5 Tips For Blog Rebranding

Most of you lovely followers know all about my reason behind rebranding by now.  Or at least you noticed something has changed around here.  And since I’ve already shared the backstory that lead to my decision, I thought the next step was to share my tips for blog rebranding.  After reading many (I lost count) articles and taking months to consider options, I finally took the plunge… and am still so, SO happy I did.

My tips for any blogger considering a rebrand…

1 | Read, read, read

As I mentioned before, I read article after article about blog rebranding, domain switching, and anything in between. Believe me, it paid off. For one, it calmed my nerves realizing just how many bloggers have (successfully) gone through it. Two, it helped me organize my thoughts and figure out a process ahead of time.  I’m one who likes to be prepared, and in this case, all my research paid off.  Instead of losing my mind when I got stuck, I could pull up a saved post and reference the information.

2 | Ask for help when needed

I think I’ve preached this before, but it’s something I have to continuously work on. Unless you’re a professional web designer that knows the ins and outs of the technical side, I’m sure some help will be required at some point. Thankfully, I had a couple outlets. I bought my theme through 17th Avenue Designs and their support team has been amazing. Actually, amazing doesn’t even do them justice. They were quick to respond, their online guides were extremely thorough and I relied on them every step of the way.  Also, if you have a blogger tribe, ask to lean on their shoulders. When Karly from What Karly Said successfully rebranded right before I began, I reached out and she was oh-so-generous with tips, additional articles and a helpful checklist! Thanks again, Karly!

3 | Consider all aspects

I did not take this decision lightly and neither should you. I took into account everything a new blog name and website would affect. That means social media handle availability, a new email address, transition timeline, followers – everything. Make sure it all makes sense before you plaster “under construction” across your page.

4 | Make a checklist

Definitely a lifesaver. Because once you start the process, it’s hard to stay on track. I frequently found myself getting distracted and switching from one thing to the next and not actually moving forward. Once I expanded my list to be more detailed, it helped me stay on track by checking off the to-dos and organizing by importance. It’s ok to start with a broad list at the beginning, but trust me, that list will grow the further you get into the process.  I still have back end stuff I hope to complete – the list really can be endless!

5 | Take your time

I had high hopes to get the transition done on a short timeline. Once I realized all the detail that needed attention, I decided I would rather get the site perfect than have it half done just to meet a deadline.  I didn’t want it to take months, but I also knew I needed more than a couple days. There’s no doubt there will be unexpected turbulence – for me, it was a plugin that took 8 hours to do it’s thing & could not be interrupted – so plan for that. Give yourself a little padded time at the start and you’ll save some stress.

At the end of the journey, I launched my new site and could not have been happier. I knew sharing some tips for blog rebranding was necessary as I’m seeing more and more bloggers write about their success stories and struggles. If you’re stuck in a space you’re not happy with or simply need a fresh start, I encourage you to take the plunge!

100% worth it.

xoxo. B