branding your blogOnline Marketing is the new place to be for love or money. Unfortunately, the Internet is still very much the Wild West of Marketing. Anything goes and for the most part Cornel G is the only authority on the Web and honestly, that is pretty scary.

Branding a new blog starts by taking charge of your online reputation. Actively controlling what is known and said about you and your blog online will protect the Baby and it is like building a house. Build it well, and maintain it, and you and your blog are on your way to a comfortable life and a bright future. Branding your blog actually comes before building your blog and it will clarify your intent and prevent a multitude of errors before you invest time and money into the project. Here are the bare essentials for branding the Baby.

Branding in essence means defining your target market, the niche group of people that you are trying to reach through your website, blog and social media sites. Spend some time using the variety of free to cheap online tools that are available to help you define your niche.

  1. Then choose a domain/blog name. Imagine you are naming a real baby. This takes time, thought, and it definitely takes more than an afternoon. Whenever possible try to choose a domain name with SEO keywords in mind. Wordtracker is the tool of choice for keywords but there are others. Moreover, spend some time finding something that is descriptive, funny, to the point and easy to spell. One of my favorites is: http://www.uglycable.com.au, one of the top HDMI cable suppliers in Australia. Choosing the right domain and blog name is the foundation for everything else. You won’t have the luxury of going back and changing it without losing substantial ground in the rankings. Once you have your name it’s time to build the mote.
  2. Building the mote means that you want to sign up for as many free similar spellings connected to free email accounts and social media sites as you can. Most should be available and if you have done your domain name research properly you will already know what is and isn’t available. If some are taken don’t worry- that’s good. The main purpose in building the mote is to prevent Wild West web outlaws from snagging these names so that they can use them to impersonate you or your business down the road. To build the mote you can and should think about using all of the following:
  • Create a simple website even if you are intent only on blogging using WordPress. It’s just an opinion but starting with WordPress.org rather than the free WordPress.com lets you start your blog without the heartache of later needing to switch if it becomes popular. You can also imbed your blog into your website. Paying for a good hosting service is worth every penny. It puts an investment into the project which will make you much more likely to follow through. In addition, put some thought into languages and servers. Both directly impact SEO and site speed. PHP, (front and back end) and Apache Servers offer speed and security but there are a variety of others.
  • Create a Google Profile.
  • Open Social Media accounts. The service Namechk will let you check and do all the social media names at once.
  • Link to affiliated organizations within your niche market. Create links between all of your sites.
  • After identifying your keywords spread them around throughout your blog and social media sites. Make sure to fill out all of the information requests for each site and make it SEO friendly with keywords.
  1. Find a designer to design a logo. The better your name the easier it will be to decide on a fantastic logo. Why do you need a logo? Well, if your blog catches on and it starts to take off you will want to brand it further. Logos can capture the essence of your blog quickly and simply in a way that the written word just can’t master. In addition, once you have a logo you can start investing in everything from promotional gifts to online advertising to attract viewers to your site.
  2. Be patient and keep at it. Real babies take years to grow. Really successful websites and blogs are often the same way. Throwing tons of money at it will not ensure success but steadfast doggedness, care and constant attention can pay off handsomely once your little baby has become a rock star.