person blogging on laptop sitting on desk with plants and notepad

Starting a blog is the best thing I ever did for my business. Over the past few years, my blog has helped me reach my target audience and get inbound leads without having to rely on social media. Below, I’ll discuss how to start a blog for business so you can implement a sustainable marketing strategy, too.

Not only do I love blogging for business, but so do my clients! “This year, I finally figured out how to use my blog to boost my SEO and drive traffic to my site,” says Brittany Wong, Owner and Creative Director at Happyland Creative. “More importantly, blogging has helped me develop my brand voice.”

If you’re ready to start a business blog to grow your reach and generate strong leads, you’re in the right place. Below, we’ll look at a step-by-step guide to starting a blog as a business and answers to common blogging questions.

Why start a blog for my business?

Starting a blog for your business can help you rank on Google, reach your target audience, and generate strong leads.

“Blogging has been a pivotal part of my business visibility as it’s allowed people to discover my podcast, which is a top priority since this yields the highest client conversions,” says Andria Singletary, Owner and Visibility Strategist for Moms at Mama Turned Mompreneur. “My blog has also helped me build my domain authority, increase my website traffic, and grow my email list.”

How to Start a Blog for Business in 10 Steps

Determine your goal(s) - Know why you want to start blogging (e.g., increase brand awareness, increase inbound leads, build your email list, etc.)
Choose a blogging platform - If you don’t have a website yet, you’ll need to choose a platform with blogging capabilities, which most have
Set up your blog - Choose a domain name, establish your branding, and design your blog page
Understand your target audience - Get clear on who you’re writing for and how you can help them
Create a content calendar - Plan your topic pillars and blogging frequency with a content calendar
Brainstorm blog topics - Consider what your target audience wants to read and learn more about
Do keyword research - Find SEO keyword phrases relevant to your blog topic ideas because this can help your articles rank on Google and get organic search traffic
Write and publish your first blog post - Create an outline, find sources if needed, and write helpful content for your ideal clients or customers
Promote your blog - Get traffic to your blog through Google, social media, email marketing, Pinterest, etc.
Grow your blogging skills - Continue learning about best blogging practices as you publish more articles

1. Determine your goal(s)

Before you can effectively create blog posts, you need to know what your goals are. This can help guide your content and ensure you’re using your time efficiently.

Possible goals for blogging include:

Increase brand awareness
Provide thought leadership
Create awareness about a topic
Increase inbound leads
Sell your offers
Build your email list
Share resources with customers/clients

Many people have multiple goals for blogging. For example, my goals are to rank on Google for more website traffic to increase inbound leads, build my email list, and get more clients. Singletary’s blogging goals are to increase her business and podcast visibility and grow her email list to help boost client conversions.

When choosing your blogging goals, consider a few short- and long-term goals for your business and how your blog can help with that. For example, you may want to make 20 weekly sales or get five new clients monthly to meet a specific income goal this year. In that case, you’ll want to write articles that can help you rank on Google and increase traffic and leads.

2. Choose a blogging platform

If you don’t have a website yet, you’ll need to start there before creating your blog. There are many website platforms for blogging, including Squarespace, Webflow, and WordPress. Most website platforms have similar features and blogging abilities.

To choose the best platform, I recommend considering your budget first. Then, look at a few options and reviews. You can also look into web hosting – some platforms include hosting, while others require you to pay for a separate hosting platform.

Wong uses Webflow for her website and blog. “I highly recommend Webflow because it allows so much creativity when it comes to design. However, there’s a steep learning curve, so I recommend working with a professional. The blogging capabilities are fantastic and easy to customize and manage.”

My favorite blogging platform is Squarespace because it’s affordable, offers helpful analytics, and has over a hundred customizable templates. Squarespace offers hosting and lets you include a lot on your site, including a blog, shop, course, and whatever else you may need. You can also keep your Squarespace site simple with a few pages and a blog.

3. Set up your blog

If your website is brand new, you’ll need to set up the main pages (e.g., home, about, and contact) along with your blog page.

