Madeline
So, you want to start a blog?
So, you want to start a blog? First thing is first, figure out what you are going to write about. It is recommended that when choosing a topic, to find something niche. This is something that will not appeal to everyone, but there is a small group of people who care about the topic. That small group are more likely to visit your blog again and again than a broad topic with many other competing blogs. I blog about a very broad topic and anything and everything, even though I do this, that is not what most people would recommend.
Choosing a blogging platform
There are a ton of blogging platforms out there. Some of them have been around for a long time and some of them are new and a bit more modern. Take your time to choose one, because if you change your mind later, it may be difficult to switch. Below are a few to start your search with:
- WordPress.org
- WordPress.com (yes, there is a difference)
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Medium
- Blogger
- Tumblr
Picking a domain name and hosting
Depending on what blogging platform you use, you may need to choose a domain name and hosting when you start a blog. This can be a bit tricky so I would recommend only going this route if you are a bit tech savvy. Or you can pay your tech savvy child to do it for you. The two best places to use are HostGator and GoDaddy. I’ve used both. There is not a major difference in price or functionality.
Once you have a name for your blog, go to your prefered host and purchase your domain. Likely, you will want to search for {yourblogname}.com. Don’t get discouraged if someone already has it. Try again with something else. It is useful to be clever when finding a domain name and it might cause you to pick a different name than the one chosen when you decided to start a blog.
Once you have that, you will want to purchase hosting and connect the two. This is the tricky part. Depending on who you are using, they will have plenty of help guides that explain the process. Thank goodness this is a one time thing for when you start a blog and once it is done, you get to forget how to do it and never do it again.
Designing and customizing your blog
NEVER use the default theme. My recommendation when you start a blog is to choose something relatively quickly because you can always change it later. Because there are so many themes out there, it can be hard landing on just one. And although the look of your blog is important, it is also not the purpose of the blog. Writing is more important.
I also recommend choosing a color scheme and sticking to it. Many themes allow you to use other colors from the default ones. This is where it is good to think about branding when you start a blog. If you have a motorcycle blog, you probably don’t want pink to be the color. Maybe use silver or black instead. Also, it can be helpful to use a color scheme generator to make this easier for those of us who are not graphic designers.
Writing your first blog post
What is your topic? What is important? Do you want to just introduce yourself and your blog? The important part is to write and publish it. And then repeat. The more you write the more likely your blog will be successful. Write a lot and a lot of high quality content as well.
Promoting your blog
First thing is first: SEO is your best friend. What is SEO? Glad you asked. It stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is how Google and all the other search engines determine which websites to display during a search.
There is a lot of content and free tools to help develop great SEO content. Here are a few of my favorites:
Also, use social media starting from when you start a blog. Post every new post on Social media and use as many as you can: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Get Real. All of them!
Growing your blog
Write. Write. Write. Get into a rhythm. Find a process for writing. When you start a blog, the first post is the hardest but once you get a rhythm going, it becomes easier and easier. Part of the rhythm should include the frequency of when you post. It should be pretty frequent. Keep a list of possible topics and pull from that list whenever you can’t find any inspiration. Yes, there are some bad ideas, but it is more important to keep writing and posting than to post one bad topic.
And one more thing… happy blogging!
