Jan, 2016 : Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Successful Blog


📅 - If you've made the decision to start a new blog, you may need a little help as a beginner to the world of blogging. It may seem easy enough, but there are probably a few tricks that you wouldn't know unless you had experience. You should learn a few tips and guidelines so that you can get started on the right foot and to avoid making any amateur mistakes.

Starting a successful blog doesn't have to be hard as long as you know what you're doing and many go in blind giving you a bit of an advantage already for having some tips under your belt. Keep in mind that all great blogs started with a newbie and you're not alone. Take a look at a few tips to get you started and what you can do to make it great from the start.

Where to begin

The very first place to start would be to decide what your blog will be about and to purchase a domain and web host. You'll need to download WordPress as a blogging platform to use and start installing the plugins and themes you'll be using.

Ask yourself why you're starting the blog, whether it's for a hobby or to reach a large group of people online. Perhaps you are using this as a way to make money or you have a passion for a topic that you want to put out there in the hopes to make money. Consider your purpose so that you can make great decisions along the way to align with that motive.

What is your niche?

Once you know your purpose and your topic, you may want to consider what your niche is for your blog. A good blogging niche should fill a need, make you money, and be something you are passionate about. It may be challenging to narrow down your niche, but look at who you are writing to and what topics you're covering. If you've ever wished someone would write a blog about something, it may be a sign that you could fill that need. If you have a unique knowledge, it would make a great thing for you to share with the world.

When you are passionate about the subject, the blog will flow more naturally and feel less like work and more enjoyable. Since you have to write about it frequently, you want it to be something you can enjoy. A subject that can cover multiple topics is what you need so that you can constantly come up with new blog posts.

Writing about something you don't care about will be awful and it will show to your audience in your writing. Make it something that can be monetized to make you a profit because a great blog will not only be fun to write, but will attract readers and essentially lead to a created income. A blog coinciding with your business that makes money could be great for the company.

What steps should I take?

Once you've narrowed this down, you'll need to get a web host and domain. Use WordPress for your web-based platform or consider a self-hosted platform if you don't mind purchasing your own domain and web hosting service. Choose a web host that is reliable, has a guarantee on uptime at least 99.5% of the time, and reasonable prices that are competitive. Cheap or free hosting could end up being unreliable or have your site down frequently, deterring your traffic and decreasing your income. Register a domain at GoDaddy and make sure it's simple, easy to remember, applicable to the business, and has no dashes or complicated elements that people won't remember.

Choose from themes and plugins on WordPress that would be great for your blog. Some are free and some will cost money, but look for reviews to make sure you choose wisely. You want your blog to have a nice design with a theme and plugins allow for you to protect against spam, add social media sharing buttons, and make it easier to navigate the website.

Take the steps to increase your search engine ranking for SEO, engage with your readers on social media to encourage calls-to-action, and track your blog performance through Google Analytics.

Once you've completed these tasks, you'll be on your way to a great blog. This is a comprehensive guide to beginner's blogging that will have you ahead of the class.

Reads: 766 | Category: General | Source: TheHN : The Hosting News

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