Blog Tips

Rebranding 101: What You Need to Know Before You Rebrand Your Blog

Everyone reinvents themselves from time to time, so why not do the same for your blog?

If your blog is a bit dated and you know you’ve grown as a blogger, it’s time to show it to the world.

Rebranding your blog is the best way to do so, but before you start, there are a few things to consider.

What Is a Brand?

First, make sure you understand what a brand really is.

A brand is everything that has to do with the identity of your blog, business, or anything along those lines.

Its components include the name, logo, tagline, marketing, products and services, and more.

When you rebrand, you’ll have to think of ways to make changes to all of those components.

Do You Need to Rebrand?

While rebranding can be a great thing for your business, it does take a lot of time and money to make it possible. Before you make the move, ask yourself if you need to rebrand your blog.

In some circumstances, rebranding is more than necessary.

For example, is your blog outdated? If you’ve been blogging for a few years using the same design, it’s safe to say you might need to get in with the times.

It might also be time to rebrand if you need to expand and reach new demographics. If you know you’re not reaching the widest audience possible, rebranding will help you explore the possibility.

You should also rebrand if you’re out of touch with the market trends. Or if you’ve achieved all your goals and are ready to set new ones.

Think of Possible New Names

For starters, you will need to think about the possibility of changing the name of your blog.

If you’re content with its current name, you might be one of the lucky few.

But if you want to freshen it up, start by writing down some new name ideas. Keep in mind – if you go for a totally different name, your followers might get confused.

Once you pick a few names, check to see if the domain name is available.

Do You Need a New Host?

If you’re rebranding your blog, you might have to consider getting a new web host or upgrading your hosting plan.

New bloggers usually settle for a basic and affordable host because they don’t have many visitors. However, as your following expands and you add more content, your hosting needs will change.

When shopping around for a new web host, do your homework and compare several new plans.

Let Your Followers Know

If by this point you have a nice robust following, then you need to communicate with them the rebranding.

Take advantage of every social media platform to communicate the changes to happen. You should begin the process before the rebranding takes place.

Start by using teasers on what is to come. Make the news enticing and exciting, and even get their opinion on what they would like to see.

Over communication will ensure you reach all of your followers and none of them are left wondering what happened to your blog.

Make a Rebranding Checklist

Once you decide to rebrand your blog and pick a name (and ensure it’s available), make a list of everything else you need to take care of.

For the actual rebranding, you need to coordinate the creation of a new logo, redesign the site, update newsletters, business cards, landing pages, and more.

That part is considered the fun checklist because it tends to be more creative. However, you also need to create a technical spreadsheet with the not so fun stuff.

Let Google know about the change
Update your domain and host provider
Change your blog business email address
Update the Sitemap
Update other contact forms

Also, you should get serious about improving your blog’s SEO. Companies like 180fusion provide free SEO analysis.

Update Your Social Media Handles

On top of rebranding an redesigning your blog, it’ necessary to update your social media handles.

The updates should reflect the rebranding and include any name changes. You want all of it to be uniform.

Make sure you figure out in advance how to change your Facebook URL since it’s not as easy as changing the name. Some social media platforms make this process really easy.

Remember to let your followers know of the change in a post.

What about Your Content?

Is your old content coming to the new blog? If so, you need to figure out the best way to transfer it over.

Not knowing the proper way to transfer your content could turn into a headache. You might find yourself dealing with formatting issues.

You choose always check with your hosting company to see if they can walk you through the process or do it for you.

The Redesigning Process

As a newbie blogger, you probably did it all yourself. Of course, if you have the patience, skills, and talent, it’s possible to create a great blog.

However, when you rebrand your blog, you should think about whether or not you should bring in expert help.

There are some starting out web designers who will do it for a fraction of the price. It helps you get an affordable web design and helps them build their portfolio.

If you can’t afford all of the professional redesign fees, do it yourself and get a second pair of eyes later.