The reasons for blogging are clear. A blog is a platform for companies to make statements about who they are, what they do, and make comments about the sectors in which they operate. A corporate blog is a central resource through which to demonstrate thought-leadership and therefore attract more interest in their services. It’s also a reliable online space on which to host a conversation around the topics that matter most to them and those they serve.
Once a decision has been made to start publishing regular blog posts, it’s easy to set up a blog on one of the many free hosted blogging sites available such as the Google owned www.blogger.com and ever-popular www.wordpress.com. However, look beneath the hood and you’ll find that by taking just a extra few small steps, you’ll be on a much better path if you set up a self-hosted WordPress blog.
Here are some benefits of self-hosting your blog using the WordPress platform rather than letting WordPress host it for you on their free package
- upload your own theme: I highly recommend the Thesis theme for WordPress which not only is highly visually clear and configurable, but it is technically very heavily search engine optimised compared to the limited theme options available on WordPress.com. The self-hosted WordPress blog lets you upload your own themes, while the blog hosted by WordPress doesn’t.
- upload your own plugins: When visitors come to your site, you want them to be able to keep them there through plugins that point them to related posts as well as other site engagement features. The self-hosted WordPress blog lets you do that, while the blog hosted by WordPress doesn’t.
- own your content: terms and conditions change all the time – don’t be bound by them. At what point will a third party blog host decide that they now own your content? Don’t risk it. Own your own content.
- host it on your own domain to help your corporate website rise up in search engine rankings and keep it looking professional on your own domain rather than a 3rd party web link
So what’s involved in having a self-hosted WordPress blog?
- get a domain name for the blog. I use GoDaddy. Costs around $10 USD per year
- get a hosting account. I recommend Dreamhost for hosting of unlimited domains (and they give you one free domain so you don’t need to do step 1). Costs around $120 USD per year
- point the domain name to your web host’s servers
- install the WordPress platform & configure the settings
- select a theme or upload one of your choice. I highly recommend the Thesis for WordPress theme.
- select the right theme colours and upload your logo to match your corporate brand
- install plugins to make the site more engaging for your visitors
Remember to regularly backup your blog posts so you don’t lose your wealth of customer-attracting content – backups are very easy to do within WordPress.
Recommended reading: 6 Steps for Setting Up A WordPress Site, in 20 Minutes [with pictures!] (via @ChandeshParekh)
