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For modern business owners of all sizes, having an online presence is a high priority for generating sales. Most business websites offer goods, services, and relevant marketing content. These businesses are also promoting their brands through blogging. A well crafted, engaging blog can advance brand image and keep customers in the loop about new developments. For business owners, starting a blog on the right platform should be a crucial part of any web marketing plan. In this post, we’ll cover how to choose the best blogging platform for business promotion.
Decide On The Scale Of The Blog
When choosing a blogging platform, the first step in your decision-making process is to decide what kind of blog to setup. Scale is frequently the most important single factor of this decision. For some businesses, a simple new feed with a few products might work. These blogs are like Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, web 2.0 sites or social feed updates. For other businesses, a blog can be a fully fledged aspect of an online marketing presence. These types of blogs may required a full CMS backend such as WordPress, Blogger or Joomla. Before any blogging platform is chosen, business owners should decide what kind of blog they want to make.
Search Engine Friendliness
An important feature of any blog is how well the platform works with search engines. Search engine discoverability and optimization is a feature that can help a business pull in more customers that are interested in the products or services that business provides. Additionally, appearing more prominently on searches helps the business by drawing in customers more familiar with your products. For example, a customer looking for a similar product or service will find your business before other businesses. Blogging platforms that provide this service and provide it well should be considered before platforms that don’t.
Next, you need a blogging platform that is search engine friendly. Many platforms offer SEO features that allow your business to increase it’s rankings in the search engines. Choose a platform that has a fast loading time, clean code and customizable meta tags. Furthermore, the top blogging software will feature plugins and addons to help you track keyword optimization, internal links and other on-page factors. Of course, ranking prominently in the search engines will attract more customers to your products and services. Furthermore, a well optimized blog offers a strong advantage over the competition. Compare the SEO friendliness of the blogging platform to boost your business promotion online.
Pricing Model Considerations
When considering which blogging service to use, business owners should keep pricing models in mind. While some blogging platforms are free, many enterprise level systems operate on a subscription service model and sell advanced features as add-ons. These services can include features like forums, paid memberships, or online store platforms. Other paid blogging services also offer increased hosting space for increased customization. Many paid services can help business owners advance their marketing by selling access to stock image libraries or advanced template designs. Business owners should weigh the cost of additional features with their budget and long term goals.
Level Of Customization Options
When choosing a blog, business owners have to consider the different levels of customization available. Most blogs offer basic customization in the form of stock images, a variety of background themes, and some layout options. More advanced blog platforms are almost fully customizable, including Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and web scripting. These platforms also tend to offer a number of stock CSS and script options to allow business owners with little programming experience some ease of use. For a DIY website, simple customizations allow you to get started quickly. Business owners should consider their existing online presence to determine what level of customization is right for them.
Web Hosting And Domain Name Services
Many enterprise level blogging services require a web host and domain name service. Depending on the blogging platform, the specific hosting and server requirements vary for reliable uptime. Often the responsibility for obtaining a web host and domain name falls upon the business owner. Some web hosting and domain name services are tailored specifically for certain blogging platforms. For example, hosting providers can specialize in WordPress packages. These packages are optimized for better performance and security on the WordPress platform. For third party blogging providers, they often provide domain name and hosting services automatically for an extra fee. Business owners should choose their blogging platform after taking in to account their needs in this area.
Choosing the right blogging platform is important for business owners looking to start a blog as it isn’t advisable to change the structure of the blog after customers have gotten used to it. Before even considering any platform, business owners should decide on the size and nature of the blog they want to create. They should choose a service that works well with search engines to attract new customers. They should take in to account the cost of a platform and what additional features that platform has to offer. Customization is also a key aspect of many successful blogs and business owners should ask themselves how far they want to go in that regard. Finally, like any website, business owners should consider what web hosting and domain name services are required and available. Following these steps will help a business owner pick the best blogging platform to promote their business.