The main steps you’ll need to take to get your blog going include:

Get a domain name - Your domain is your website’s unique name (i.e., www.thisisyourdomainname.com) and will probably be your name or your business name. You usually have to pay $10 to $20 per year for your domain name. Most website platforms offer a guide for getting your domain name.
Consider your branding - Your brand is your business’ unique identity and includes your target audience, offers, and brand look. Unless your business is new, you likely already have branding. Your branding is important for your blog because it helps build trust with your readers.
Design your blog - Most websites have various blog templates based on the type of business and mood. For example, you can choose your site’s main subject (e.g., photography, beauty, marketing, etc.) for the most appropriate layout options. The template is simply a starting point, which you can customize to fit your brand and needs.

4. Understand your target audience

When thinking about your target audience, get clear on who you’re writing for and why. This helps you choose appropriate blog topics, write specifically for your target audience, and encourage them to take action.

Before you start writing blog articles, I recommend getting clear on the answers to these questions:

What are your offers, and who do they help?
What problems do you help people solve?
What goals do you help people achieve?
What questions do clients/customers often ask you?

Knowing this information can guide your content and help you determine what to write about, how to speak to your readers, and what to encourage them to do (e.g., download a freebie, inquire about working together, shop your products, etc.).

5. Create a content calendar

A content calendar helps you plan your blogging frequency and topics. You can plan for the month or quarter ahead, which can help you hold yourself accountable for actually blogging. With a plan and clear direction, you’re more likely to follow through. That said, when you’re just starting out, it’s okay to write and publish your first article before you plan too far ahead.

While the best blogging frequency depends on your goals and bandwidth, I typically recommend publishing at least one monthly SEO-friendly blog article to rank on Google and get organic traffic.

For Singletary, her bogging frequency depends on her capacity as a mom and business owner. “I’ve had periods where I've published new blogs weekly and other seasons with one or two articles per month.”

Similarly, Wong’s goal is to publish one to two articles per month, but she sometimes gets busy and misses that goal. However, she does recommend jotting down blog post ideas as soon as they come to you – which your content planning calendar can help with – because this can help you overcome writer's block when it is time to blog.

My customizable content planning calendar has two pages: one for planning and one for listing pillars and ideas. You can access this in my SEO blogging course or toolbox.

6. Brainstorm blog topics

Your content calendar helps you brainstorm blog topics. You can use the “Pillars” tab on the content calendar above to jot down topic ideas as they come up.

When considering possible blog topics, think back to your target audience – how you help them, their common questions, etc. For example, I’m an SEO writer and consultant who helps business owners rank on Google and increase their website traffic, so most of my blog articles answer questions about website SEO and blogging.

You’ll likely find that as you begin blogging and talk more with your ideal clients or customers, topics will come to you more often. When writing blog posts, consider what subtopics you could also write about (e.g., easy skincare routine -> easy morning/night skincare routine). You can also see how articles perform to determine what topics your audience is most interested in.

7. Do keyword research

Before writing a blog article, you need to do keyword research to ensure you’re targeting a keyword phrase people are searching Google for. Otherwise, you risk writing an article that your target audience can’t find.

It’s also okay to occasionally write timely and thought leadership articles and share them on social media or in your email newsletter to encourage traffic.

You can use your blog topic ideas to guide your keyword research. While it takes time to get the hang of keyword research, the idea is that you’ll do a broad search based on your topic ideas to find relevant SEO keyword phrases. My favorite keyword research tool is Keysearch, and you can try it at no cost for seven days.

For each blog article, you’ll target one primary keyword and include it in your title, introduction paragraph, and naturally throughout your article. I recommend using your keyword phrase at least a few times in your blog article. In this article, I’m targeting the keyword phrase how to start a blog for business.

To learn more about finding and using keywords in blog articles, check out my SEO blogging course.

8. Write and publish your first blog post

Once you have your blog set up and know what to write about, it’s time for your first blog post.

I find that many people don’t dive into blogging because they get stumped on the first few blog posts. Getting started and understanding that you’ll get better with time and trial and error is key to successful blogging.

