Creating a personal blog today is easier than ever before, all you need is an idea or topic to write about, a computer, and a handy notebook for those extra ideas. Most writers are compelled to start their own personal blogs because they want to share something with the world they really care about, like a social movement, a big event, a company, or product, you name it, a blog can be about anything.
Most writers create their own personal blogs on popular blogging platforms like Word Press, Blogger, or Squarespace to name a few, but the most important detail in creating your first blog is to decide on a theme and a title for your blog site.
Decide on a Blog Name and Theme
All blogs are mainly online and published on digital platforms so the first step is deciding on a domain name, which will give readers a URL to go to in order to visit your blog site. Blog titles are first impressions so it’s a good idea to create a catchy and unique title that people can catch on to and will remember.
If you are having a hard time thinking of a domain name for your blog site it can help to think about the overarching theme of your future content, it is going to be on food? Lifestyle? Travel or clothing? Asking yourself questions like these can help give your blog some direction. When considering the theme and overall look of your blog, it’s important to consider colors and page layout, these are two important design elements that will give your blog its personality. Successful blogs display blog posts immediately on the home page or in other areas of the blog site where posts can easily be accessed and read with ease, after all, you don’t want to give readers a hard time be making navigating your website a hassle.
Choose a Platform for Hosting and Publishing
Having a blog site online means you will have to choose where you will want it published. The most popular and powerful publishing platform for blogs and websites today is WordPress. Although there are other publishing platforms available, WordPress offers the most flexibility and has a whole host of features and tools to make your blog stand out.
Whether you decide to host your blog on WordPress or on another platform, you will be required to pay a monthly fee to keep your domain address live and active. For the serious or professional blogger, it is a worthwhile investment that will pay off in the long run with the potential to grow a fan base of loyal readers and a track record of engaging content people will like to read.
Establish Analytical Tools for Readership
How do you know how many people read your first article or blog post? Knowing how many people interacted or read your content is helpful because those statistics can offer insights on what content is receiving a lot of views and which posts are lacking engagement.
This can be done by installing blog plugins and analytical tools like Google Analytics. If you are using WordPress, MonsterInsights is a great example of a WordPress plugin that functions as an analytical tool that allows bloggers to track daily traffic, views, clicks, and much more.
Start Drafting Content and Establish Goals
Once you have your blog site established on your favorite publishing platform, it’s time to write some meaningful content to engage your readers. Your first blog post doesn’t need to be something that’s over the top, it can be simple and be made up of just a few paragraphs and perhaps a few images, and especially images, because most readers want to engage with something that is visual and eye-catching.
For starters, a blog post can be about what you are thinking about today, and if you are thinking of blogging at a professional level, it’s recommended to plan ahead and create a publishing calendar for certain content to be published on specific days during the week. Doing this establishes goals for your content, creates consistency, and gives readers a sense of expectancy of what’s to come.
