Introduction
It is absolutely essential that you get your blog up and running as soon as possible. As soon as you realize what specific topic or niche you want to write about, start writing. This will help you build a body of work that shows the world that you are an expert in your niche. But if you already have experience with a particular topic and have created a body of work that you’ve previously written, you need to break that work down into a format that’s compatible with the blog.
Here are ten of the essential basic steps you need to take to get your blog up and running quickly:
1. Open a free WordPress.org blog
Don’t waste your time on any of the other blogging websites. This is by far considered the best and easiest to use that is available. It is very simple to use and has many free plugins available. Most bloggers use this site, so there is a lot of help and advice available on the internet. WordPress.org is self-hosted. WordPress.com is hosted (this means your URL will have the WordPress name attached to your URL).
2. Write your profile and add a headshot
You should put a lot of thought into creating your profile. Use your LinkedIn profile to help you write this. Give some specific information about yourself, but don’t overdo it. Don’t go overboard by being boastful or arrogant. Write several sentences that provide the essential, but relevant, information a reader might need to determine that you have the relevant experience to write about your blog topic. Include a nice photograph of your face.
3. Write your blog posts
Your blog posts can be written about anything you want to write about. Some posts will be like a formal essay. Some will be a quick two-sentence tip. But always remember that every post should support your niche. Any information you post on your blog should benefit your readers, your followers.
4. Keep your posts short
A typical daily post should generally be at least 400 words, and typically no more than 2,000 words. Each post must be about a specific topic. If your article is longer than this, you can try splitting it into two posts. EzineArticles.com has written some great free ebooks on this that you should read before you write your first blog post.
5. Add an image to each post
Add an image to each post to help make them visually appealing. This image will also be used when another blog, or blog listing service, displays your article. The topic of the image does not necessarily have to be directly related to the topic of the publication. But it should at least be visually appealing or eye-catching.
6.Use bullet points
It is essential that you keep all your posts easy to follow and easy to read. No matter how serious a topic is, you need to take the reader by the hand and guide them through your article. This courtesy is not only common, but essential if you expect your readers to continue reading your posts. By blogging, you expose yourself to the world and tell people that you want to share information with them and hopefully help them. Show them how much you care about them by truly helping them understand what you’re writing about.
7. Add keywords and bold text to every important heading and subheading
This will help search engines know what is important in your article. When a search engine crawls your site, it will give higher priority to headings and bold text in each section of your article. This is very easy to do when using WordPress. It will simply be a matter of highlighting the heading text of each paragraph and then clicking the heading button and the bold button.
8. Add Google AdSense Ads
This is very easy to do and an easy way to earn a few extra bucks from your blog. Don’t expect to make a lot of money with this. It’s simply a hands-off way to help offset the costs involved in maintaining your blog.
9. Promote your blog
You should always be open to finding new ways to promote your blog. This can be as simple as listing your blog on a “blog listing service.” Or using your “Amazon Author Page” as a way to connect with your readers. So far I have found twenty five legitimate places to promote my blog. And this doesn’t include websites I’ve added comments to (only do this on websites and blogs that allow a link to your blog).
10. Improve your blog
This is an endless process. You must constantly strive to make your blog look and sound like you know what you’re talking about. This also includes making corrections to your previous posts. Your readers will scrutinize every word you write. Quickly admit that you made a mistake about something you wrote about, tell them why you made that mistake, and correct it right away. Readers want to trust you and learn from you. Make sure you give them plenty of reasons to do this.
conclusion
It still amazes me how many business partners and clients still avoid blogging as a way to promote their business. None of the steps to setting up a blog is difficult or expensive. There is a learning curve. And it will take several months to fully learn all aspects of blogging and how to do it successfully. But the benefits to you and your business can be enormous.
