You don’t have to spend money on your blog. But like any hobby, if you want to get serious, a bit of investment is required. Below are some of the worthy times to spend money on your blog.
Getting your own domain name
Blogger and WordPress are two of the most popular free platforms for those wanting to start a blog. When you create a blog on one of these platforms, you’re automatically assigned a website domain ending in either ‘.blogspot.com’ or ‘.wordpress.com.’.
These domain names can make your blog look a little amateurish. If you want to be taken seriously, it’s worth buying a domain name that doesn’t end in ‘.blogpost.com’ or ‘.wordpress.com’. There are lots of sites where you can buy domain names. Domain names can vary in price depending on how sought after they are and need to be renewed every couple years.
Obtaining an SSL certificate
When you apply for an SSL certificate, the beginning of your web address is changed from ‘http’ to ‘https’. A padlock icon is also displayed next to the web address.
What does this mean? It tells web users that your website is secure. An SSL certificate is worth purchasing because it can encourage visitors to trust your website. SSL certificates for blogs tend to be pretty cheap and can be renewed on an annual basis.
Improving your site’s design/graphics
Most blogs are built using generic templates, which can make them feel a little basic and samey. Investing in graphics or web design could help to make your blog look more unique – and potentially more like a professional website.
You could spend money on extra WordPress themes or you could hire a graphic designer to build you a logo. You could even look into hiring a website designer to completely customize the UI (such as creating custom drop-down menus, buttons and search bars).
Advertising your blog
To help build exposure for your blog, it could be worth paying for some advertising. Adverts can be a great way to rapidly attract more readers – providing that you target them at the right demographics. You don’t have to spend much on an advertising campaign. In fact, the likes of Google Ads allow you to spend as little as $5. Another option is to inquire about a banner ad on fellow bloggers websites.
To help target your ads at the right users, it could be worth investing in PPC services. This involves paying professionals to handle your campaign so that your ads are more likely to convert readers.
Investing in some SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) is a strategy used to boost the search engine rankings of a website. This could increase the amount of people that stumble across your blog when using search engines like Google and Bing.
DIY SEO is not easy to pull off. You’re much better off paying an SEO agency or investing in courses to boost your rankings for you. Such agencies use a variety of tactics such as adding in keywords, boosting the speed of your website and building backlinks to improve your rankings. Shop around to find a reputable SEO company or program.
