So, you’ve decided to finally start a blog – awesome! And congratulations! Blogging is fun, but it’s also a lot of work. To make sure your hard work actually pays off, follow these 6 tips to ensure your blog is set up properly and ready to hit the big time:
1. Choose a niche subject
Do your research first to choose a subject that you are not only comfortable writing about on a regular basis, but that also has little or no competition online from other blogs. A Google search will help with this. I recently did it for one of my own clients (a CPA), and confirmed that no one else is writing about her area of expertise.
2. Use a Web designer and developer
Unless you are one of the above or highly technical by nature, don’t try to put together your own blog or it could look unprofessional – or not function properly. The investment in a professional will be worthwhile. I have learned this the hard way.
3. Optimize your site
Turn to an SEO expert to ensure your site is thoroughly optimized for search. In the meantime, do keyword research on Google to find the keywords and phrases most often searched for – and use them in the title and body of your posts.
4. Write engaging posts
Easier said than done, yes, but in general, an engaging post is:
- short – 300 words
- visual – include an image or video to emphasize your point
- easy to read – write the way you talk
- actionable – give your readers a specific tip on how to do something better
- humorous – people like to be entertained
5. Publish several posts before launching
Once you launch and publicize your blog, people will skim your posts and scroll through several of them to get a good idea of what you write about. Be sure you publish at least five, preferably more, posts to give potential readers a really good idea of what they can expect from your blog.
6. Categorize and tag your posts
You want your readers to easily find previous posts, and the best way to do so is to categorize them based on topic and tag them based on subjects covered. So a post on the topic of “Facebook “could include the tags of “photos, videos, engagement, contests,” etc. You get the idea!
Good luck!
Any other tips you’d like to share around setting up a blog?
Image courtesy of blog.hubspot.com
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