The Why's and How's of Blogging on a Budget

By now, you have likely heard that there are many, many successful blogs on the Internet. Perhaps you would like to try your hand at running one yourself, whether as a hobby or as a serious business venture. It is very possible to set up a blog for any purpose for a very small upfront cost.

 

Why Blog?

There are any number of reasons why professionals and hobbyists choose to run a blog. Blogs can be on any topic, and serve to keep your customers and followers updated on new products, promotions or services. They also provide content a reader should find intriguing or useful in their lives.

Blog posts can be SEO optimized, which allows them to be more easily found in search engines. Better yet, by updating your blog regularly, you are providing a steady stream of content users can discover in the future. This allows you to stay relevant in an online world where unfathomable amounts of content are being posted every day.

For these reasons, running a blog is an excellent part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.

 

Shop For A Good Deal on Web Hosting

One of the most important expenses you will have when running a blog is the web hosting fee. Fortunately, there are very reasonable rates to be found for web hosting. Some are even less than ten dollars per month.

Price isn't the only thing you should consider, however. You will want to check a host's reputation, including their downtime statistics as well as the bandwidth and support they offer. By considering all of this, you will find a web hosting platform that suits your blog's needs.

You will also need to purchase a custom domain name. Custom domain names rank higher in search engines than free subdomains do, which will substantially increase your web traffic.

 

Use a Free Blog

There are a number of services that allow you to host a blog for free. Major examples include WordPress and Blogger, as well as hybrid blogging-social media sites like Tumblr.

The downside to this is that free options are not prioritized in search results the way paid domains are. These free blogs have what are called subdomains and do not let you have a customized domain name for free. However, by building enough of an audience, it is possible to run a highly influential blog that is hosted entirely for free.

It can be harder to monetize a free blog, but it is possible. On free blogs, you can still have products available for sale, such as ebooks, as well as sell ad space and post affiliate links. Your ability to sell ad space will be determined by the rules in place at the platform you ultimately use.

 

Use Remote Workers

Continuously generating content can be tiring, and you may not have the time or skill to create as much quality content as your blog requires to thrive. Using remote workers and freelancers can meet this need.

This may not be as necessary if you are running the blog as a hobby. However, if you represent a company looking to run a quality blog on a budget, remote workers can provide you with content for less. This frees up more of your time to focus on growing your business and developing your products.

Many employees prefer to work remotely anyway. It saves them a commute, allows them to work from the comfort of their own home and gives them more time to spend with their families. A big advantage to employers is that hiring remote workers saves significant amounts of money in overhead costs.

 

Use Free or Cheap Tools


There are thousands of free tools, templates and other helpful resources to both make your blog better and make you a better blogger. Countless websites and blogs exist with helpful information on how to set up and run a successful blog. Free typefaces can be downloaded that give your blog a more unique feel.

Many blog hosting sites provide you with a significant number of free or reasonably-priced templates to use. Most of these templates are customizable to at least some extent, which gives your blog more personality.

In addition, there are a number of external plugins you can add to your blog for additional functionality. Most plugins are completely free. These are most prominent on WordPress, which is one of the top blogging platforms in the world.

 

Integrate the Blog into a Pre-Existing Corporate Website


If you run a business and look to grow and strengthen its online presence, you likely already have a corporate website. A simple and effective way to start blogging is to add a blog to your existing website. That way you are not paying extra hosting fees for a separate blog.

There are other advantages to having your blog on your corporate site as well. The SEO generated from your blog posts will lead searchers right to your site. This will result in greater exposure for your brand and products and, hopefully, more revenue.

 

Consider Hiring a Web Developer

If you want your blog to be truly unique or part of a corporate website, it may be a good idea to hire a professional web developer. There are plenty of freelance, remote web developers working today who can craft you a beautiful, unique, highly-functional blog for a very reasonable price.

Blogging on a budget is completely possible. In fact, you can set up a blog for between $100 and $200 total for the first year. You may want to spend a bit more money on corporate blogs, but the price tag is still likely to be very reasonable.