How to Start Blogging for Business and Earn Money Side Hustling in The UK

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Blogging is mostly considered an activity for individuals that use their personal blogs to share their passion, expertise, and opinions with the world.

But did you know that you can also use blogging to grow and market your business and earn money on the side?

No? Then check out this guide where we will show you how to start blogging for business and earn money from side hustling in the UK. And get inspired by these start-up blogs and how they do it.

What is blogging for small businesses?

blogging

Blogging for business is using a website’s blog as a marketing tool to attract and engage your target audience, build trust and credibility, and generate leads and sales for your products or services.

A blog can also help you establish yourself as an authority in your niche, showcase your portfolio or case studies, and create a loyal community of fans and customers through the helpful and informative content they find there.

Blogging for business is different from blogging as a hobby or for personal reasons. You need to have a clear goal and website strategy for your blog, as well as a consistent schedule and quality content that provides value to your readers.

You also need to measure and optimize your blog’s performance using analytics and SEO tools.

If you’re new to this, we suggest you check out some of the expert SEO and blogging courses at the SeekaHost University such as:

SEO Training Course

Blog for Profits Course

These are completely free, and you can go through the course modules as you please, learning what you need to know to build and monetise your business blog.

What are the benefits of blogging for business?

Blogging for business can bring you many benefits, such as:

  • Increased visibility: A blog can help you rank higher on search engines and drive more organic traffic to your website. According to HubSpot, companies that blog get 55% more website visitors than those that don’t. And you can also see how true this is for SeekaHost where the top performing blog posts bring in the most organic traffic as listed via Ahrefs:

what-are-the-benefits-of-blogging-for-business

  • Increased authority: A blog can help you showcase your expertise and knowledge in your field, and position yourself as a trusted source of information and solutions. According to Demand Gen’s Report, 47% of buyers view 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.
  • Increased engagement: A blog can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and encourage them to interact with your brand through comments, shares, feedback, and referrals. According to Content Marketing Institute, 61% of consumers say they feel more positive about a company that delivers custom content.
  • Increased conversions: A blog can help you generate more leads and sales for your products or services, by providing valuable information that educates, persuades, and motivates your prospects to take action. According to HubSpot, marketers who prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to see positive ROI.

How to start blogging for business in the UK?

If you want to start blogging for business in the UK, here are some steps you need to follow:

1. Choose a niche suitable for your business

A niche is a specific topic or area of interest that you want to focus on with your blog. Choosing a niche will help you attract a more targeted audience, stand out from the competition, and create more relevant and engaging content. To choose a niche for business blogging, you need to consider your passion, expertise, audience needs, market demand, and profitability potential. You also need to consider which topics resonate with your business.

2. Choose a reliable blogging platform

A platform is a software or service that you use to create and manage your blog. There are many blogging platforms available, but the most popular and recommended one is WordPress. WordPress is free, easy to use, customizable, secure, and SEO-friendly. To use WordPress, you first need to register a domain name (your blog’s address) and sign up for a web hosting service (your blog’s home). You can learn how to do this in under 5 minutes here:

3. Choose a theme in line with your business

A theme is the design or layout of your blog. It affects how your blog looks and functions. You can choose from thousands of free or premium WP themes, but their design should match your business to not confuse visitors. You should customize your theme using plugins (additional features) or code (advanced modifications) to get the ideal branding right and at SeekaHost we provide multiple WordPress tutorials on YouTube.

4. Create relevant and helpful content about your business

Content is the heart and soul of any blog, which does not just include written content but also media such as videos for example. It is what attracts and retains your audience, and what converts them into customers. You need to create content that is valuable, relevant, engaging, and optimized for search engines and social media. You can create different types of content, such as blog posts (articles), videos, podcasts, infographics, eBooks, webinars, etc. And you should ideally link this with your main business in a smart way.

5. Promote your content effectively

Content promotion is the process of spreading the word about your blog and driving more traffic to it. You can promote your content using various channels, such as email marketing (sending newsletters once you have subscribers), social media marketing (posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), influencer marketing (collaborating with other bloggers or experts in your niche), guest posting (writing for other related blogs and magazines), etc. Check out our guide about media placements as well to establish your and your brand’s reputation successfully.

