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Aug 20, 2021
People blog for numerous reasons.
Some are keen on sharing their passion with the world, some write to teach others, some want to get recognized, and some just do it for the sake of releasing stress. Let’s not forget to mention those who blog to earn cash or promote their brands.
Whatever the reason is, this we gotta say as a West Palm Beach SEO agency: Blogging comes with tons of benefits.
From improving your writing skills and connecting you with like-minded people to learning new things that are unfamiliar to you, getting proclaimed an expert in your niche, and even keeping your mental health in check, the perks of blogging are just something you wouldn’t wanna miss.
But, the question is, how do you start a blogging website? You don’t exactly have the know-how and all the right tools. Well, good thing you found us!
In this post, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how beginners such as yourself can create a blog quickly and easily. It’s not that complicated, really. You only need three things: Laptop, good internet, and commitment.
Ready to begin? Let’s!
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First things first, make sure to commit to a niche that you’re most passionate and knowledgeable about. It should also have enough audience, such as topics that usually fascinate people.
If you’re finding it hard to come up with ideas, ask yourself these questions:
For instance, if you’re into gardening, your topics should revolve around plant care and cultivation. Again, see to it that your niche is something that many people enjoy reading about.
Once you’re satisfied with your chosen niche, it’s time to look at the blogging platforms available out there and figure out which works best for you.
Most seasoned and successful bloggers would agree that WordPress is the best choice. As a matter of fact, the software has a 93% market share in the country, making it the most popular technology by far.
Here are four reasons why:
Regardless of the advantages, you’ll get from WordPress, it’s still important to know about your other options.
There are actually two types of blogging platforms: Self-hosted and free blog.
As the name implies, a free blog is one that you can create for free using hosted platforms like Tumblr.com or Blogger.com. What you should know is that the term “free” in this aspect always comes with limitations.
The catch is, your blog name will be set as a subdomain (ex. yourblog.blogpsot.com). Plus, you have to play by their rules and restrictions, which means you don’t really have the freedom to do things your way.
Self-hosted platforms, on the other hand, allow you to set up your blog and run it using your own domain and web hosting. In other words, you’re fully in charge of your blog.
Sure, a self-hosted blog may require you to pay, but it’s worth every penny. Besides, it’ll only cost around a few dollars per month for the hosting account and about $10 per year for the domain. You’ll spend nothing on the actual blogging software!
Is WordPress self-hosted? You bet it is!
Between the two, the self-hosted option is perfect if you’re really serious about blogging. If you’re only blogging for fun, opting for a free platform like Tumblr makes sense.
Next, brainstorm domain names for your blog. If you’re not familiar, your domain name is the name you’ll be known on the World Wide Web. It’s your blog’s address on the Internet. Yes, you could say that it’s your URL.
What do you want to call your blog? Would you prefer to keep it as simple as yournameandniche.com? Or perhaps something that’s catchy that makes it easy for people to remember?
If you’re having trouble finding a domain name you like, you can enlist the help of GoDaddy, Google, or Bluehost. Any of these tools will give you enough time to think your name through before you can finally start your blog.
Or, if you really want to come up with your own blog name, here are some proven tricks to consider:
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Ask any experienced blogger what the best web hosting platform is and Bluehost is most likely the first thing to come out of their mouth.
Using Bluehost, you get:
If you’re thinking of choosing something else besides Bluehost, be sure that it comes with one-click installs for blogging platforms to simplify your setup process.
As soon as you’ve set up your admin account for WordPress, you can start working on your new dashboard. Proceed to the admin page and input the access details for your admin account.
Keep in mind that despite WordPress already being fully operational, you’ll still need to go through some settings to customize your blog. Don’t forget to press the “Save Changes” button whenever you change the settings.
The General Settings section is where you can set your site title, which is the first thing your audience sees, and your tagline, a short description of your blog. You can change them any time you wish to.
It’s also in this section where you can check if your URL is correct, choose your preferred language, and set your timezone.
The Reading section allows you to select what you want your visitors to see as they land on your blog site. It can be a static page or you can show your latest articles.
This section also helps you make sure that search engines like Google can find your new blog. To do that, simply leave the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” unchecked.
You can use the Discussion section to customize the settings related to the comment section. What’s great about this section is that it does not just let your readers interact with you, but you can also gain valuable feedback from it.
The Media section gives you the option to crop settings for your visual assets. It’s up to you to decide whether you leave them to default sizes, or you adjust them to specific width and height.
It’s important to note that uploading an image to WordPress will automatically create medium- or large-size files. Your images will be set to medium if you’re using grid mode, while large images are normally featured in certain themes.
A permalink, short for permanent link, is the full URL you use for any post or content on your site. Setting permalinks in WordPress is very fast and simple. Just head over to the Settings tab on the left and under it, you will see Permalinks.
But, why’s there a need to set permalinks? Well, it’s actually the most optimal setting and the one preferred by search engines.
Now it’s time to design your blog website based on your needs and goals.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a skilled designer at all. WordPress offers thousands of themes that you can get for free. And, you can customize them easily with zero skills in coding.
Depending on the theme you’re currently using, you will have various options in the sidebar menu. The most common ones are the following:
Now that you’re equipped with the technical details of starting a blogging website, allow us to share with you several ideas to start your first post.
These three steps will help you create quality content of any type:
When it comes to blogging, quality always beats quantity.
First, users prefer reading solid posts that provide value. Second, Google knows quality content when it sees one, and if it does, it will reward that site by ranking it high.
Below are some of the most effective tips:
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of driving more organic traffic to your web pages. Implementing the right SEO strategy helps your site get higher rankings on search engines, which means more visibility.
As a blogger, you can optimize your website using these tactics:
Don’t hesitate to hire a West Palm Beach SEO company if you’re struggling in this area.
Being active in blogger communities is one of the best ways to meet and connect with other bloggers in your niche. You can build friendships and help promote one another. Who knows, you might even collaborate soon.
Post comments on other relevant blogs to get noticed. You might also want to consider writing guest blog posts for other websites that are directly related to your niche. Not only does it help establish relationships with fellow bloggers, but it can boost your online presence, too.
There’s no better way to keep your readers coming back to your site than by posting valuable blogs. People read blogs not out of boredom, but because they’re interested to learn and expand their knowledge.
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There you have it! Looks like starting your own blogging website isn’t as difficult as you thought it would be, huh?
Once you’ve posted your first blog, keep going. Just because you’re not seeing results in the first few weeks doesn’t mean that you should give up right away. Consistency is key.
Oh, and one more thing, make it a habit to check your blog analytics to track results and see which areas need improvement.
You’re already aware that SEO plays a critical role in boosting the visibility of your blog website, so why not enlist the help of our highly skilled SEO specialists here at Digital Resource?
As one of the leading West Palm Beach SEO companies, we’ve been working with hundreds of companies across America. So far, we can proudly say that we’ve been doing a pretty decent job helping them reach their goals.
If you want to be our next success story, give us a ring at 561-429-2585 or book a consultation here!
Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!
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