“Come on in, the water’s fine.”
But dipping that first toe in when it comes to blogging and committing to an online presence can be daunting to some.
Here, then, is the Top Ten Go-to List of Beginner Blogging Tips for novices to the blogging pool – a reference list of content-based blog basics to get you going and keep you focused.
- Determine your voice, the tone you plan to set with your blog. Consider your target audience. And stay true to it once established.
- Start with a basic, user-friendly, working blog site. Include helpful social media links – but don’t get hung up initially on every available shiny tool and plug-in. Make your content the star.
- Research keywords and phrases appropriate to your business or subject – and use them. Don’t forget the value of a keyword-enhanced blog title.
- Identify keyword-rich categories. Populate each with a blog post as early on as possible upon launching your blog.
- Read, read, research, read. Before that first post, have a solid sense of topics you plan to cover, sources you’ll go to for inspiration, initial blog posts.
- Plan ahead. Lay out a long-range blog or social media editorial calendar with the ideas you’ve gathered.
- Have something to say and say it well. Quality content counts. And yes – sometimes less is more.
- Edit, proof, correct. Don’t post entries laden with misspellings and errors. Once again: Edit. Proof. Correct.
- Establish and maintain a social media presence – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – to improve your blog’s “findability” and search engine rankings.
- Be consistent. Be patient. Building an audience base takes time.
The bottom line – there’s no need to be turned off or overwhelmed if you’re new to the blogging pool. You’ll find you keep afloat much more easily by following these simple basics going in, as well as by having a clear purpose for your blog and staying focused on those goals. Once you’re ready, there are a number of terrific tools and resources to then help you maintain and grow your blog to the next level – along with your new-found blog fan base.
Watch for more on each of these ten blogging basics in posts to come. What favorite beginning blog tip would you add?
