The Ten-Minute-Guide to starting a blog

This article is a fast-and-furious guide to starting a weblog - amongst a focus on getting started rather than researching to the nth degree.

Months ago, I started a properly researched article near "how to started amongst blogging". It's withal a operate inward progress, too when it eventually gets finished it volition get got some nifty advice near researching blog-concepts too choosing nifty names.

But today I needed a quick-and-dirty version, for someone who doesn't ask SEO or a fancy name. Here's what I shared amongst them.

How to acquire started amongst making a blog

Know your objectives

Think near what yous desire to do, what yous desire to write about, too what yous desire to attain from it. 

Write this down.

Be prepared to revisit these objectives every fourth dimension yous ask to brand a determination near something.  Imagine yous ask to select betwixt a girly-pink looking template or rugged-outdoors one.  Simple - precisely hold back at your objectives too encounter who you're writing for.

Choose a platform

There are lots of alternatives for tools that yous tin use. Mostly though, it boils downwards to Wordpress or Blogger.

Wordpress disciples volition say yous that it is The Only Way, unremarkably amongst a far-away hold back inward their eyes.

Personally, I don't similar zealots, too I intend that Blogger is good-enough to acquire started amongst - too at that topographic point are ways to alter to Wordpress afterward on if yous desire to lay the operate into learning it.

Choose a name

Every weblog needs a name. What that advert is actually doesn't affair that much. You precisely ask i that yous tin alive with: If yous acquire wildly popular, too thence the remainder of the basis volition dearest whatever yous chose. If yous don't, too thence it won't survive due to the advert yous chose.

So decease to the platform yous chose, too start a weblog amongst whatever one-time advert that isn't taken already. Just brand certain that yous tin recollect what it is, too that you're non equally good embarrassed to say your woman bring upwards near it (this lonely volition halt yous from choosing anything actually stupid).

Do some basic setup

My guide to what this involves amongst Blogger is here.

Even if yous don't role Blogger, yous in all probability ask to intend near the issues covered there, peculiarly near safety vs populace access.

Write

Start writing

• Write ii posts of 300+ words each.  Link them to each other: for instance If post i is near crossing Commonwealth of Australia past times camel, too thence post ii mightiness start "When nosotros got to Adelaide after our camel ride, nosotros decided to endeavor ... - too yous ask to lay a link from the words "our camel ride" dorsum to post one: this is called cross- linking.

• Write some other 5 posts. Put cross-links betwixt them. Don't link every post to every post. But brand certain that every post has 2-3 links, too that every post is linked to at to the lowest degree once.

• Write 5 more. Cross link them to each other too the showtime seven.

Then decease dorsum to your objectives, intend near how hard it's been to acquire this far, too figure out if yous desire to pass whatever to a greater extent than fourth dimension on this hobby.   If yous practise - decease on writing.

How to acquire readers

If getting other people to read your materials is i of your objectives, too thence inward no item order:

• Email a link to your mum or your dad. Ask them to watch every day, precisely inward instance you've said something new.

• Put a link inward your electronic mail signature.

• Share your posts on Google+ (even if yous precisely part to Public - it seems to brand a difference)

• Contribute to some forums / bulletin boards where yous tin lay links to specific posts equally business office of an answer.  But I actually practise hateful contribute. Your other content should vastly outweigh your self-links, thence yous aren't seen equally a spammer.

• Set upwards a Twitter problem organisation human relationship for the blog, too practise the same thing.

• Set upwards a Facebook page. Invite all your friends to similar it. Every fourth dimension yous post to the blog, post a link to it on the FB page too.

f yous intend that Google+, Twitter too Facebook are a waste materials of fourth dimension - too thence that's fine equally far equally your personal life goes. But if yous desire to promote a weblog or website, too thence yous precisely get got to acquire over yourself too use social media for weblog promotions anyway.

How to brand your weblog stand upwards out from the rest

If you've got some big objectives near having lots of readers or beingness famous, too thence you'll ask to brand your weblog actually stand upwards out. This is a never-ending process, but hither are some proficient showtime steps:

• Stir upwards trouble: Be controversial or outrageous inward what yous write. But practise survive certain yous get got the tummy too the stamina needed: People volition honor that it's your who's writing the posts, fifty-fifty if yous endeavor to enshroud it. You volition acquire abuse, too perhaps legal threats.
  
  Also, recollect that writing 2 witty posts is easy, doing it every twenty-four hr catamenia / calendar week or fifty-fifty calendar month is a lot to a greater extent than difficult.)

• Choose a niche, ie specific topic to write about, that no i else has written about. Or i that others get got covered, but decease for a unlike angle - eg if everyone else has described how they partied through Commonwealth of Australia on the Oz Experience Bus, yous focus on how befriended pensioners equally yous crawled through Queensland on the local bus, travelling alone i town a day. Or something.

• Spend some fourth dimension googling possible niches earlier yous start. But don't acquire caught inward the trap of forever researching too never writing.

• Read some other similar blogs, encounter what is successful, too practise your ain variation on that. Not the same thing - that's precisely plagiarism too you'll acquire caught. But something similar.

• Prepare your posts inward private, publish when they're pristine. No i wants to read your typos.

• Use proficient photos or illustrations. If yous don't get got a pic to decease amongst something, don't bother blogging near it.

Job Done!

That's it:   getting started amongst blogging inward i 10-minute flow of consciousness (+ editing fourth dimension :-) )

There are near 494,432,987 i one one thousand thousand similar articles on the internet, thence if yous ask to a greater extent than suggestions, Google "how to brand a blog", too get got it from there.

Happy posting.

TL/DR

If the ten-minute guide is equally good much, endeavor this 45 2nd one:

• Go to http://www.blogger.com. 
• Sign upwards if it makes you. 
• Accept the price too conditions. 
• Click New Blog. 
• Follow the prompts. 
• Start writing.

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Related Articles:

Getting started amongst blogger

Linking ii weblog posts together

Using social networks to promote a blog

Preparing a weblog post inward private

Use diagrams to brand pictures for weblog posts