Kreb eventually took his passion for security and launched his blog KrebsonSecurity. Today, it is regarded as one of the top in-depth investigative security resources online. Kreb’s success didn’t happen overnight, it took consistency, engagement, and expertise to gain a large following. Today, the same ingredients apply to building a successful blog, but it’s going to take more than a catchy name and a few posts. While the passion for his industry is there, building a successful blog takes planning. I asked digital marketing experts about some of the first steps to take before buying a domain name and launching a blog.
Get a Plan
It’s easy to become excited about launching a brand or personal blog, but before you start clicking away, make sure you have a solid and sustainable workflow in place. Elizabeth Short, VP Digital Marketing for Meridian Group, said that for any client developing a “Communication Work Plan” for their business or personal blog, it must include: the objective of the blog, target audience, list of potential partners, SEO strategy, content calendar, a review of current blogs in the industry, and how they are going to push out the content.
Domain Name Matters
Positioning your brand or personal blog to appeal to your audience also means choosing the right domain name as it can impact SEO and attracting customers. Anne A. Ward, O’Reilly author of The SEO Battlefield and CEO of CircleClick Media said that your domain name needs to be easy to type on a phone and verbally communicate, and consider a premium top level domain as part of your branding to set you apart from the noise.
Get to Know You
Just like a painter’s canvas, a blog can be an expression of one’s personality, company culture, and passion.
Build Your Community
Being in the healthcare business, means you could have a wide range of patients walk through your door. Part of your initial blogging strategy will be to determine your target audience, choose a unique angle to attract more followers, and build a community. “It’s easy to watch YouTube, or read an article, but blogs are generally more trustworthy and the user can really get a feel for your overall brand. They allow you to share your first-hand experience (street smarts) and build an audience all over the world.” John Leo Weber, VP of Marketing at ProjectManager, said a way to increase traffic is to start building a community that is passionate about your topic.
Be Consistent and Visible
Part of the challenge of building a successful blog is being consistent with content and customer engagement. The easiest way to start getting the word out is to post links on social media, but you must continue to engage with people.
Those Pesky Algorithms
Figuring out the ebb and flow of search engine algorithms can be overwhelming. However, until you can afford to have an SEO professional on board, there are steps you can take to increase your online rankings. Weber said because the barrier to entry for blogging is so much lower, it’s going to take more strategy to get above the crowd. What you can do to help boost your rankings right from the beginning? Montgomery said to get high quality backlinks and push out relevant content on a regular basis. “Getting your content to perform well online comes down to a numbers game. Due to the complexity of Google’s ranking algorithms, combined with the insane speed of the modern news cycle, it is nearly impossible to predict how well a specific piece of content will perform. There have been times where I’ve spent months on a massive piece of complex content, only to receive lackluster rankings, shares, and traffic. Other times, I’ve spent 15 minutes writing a short informational piece that I just wanted to get out the door, only to see it become one of the highest ranking and highest trafficked pieces of content on the website.” Your blog posts can be more search engine friendly by using keywords, including a photo with a caption, alt tag and keyword rich name, a catchy headline, a minimum of 300 words, and, if using, WordPress install the Yoast plugin to focus your metadata, Short said. Also, start tracking your blog weekly and monthly through Google Analytics to see what is connecting with your audience.
Blog Faux Pas
For newbies, you don’t want to start down this path and end up committing blogging faux pas that turn off your audience. Montgomery said some of the blogging fails include: writing about unfamiliar topics, trying to sound like an expert in a topic if you aren’t one, using a fake personality, tricking your audience or talking about fake experiences.
Making A.R.T.
People are looking for trustworthy outlets for helpful and relevant information, like TechCo, personal blogs such as KrebsonSecurity or premium domain services like .ME. For beginners, building a blog is an opportunity to build one’s brand as a trustworthy and authentic place to gather information, learn more about a specific topic or be inspired.
Keep on Truckin'
Weber reminds the beginners to not get discouraged if each post doesn’t draw the amount of traffic you had hoped, just keep on delivering quality content. Read more about building your brand online on TechCo This article was brought to you in partnership with .ME, the premium top-level domain for professionals focused on building their online reputation. Learn more at www.domain.me. Download this free guide on How to Start a Blog.
