What You Should Think About Before You Start Blogging ?

This is a Guest Post by Elise Brown.

When you decide to start a blog, it is important you realize that, like with most other things in life, you will have to crawl before you can run. There are a lot of things to consider before you make your first post. First and foremost, you should know that not all blogs act as online diaries, or places to tell your life story. Most blogs now are more like magazines, and their followers are people who want to read about the topic of the blog because they find it interesting.

Why do you want to blog?

Before anything else, you should know exactly why you want to create a blog. You may say that you want to make money or become famous, but your reason is probably much deeper than that. Do you want to become an expert on a topic or help people become more knowledgeable on a certain subject? Do you want to make a point or convince others to accept your opinions? A blog is, in some ways, a business, and all businesses need goals in order to succeed.

Setting up your blog

Another important step to have a successful blog is that you educate yourself on the topic you have chosen. There are few things more annoying than going to a blog for information only to find out that the author has no idea what he or she is talking about. Choose a topic you are very interested in so it won’t become tedious to write your posts, and continue to research the topic so you don’t become redundant.

Next, try to figure out which keywords and phrases will be searched for when someone else looks for your topic online. Use some of these terms as the titles of the sections of your blog and maybe the most relevant key phrase in the title of your blog. Some tools that can help you find these phrases are AdWords Keyword Tool or Worktracker.

When you start to put together the actual website, keep in mind that you don’t need every single plug-in or gadget you can find. Keeping your design simple, at least at first, can help new followers navigate your blog site. Create a page about your blog and set up a few categories with the terms you think will be most relevant. You can always add more to your website later, but for now keep it simple.

Also read : How to setup a self hosted wordpress blog ?

Keep the Audience Interested

Every blogger wants their blog to be successful, but if you aren’t able to keep your audience interested, your blog will probably flop. Here are a few ways to keep your blog from getting dull.

Personality – Your blog should directly relate to your personality. Write your posts in the same way you would talk to a friend, and use your unique voice to make your blog personable and interesting.

Update regularly – Don’t publish a post and then disappear for a few months. A blog is only as strong as the community the blog creates. Your audience needs to feel included in what you write, and they want to know that you still care enough to let them know what you think.

Create Interest – The topic of your blog needs to create an interest in your readers, or at least keep them entertained to the point that they want to take time out of their busy day to come back and read more. Publish posts that are more than just a news story you read that morning. Put your own opinion into the post, and say something unique instead of playing it safe and just writing an informative article.

Be Patient

Blogging is not an easy business. It takes time and effort to make a successful blog. Look at your blog every day to see what little things you could change or add to make it better. Ask for help from other bloggers or computer enthusiasts. They may have an idea or two that you may not have thought of without them. Keep improving and really try to enjoy the process. Don’t overwhelm yourself trying to make everything perfect. Start from the bottom, and slowly you will build your blog into a success.

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Tagged as: blog, start a blog, starting a blog

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Article By elisebrown

Elise Brown is an author who writes guest posts on the topics of business, marketing, credit cards, and personal finance. Additionally, she works for a website that focuses on educating readers about payday loans.