Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting about running a blog. Getting started, getting a few visitors, and some simple promotion tactics. Specifically, we’ll look at how to start a blog based on your business, industry, or company. Many business owners I’ve spoken with recently ask about blogging on behalf of their business, and if it’s worthwhile to have multiple blogs (i.e. one for business, one for personal use). Hopefully this series will help you decide!Part 1: Choosing a Domain Name
Your blog needs a home–you’ve heard it before: location, location, location! Online, your domain name (or web address) is your location, and it is the first contact your customers, readers, clients, etc. will have with your blog. In my opinion, here are the best names for a blog in order:
- Your name (unless it’s weird and hard to remember/spell)
- Your business’ name
- Something involving what you do (www.ProfessionalDogWalker.com, www.AwesomeMoneyDude.com)
- Something your customers will search for (use keywords as the domain name or part of it)
- Some combination of the above
Also, you’ll want to secure either a .com or .net domain (or both). To me, .biz, .info, .tv, etc. lack credibility and may confuse your readers as to your motives.
Once you’ve selected some possible options for a name, check Hostmonster.com for their domain name availability (you can use whatever you like, but I’m partial to Hostmonster as they’re my company’s host provider and I’m an affiliate for them!) and see if you can purchase a name you like. If you are ready to jump in right away, Hostmonster also offers GREAT hosting at a great price and they include a free domain name registration when you purchase a package.
I will also add here that as of yesterday, I’ve decided to offer WordPress hosting space, installation, and a domain name for only $2.99/month–effectively the best deal I’ve ever come across. If you want to get a blog up right away, just visit my store, choose a domain name (I’ll check availability and offer alternatives if yours is already taken), and I’ll get your very own blog set up within a day!
Once you have a domain name, we’ll get into detail about what it means to run a blog and what it takes to make one successful (and we’ll look at what success means for us). Stay tuned!
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