{"id":19965,"date":"2018-08-13T13:12:45","date_gmt":"2018-08-13T18:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=19965"},"modified":"2018-09-07T17:08:34","modified_gmt":"2018-09-07T22:08:34","slug":"turn-blog-into-online-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/turn-blog-into-online-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Turn Your Blog Into an Online Brand in 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 Ways to Go from Blog to Online Brand in 2018<\/span><\/h2>\n

When I look back at the past two decades, a lot of websites, blogs, and social media platforms play through my mind — especially those that I personally created and worked with. <\/span><\/p>\n

From the most simple days of basic HTML and static websites, to the now advanced days of mobile usage and social media, it\u2019s all above adapting with the times and providing value to an audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0<\/span>my past 22 years of making money online<\/span><\/a>, one of the most pivotal moments\u00a0 would have to be when I launched my blog at ZacJohnson.com back in 2007. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not only was this a huge business and brand shift for myself, but it was also the first time I started using WordPress and didn\u2019t need to rely on design software and HTML to create my sites.<\/span><\/p>\n

WordPress has changed everything and made the process of creating an online content-focused business or brand a whole lot easier. Since there are no technical skills required, and being that the software is free, everyone may soon have a blog. However, just because it\u2019s easy, it doesn\u2019t mean you are going to find success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every day I get emails from readers of my sites, asking me why they aren\u2019t making money with their blogs. <\/span><\/p>\n

To answer all of these questions and more, today I wanted to cover some of the most effective and important ways to actually turn a blog into a real brand and business.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Building Your Blog, Brand and Business from the Ground Up<\/h2>\n

Before you even get started with a website or blog of your own, you need to know why you are doing this in the first place. For the sake of example, throughout this guide, we are going to focus on <\/span>creating a blog to make money<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In most cases, a blog should be very niche specific, provide a need or information to an audience, and also have some form of monetization as well. Getting a ton of traffic to your site is great, but without a clear focus or calls to action<\/a> (for monetization) in place'\u00a6 it\u2019s just another blog taking up space on the already saturated internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there are many ways to make money with a website or blog, many of them are by sending visitors away from a site or making a quick commission or sale for someone else<\/a>. This is fine, but turning your blog into a brand and respectable source for information is even better.<\/span><\/p>\n

To invest in your online business and brand, you should have a professional logo design and a way to resonate with your audience even after they leave your site. This doesn\u2019t mean you are going to need to spend a lot of time and money. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to online design tools like <\/span>Tailor Brands<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s easy for anyone to create a professional looking logo, without the need to hire an expensive design agency or go through hundreds of freelancers to find the best design work. Below you can see a quick example of a few brand designs created in just a few seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Once you have a brand identity and image in place, you can build a great first impression and brand following online. This means posting the image not just on your site and blog, but also within all your social media profiles and email signatures if possible. Keep in mind that these same <\/span>best practices can be used by freelancers<\/span><\/a> and sole entrepreneurs as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

The long term value in your logo branding and online following can greatly influence the amount your site can charge for reviews, content contributions, display traffic, and affiliate marketing campaigns, and as well as how much you might be able to charge for consulting or related services.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t think a professional logo identity and brand makes a big difference, go see how much it costs to buy banner ad places on a site like ESPN, versus that of another high-traffic sports blog that no one has really heard of. This is also why someone might pay more for a pair of Nike shoes or a Starbucks cup of coffee — it\u2019s all about the brand association!<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. SEO is Dying, but the Long Tail Value is Here to Stay<\/h2>\n

As much as I hate to say it, SEO is kind of making its way out the window. This is always going to be an argued debate, but we can clearly see that <\/span>more people are moving away desktop usage<\/span><\/a> and focusing more on mobile usage, social media, and online video to get their information.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There will likely always be a place for searching websites and content online, but it likely won\u2019t be through the <\/span>traditional Google search and SEO methods<\/span><\/a> that we are familiar with today.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, even with this in mind, the value in long-tail keywords<\/a> is still extremely effective and profitable. When someone searches for something very specific on Google, they are likely ready to take action and buy something. The deciding factor in what site is going to get the sale is who is ranking at the top of Google for these terms.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what does this mean? In short, stop focusing on creating a lot of content, and instead focus on bigger, better, and longer content. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, keep an eye on the latest case studies and trends from other <\/span>top SEO blogs<\/span><\/a>, as these are the sites that are often already ranking well and know what it takes to move up on Google with all of these latest algorithm and user changes in motion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only will this allow you to get more focused with your content and who your target audience is, but it will also help with the content promotion and your link building process<\/a> as well. Keep a close eye on your competition and research not only what keywords and search phrases they are ranking for, but also the different types of content and length they are publishing as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Target Your Best Audience through Social Media<\/h2>\n

Everyone talks about social media and the massive two-billion plus users across the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others. However, not many are actually mastering the art of social media and converting these followers into customers and visits on their site.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, every social platform is different in the way not just content needs to be created, but also how you can reach and promote to such audiences as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, simply by continually using any of the <\/span>top hashtags on Instagram<\/span><\/a>, you can instantly improve your impressions and exposure to millions of new users. The tricky thing about Instagram is that you aren\u2019t going to be allowed to link back to your site, but it\u2019s amazing for visual content creation, branding, and building a following.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you ever needed an example to follow, <\/span>Kylie Jenner<\/span><\/a> is the one to keep an eye on right now. With a net worth of over $900 billion, Kylie has built her massive make up empire through the use of social media and getting new attention, followers, and sales at all times.<\/span><\/p>\n

More often than not, if you take the time to examine your competition and see where most of their traffic is coming from, it\u2019s usually from one social platform over a wide spread across all of them. With this in mind, it\u2019s important to know not only which social network is best for attracting your target audience, but also which methods (visual, text content, paid ads) will work best as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Manual Outreach is Still King in the World of Blogging<\/h2>\n

Like it or not, but in some cases, throwing money at your website or blog will only get it so far. It\u2019s the time-consuming and annoying manual research and outreach that really helps content sites move ahead of the competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many ways to get manual outreach working for your blog and brand. Instead of listing all of them within this article, I recommend you take a look at this <\/span>detailed outreach resource guide<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Whether your outreach is for an infographic, broken link building, or guest blogging'\u00a6 it\u2019s all about the tone and conversation you start with. Here are some of the most notable and effective ways to start using manual outreach and promotion to grow your blog, brand or online business:<\/span><\/p>\n