Blogging has rapidly become one of the most widespread ways to communicate and spread news and information to others. It offers a way for you to share information about yourself, improve your writing skills, connect you to the wider community online, and attract people to your business and make money.
Blogging can take some time and energy but there are many ways to develop your skills and learn how to take the stress out of the process. If you have been thinking about writing a blog, then read ahead to learn more about the process and how to get started.
The first step you will take in becoming a blogger will be to choose your name and platform. If you have a name, there are ways to purchase your domain online, such as at GoDaddy. Find a domain purchaser and check to make sure your name isn’t taken. Once you’ve found the name that’s a good fit, purchase the domain. It could range from one to several thousand dollars so you might want to adjust to ensure the cost stays low.
Now that you’ve got your name all picked out, it’s time to figure out where your blog will go online. For this, you will need a host, and ideally a template or software to help organize your content. The good part about this step is that usually they are found together. A host is a business that will store all of your blogs, files, and photos and presents your website when a user types in your address. The software they use will come with backgrounds, templates, ideas, and styles that you can use to customize your blog content.
WordPress and BlueHost are just two of the MANY sites available. Unless you know someone, who has already started a blog and can recommend a site they think would work for you, it would be beneficial to do a bit of research to determine what the different sites offer and what the costs are. Look for deals, specials, and bonus offers such as money to spend on advertising to boost your blog.
While content is the most important element, design and theme will play a central role in attracting visitors to your blog. The design is more about how the ideas are organized on the page and are concerned with text size, orientation, titles and subtitles, location of images etc. Generally, your design will carry into every page or piece of content on your blog for continuity. The theme will have more to do with the background images, colours, and the “feel” of your blog. The theme can permeate the entire blog or come in small sections. Think of the theme as a classroom bulletin board with the ideas changing from season to season, or topic to topic. Your customization should include static pages such as “about me”, which will allow new visitors to your page some background information on who you are, how you became interested in blogging about your particular subject, and the main goal of your blog is. Your static pages should also include links to your other social pages and information on how to reach you.
In a perfect world, you already have a bunch of incredible ideas for starting a blog and maybe even have some brainstorming down on paper. We recommend you create a new digital folder and begin actively spinning off some ideas. You can maintain a document with blog titles or ideas and then start with your first official piece of writing. If you have no idea where to be, there are several ways to find blog topics, starting with your life experiences. Who are you? Consider the many ways in which you are unique or the experiences you’ve had in life that have shaped you. Do you have any wisdom to share?
A personal blog will be written all about you and your life experiences. You can talk about anything impacting you such as daily tasks, your job, your childhood, or random thoughts you find interesting. You can target a more ‘niche’ market with specific experiences such as illness, divorce, children, or specific situations that a smaller number of people will directly relate to. You can also look at things you are passionate about, such as your hobbies. Travel, cooking, sports, and lifestyle blogs are very popular as people enjoy reading about things that are positive and uplifting.
A blog should have an introduction, so people know what you are writing about, some coherent points related to your topic, and a conclusion. “Stream-of-consciousness” writing or journaling without sharing a point, fact, opinion, or theme is not often successful, particularly in the beginning. Your first blog should be a topic you know and understand well, and something you feel good about sharing with others. Include images, if possible, to increase your interest for the visual users.
If you have been thinking about starting a blog, it’s a great way to promote your business, share news and information with others, and make money. In our next Van Patter Group blog, we will cover great ideas for blog content and how to start monetizing your blog. We can help get you started in learning how to promote your blogging and take your blogging to the next level! Reach out to us today!