Published on March 16th, 2021 | by Sunit Nandi

How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform for Your Business

There are currently more than 4.66 billion individual users on the internet right now. If your business isn’t among the billions of websites on the internet, you’re missing out on a lot of potential sales. Digital marketing is a fast, modern way to improve both brand awareness and conversion rates.

Don’t know how to build a website for your business? Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be an expert coder or graphic designer to create your live website. With the help of AI tools and smart programs, you can even have a site up and running by the end of the day—even if you have zero prior experience in web development. You just need to know which tools to use.

Using Blogs to Help Promote Your Business

There are many types of websites that a business owner can use to scale their brand, but one of the simplest and most effective ones is a blog. First, they’re very easy to build. Even a complete newbie can have a simple blog running and ready for their audience in just a matter of hours.

Second, blogs stimulate engagement. Create thought-provoking content your audience would be interested in to create blog engagement. Your goal should be to have readers commenting on your post and sharing article links from your site on social media.

Third, blog sites are versatile. A “blog” site does not necessarily mean your website will consist of nothing but wordy stories and chunks of text. On the contrary, this is frowned upon.

A good blog site is a comprehensive one that consists of a combination of text, videos, and images that perfectly describe what your brand is, who you serve, what you offer, and how potential customers can get in touch with you.

Fourth, you can integrate your eCommerce shop with your blog site. There are dozens of plug-ins and add-ons that allow sellers to transform their site into the ultimate eCommerce platform containing all their goods and services. You can upgrade your site to automate:

Inventory and Order Fulfillment: This feature is ideal for dropshippers who want to focus solely on brand marketing. Let your shop handle orders on its own.
Payment Collection: A reliable online payment processing system allows you to entertain customers from all across the globe. Just make sure your payment gateway is safe from cyber threats.
Customer Support: You can have an automated chatbot handle simple complaints and queries.

Best Blogging Platforms for Beginners to Build Their First Blog Site On

Best Overall: WordPress

WordPress is arguably the best blogging site for all types of businesses. First, the site is very versatile. You’ll have dozens of pre-made designs and templates to choose from. Whether you’re going for a simple, minimalist aesthetic or a loud, eye-catching design, there’s a WordPress template just for you.

Second, users get to choose from multiple add-ons and plug-ins. Another reason why WordPress is so versatile is you can load the site with third-party plug-ins for extra features and functionality. Plug-in options range from website layout optimizers to eCommerce automated chatbot systems.

Lastly, they have multiple plans for users to choose from. If you’re looking to create a demo site for your brand and simply test things out for the first time, go with their free plans with sample domain names. On the other hand, those who want to create a full-on business website can invest in their hosting plan and domain name.

Best for Beginners: Wix

WordPress is fairly easy to navigate, but some beginners still find it a bit hard to use. The wide range of design options can feel overwhelming. If you’re looking for something simpler and more beginner-friendly, try Wix.

They have a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor that features a good selection of design templates and styles to choose from. The lack of customization makes the creation process much simpler.

Similar to WordPress, Wix offers free domain options. Those looking to test the water before executing a full-scale digital marketing strategy can try Wix’s free plans. Use the demo account to learn a bit about web development as well.

Best for Professional B2B Marketing: LinkedIn

If your only focus is to generate high-quality, professional leads for your business, try LinkedIn. Unlike the aforementioned blogging platforms, users won’t be creating their websites. Rather, business owners will create a LinkedIn account where they can post all their blogs, engage with readers, and network with prospective clients.

Driving Traffic to Your Blog Site

Building an eye-catching, fast-loading, easy-to-navigate business website is simply the first part of creating a strong online presence. After setting up a live website, the next thing you need to do is market it. It won’t matter if you have the most helpful content or provide the best deals on your website if no one’s there to see it. Don’t skimp on generating web traffic.

Here are some ways to attract more visitors to your website:

Follow SEO Strategies

Incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) strategies into your content creation process. The idea is to curate your website to match Google’s algorithm, secure a top spot on Google SERPs, and increase site visibility. This is an organic way to improve web traffic.

SEO guidelines include:

Using highly searched keywords. Go for keywords that the general public would use rather than jargon and difficult terms only specialists know about. You can find out what readers are looking up on Google by using SEO keyword generator tools. Sprinkle your chosen keywords throughout your web pages, preferably in the headline, content, and meta description.
Adding images to your sites. Nothing turns off readers faster than a web page filled with long chunks of black and white text. Liven up your website with some images. You can use original photos or download royalty-free ones online
Creating 100% original copy. Never plagiarize content. Directly copying and pasting the work of other sites onto your site decreases brand credibility and forces Google to categorize you as a spam website. Invest in original content.

Promote on Social Media

As of 2020, there are 3.6 billion active social media accounts on the internet. Brands and businesses should center their digital marketing strategy around social media growth and popularity. Here are some of the platforms your brand should be on:

Facebook

With more than 30% of Earth’s population on Facebook, it’s no exaggeration to say that this platform remains the king of social media websites. It’s a multimedia site that allows you to post a combination of images, text, and videos.

Facebook consists of multiple age groups. 72.8% of the community ranges from 18 to 44 years old, so the platform is suitable for all types of businesses, no matter who their target market is.

Instagram

Instagram is another social media platform you cannot afford to miss out on, especially if you run an eCommerce store. Statistics show that more than 130 million individual accounts click on shopping-related posts per month.

If you’re marketing on Instagram, your goal should be to build a solid following of loyal customers and high-quality prospects. To do that, post images regularly. The Instagram algorithm relies heavily on post engagement and relevance, if you do not post regularly, accounts with more followers and higher quality posts will overtake your brand.

TikTok

TikTok is an up-and-coming social media platform with around 50 million active users. It’s not as popular as Instagram or Facebook, but it has a unique algorithm.

Unlike the aforementioned platforms, TikTok does not rely heavily on the number of followers an account has. Rather, it judges your content based on engagement. An account with 10 followers has just as much chance to create a viral video as an account with 10 million followers does if the former reaches the necessary engagement.

Collaborate With Influencers

If you have the funds to scale your brand, try working with influencers. In the age of social media, thousands of users have succeeded in creating a personal brand around their names. These are what we call influencers.

Small business owners and startups on a tight budget can opt to collaborate with micro-influencers. These are internet personalities with a following of around 1,000 to 5,000 accounts. They charge far less than the average influencer. Some might even agree to an X-deal and promote your business in exchange for free products or services.

Final Thoughts

Building a blog is one of the simplest, quickest ways to start building an online presence for your brand. Newbies with zero experience in web development can have a basic blog website and eCommerce shop running in less than a day without spending more than a few bucks for the domain.

Of course, the availability of AI website builders and smart editors doesn’t mean you can completely forego the talent and importance of a creative team. You’ll need to hire specialists if you want to create a customized site. Although, brands might not need to worry too much about this until they’ve hit a certain level of traffic and are ready to take their digital marketing strategies to the next level.

Which of these blogging platforms would you use to build your first website? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

Tags: best, blogging platform, platform

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.