Blogging
Tips For Beginners
If you’re just starting a
blog (or two or three), it can be
overwhelming. You need to choose
a blogging platform, get your blog
set up, make regular posts, check
for comments from readers, make
sure your links are working, and
attend to a hundred other details.
If you don’t know what to do
and what to avoid, blogging can
be difficult at best and completely
frustrating at worst. Follow these
tips for beginners to turn your
blog into something you can be proud
of.
Choose a platform you can learn
easily.
Don’t choose a popular platform
just because it’s popular.
If you can’t figure out how
to use it, your blog will be over
before it starts. Shop around and
find a blogging program that is
easy to use and has options for
technical support in case you get
stuck.
Select a format that doesn’t
require a lot of technical changes
or adjustments.
Choose a blog template that does
not need a lot of changes. If you
find one you really like, you don’t
even need to make any changes. Stay
away from templates that need many
changes or else you’ll find
yourself with a blog that isn’t
functioning after a few wrong keystrokes.
Back up your blog.
Backing up your blog should be
something you do often. If something
happens with the server or you accidentally
delete your own blog (it’s
been known to happen), you won’t
spend days or weeks trying to start
a new one or put the old one back
together.
Write posts on topics relevant
to your business.
If you’re the owner of a widget
shop, you don’t need to write
every single post about widgets
themselves. However, you SHOULD
write about topics related to the
business of making widgets. You
can write about bookkeeping for
widget companies, how to use widgets,
the types of challenges currently
facing widget companies, and other
related topics. Relevance is important
for getting targeted search engine
traffic to visit your blog.
Include links to other sites
and affiliate products only if they’re
relevant to the blog topic.
Relevancy is important for maintaining
the credibility of your business.
A bookkeeping blog with links to
tax information and a book called
“Bookkeeping for Beginners”
for sale is good. A bookkeeping
blog with links to gardening Web
sites and a video on beekeeping
for sale is not. Keep your blog
relevant for your readers and they’ll
be more likely to visit again.
Bonus Tip:
If you’re having difficulty
with your blog, hire an expert blogging
consultant. The expense of the assistance
of a professional blogger will pay
for itself many times over with
the time and money you save on blog
set up, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
Leigh A. Zaykoski is an expert
blogging consultant and can set
up, manage, and maintain your blog
so that you get all the SEO and
business benefits of a blog without
all of the hassles. Visit her Web
site to find out more about her
expert blog help.
