By Aileen Gilpin – AGilpin Consultants.com
In many respects, starting a blog is the easy part. Just pick a blog platform (Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, etc.), and create an account. Going from no blog to your first blog post can seriously happen in less than 30 minutes. However, getting started is often the biggest obstacle in a writer creating a blog.
Recently, I read an article that touches on the top 10 most important keys to creating a blog that will start driving traffic—and traffic is the key to blogging success. And the nice thing about a blog is that it’s free to create.
Abridged: Writer’s Market
How to Start a Blog: The Basics
If you’re completely clueless on starting a blog, that’s OK. Click one of the following links to create a blog account:
Each site leads you through the process of creating a basic blog, and you can usually set up a basic account and draft an introductory blog post in less than an hour.
Starting a Blog: Choosing a Topic
To drive the most traffic to your blog, you’ll need to choose a main subject. For instance, the main subject of this blog is to provide resources for self-published authors. That is a very focused topic, but it’s broad enough that I can cover a range of subjects in individual blog posts.
When you’re choosing your topic, I’d suggest looking at what you know and what drives you. Also, make sure your topic is related to your writing specialties. Having a blog about parenting will not help expand your platform as a science fiction novelist.
How to Make a Blog That Rocks
Once you’ve chosen your topic and started blogging, it’s time to start optimizing your efforts.
- Post consistently. When getting started, I recommend a posting schedule. The more consistent you make your posts the easier it will be for your readers to anticipate your content.
- Use SEO. Sure, social media has changed the game for blogging, but it only helps bloggers reach people they know (or that their friends and followers know). SEO (or search engine optimization) provides a way for bloggers to find new leads through search engines.
- Use social media. Speaking of social media, be sure to link your blog posts to your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, even the newest Pinterest). This is a great way to make your content available to your connections.
- Share. Share links. Share content. Share credit. The reason is that what goes around comes around–in life and in blogging.
- Include share buttons. Make it easy for your blog audience to share your posts with social share buttons. (Click here to learn more.)
- Employ basic design. Use headers, lists (bullet points and numbers), images, and other basics of design. When a reader encounters a big block of text without visual breaks, it makes the blog look unprofessional.
- Follow your blog stats. Some blogging sites include statistics; others may require that you use Google Analytics. However you access your stats, be sure to pay attention to which posts are driving the most traffic as well as the most comments.
thebookwatch.wordpress.com 