Are you new to blogging? Are you thinking of starting a new blog? and you don’t know how?
You have come to the right place! Starting a new blog is not difficult, you just have to follow these amazing tips I have outlined here and you will be on your way to blogging glory! ( Of course, you have to be persistent and write consistently and bring out valuable and unique content! ). However, these tips will surely help you to get on the right track and prepare you to start your blog.
1 . Start with a self-hosted blog with a custom domain
This by far is one of the most important and primary things to do before you start your blog. Gone are the days when we all started blogging on Free WordPress, Blogger ( I started my first blog on Blogger), Tumblr, etc. A free hosted blog will give you all a place to reach out to your audience but it won’t help you in creating authority or a brand for yourself.
So, I firmly suggest go on and get yourself a WordPress self-hosted blog and a custom domain, to begin with. Setting up a WordPress Blog is easy and I will explain exactly how to do it in one of my upcoming posts.
2. You need to know your niche!
If you are thinking of starting a blog without any particular knowledge about the industry you want to write about, then I suggest you don’t do it at all. A reputed blog is possible only if you can provide useful content and solutions to your targeted readers. Without experience, producing content will become difficult.
Share your experiences and observations with your readers. This will help them relate to you and learn from you, they will keep coming back for more.
3. Focus on starting with a responsive design
Your new blog is your calling card. Your readers, targeted audience and prospective clients will gain access to your knowledge and authority via your blog. That makes it very important that you concentrate on obtaining an easy yet responsive layout for your website.
There is no need to go overboard with buying an expensive theme or template, stick to a simple design, but it should work seamlessly on all platforms and screens.
4. Plan ahead for your first 30 days of blogging
I suggest, before you even get your domain, hosting, etc., sit down and plan what you want to write about from the day you start. Create a short term goal, this should involve consistently posting one post every day for the next 30 days from the day you go live. And for this to happen, plan your content, and make a list of probable topics you can write about for the first month.
5. Do an in-depth competition analysis
Well, It is always good to know what your competition is doing. Check out yours in your niche, and see what they are up to. Try and emulate benchmarks followed and implemented by the best in your niche. For instance, I personally draw a lot of inspiration and content ideas from Neil Patel and Ramsay Taplin.
6. Make the right connections from the start
You are known by the company you keep, this is true to blogging too. So, start building your connections early on. It helps to connect with reputed bloggers and communities. Understand who are the leading names in your niche and build concrete relationships with them. This can enable you in the long run. It is really easy to find influential bloggers on Twitter these days, Or you could just use BuzzSumo to find the right people.
7. Choose a name for your blog
One of the fun things about starting a new blog is the process of finding a name for your blog. When you choose your blog name, which will also be your domain name, be careful to pick something which is easy to remember, is descriptive of what the blog is about and the extensions you pick should be trustworthy such as .com, .org, and so on.
8. Understand the basics of SEO
How do people find you? Among the most frequent ways is through search engines. So, as a new blogger, you should understand the basics of SEO and understand how you can make your blog search engine friendly. I will be writing a detailed post about SEO for blogs in the near future but for now, you can refer to MOZ, they are the ultimate resource for learning SEO basics. Your success with starting a new blog depends on having a basic knowledge of SEO, learn about it.
9. Write long and detailed content
You are a new blogger, and why should anyone read your blog? What makes you different? The answer is your content. The more detailed and explanatory you are the better it is for you to gain authority in your niche and stand out. Your content needs to address issues your readers have and offer them prospective solutions. Be detailed about your offerings.
That’s it!
It is that simple!
Now, get on with your blogging! Get a domain, hosting, and start posting!
Good Luck! Do come back and I want to know if these hints helped. Do not hesitate to leave me a comment if you have more tips about starting a new blog. I will be happy to update this article if they’re useful!