Want to start a blog for your business? Blogs play a vital role in your content marketing and search engine optimisation. In this guide, we'll show you how to create a blog, from choosing your platform to publishing your first post.

What is a blog?
A blog, which is short for weblog, is a website or part of a website consisting of regularly updated articles or blog posts. Blogs started in 1997, initially as a way for people to share online journals with friends and family.

Decades later, blogs have become an important way for individuals and businesses to connect with their target audience. As Google Trends shows, blogs have remained consistent in search trends over the past five years.

What are the benefits of blogging?
In addition to creating a community around content, businesses benefit from blogging in a number of ways.

By regularly publishing high-quality content around a specific topic, companies can position themselves as an informational authority in their niche.
Properly search-optimised blog posts have the potential to rank well in search, ultimately leading to your website.
Blog posts written with the reader in mind can be shared with others on social networks, driving traffic to your website.
Blog posts can become part of your marketing funnel, introducing new people to your business and helping them discover the information they need to make a purchase.
How do you start a blog?
The following process will help you set up your online presence to run a successful blog.

Select a platform
The first step in creating a blog is to select a blogging platform. This is the software you will use to manage your blog content. There are two types of blogging platforms.

Hosted
Hosted blogging platforms allow you to focus more on the content you want to create and less on the technical aspects of creating a blog. While this is a substantial advantage for those who don't like or have time for technology, it does have its drawbacks.

You are limited to the basic functionality of the blog.
You are limited to a smaller selection of templates/designs for your blog with few customisation options.
You may be limited to a URL that looks like you.blog.com instead of you.com.
You must follow the rules of the blogging platform, which can change frequently and affect how you promote your business.
Examples of hosted blogging platforms include WordpressCom. Squarespace, Wix, Medium and Tumblr.

While hosted blogging platforms sell themselves as the ideal service for people who want less technical hassle, there is a better way to get the best of both worlds.

Self-Hosted
Self-hosted blogging platforms allow you to install the blogging software on your domain and run your blog under you.com. This gives you full control over the functionality of your blog and unlimited customisation options for the design.

WordPress is the leading CMS (content management system). It will allow you to create a website with as many pages and blog posts as you want. You can customize the functionality with plugins and the design with a theme. We'll discuss how shortly.

To get started with WordPress, you will need to install it on your domain via a web hosting company. Here's how.

Choose a web hosting provider
Many web hosting providers code WordPress as a specific web hosting plan. The three WordPress companies recommended for hosting include the following.

Bluehost - WordPress hosting plans with free WordPress installation starts at $2.95 per month with free domain registration and free SSL.
DreamHost - WordPress hosting plans with free WordPress setup starts at $2.59 per month with free domain registration and free SSL.
SiteGround - WordPress hosting plans with free WordPress setup starts at $4.99 per month with free SSL.
If you choose one of these WordPress hosting companies, you won't have to worry about installing WordPress. It will come installed on your chosen domain. This is the best option for people who don't want to deal with the technical side of starting your website.

You may also want to look into WordPress hosting. Managed hosting companies, including Kinsta, WPEngine, LiquidWeb or InMotion, offer ongoing WordPress management and customer support. This would allow you to focus on your content while your hosting company manages updates, security and backups.