You may face many confusing things when starting your first blog. Usually, the idea is there but the process is unclear. With the help of the following 6 questions, you can clarify some of your doubts and have proper guidelines that can help in achieving your goals.
#1. Are you clear about the topic of your blog?
This is one of the most important concerns that any aspiring blogger needs to address. At times, you end up picking up a blog topic that does not interest you. If a person running the blog is not passionate about the blog topic, then it would be very hard to produce compelling work. Along with having interest, the knowledge on the subject is equally important. A blog is in continuous need of new content and if you do not have enough innate grasp of the topic, you will run out of unique ideas very soon. That is why before jumping in, make sure that you can maintain interest in the blog for both yourself and your readers.
#2. Which blogging platform would suit you best?
If you want to set up an office, you need a building. Similarly, if you want to start a blog, you need a blogging platform. There a lot of options available in the market such as Weebly, Squarespace, etc. but perhaps the most popular and recommended option is WordPress. It has the large user base and offers great functionality in terms of customization and features through different plugins. Within WordPress, you need to choose between WordPress.COM blogs and WordPress.ORG blogs. While WordPress.com blogs are free, they have a limited ceiling in terms of earning. On the other hand, WordPress.org blogs are paid but they do not have limitations of your earning potential. It all comes down to what you intend to do with your blog.
#3. Is your choice of host sufficient to meet your requirements?
For any website, the host is an essential part of its success. This is because the host is responsible for storing the information of your website and retrieving it every time someone visits your website. If the traffic exceeds the limitation of the hosting services, delays in loading your blog website may occur. That is why it is best to explore what kind of blog do you want to setup and choose your hosting services accordingly. There are various web hosting providers available on the market. Websites such as Web Hosting Media can help choose the one that suits your requirements in terms of usage and cost best.
#4. Is your domain name catchy and easy to remember?
The domain name of your website should have certain defining characteristics. It should be short and sweet so that the majority doesn’t forget it. It should also be relevant to your blog as well. This not helps people to remember the domain name but it is more likely to turn up in search results whenever search terms related to your blog are used. This maintains the flow of traffic on your blog and you keep getting regular visitors on your blog.
#5. Does your blog design reflect your vision?
The blog website design should be well thought out and easy to navigate. This would ensure that your visitors can properly view and utilize the available content on your blog. Furthermore, the theme of the website should be in line with the content of the website. For instance, an educational blog should have a theme with decent colors while a children’s blog should have a theme with bright colors. Overall, the blog design should be practical yet attractive.
#6. How will you market your blog?
For your blog to be read, you’ll need to promote it through various mediums. At the minimum, you’ll have to set up social media accounts. This also means that you should install social media sharing buttons on the blog itself. You don’t have to promote actively on all social media platforms. Instead, start with the one, most popular with your target audience and Facebook. You’ll need to keep your chosen networks in mind when developing content. You might need to adapt it to fit the network requirements. However, it’s best to post top-quality content on your blog and create shorter and simpler pieces for posting on social media and referencing the main piece of content there.
