Blogging for Beginners: Why a Hosted Blog is Crucial to Your Success

Recently I spent time with the students in my Platinum Mastermind Mentor group and the question came up as to why it is so important to set up and maintain a blog. I went on to share my thoughts on this and even taught these strategies to those working with me in a twelve week program on how to become a successful online entrepreneur.

It has never been more crucial to your credibility, visibility, and overall success to be blogging on a regular basis. I have two main blogs and strive to update them regularly with topics that are relevant to what I am working to achieve online. For years I have described your blog as being your ‘home on the Internet’. It is the singularly most important website you will ever create, and there are several reasons why this is so true.

When we first get started as an entrepreneur we must have a place to find our voice and express our thoughts and ideas about what we are learning. A blog allows you to do this in a way that is uncensored, an important distinction that is not often brought up in a discussion of blogging. Also, the blog is a site that you own and control, unlike the various social media platforms. Allow me to expand upon this thought.

What I am suggesting is that you set up a hosted WordPress site. You will need to purchase a domain name (I recommend getting your own name for this) and hosting (this is what distinguishes your site from one on a free blogging platform). I use GoDaddy for all of my domains and recommend BlueHost for hosting if you are just getting started). [Click above for discounted links for both]

Social media is quite popular and yet another way to get your name and message out to the world, but think about this as a long term business building strategy. Facebook messages and updates get lost in the shuffle within a day or two, as do those you post on Twitter and LinkedIn. On the other hand, your blog posts remain organized by category and appear in reverse chronological order forever. My main blog has been active since 2007 and contains almost two thousand posts, all of which can be located within a few minutes.

Your blog posts are also indexed by Google, allowing people to find them, and therefore, you just as quickly when doing a search for your name or for one of the topics you have been writing about in the past. Many people find me this way, usually through a post that was written years ago on a topic of interest to them today.

I also share information on the books I have written and about my podcast right here on my blog. Recently I began teaching something I call Book, Blog, Podcast: The Trifecta of Entrepreneurial Success to emphasize the important of this strategy.

In summary, your blog will set you apart by allowing you a platform in which to express your views and share your knowledge, expertise, and experience on your topic. This makes it a winning strategy through which you can build a lucrative business as an online entrepreneur.

Are you blogging for your online business? Please tell us more about your experiences by leaving a comment.