A step by step guide on starting a blog for your business

So you know you need a blog for your business, but you aren’t sure how to actually get started. You know you want to do it yourself but aren’t sure how to add a blog to your website or build a blog from the ground up.

Here’s a quick guide on how you can build an effective blog for your business:

1. Choose the right platform

First thing you need to do is create the blog and there are a few ways of doing this depending on your current set up - i.e. whether you currently have a website and how it was set up.

DIY Website From a Template site

If you have a templated site like Wix or Squarespace, these usually allow you to add a blog page to your website through the website editor. You go to the editor, select the add a new page option and then select ‘blog’. You’ll usually get the opportunity to select the blog design from here as well. Once the blog is set up, you just add some basic details and then click the relevant link to write a new blog post. Check out your template site for more information on how to do this.

Outsourced to a professional

If a marketing agency, web designer or developer created your website, then you should reach out to them and ask them to add a blog page to your website. This usually doesn’t take too long to set up and they can typically set up access for anyone else you’d like to be able to contribute blog posts.

You don't have a website

If you don’t currently have a website, there are some free options out there including Wordpress and Blogger (the latter is Google’s version) - it’s worth doing a bit of research but you will find an option that suits you best.

2. Learn how to use your blogging platform

Now you have your blog, it’s time to learn how to use it. Check out the resources on your blog providers website or in the information provided by your website builder. I’d also take a look at some video tutorials on Youtube which can be very helpful.

3. Add analytics

If you don’t have analytics set up on your website or you are starting a new blog, it’s well worth getting these setup. I use Google Analytics and Google Search Console as these will help you measure the reach you are getting from your blog and what popular search terms are leading people to your blog. You can then use this information to help you make decisions about the content of future posts.

4. Research your audience

When you start a blog, it’s well worth doing some research into your intended audience. Who are your readers? Why do you want them to visit your blog? What problems are they having and how can you help? This can help you to understand your audience so that you can create content that they will want to read.

5. Decide on a schedule

How often are you going to post? Every day? Every other day? Twice a week? Once a fortnight? Once a month? Think about how much time you have and set a realistic schedule that you can stick to. 

The number of times I’ve visited websites and checked out their latest blog post, only to find it was published months or even years ago is incredible. Blog posts usually have date stamps on so it is very obvious when they’ve not been updated for a while. If you can’t be consistent, you should consider disabling the date stamp on your website - that way if you’ve not posted for a while it’s less obvious.

6. Check out your competition

It’s worth taking a look at what your competitors are posting and checking out the comments. Clients often ask questions in the comments and these can form the basis of future posts for your blog. If you’re stuck for ideas, looking at what your competitors are doing will give you inspiration for posts as well. If they are giving their opinion on the latest industry update you could do the same.

7. Decide on what content you will share

You may already know what you intend to talk about, or perhaps you need some ideas. It’s a good idea to pick out a couple of topics within your business and then write different types of content around these. It makes it a lot easier to plan as well.

8. Plan your content

Use a spreadsheet, post-it notes, a trello board, a calendar or a whiteboard and mark on it when you are going to post and what you are going to post. Decide when you are going to create your blog posts, where the images are coming from and when you are going to publish your blog posts and then stick to it.

9. Engage with your readers

Once clients start engaging and sharing your content make sure you engage with them. Reply to comments with a considerate response and answer questions, thank them for sharing and post questions in the comments to encourage engagement.

10. Share your content

Tell everyone about your blog. If you email clients a newsletter, tell them about your new blog and inform them when you publish new posts. Put an update on the front page of your website and share your blog posts on your socials. And don’t forget to engage with your readers on your social media as well!

Now what?

Once your blog is set up then it’s time to get started. Try not to worry too much about writing - just do it. Find your voice and write. The more you post the better you’ll get at it. Also try not to get too bogged down when you start out with concepts like SEO - at this early stage it’s just about getting into the habit of writing.

Got any questions? - let me know in the comments below.