The following steps can help you write a successful blog post for your business:

Create an outline - An outline can help you determine what your article will cover. Use this outline template to get started.
Find sources - Relevant studies and expert insights can help you write unique content. The best sources will depend on your article topic. Qwoted and call-outs on social media are ideal for getting insights from subject matter experts.
Write easy-to-read and helpful content - Use short paragraphs and lists, and headers to make your content easy to read and skim. Make sure you stick to the topic – include any important or useful information and leave out unnecessary fluff.
Add visuals - Use stock photos, graphics, screenshots, and videos to include visuals, break up the content, and keep readers engaged. Ideally, your visuals will serve a purpose and help the reader.
Optimize for SEO - Writing with your keyword phrase and target audience in mind helps you optimize for SEO. After you write the article, you can ensure other SEO techniques, including image alt text, internal links, and meta information, are in place to boost your chances for ranking and traffic.
Edit and proofread - Before publishing your blog article, finalize it by editing and proofreading. I use Grammarly to edit and check for readability, grammar, and spelling. Then, proofread aloud to ensure your content reads well.

9. Promote your blog

Once your blog is published, you can promote it to start getting traffic. Ideally, SEO-friendly blog posts will get organic traffic from Google. However, this can take time. Promoting your blog posts will help boost your traffic.

You can promote your blog on social media, with your email list, and on Pinterest. Typically, you’ll share a snippet of the article and the link for people to read more. You might also join Facebook groups where your target audience is and share your blog articles on relevant posts.

I recommend choosing at least one way to promote your blog articles outside of Google. Over time, you might have several strategies for getting blog traffic. For example, I get visitors to my blog from Google, LinkedIn, my email list, and Facebook.

10. Grow your blogging skills

Becoming a successful blogger takes time and practice. I still learn new skills and strategies even with over six years of blogging experience – whether it’s about time management, SEO, or writing to convert.

“My number one blogging tip is to learn and understand SEO,” says Singletary. “You can write the most amazing blogs, but without SEO, people can’t find and read them. SEO doesn’t have to be complicated or scary, but if you need someone to break it down for you in a simplified way, I highly recommend chatting with Polly. She makes it so easy to understand!”

Don’t wait until you feel confident to start. You can continue growing your blogging skills with each article you write. The more you blog, the better you’ll become.

How to Start a Business Blog: FAQs

Learn more about how to start a blog for business with answers to common questions below.

Is blogging still worth it in 2025?

Blogging is well worth it in 2025 to increase your brand awareness, reach your target audience, and generate strong leads.

Although blogging and other marketing strategies have evolved, many people still consume long-form content like blogs before making a purchase. Long-form content helps you build authority to develop trust with consumers, which is necessary for building an audience and making sales.

What makes a good blog post?

A good blog post is helpful to readers, optimized for SEO, and relates to your brand and target audience. The goal of blogging is to reach and connect with your ideal customers or clients, and a good blog article will help you do this.

Do blogs make money?

There are many ways blogs can make money, including affiliate marketing, ad revenue, and sales.

Most businesses who offer service(s) or product(s) make money blogging by simply writing helpful content and promoting offers throughout or at the end of the article. For example, my e-commerce client, Oakwell Cosmetics, sells skin and hair care products. This blog post about relaxing bath ideas shares ways people can create a peaceful bath experience and includes their product links throughout the article.

Should I use AI for blogging?

AI can be helpful for blogging, but you must be mindful about how you use it. I don’t recommend having an AI tool write your blog articles, as this pulls already-existing content from the web. Instead, it’s best to write your own content to ensure your articles are unique and specifically for your audience.

If you want to use AI for blogging, use it as a helper and at your best discretion. For example, you might have AI help you come up with relevant topics or create an outline while you write the bulk of the content.

Do I need to know SEO for blogging?

You should know SEO for blogging because it helps people find your articles. If you write blogs without optimizing for SEO, you miss out on Google rankings and traffic. SEO techniques also help you write useful content.

Those with a large audience via social media, email, or another platform can get blog traffic without SEO. However, organic search is one of the best ways to increase website traffic and generate strong leads.

How to Start a Blog for Business: Conclusion

I hope you found this article helpful and feel inspired to start a business blog. Blogging can be a great way to increase your website traffic, reach your target audience, and increase conversions.

If you want to learn how to create blog posts that help you meet your goals, check out my SEO blogging course. It’s a start-to-finish roadmap with actionable steps and customizable templates to help you go from confused to confident about blogging.

How to Start a Blog for Business: A Step-by-Step Guide