Today when I chose my blog post topic, ‘Blogging for Beginners’ I went to Google and searched ‘Blogging for Beginners.’ Just to see what was already online and the angle my post should take.
The first result was by Problogger, ‘How to Blog: Blogging Tips for Beginners.’ It was basically a list of the various topics that would prove beneficial to bloggers as they started off their blog.
The second was from Blogging Tips, again a list of articles that would prove helpful for beginning bloggers as they launched their blog careers online.
The next few results were along the same lines and I thought to myself, well that means when a blogger is beginning they really have no option but to read and read and then read some more. There are no specific ways to start a blog; it all depends on where you start from and where your research takes you.
So I decided it was really no use writing another article that acted as a forum for information rather than specific information itself. The reason most of the posts are so generic is because blogging is a very personal field and is based on choices-
- What is your topic or blogging niche?
- Why do you want to launch a blog?
- Do you want to host on a free site or on your own server?
- Which blogging platform do you want to choose?
The list of questions goes on, and if you go to any of the above mentioned sites you will be able to eventually answer the questions that will pop up, as you start to launch your blog.
Here I am going to take a risk. I am going to list out my preferences and allow you to use my preferences to launch your blog quickly with a week actually.
Then as you learn more you will be able to customize these choices to suit your own needs. But you will be able to launch your blog without delay.
Day 1: Choosing your Blog Niche and Researching the Industry
Wake up in the morning and have lots of coffee. You need to have that adrenaline pumping before you actually get caught in the intricacies of blogging.
Start Researching. If you have decided to blog then there is a 90% chance you have a general idea of the industry you want to be blogging in. So research that industry.
- Open your Google home page.
- Type in your industry and the word blog e.g. Blogs: internet marketing
- Go through the different blogs and narrow down your topic of blogging to three categories.
- Again search these categories e.g. Blogs: Internet Marketing Local Business
- Also check out which platforms the blogs you like are hosted on.
- By now you should have your topic and be able to choose the platform your want to host your blog.
- Also you should be able to make a list of topics people are blogging on in your industry.
- Now decide on your style. Do you want to write impersonally or personally? Write an article from the top of your head. Not anything big just 100-200 words. Read it and define your style. Ask a friend to help if needed. Most times the first article we write without bumping into writers block is the way we will write as we blog. It is also the style we find easiest to write in.
- Decide whether you want to have a blog for monetary needs or just to have a forum to write. If it’s the former find affiliate programs to fund your blog [there is commissionjunction.com and Google has recently launched an affiliate system] or opt for Adsense. Sign-up accordingly.
- Make a list of your choices.
- Topic: Blog on Internet Marketing for Women who own Small Businesses
- Platform: WordPress
- Style: Informal and factual
- Financial Gain: Adsense advertisements
- List of your favorite blogs
- Choose a blog name.
That’s the end of Day 1. Believe me you will be brain busted and could use a cup of coffee or two. Just relax and forget about the blog. You need a downer!
Day 2: Researching the Industry to Create a List of Topics to Blog About
Today is going to be more exhausting that yesterday. So take small breaks throughout the day.
- Go to your favorite blogs as listed the day before.
- Read the articles. I mean read them.
- Read the comments.
- Check out how the page looks for every article.
- Write down the titles of your favorite articles. Accumulate at least 50.
- From the titles derive the most common keywords. Derive at least 30.
- Then go to Google Insights and use the Google keyword tool.
- See which keywords have the most traffic and what searches are growing on Google insight.
- Create your own list of Blog Titles using the research you have done.
Day 3: Creating your Blog
Are your technologically challenged? Have no idea about HTML? Have no resources that can be used, friends- family? No problem.
The beauty of the Internet is that it gives you a breathing space. It takes three months or more before you will start seeing your site listed in any search engine. So once the blog is online you will have three months to clean up your act.
So here is how to create your blog:
- Go to WordPress.com [this is my platform of choice, if you have not made a choice create a blog here-you can move the blog when you are more blog savvy!]
- On the right hand side you will see a button that says, ‘Sign Up Now’ click it.
- You will have to choose a domain name and type. On WordPress, you have two choices. The first is: Use custom domain for your blog, such as example.com. This is a paid upgrade. For the free blog is the second choice: Use the default address example.wordpress.com.
- Once you have decided which way to go fill the form accordingly. You will need to activate your account so choose a valid e-mail.
- File all the information in a file for easy access.
- Make sure the profile you write is well thought off and professional. It is what your readers will see when they find your blog. It is a representative of your marketing efforts.
- Once the account is active login to customize the blog. You will see a screen with the following options:
You are now in your blog’s “dashboard” where you can write new posts and change lots of important settings and features.
Your dashboard address is ____ and only you can see it.
Need help getting started? Visit our zero-to-hero guide.
Have any technical questions? Our extensive documentation pages are open 24/7.
- On the left you will see a menu go to the option ‘Appearance’. Go there. You can either use the default theme or choose the one you prefer by ‘browsing the themes.’
- Once that is done it is a matter of fiddling with all the options and customizing it to your needs.
Day 4: Continue from Day 3
Day 3 and Day 4 are mindboggling if you have no idea about blogging. Those who come equipped with HTML knowhow will find it easier. Get HELP if you can! There are tens of forums out there -Use the WordPress forum if you get stuck. Savvy bloggers are always willing to lend a hand.
The whole day should be spent learning about the wordpress dashboard. Customize the links, menu, search online when you get stuck, and use the help platform. Continue learning about the wordpress platform.
To be continued….I will continue this article tomorrow. I do not want to deluge you with information. Feel free to ask questions and I will try to get developer and designer friends to help!
Sara Sentor 
