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Re-branding a blog requires a lot of work. In fact, when I was re-branding my blog for the second time, I spent 3 months doing pre-planning and preparations for it. After all, I can count at least 25 steps in re-branding a blog, not to mention the are dozens of little steps and projects in between that we can’t even begin to cover. In fact, between parts 1 and 2 of this ultimate step-by-step guide to re-branding your blog, we’ve already covered 19 different steps. However, the home stretch is finally here; this post ties everything together and covers the last few steps of re-branding your blog.
So without further ado, let’s get to it:
Step 20: Add Your New URL to Google Search Console
Even though I’ve been blogging for over two years, I’m still learning new stuff every day. One of the things I recently learned about is the Google Search Console, where you can submit your URL and site map to Google to help your website rank better. This is an extremely important step after a re-brand, especially if you’ve changed your website name and URL, as all the SEO you’ve spent months or even years building up has been eradicated when you changed your site’s name and domain. However, not all is lost. Submitting this information to the Google Search Console is a major step in reclaiming part of that SEO back.
Now I won’t pretend I’m an expert at Google Search Console or how to set it up; I’m just here to tell you how important it is. However, this website breaks everything down into simple, easy steps, so I highly recommend using it as a resource; it’s fairly straightforward and simple, so unless you run into any technical difficulties (*knock on wood*) then this step shouldn’t take too long to complete.
Step 21: Update Your Tailwind Profile
When it comes to my favorite blogging tools, Tailwind is definitely in my top 5. They’ve made automating my Pinterest so easy and they’re constantly coming out with new tools, features, and improvements that I feel like I’m 100% getting my money’s worth from the service.
So when it comes to updating your Tailwind profile, these are some of the things you should do:
- Change your Blog’s Name in Tailwind
- When you go to your profile, your blog’s name can be updated in the “Company/Organization” section.
- Update Your Account’s Email Address
- If you use a blog email address for your Tailwind account, you might prefer to change it so it matches your blog’s new name change and email address (if applicable).
- Update Account Details
- When you go to the “Accounts” section, you’ll be able to update information such as your Pinterest URL, your website domain, etc.
- Change Your Tailwind Tribes Username
- Unfortunately, this isn’t one you can do yourself. You’ll need to contact Tailwind Support (which you can do through the chat by clicking the question mark in the bottom right-hand corner) and notifying them that you’d like to change your username in Tailwind Tribes, along with the username you’d like to request.
Step 22: Update Your Blog’s Email List
There are several important steps you should take to update your blog’s email list during a blog re-brand. Not only should you change the list name, account information, and other important profile information, but you’ll want to send out an email series about the re-brand.
After all, your subscriber’s email inboxes are constantly being slammed by emails and, unfortunately, yours will sometimes get looked over. During a re-brand you’ll want to send out several emails notifying your subscribers of the upcoming changes to the blog, especially the niche change and name change (if applicable).
Notifying your subscribers gives them the opportunity to unsubscribe if their interests no longer align with your new niche. For example, if you had a food blog and they subscribed to learn more about cooking and recipes, they may not be interested if you switch to lifestyle or travel content instead. Even more so, if they’re suddenly presented by an email with an unrecognized sender in their email (through changing your blog’s name) they’re most likely not going to open it and may think that their email information has been bought and used to subscribe to a new email list…I know mine has, and it’s not a welcome sight.
Therefore, sending out several emails notifying your subscribers of these upcoming changes helps keep them informed and you knowing that you’re reaching your target audience both during and after the re-brand.
Step 23: Change Your WordPress Profile to Reflect Your Re-Branded Blog
I’ve never used any blogging programs besides WordPress, so I’m not sure how this would translate into (for example) programs like SquareSpace, but after re-branding you should go ahead and update your profile. You can find it at the top under the drop-down menu by your name. If you scroll down to the “Contact Info” section, you can update your domain, blog email address, and more.
However, there’s more info than that you will need to update. On the left-hand side bar, click on “Settings”. There you can update your blog’s name, tagline, WordPress and Site address, and email address.
Step 24: Update Your Information in your Influencer/Affiliate Programs
This step is completely dependent on whether you’ve joined any influencer or affiliate programs. But in order to follow their guidelines, you will need to update your website’s information ASAP. While the information you will need to update varies from program-to-program, this will often include editing your website’s name and email address, description, niche/topics, your target audience, etc.
Additionally, if you want to update a referral URL that had your blog’s former name in it, there may be a way to do it through the website; otherwise, you will need to contact the program to see whether it’s possible or not.
Step 25: Publish New Social Media/Blog Posts to Promote Re-Brand…Officially Launching Your Re-Branded Blog
This is it–the moment you’ve been waiting for–when you can *officially* launch your re-branded blog.
Publish a new blog post, some social media posts, and send out a few emails highlighting the new changes and announcing what’s in store for the re-branded blog. Celebrate. This is your time to shine and showcase the blog you’ve been dreaming, planning, and working for, and now it’s up to you to continue your re-branding vision to achieve your blogging goals.
This is the last post in my blog re-brand series. The rest of the series can be found in order below:
- What is a Blog Re-Brand? (and how to tell if it’s time to re-brand your blog)
- 5 Tips on How to Identify Your Blog’s Key Elements During a Re-Brand
- The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Re-Branding Your Blog (Part 1)
- The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Re-Brand Your Blog (Part 2)
As we have seen, re-branding a blog takes a lot of hard work, but I assure you, it is so worth it in the end. Not only does re-branding give you the opportunity to change your blog to fit your interests, but it allows you to re-focus your blog’s brand, giving you a new chance to reach your goals.
This officially wraps up my blog re-brand series, but if you have any additional questions on re-branding, feel free to contact me here, or reach out to me on social media. I’d love to chat with you!
