So you want to try your hand at blogging and you want to ask “How do I start blogging?” Well, I will do nothing to dissuade you because for me it was the best thing I ever did, and ended up with me getting out of the 9 to 5 rat race, and becoming a full time blogger. So of course I’d think that it’s an excellent idea for you to start blogging.
Blogs are a great way to express yourself, connect with others who share your passions, and share information and knowledge. But be warned once you start you’re going to love it!
It’s pretty easy to start your own blog even if you’re like me and pretty hopeless at all the technical stuff and when I first started, in truth, I knew nothing about blogging itself. But in no time at all you can be up and running.
So here’s some help how to go about getting starting with blogging:
Decide What You Want To Blog About
The first thing you’ll need to do to get your blog up and running will be to pick a blog topic for yourself. There are a load of blogs already out there in the blogosphere. What’s important for every blogger is it’s not just about writing posts, it’s also about getting them read. If you want to attract readers, you are going to need to establish your credibility. The best way to do this is to blog about something you are passionate about, and know a lot about. So if you’re going to start blogging make sure you choose something you will love to write about, and that you believe you can come up with something new on a regular basis.
Choosing a Name for Your Blog
Once you decide on what you want as your niche to focus on in your blog, it’s time to choose a name for it. You’ve got to choose the right domain name, the internet address of your blog. Naming your blog is an important step that requires careful thought because your blog’s title is often the first impression your readers get of your blog. It needs to tell them something about what your blog is all about and capture their attention. Your domain name should be simple, obvious, and as short as possible as well as being memorable.
Choose Your Blogging Platform
Now that you’ve named your blog, you’re ready to get the blog created. You just have to decide which platform is right for you. The most popular platforms are Blogger, TypePad, and WordPress.org. You need to decide whether you will go with a hosted or non-hosted blogging platform. In my mind the best option is to use a self-hosted WordPress Platform. This is very easy to do. You’ll have your very own domain name, and you can put anything you like on your site because it’s 100% yours. With the free platforms you don’t get enough control and in reality you’re building up someone else’s asset, helping them improve page rank, alexa ranking and building them links, not in truth yours. By going with WordPress.org and having your own domain name you get your own URL, and are able to build your very own blog.
Designing a Website
Every platform offers you a wide selection of generic templates for you to use as you start your blog. It makes sense to start with these, so that you can spend more time in developing your writing and networks. Give yourself time to get used to blogging and allow yourself to develop as a blogger. If you go with wordpress.org you can choose from hundreds of free themes Choose carefully because your blog’s design should reflect your niche and your personality, but it needs to be user friendly and enhance your credibility and authority.
Creating Content
Content is king on the Web. There are a things that can be difficult when it comes to blogging but in my books coming up with things to write about is not one of them. Blog content ideas are all around you. You can find inspiration from the websites you visit, from keyword research, from your analytics and from the people that read your blog.
Measuring your Statistics
Once you’re blogging you’ll want to know who’s reading and how those readers are finding you. I’d like to suggest that you set up Google Analytics to track your blog’s statistics. This program is free and includes an unbelievable amount of really useful information.
Generating Traffic
There are so many ways to generate blog traffic. The best way to generate traffic, though, is simply to write well and write often. Add some social networking time, such as Facebook and Twitter, you’ll be on the way to getting your visitors.
I hope this information will help you. Blogging offers you a wonderful medium to connect, provide information, help others, as well as making you money if you so require.
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