Getting Started With A Business Blog

A business blog is a great compliment to your online marketing strategy.  It serves as a one-to-many communication channel with a feedback loop that allows two-way communication with your target audience.  Moreover, the Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed that comes with a blog allows readers to register or subscribe to your blog, indicating that they want to see all communications from the blog.

There are two primary options to start a business blog.  You can start a basic blog in just a few minutes using popular blogging platforms or hosted services such as Blogger and WordPress.  Although these platforms are free, they offer less flexibility.  For example, you have limited control of the look and feel of your blog.

While blogging platforms are a good place to start, they should not be considered a permanent solution. The primary reason is that you can be shut down at any time without notice.  If you have several links pointing to your hosted blog and then decide to move to a self hosted platform, you lose all of your marketing efforts.  Essentially, you’ll have to rebuild your linking strategy.  Therefore, if you are serious about blogging, you should not use a blogging platform for more than a month or two.

The more reliable alternative that provides maximum flexibility and control is self hosted blogging software such as WordPress.  WordPress provides more functionality and control than a blogging platform.  Many hosting providers, such as Hostgator, provide for simple, push button installation and upgrades.

Whatever platform (hosted or self-hosted) you decide to use as a starting point for your business blog, remember that a blog requires planning.  Your blog should be part of your business strategy and include clearly identifiable goals. You’ll then be well on your way to a successful business blog.

Should you decide on WordPress, the self-hosted option, and need help getting started, take a look at our Business Blog Packages.

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