In 2022, your own blog or company blog is no longer an online diary that is promoted via link exchange. Instead, it serves as an outlet for in-house news, advice, advertising space and, last but not least, to provide customers with more background knowledge about their own industry. But setting up and running blogs initially costs money despite the availability of open source software, low-code offers and finished templates. This is how you calculate the budget around the blog.
<h2 id="Wer braucht einen Blog" data-headline="Wer braucht einen Blog?"><span class="first_id_number">1.</span> Who needs a blog?</h2>
In the early 90s, blogs were one of the first ways to share content with the entire world. Long before it became common for companies and self-employed people to run their own websites, IT enthusiasts posted coding information, instructions and virtual diaries on their blogs. In the 2000s, blogging boomed, especially among private individuals who shared their hobbies along the way. This is another reason why the proposal to set up a blog for their own company is now met with reluctance among many older decision makers.
But like everything on the Internet, blogs have also evolved. They are now an important part of websites rather than individual external projects. Thanks to SEO, a well-maintained, professionally integrated blog attracts a large number of visitors to your website. Here they read interesting articles, insider tips, service information and can access products and services directly from the blog.
Blogging itself has also developed into an extremely lucrative industry, in which influencers and testers generate sales like smaller media companies by reporting on trends, new products and developments. A sponsored post or a cooperation with a brand can generate several thousand euros in profit per placement on a popular blog.
Blogs are worthwhile for companies from all sectors, but especially SMEs, self-employed and freelance artists and, of course, amateur enthusiasts who focus on the joy of sharing information instead of turnover. They are absolutely essential for agencies and all entrepreneurs in the marketing and IT segment. Customers require expertise and sharing news via their own blog.
<h2 id="Anbieter" data-headline="Low-Code Anbieter für Blog und Website"><span class="first_id_number">2.</span> Low-code/no-code provider for blog and website</h2>
The topic Low-code and no-code software and browser solutions are interesting for anyone who does not have the know-how or budget to have websites programmed, designed and maintained by specialized service providers. The offer today ranges from editors that can be used to create not only a blog but a fully functional website with checkout functions, such as Webflow or Bubble.io, to systems such as Shopify, which are specifically aimed at retailers with their own online shop.
<h2 id="Alternativen" data-headline="No-Code und Low-Code Alternativen"><span class="first_id_number">3.</span> No-code and low-code alternatives</h2>
With an offer such as Webflow, this effort is eliminated. Webflow is a classic no coding application that can be controlled via a graphical interface. The website can be created completely freely or with the help of a template; setting up a sub-item for your own blog is very easy. This type of design is called visual development.
Shopify is for anyone who wants to open their own shop and set up the blog in addition. The focus here is on presenting products. More facts about Shopify can be found at. A lean solution, as when working with Webflow, the CMS is designed to be beginner-friendly, so that subpages, product pages and blogs can be managed even without specialist knowledge.
The no-code offer Bubble.io combines all these functions and offers options to arrange booking processes, checkout, contact forms, text, image and video content via drag & drop. Bookable options such as renting an attractive domain also make hosting much easier with all three tools. Instead of extensive databases, DNS settings, IT security and regular updates, you can use a graphical interface to create and maintain your websites and blogs, which lets you know when there are updates or problems.
<h2 id="Blog Entwicklungskosten" data-headline="Blog Entwicklungskosten"><span class="first_id_number">4.</span> That's what it costs to create a blog</h2>
When running your own blog, there are numerous individual posts using the classic method. With an all-in-one provider, you avoid some of these costs, which quickly add up.
CMS and web design
The website itself is preceded by the content. To create a blog, you need a functional website with a graphical interface that visitors can use to navigate and consume and share content. Creating a new website through an agency can cost many thousands of euros and takes several months. Although agencies also like to work with templates and editors, if you want something completely unique, the creation of your website involves several programmers and web designers.
If you use Webflow, for example, there is no additional cost unless you hire a professional to design your website. The system also enables laypeople, self-employed people and small companies to create an attractive and functional web presence in-house. Webflow costs 35 dollars a month (as of February 2022) in the Pro version and allows you to create an unlimited number of projects.
Buy or rent a domain
Many companies choose to buy their corporate domain rather than rent it. For corporations and companies with a long tradition, this is an excellent opportunity to protect their brand in the long term. Start-ups and SMEs with a low budget should rent the domain, i.e. the address that customers enter to find you, instead. Attractive domains can also cost several hundred euros a year, but the costs are usually lower.
