However, even if you only update once a week, your blog can be a very powerful tool for not only generating leads (i.e, finding customers) but also helping you to manage your online reputation. You can’t control what people say about you online, but you can control what is on your blog.
Other than managing your blog, you should also pay close attention to what information about your business is available online, including personal information and embarrassing content like your mugshots. These are all essential to maintaining a good online reputation.
Let Us Help You Create a Successful Blog and Online Brand
At OnlineReputation.com, we provide must-know information to individuals and businesses who want to create, grow or repair their digital reputation. Whether you’re prioritizing your personal or professional online reputation, our advice and team of experts can help.
Through our parent company, NetReputation, we offer a range of online reputation management services, including ad management, search engine optimization, review monitoring, content removal and more. Our five-step ORM strategy ensures we cover every base to create a tailored program that’s right for you.
Get started with a free online reputation analysis here.