6 Steps to Set Up an Online Business Blog

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After you’ve done your business planning, and you’ve brainstormed about which topics you would like to blog, follow these six steps to setup an online business blog.

Find Powerful Keywords

In your brainstorming sessions you uncovered topics of interest about which you want to blog. Hopefully, you now have several topics upon you can build you business blogging empire.

Now you need to discover whether enough people have enough interest in your topic areas for you to build a business from their interest. You want to know what words people use to search the Internet for information on your topics. The number of searches will be an indication of how large the market for your products will be. Simply put; no interest, no market!

I recommend using WordTracker free keywords tool available on the Internet Simply search on Google for WordTracker and follow the through instructions they provide for finding and choosing keywords.

Register Your Domain Name

Once you have identified and listed the keywords that your potential market uses to search the Internet for information about your topic, you must find and register an available domain name.

Why register a domain name before you even have a web site or product? You begin building your brand with your domain name. You want to choose one that incorporates as much as possible the keywords you found during your keyword research.

It’s entirely possible, that your domain name may not have anything to do with your product. Remember, people are typically looking for INFORMATION when they search, not a product.  I recommend you use NameCheap to search for available domain names and as your domain registrar. They only charge $9.69 per domain and provide easy to use domain management software on their site. Their support has been outstanding as well.

By the way, contrary to what you may have heard, all the good domain names have not already been taken. One creative individual even took advantage of people’s typing mistakes and registered the name blooger.com.

Set Up Your Hosting Account

Your hosting account is the place where you will store all the files that make up your blog. You will install your blog, databases, and images on your hosting account. I recommend you use HostGator as your hosting service. They have a great cPanel interface that provides all the tools you need to upload files, create database, and create your business email accounts. I recommend that you purchase the $7.95 per month unlimited domains package. They also provide excellent 24/7/365 support.

Since you are reading this, I know you already have an Internet service provider (ISP). Your hosting account is accessed via your ISP.

Create Your Blog

As I mentioned in an earlier article, Blogging for Customers, you can certainly create your blog for free on Blogger.Com. However, there are limits to how much configuration you can do with such a blog. You can also install the free software available from WordPress. However, you will still need to configure it so that it functions as a business blog. This requires the installation of plugins and code that provide income from sources like AdSense and affiliate sites.

This is one of those cases in which I absolutely recommend that you purchase a particular product. I publish all my blogs on Expert WordPress blogging system created by Alex Sysoef. Expert WordPress is configured right from the start to function as a business blog. In addition to a fully configure business blogging system, you will get the best video training on all aspects of the blogging business to be found anywhere.

This is one of those cases where an Internet marketing purchase is also an investment. Read my review of Expert WordPress at Internet Income Advisors Reviews for more information. Even if you choose not to invest in Expert WordPress, you will still gain an understanding of the things you should look for in a business blogging system.

Automate Your Payment Processing

Initially, I am going to recommend that you use PayPal. Signup is free, and it is the most trusted name in automated payment systems.

PayPal also provides payment buttons and other interface elements that allow you to include your brand as part of the payment process. They have excellent support and some very fine training materials as well.

Should you decide to add an online store feature, almost all online store plugins or software come pre-configured for use with PayPal.

Set Up a Mailing List

Almost anyone in the Internet marketing arena will tell you that the money is in your list. Think of the list as the people you would call your “regulars” in a restaurant or brick and mortar store. Your list is made up of the people who have asked you to send them information. In other words, they are interested in what you have to say and in what you may be selling.

However, your list must be comprised of people who have opted in to receive what you have to say or sell. This is what Seth Godin called “permission marketing.”

I only recommend Aweber for this function of your business. Aweber provides excellent training and support and, more importantly, has a very high delivery rate. It doesn’t do you much good if the autoresponder you use doesn’t get the mail to your customers. An effective autoresponder is an essential to setting up your online business blog.

So . . . there are the six steps you must take while setting up your business blog.

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Source by Jerry Nielsen