Have content created
Content is at the heart of your blog. Without attractive content, websites, online shops and blogs do not attract visitors. Content is anything that contains information. It can therefore include articles, advice texts, brief information, press releases, videos, tutorials, infographics and much more. Product pages must also be provided with meaningful product photos.
When hiring photographers, copywriters and illustrators, start by calculating around 300 to 500 euros per subpage of your website. Blog articles can be commissioned later, starting at around 200 euros per text, if you use stock photos for illustration at your own expense or have graphics created in-house.
<h2 id="Fixkosten" data-headline="Fixkosten und planbare Ausgaben"><span class="first_id_number">5.</span> Fixed costs and predictable expenses</h2>
In addition to the costs of creating and launching a blog, you should also keep an eye on your current budget. Regardless of whether you have opted for a specially programmed web solution with CMS or a provider such as Bubble.io, the presence must be maintained and kept up to date.
Hosting and security
Where you have your website hosted determines how high the costs are. Some providers provide hosting free of charge. Here you pay a monthly fee for the complete website + hosting + security package for your content. However, you can also host your blog via your own IT infrastructures such as an in-house server center or hire an external host. The costs range from several thousand euros for the purchase of servers, operation, maintenance and security of the same to hosts such as Alfahosting, which offer web space with support from just around 5 euros a month.
Latest content
Search engines such as the globally operating giant Google show a strong tendency in their algorithms to best rate up-to-date websites. Anyone who publishes content on a daily basis and constantly updates and revises their texts is recognized as active and therefore relevant. On average, as a company, you should publish at least one blog post per week. The website itself must also always be up to date. If you hire external service providers to maintain and update the content, you should plan around 800 euros a month.
The calculation is very different at this point for professional bloggers who employ their own editorial team. The content team is often employed permanently and there are wages of 5,000 to 10,000 euros a month to publish 3 to 5 professional content a day.
Evaluation and optimization
If you run your own blog, you would of course like to know whether this blog has a positive impact on your sales and reach on the Internet. Providers such as Webflow provide statistical tools for this purpose. Google Analytics is also easy to use for beginners and professionals alike.
However, if you would like to receive simple reports created and evaluated, you should hire an external service provider who is familiar with reporting related to web performance. Through short briefings, you can check on a monthly basis how the number of visitors is developing, which products are accessed particularly frequently from the blog and where you should focus on content. Depending on the provider, reporting services start at around 200 euros a month.
<h2 id="Professioneller Content" data-headline="Professioneller Content"><span class="first_id_number">6.</span> Professional content — a must?</h2>
As a company that runs a blog for SEO and marketing purposes, are you required to employ external copywriters and graphic designers? A clear answer is not possible here, because one thing is shown time and again: Professionally written and illustrated content has more reach, more impact and increases sales.
<h2 id="social media" data-headline="Blog über Social Media bewerben"><span class="first_id_number">7.</span> Promote your blog via social media</h2>
If your blog is linked to your company website and is intended to specifically address new customers, you first need the necessary reach to be able to display new articles in a targeted manner right from the start. To do this, your company should use at least one of the currently popular social media platforms. Twitter and Facebook can be set up and used to share links without much previous knowledge. But beware, very few users want to act with accounts that use the account as a “link dump”, i.e. link news without further information.
Maintaining a social media account can be expensive and time-consuming. But especially with regular content on the blog, you can reach almost every target group here. If you have not yet used any of the platforms privately, you should first familiarise yourself with the format, speeches and interactions or set up a team that takes care of the accounts exclusively. The costs here range from no additional costs due to self-care or a few hundred euros for temporary agency services to the creation of full-time jobs.
<h2 id="ads" data-headline="Blog durch Ads bekannter machen"><span class="first_id_number">8.</span> Make your blog better known through ads</h2>
Did you know that with just a few hundred euros of advertising budget per month on Google, you can not only significantly improve your ranking but also address completely new customer groups? No matter which platform you choose, your blog posts should always be promoted in the same way as the company website itself. Plan here with a budget starting at 200 euros a month.
<h2 id="Fazit" data-headline="Fazit"><span class="first_id_number">9.</span> Conclusion: How much does a blog cost?</h2>
By choosing your own blog, you have control over where you host, who creates web design and CMS, what type of content you publish and whether you trust your own team to maintain the content. With a no-code solution, the entry costs are less than 50 euros a month. All you have to do here is plan content and advertising for the blog within your budget.
In contrast, there are commercial blogs with a large editorial team, their own CMS, commissioned agency service providers and premium content. They record expenses of a small company, starting at around 2,000 to 5,000 euros a month, but earn their money almost exclusively through professional blog offerings.
We would be happy to advise you on the right solution for your website with your own blog or develop the perfect web solution for your project.
