What Does A Blogging Consultant Look Like?

You know, usually, you can find a definition of a word or phrase by typing -define: your phrase here- into google and come up with many results. Currently, there are millions of blogs, and hundreds of people call themselves -Blog or Blogging Consultants,- yet when you type -define: Blogging Consultant or Blogging Consultant- into google, you get no definition.

That is probably a good thing for most blogging consultants because there is no standard to hold them to without a definition. I’m not claiming to be the blogging guru of all time or anything of the sort. So before you -blogging consultants- out there start getting defensive about this, think before you write. If you get too nasty about the post, I may ask you to define -blogging consultant,- Without Google, many of you couldn’t do it.

Now that is out of the way, let's talk business. Every business should have a blog. There are so many reasons for your business to have a blog it would be hard to write them all in one blog post, so let's assume you know your company needs a blog.

So do you hire a blogging consultant? What qualifications do you look for in a blogging consultant? What does a blogging consultant look like? How much should I pay a blogging consultant?

Let's start with -Should you hire a blogging consultant?-

The quick answer is yes, but let's go into why first. There are a lot of things that go into making a blog popular. Technorati tags, submissions, and pings to blog lists and blog search websites learning how to get on the right blogrolls, etc.

If you are new to blogging, it takes a while to catch on to most of these things, and most blogging consultants say that all of the above is necessary if you are going to have a successful blog.

There are more things to add to the list, but this article isn’t about how to run a successful blog; it’s about blogging consultants. Hiring a blogging consultant can save you from making a lot of early mistakes and get your blog found a lot quicker than trying to do it on your own.

Now all the blogging consultants like me again. I can tell. But will it last?

What qualifications do you look for in a blogging consultant?

Here is where things get ugly between the blogging consultants and me. Most blogging consultants are . . . well . . . bloggers. Many have what they think is a successful blog, although many bloggers have different ideas about success.

Some think it’s defined as how much they made on google nonsense last month. Others count success by the number of visitors to their website or the number of comments on their blog. Still, others measure their success by what the other bloggers think about them.

What do all of those bloggers who are blogging consultants have in common? They all think having a successful blog automatically makes you a qualified blogging consultant. I told you it was going to get nasty. After this article, if I measured my success by what the other bloggers think of me, I’m doomed!

Fortunately, I don’t measure my success in terms of what the other bloggers and blogging consultants think. Let's get back to those qualifications for a blogging consultant.

First of all, a blog is a website. It is a website that is updated often in most cases, but it is still a website. Each blog post becomes a page on that website. So with a blog, you are creating more web pages on your website as often as you post to your blog.

Now I have a question for you. Would you first look to hire a blogger to do search engine optimization for your website? Would you first look to hire a blogger to handle your AdWords campaign? Would you first look for a blogger to build your website for you?

The answer to all of the above is probably no unless the blogger has experience in those fields and not just for their blog. They have built, optimized, and marketed existing websites for themselves and clients.

A blogging consultant should not just be a blogger. They should also have all of the skills necessary to run a website. Now the blogging consultants are all mad at me again. But think about it. Many bloggers know how to write. They know how to get into the right circle of blogger friends who will link to them. They know about blogging.

So if all you need to know is how to write a blog, then hiring a blogger who knows how to note is the answer. Still, suppose you need someone to manage your blog for you, including posting to the blog, search engine optimization, link popularity (and not just from blogrolls), and marketing. In that case, you need to hire a webmaster who also blogs.

Okay, How much should I pay a blogging consultant?

How much do you have? Just kidding. A lot depends on the type of blog you want or have. A corporation blog has to pay more, not because they have more, but because all kinds of legal and policy matters must be considered with every single blog post and every single link to or from another blog or website. A small business blog doesn’t have many of the same issues as the corporate blog but still has specific standards that need to be met.

Suppose you have ever hired a webmaster, not a web designer, a webmaster (That's another article), or a Search Engine Optimization Company, or a Search Engine Marketer, or even just a Marketing Consultant (The just was in there so that I could make consultants mad again.). In that case, you know what a blogging consultant should cost.

Now keep in mind that if you are hiring a blogging consultant to teach you how to blog strictly, then it’s not worth as much money as when you hire a blogging consultant who is also going to perform all of the services a Webmaster and Internet Marketer would provide plus search engine optimization.

Ha ha! I still didn’t say how much it cost. It’s coming. Read on.

What does a Blogging Consultant look like?

They look like someone with more than just a blog. Someone who also owns and manages several websites for themselves and clients. As I said before, a blog is still a website.