How to Set Up a Blog for Your Business (Even If You Do Not Have a Website Yet)

Where your blog can live, how to choose the right platform, and why long-form content still matters

If you have been thinking about starting a blog, the first question is often surprisingly practical.

Where does a blog actually live?

Some business owners assume you need a fully built website before you can begin. Others start writing on a platform, then worry later that they have done it “wrong”. In reality, there are a few solid options, and the best one depends on what you already have in place and how you want to grow.

In this post, I will walk you through the main places your blog can live, how each option works, and why blogging can be a strong long-form strategy for business, even in a world full of short posts and fast content.

What counts as a blog?

A blog is simply a series of articles published online, usually organised by date and topic. Each post has its own link. Over time, those posts build into a library of your ideas, your answers, and your expertise.

That is the part many people miss. A blog is not just “content”. It is an asset you build piece by piece.

Option 1: Put your blog on your own website

If you already have a website, this is usually the most straightforward choice.

Your blog sits under your domain, for example:

• yourwebsite.com/blog/how-to-set-up-a-blog

This is helpful because your blog directly supports your wider online presence. It can lead people to your services, your enquiry page, your newsletter sign-up, and any resources you want to share.

Why this option works well

It keeps everything in one place. Someone finds an article, reads it, then naturally clicks through to learn more about you. Your blog becomes part of your customer journey.

What you need

Most website platforms allow a blog, including WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and others. The key is not which platform you use, but whether it is easy for you to publish consistently.

If your website feels complicated to update, you will avoid it. That is worth paying attention to.

Option 2: Use Substack if you do not have a website

If you do not have a website, you can still start blogging, and Substack is one of the simplest ways to do that.

Substack gives you a place where blog posts live permanently, and each post has its own URL. It also has built-in email functionality, so you can publish a post and send it to subscribers.

Why this option works well

You can start quickly. There is very little technical setup. You can build an archive of posts over time, and you can begin growing an email list alongside it.

For a lot of business owners, that combination makes Substack feel like a strong stepping stone while a website is being built, or even a long-term home if simplicity is the priority.

Things to consider

Substack lives on Substack’s platform. You still “own” your content, but you are building on someone else’s space rather than your own domain. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it is helpful to understand.

Some people later choose to move posts onto their own website. Others stay on Substack and treat it as their main publishing home. Both can work.

Option 3: Create your blog in HubSpot

If you already use HubSpot, you can also publish your blog there.

HubSpot will create a URL for each blog post, and you can organise posts by topic, add feature images, optimise for search, and connect posts to your wider marketing activity.

Why this option works well

If HubSpot is where you manage contacts, marketing emails, forms, and enquiries, publishing your blog there can keep your marketing in one system.

This matters more than people realise.

When your blog, newsletter, and contact database live together, it becomes easier to build a joined-up marketing approach. You are not juggling multiple tools, multiple lists, and multiple places where things might be duplicated or missed.

Things to consider

HubSpot is brilliant when you already want an integrated setup. If you are brand new and only want a simple place to publish, Substack may feel easier at first. If you are already in HubSpot or you are moving towards that kind of structure, it is a strong option.

How to choose the right home for your blog

Here is a simple way to decide.

Choose the option that:

• you can publish on without friction
• you will still be happy using in six months
• fits how you want your marketing to be organised

If you already have a website you like using, publish there.

If you do not have a website and want the simplest starting point, Substack is a great choice.

If HubSpot is already part of your business, publishing there can bring everything into one place.

Why blogging still matters

A blog gives you long-form content. That matters because it allows you to properly explain things.

Short posts are useful, but they rarely create depth. A blog post can answer the full question, include context, walk someone through options, and help them understand how to apply something to their own business.

Over time, long-form content also supports:

• visibility through search
• trust through consistency
• authority through depth
• clarity in your own thinking

A blog becomes a growing library of answers to the questions people are already asking.

And importantly, it keeps working. Someone can find a post you wrote months ago and it can still help them today.

If blogging is not for you, consider other long-form options

A blog is not the only way to create long-form content.

If writing is not your thing, you might prefer:

• a podcast
• a YouTube channel (vlogs, teaching videos, or recorded conversations)

The format matters less than the consistency and the value.

The point is to choose one long-form channel where your ideas can live properly, not just in fragments.

At the moment, my own long-form strategy is blogging. It suits how I think, how I work, and how I like to teach. It allows me to take one topic and explain it properly, then repurpose it into other formats.

A simple way to start

If you are feeling stuck, start with one post.

Choose a question your clients regularly ask. Answer it in full. Publish it somewhere that feels manageable.

Then repeat.

This is why I like a one-topic-per-week framework. One clear topic. One useful post. Then you can share it in your newsletter, and if you use Pinterest, you can also create a few pins that point back to it so the post can be discovered long after it is published.

You do not need a complicated plan. You need a repeatable approach.

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