When you first start a blog, you’re full of hope for what it might become. You imagine all the great content you’re going to create, and the thousands of people who will flock to your site. However, then you actually get started and realize it’s not that simple. Then a few common mistakes later and suddenly your blog doesn’t look the way you imagined, and your traffic numbers are practically nonexistent.
To avoid this, there are a few things you can do to get your blog started off on the right foot, and on a path towards success. Here’s what you need to do:
Start with a Good Domain Name and Hosting Provider
To begin, you need to first think of a good domain name. You’ll want something that is catchy, easy to type, and available. Your domain name will say a lot about your blog, so take some time to think of a good one. Once you have a few ideas, head over to a domain registrar and see which ones are available.
After you have a good domain name, you’ll need good hosting to go with it. Your hosting provider is where you’ll store all your website’s files so that they can be accessed from the web. If you choose a poor hosting provider you may find that your blog runs slowly, which in turn will drive away visitors. Explore your options and find a hosting provider that not only provides good service but that fits your budget.
A Modern Design
The next thing you’ll want to focus on is the design your website. Specifically, you’ll want to choose a design that’s modern and that complements your blog’s topic. When choosing a color scheme, stick to a few primary colors and shades of those colors. Too many different colors will make the page seem busy and will distract from your content.
There’s a lot that goes into a good blog design. For some more help, you can check out this guide.
A Solid Content Management System
The meat of your blog is the content that you produce. To make content production easy, and to keep everything organized, you’ll want a solid content management system (CMS). A good CMS will allow you to easily add, edit or delete content, along with a host of other functions. For instance, with WordPress website hosting, you can use Themes to design your website or Plugins to add extra features. WordPress is one of the best CMS options available, so if you’re unsure of where to start, that’s a good one to check out first.
Social Media Sharing
One of the best ways to promote your content early on is through social media. It might take a while for your blog to show up in search engines, but you can still reach a lot of people simply by building up a social media presence. To get your blog off on the right foot, you’ll want to start using social media platforms as early as you can. Set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram, then start interacting with others and sharing your content. If you produce great content, it’ll get noticed on social media, and hopefully shared by others.
Copy Writing Tips
Of course, the key to producing great content is your writing. If you’re a poor writer, you’ll have a hard time bringing in visitors to your blog. Luckily, it’s not hard to improve your skills. There are a few key things you can focus on when it comes to quality blog writing.
First, keep your sentences and paragraphs concise. Try to keep your paragraphs to around 4 or 5 sentences, and don’t let your sentences run on for too long. Besides that, add in headers to each of your sections. There should be a clear order to your content, so that people skimming through can find the information they’re after. Lastly, check your content with a tool like Grammarly to see if you made any mistakes.
Stick to a Schedule
Finally, the last thing you need to do to get your blog off on the right foot is create a schedule and stick to it. A lot of blogs fail because they put out a lot of content initially, then trail off. Your readers want to know that you maintain your site, and that they can expect new content regularly. Come up with a schedule that works for you – whether it’s one post a week or a month – then stick to it.
And there you have it – everything you need to get your blog started on the right foot. If you can do the above, you should have no problem laying a great foundation for your blog – one that you can build off for a long time to come. Good luck!