6. Monetize content to start earning on the side

Content monetization is the process of earning money from your blog. There are many ways to monetize your content, such as advertising (displaying ads on your blog), affiliate marketing (recommending products or services and earning commissions), sponsored posts (writing paid reviews or endorsements), product creation (selling your own products or services), etc. Learn more here about website monetisation techniques.

How to earn money side hustling with blogging in the UK?

Blogging is one of the most popular and flexible ways to make money online. You can write about topics you are passionate about in connection with your business, reach a global audience, and monetize your content with various methods.

We have shared tips on how to start a successful blog in the UK and earn money side hustling with it in previous guides which you can find on our SeekaHost business blog, but here is a brief overview to get an idea.

1. Choose a niche and matching domain name

Choosing a niche and perfect domain name is crucial in positioning your business blog and will help you attract a loyal and engaged audience who share similar interests and needs. Your domain name is the web address of your blog, such as www.yourblogname.com. It should be catchy, memorable, and relevant to your niche and the TLD should match your intentions. You can use a domain name checker tool to find some ideas and check the availability and pricing.

2. Set up your blog with the best hosting

You can easily host your domain with SeekaHost’s WordPress Hosting and install WordPress to get started immediately with your blog setup. Check out this tutorial to see how easy and quick it is:

3. Design your blog and create unique and helpful content

Once your business blog is live on the internet, you can start designing it and creating content. You should customize your blog with your own logo, colours, fonts, and layout that resonates with your business. To create content, you need to write blog posts that provide value to your audience and business. You can use SEO and keyword research tools to find out what topics and questions your audience is searching for online. You can also use content creation tools to help you write engaging and SEO-friendly posts.

4. Promote your business blog and grow your traffic and conversions

To earn money from your blog, you need to have a steady stream of visitors who are interested in your niche and content. You can promote your blog and grow your traffic by using various strategies, such as:

  • Social media marketing: You can create social media accounts for your business blog on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or YouTube. You can share your blog posts, images, videos, or stories with your followers and encourage them to visit your blog and interact with your content. With a staggering 4.8 billion users worldwide, social media has become an omnipresent force, shaping the way individuals connect, share, and engage in the digital era.
  • Email marketing: You can build an email list of subscribers who want to receive updates from you via email or who are interested in freebies for example. You can use email marketing automation tools to create and send newsletters, offers, or freebies to your subscribers and drive them back to your business blog.
  • Guest posting: You can write guest posts for other blogs or websites in your niche that have a larger or similar audience as yours. You can provide valuable content for their readers and include a link back to your blog in your author bio or within the post. This also helps with establishing your expert reputation. Check out expert tips from the SeekaHost Blogging podcast:

  • SEO: You can optimize your blog for search engines like Google or Bing by using keywords, titles, headings, meta descriptions, images, links, and other elements that help them understand what your business blog is about and rank it higher in the search results. This will benefit your blog and business as your content is found for many more relevant search terms by a wider audience.

5. Monetize your business blog and earn money side hustling

There are many ways to monetize your blog and earn money from side hustling with it. Some of the most common ones are:

  • Advertising: You can display ads on your blog from networks like Google AdSense or Mediavine and earn money every time someone clicks on them or views them.
  • Affiliate marketing: You can promote products or services from other companies or individuals that are relevant to your niche and audience and earn a commission every time someone makes a purchase through your referral link. Check out this SeekaHost podcast episode explaining more:

  • Sponsored posts: You can work with brands or businesses that want to reach your audience and write paid posts that feature their products or services on your blog.
  • Products or services: You can create and sell your own products or services that solve a problem or provide a benefit for your audience. These can be digital products like eBooks, courses, or software; or physical products like merchandise, books, or crafts; or services like coaching, consulting, or freelancing.

Blogging for business is a great way to earn money and side hustling in the UK if you are willing to put in the time and effort to create valuable content interlinked with your business, promote it effectively, and monetize it strategically. At SeekaHost we can help with it all via our web consultancy services, if you struggle along the way.

Author Profile

Manuela Willbold
Blogger and Educator by Passion | Senior Online Media & PR Strategist at ClickDo Ltd. | Contributor to many Business Blogs in the United Kingdom | Fascinated to Write Blogs in News & Education I have completed a journalism summer course at the London School of Journalism and manage various blogs.