You want to start a blog; this is something that can be exciting and rewarding. Whether you’re looking to share your expertise, express yourself creatively, or connect with an audience, blogging offers the perfect platform to do so. Not only is it a great way to showcase your work and ideas, but you can also earn money with your blog by using advertisements or sponsored content.
Furthermore, blogging allows to have meaningful interactions with other bloggers and readers who share similar interests as yours. With all these benefits in mind, now’s the perfect time to get started on that blog!
Blogging For Beginners
Starting a blog can be an intimidating task to undertake for an individual or business, especially if you’re new to the world of blogging.
Here are some key tips for those getting started on their blogging journey:
- Start simple – Pick a blogging platform that is easy to use and navigate. WordPress, Wix, Blogger, and Tumblr are all popular choices due to their user-friendly interfaces. Also, make sure you figure out web hosting.
- Set goals – Have a plan for how often you’d like to post content as well as short-term/long-term goals for what you want your blog to accomplish (e.g., obtaining a certain number of followers or making money). This way, you’ll have something concrete to work toward while keeping yourself consistently motivated along the way!
- Update regularly – The key to having a successful blog is consistency; keep readers coming back by making sure there’s always new content available for them! Whether it’s a weekly or biweekly schedule or even just monthly updates, staying consistent will help ensure your blog continues thriving amidst any competition from other bloggers out there.
Pick A Niche For Your Blog
Here are some tips to help you pick the best niche for your blog:
- Know your interests – Having a passion for the subject matter is essential when it comes to creating content for your blog. Take some time to identify what topics interest you and make sure they align with the goals of your blog before proceeding any further.
- Research your market – Once you’ve settled on a topic, it may be helpful to do some research into who would be interested in reading about such subject matters. This can give you valuable insight into how to better target potential readers and produce content that caters to their needs.
- Consider the competition – See what other bloggers are writing about within your chosen niche and assess how saturated the market is. If there’s too much competition, consider broadening or narrowing down your topic in order to stand out from the rest.
- Find ways to differentiate yourself – It’s important to create content that sets you apart from other bloggers in order to draw attention and maintain readership over time. Think about ways in which you can provide unique perspectives or take a fresh approach when discussing similar topics as others have done before you.
Pick Your Blog’s Domain Name
Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind when selecting the perfect domain name for your blog.
Do Your Research
Before you can make any decisions, it’s important to research the different types of domains available, such as “.com” or “.net”. The right one for you will depend on the type of content you plan to produce and who you hope will be your target audience. Also keep blog hosting services in mind during your research.
Keep It Relevant
When selecting a domain name for your WordPress blog, try to pick something that relates directly to your blog and its content. Doing so will help establish trust with your readers and potentially enhance your search engine rankings as well — it’s worth taking the extra time! Picking something completely unrelated may be confusing for visitors and may also cause them to forget about your site easily due to its lack of relevance.
Keep It Short & Sweet
Your domain should also be succinct; too many characters can cause confusion and can be difficult for visitors to remember or type into their browsers correctly.
Watch Out For Trademarks
Although picking a domain that incorporates an existing brand name may seem like a clever idea at first glance, it could land you in hot water if done improperly. Be cautious when choosing names that might infringe on someone else’s intellectual property; this could lead to legal problems down the line if not done carefully! If need be, do additional research before settling on any names that could have trademark issues associated with them.
Start Building Your Email Subscriber List
If you’re looking to grow your blog, one effective way is building your email subscriber list.
Make It Clear & Simple
Your website’s sign-up form should be easy to find and use. Make sure it stands out by placing it in a prominent spot, like the top navigation bar or side bar. Don’t forget to add a link on every page of your site so people can easily access the form from any page. Additionally, create link bait on social media sites like Twitter, Instagram or Facebook that directs users back to the sign-up page.
Engage With Your Subscribers
Make sure you’re targeting potential subscribers who are interested in your content or products by offering compelling messages and creative calls-to-action (CTAs). This will help establish trust with readers and make them more likely to join your list. Also, think about creating targeted campaigns through Facebook ads or other advertising models where you can reach specific demographics that may be most interested in what you have to offer.
Offer More Than Just Deals
Don’t just focus on promotional emails; instead offer additional content such as helpful tips and advice that’s relevant to your industry or product niche. This will show that you value their time and attention while also continuing to remind them why they subscribed in the first place!
Reward Loyalty
Show appreciation for those who continue supporting your blog by offering exclusive access or special offers based on past interactions with your brand — this will demonstrate that their loyalty is valued. Additionally, reward email subscribers with discounts or early access to new products if available; this encourages readers to stay engaged with your content for longer periods of time.
Building an email subscriber list is essential for any blog’s growth; these tips can help you craft an effective strategy. Set up meaningful goals, track results over time and continue engaging subscribers with great content — before long you’ll start seeing the fruits of your labor.
Design Your Blog
Choose An Intuitive Layout
This should go without saying: your blog layout needs to be as intuitive as possible. Choose a simple design that’s easy to navigate, with clear links to each section of your blog. Make sure the text is legible, there’s plenty of white space between elements, and pages load quickly—these are key ingredients for a user-friendly experience.
Focus on Quality Content
It almost goes without saying — you need great content to attract visitors to your blog. Create content that’s engaging, informative and helpful — readers should feel like they’re benefiting from what you have to offer. Also, don’t forget about SEO; optimize content for keywords relevant to your industry or product niche so you can easily reach potential readers who may be interested in what you have to say.
