5 steps to start a blog
Having extra time on their hands has led many to explore new creative horizons and to start new and exciting projects.
Creative writing or blogging is a wonderful platform for which people can share their interests and knowledge with the world.
Many find the experience of writing about their personal experiences, feelings and general thoughts to be extremely therapeutic.
But I believe the main benefits are that you can find your ‘tribe’ of likeminded individuals that you can share your passion with.
So how to get started. This blog post will show you the ‘5 steps to start a blog’.
1. Pick a niche interest
I am a massive cricket geek! I thought that there was only a few of us until I discovered the cricket podcast ‘tailenders’! Tailenders helped me to realise that their following was full of other equally geeky cricket fanatics.
Why do I mention cricket? Well I mention cricket because I discovered a like-minded group of people (via a podcast) who share the same interests as me and who want to engage and discuss the subject.
In order to have a really interesting blog it is important that you pick a subject that: interests you, you have some knowledge in and one where your passion will be evident on the screen when people are reading it!
What you blog about can really be anything! The reach of the internet is so vast that you are sure to discover a group of like-minded individuals who want to read and engage with what you have to offer.
2. Select a domain name
You have your idea so let’s get it online. You may have a name for your blog in-mind or just want to use your name.
Whichever you choose should be the domain name (e.g. dannylayzell.com) of your blog. Sometimes your first choice might not be available but you can check and purchase your domain names on many sites such as GoDaddy, HostGator or Bluehost.
3. Choose a hosting provider
Whilst purchasing the domain name you will usually have the option to buy hosting as well.
Although you can buy each from different companies if you are just getting started then purchasing them together may be more straightforward. You need to host a website in order to be active on the internet and your hosting company will enable your site to be accessed by anyone on the web.
You can purchase 1-year, 3-years etc. and will need to renew each year you want the blog to be live.
4. Build a website
WordPress is often the go to for many small blogs. It is free to install and you have plenty of free themes to help you get the look and design of your blog right.
5. Get creative
You already have your niche and your website is ready. Now is your opportunity to get your thoughts onto the site.
Planning what you are going to write is important. We find it useful using our blog template (download below). We previously wrote about how to improve your blog.
This concentrated on blogging for business but you may find the hints useful as well.
It’s up to you to decide how often you post a blog. Just remember to promote to like-minded people who you think will be interested in reading what you have to say. Social media and your own networks are great places to start doing this!
I hope that you have found this blog post useful. I have written it to help people get started with blogging and hopefully the instructions are clear.
However, if you don’t have the time or computer skills to set up your blog then please get in touch and we can help you out. We are running a special offer during the lockdown period to help people get started so get in touch and we can help you on your way…
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Written by Danny Layzell, April 2020
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