As I mentioned in a post last month, people love “top lists” and I have seen it work here at my blog. So far, my most popular post is “Top 10 Free Blog Directories.” With that in mind, I figured I would write another Top 10 list post. This one will focus on tips for beginners. These tips are what I feel are the most important things that new bloggers need to know to get their blog off the ground. If you would like to add to the list, I welcome your comments below.
1. Set Goals- You need to set your goals and have a vision before starting your blog. What is the purpose of your blog? Many people just jump right in and start blogging without any direction. Are you blogging for fun? Money? To promote your business? Goal setting has to come first as everything you do will flow from here.
2. Pick a subject you know. I will also add, pick a subject you love. You will be writing about this topic almost daily so it has to be something you have passion for. You also have to be an expert in this area, if you are not it will come through. I have seen too many people pick a niche because it was popular or because of high ad rates. Most of these blogs shut down before the 2 month mark. I have 2 blogs that I am serious about, this one and my career blog. I like to think I am an expert in both areas. I am a former headhunter and career consultant. I own a niche job board and a resume writing company. I have been blogging successfully for years, most of which was writing content for other bloggers and webmasters through my writing firm, Juicy Content.
3. Be visible- You have to get your name out there in the blogging community. One day per week, I take a break from my blogs and spend the day networking with other bloggers. On a daily basis, I am active on forums like Digital Point and Bloggeries. I am active on Twitter and social book marking sites. I take time to comment on other blogs in my niche.
4. Submit to blog directories and social communities. Sites like Technorati and BlogCatalog are essential for exposure and credibility. Your Technorati authority rank has become as important as your page rank and Alexa score.
5. Create a Feedburner account and promote your feed at the top of your site. Feedburner is the easiest and best way to manage you RSS subscribers.
6. Encourage comments- The most successful bloggers have transformed their blog into a community. The best way to do this is to make it easy for your readers to comment. I recommend making your comments “do follow” to encourage comments.
7. Plugins- Install and activate the essential plugins as soon as you can. The most important plugin to have on day one is “Platinum SEO” or “All in one SEO.” It is important to optimize your titles and keywords to rank high in Google. This has worked great for me so far. For example, if you search “blogging tips for beginners” you will see my site on page 1, right below Problogger.net. Not bad company, huh.
8. Theme- Think about getting a premium theme or if you choose a free theme. This is less important if you are blogging for fun. This is why setting goals are so important.
9. WordPress rules- I have used Blogger before and I know it is easy and simple. Please do yourself a favor and get a WordPress self hosted blog. On the forums, I read posts everyday from bloggers who wished they had started with WordPress from the start.
10. Don’t quit- This is the most important piece of advice that I can give. It is not easy to create a successful blog, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I read a stat that said that over 90% of blogs don’t make it past the 60 day mark. A lot of people start a blog and think that it is a get rich quick scheme. When they see $1.48 in their adsense account after 2 months, they throw in the towel. Keep in mind, it usually takes at least a year for your blog to gain traction.
Please share your tips below….
This is a great resource Dan. Statement about the need for knowing and loving the subject matter rings true with me. My blog is only a few months old with a zero page rank. Do you still think it is a good idea for me to use a do follow approach when I have very little link juice?
Here’s one. As soon as you install wordpress, log-into your dashboard an set your permalink to an SEO optimized one. I recommend /%postname%/%post_id%/
Do this and save yourself the trouble of changing your permalink to an SEO one later as you run the risk of 404 errors and PR loss.
.-= Udegbunam Chukwudi@Make Money Online´s last blog ..Learn To Trade Forex Like A Pro With AvaFX =-.
always keep blogging and do not quit from blogging because hard work will pay one day.
Hi.
I have included your URL into my EntreCard add on widget. It is actually an improved version of a droppers list.
To learn more about the program go to http://www.jr041283.com/2010/01/spread-love.html
I am hoping to hear from you soon. Happy blogging.
I don’t know how to make my blog any more interesting, or how to look directly into the camera for long periods of time without feeling weird.
.-= self improvement resources´s last blog ..The increasing importance of men’ health and clothing =-.
I have read all this things on many blog but what makes your post special is the way you put them together, your personal touch and the language you used here really says a lot about your personality and your authority on topic in subject.
.-= Bloggers Payback´s last blog ..Blogger Paybck-He Know Your Problem! =-.
Nice tips there Dan! I liked all of them especially the last one. Yes, don’t quit. If you are really into blogging then it is imperative that you take it seriously. It does take lots of time, effort, and dedication to reach the top of the ladder.
Very useful post for the beginner of blogger.
Thanks for the sharing.
Well I like the post. I think the only thing I disagree with is for someone new to blogging money should be in the back of their minds due to the amount of time it takes to learn all the things you need to know before becoming successful online. Personally I started with the thought of money and after the first few months was really bummed at the fact that I was not making huge amounts of cash. This was when an experianced webmaster told me if I wanted to actually make a living on line money should be the last thing I should think about. He said that the money will come once I get over wanting to make money online. Weird right? Well I decided rather than attempting to make money online I would help people with my knowledge and attempt to build a readership and traffic to my site it turned out my friend was right once I stopped trying to make money I was no longer bummed out and that made it much easier to become successful. I wish I could tell you what he said to me but it was to long ago. Anyway good post.
Excellent tips. Before Launching further into the Blogging for beginners series. I would like to take step back from some of the practicalities of setting up a new blog and ask potential bloggers a question.
Right, never give up and update your blog regularly, that is another vital component to successful blogging.
Talia Phillips’s last blog post..Molton Brown and the Most Soothing Lotion for All Skin Types
I had a nice blog a year ago, I was blogging math, held some contests, and had some people entering my contest, some nice debates and a few regular visitors… But after a few months I saw that I won’t get rich from AdSense. So I shut down that blog, and that was a big mistake. Now I’m struggling with a new one, but I’m not going to stop writing here. I don’t have paid ads on my blog, I’m doing it just for fun, and maybe when I get enough visitors, I’ll put on some ads, or use another scheme, like Entrecard…
Remember guys, Rule number 10 is very important!
Great tips! Basics are very important to everyone. It’s like the building block of everything. Start right and you go the right way. For newbie blogging tips, I think your post can be summarized into three parts.
First, build your blog (the right way)
Second, promote your blog and
Third, participate in the blogosphere.
All of which are definitely correct.