Add Visual Interest
Your posts should include visuals such as graphics, images, videos and gifs whenever possible. Not only do these break up long pieces of text, but they also add visual interest and help draw readers in. Additionally, using high-quality images will help create a more professional looking site overall.
Creating a Blog Content Strategy
Set Objectives
Before creating your content strategy, it’s important to establish a list of objectives. Have goals in mind that are specific and measurable, such as “increase traffic by 25% in the next 6 months” or “attract 500 new subscribers in 3 months.” Setting clear objectives will help keep you focused as you create content and track results over time.
Define Your Target Audience
Create a profile of your ideal reader; this should include demographic information like age, gender, income level, occupation, education level, etc. Additionally, define psychographic characteristics like interests and motivations; this will help with crafting messages that resonate with readers and make them more likely to engage with your blog.
Establish Clear Follow-Through Processes
Once you have good direction about blog post ideas, decide who will be responsible for each piece of content. Make sure each team member understands their roles; determine when deadlines should be met, who should review drafts before publishing and how feedback should be given or collected along the way.
Track Progress & Make Adjustments
Be sure to track progress against objectives regularly so you can see what’s working (and what isn’t). It’s also important to make adjustments based on feedback from readers; use surveys or polls to solicit input from followers about topics they’d like to read more about or changes they would like to see made on the blog.
Create The Main Pages of Your Blog: About, Contact, Archive
Creating the main pages for your blog is an essential step for any successful website. Once you’ve chosen the overall design and layout of your blog, it’s time to focus on creating the About page, Contact page and Archive page.
About Page
The About page should be concise, but informative — let visitors know who you are, why they should care about what you have to say and how they can benefit from following your blog. Include a photo of yourself on a personal blog—this will make readers feel connected to you as the creator.
Contact Page
Your contact page is where people can reach out with questions, feedback or inquiries — make sure this page is easy to find! Include contact options like an email address, social media links or even a physical address (if applicable). You could also include a contact form, so visitors don’t have to type out their message in order to send it.
Archive Page
An archive page is vital for maintaining an organized blog—it allows visitors to browse content from past posts easily without having to search through the entire site. Set up categories or tags that will automatically link guests to relevant content quickly and conveniently.
Creating a strong foundation for your blog’s main pages will help ensure success in the long run.
Write Blog Post Headlines That Encourage Readers to Click Through
Getting readers to click on your first blog post and the many to come is a key component of any successful blogging strategy. Crafting the right headline that encourages visitors to click can be the difference between success and failure! Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind when writing blog posts headlines.
Keep It Short
The average reader’s attention span is short, so make sure your headline isn’t too long or wordy. Keep it concise and straightforward — 5-7 words should be enough for most headlines. Additionally, use short sentences, strong verbs, and active language; this will help draw people’s attention and encourage them to read more.
Use Keywords & Power Words
Include words related to the topic of your post in your headline — this will boost visibility through search engine results pages (SERPs). Additionally, adding power words (such as “ultimate” or “amazing”) can entice readers and make them more likely to click through.
Make a Promise
Make a statement that promises a result — this could be a solution to a problem or even something entertaining for readers to enjoy. This type of promise adds credibility and increases the likelihood that people will read past the headline and dive into content.
How Do I Get Readers To Come To My Blog?
Create Shareable Content
Create content that is both shareable and valuable—this will help drive more readers to your blog as well as increase the likelihood of social media shares.
Engage on Social Media
Offer helpful tips or advice, post updates about new content in your feed and comment positively on others’ posts — this builds relationships that can lead to increased traffic over time. Additionally, consider creating an account specifically for your blog to extend its reach even further!
Network With Other Bloggers
Reach out to other bloggers who write about similar topics and network with them—they may be willing to link back to posts from their own blogs or share yours in their feed, which also increases visibility. Utilize guest posting opportunities if available as this will give you access to audiences from other websites too.
Set Up SEO Strategies
Make sure each page of your website is optimized correctly for search engine optimization (SEO). This includes using keywords throughout the text (including headings) as well as including meta descriptions/titles when applicable. Renaming images with relevant keywords prior to uploading is also an effective way of boosting visibility through SERPs.
Always Include A Relevant Featured Image At The Top Of Your Blog Post
Including a featured image at the top of your blog post is one of the most impactful ways to make your content stand out. Not only does a featured image give readers an immediate visual cue about what your post is about, but it can also draw in users from social media platforms like Pinterest or Instagram — which in turn will increase your website traffic. Here’s why you should always include a relevant featured image:
It’s Eye-Catching
A good, featured image stands out and grabs people’s attention. This makes them more likely to click, increasing engagement with your post — especially on social media platforms where images tend to be favored over text-only posts!
It Shows What The Post Is About
A visually appealing featured image provides an instant visual explanation of what the blog post is about — this allows readers to quickly form an opinion on whether they’d like to read it without having to read through all the text first. Make sure the featured image you use accurately reflects the topic of your post, as using an unrelated one can confuse potential visitors.
It Can Be Used As Thumbnails On Social Media Platforms
When you share a link from your blog onto social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, many times it will automatically generate a thumbnail based on the featured image at the top of your page. This makes it much easier for readers to recognize what your post is about at a glance, therefore making them more likely to click! Plus, if you have several linked posts these thumbnails can serve as a great way for followers to differentiate which links lead where.
A Blogging Company Near Me
If you are looking for help with getting a personal or business blog off the ground, look no further than Biz Emerge! We can help you build your blog, choose a blog niche, establish a blog theme and get you on your way to new blog posts in no time. If you already have your own blog and just need consulting on how to take it to the next level with money blogging, we can help with that also! Contact us today to get started.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash