It’s not that hard if you know exactly what to look for, and to look at your blog from a newcomer’s point of view. You need a checklist and a block of uninterrupted time. Anywhere from half and hour to forty minutes is ideal to start things of.There are lots great reasons for authors to blog, and I think most writers understand that right away.
So here’s a list you can bookmark and refer back to that will help you if you’re just warming up a brand new blog:
2. Tagline Getting your tagline just right is extremely important. It speaks volumes about your blog. It tells the first time visitors what is it about and what’s in it for them. Aim to make it descriptive rather then creative.
3. Blogger Template Showcase a clutter free design. Install a premium theme to make it look really professional. You are only looking at one time cost but it will really help your blog stand out. You can easily tweak things to make your design look exactly the way you want.
4. Author Bio Add a brief author bio and image to your sidebar. This way anyone landing on it for the first time can see at a glance who writes it. Again emphasize on why you write this blog.
5. Popular Posts Show your most popular posts on the sidebar. This way your best content is always available for newcomers.
6. Sign up Form Place your email sign up form in a prominent position. A top bar works well. Another good position is to add it to your sidebar. Be careful that it is above the fold and the reader does n’t have to scroll down to find it.
7. Contact Make it super easy for your readers to contact you. Add a stand alone Contact Me tab on your main navigation or add this information on your About Me page. Don’t make readers jump hoops to get in touch with you either.
8. Guest posts If you are accepting guest posts, it is a good idea to display your guidelines in an easy to locate position. Think about adding a Write for Us or Guest Post Guidelines tab on main navigation. If you accept guest posts by invitation only, say so.
9. Social Media Profile Link Add links to your Social Media profiles on your sidebar. Be consistent with your choice of icons.
10. About Me Work on your About Me page until you are happy with the result. After your home page, this is the most frequently visited page of your blog. It needs to tell the visitor who you are, why you are writing this blog and why should they care. Meaning what makes you qualified to write on this topic. Don’t forget to add your opt-in form.
11. Subscription Form Add a subscription form after every post to remind your readers. Add other relevant plug-ins that will display similar posts.
12. Social Share Buttons Add social share buttons at the end of your posts so that people can share them easily. Don’t add too many to confuse them. Select a few networks that you are active on yourself so you can respond and keep an eye on what’s happening.
13. Ideal reader Profile Create your ideal reader profiles. Go into detail and write a few person as. Make sure you appeal to at least one type of reader when writing your blog posts.
14. Headlines Headlines can make or break your post. They need to make somebody curious enough to click on it. Spell out the benefit and try to stay away from formulaic ones.
15. Hook Your Reader Hook your reader in with an irresistible intro. Perhaps make a startling revelation or share a shocking statistic? Ask a pressing question or say something totally unexpected.
16. Content Screen Make your content screen friendly. Short paragraphs, subheadings, bulleted lists, images, screen shots and lots of white space. Every single element will go a long way in making it highly scannable.
17. The Principles of Effective Communication Practice the principles of effective communication. Blogging is much more about writing. Remember to be clear, concise and connect with your audience.
18. Relevant Call Add a relevant call to action to your home page (subscription form) or at the end of your blog posts (Share, comment, link, buy something). Don’t overwhelm readers with unnecessary choices.
19. Create ‘link bait’ Create ‘link bait’. Examples of these are round up type posts, interview posts, long lists — in short, posts that a lot of people would be interested in linking to. They are excellent ways to build authority and show off some social proof (tweets, likes, comments, links etc).
20. Reply Me Type Plugin Install Reply Me type plugin. This sends an automatic email when you respond to a comment. The commentator does n’t have to check any boxes to receive updates. Moreover, the person only receives the response and not all the comments in the thread. They never miss your response and it helps build engagement.
21. Show Care Show that you truly care about your community and always respond to their questions and any relevant comments.
22. Freebie Offer Offer a freebie to get people to signup for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. Nothing entices anyone than a relevant freebie. This can take a form of a short report, an ebook or even a link to a video. Make sure you deliver high value content to get people to sign up.
23. Hire Me Page Add a hire me page if you have any services on sale and list all the details for easy access. Don’t bury this information.
24. Testimonials Place testimonials and raving customer feedback on your site to add credibility and authority.
25. ThankAdvocatesThank your advocates and your biggest supporters. People who always take time out to comment and share your stuff.
But when you get started, you face a sort of dilemma: your blog exists to host visitors, but when will it be ready to start inviting people to come over for a visit?First impressions count for a lot, and your typical web surfer is pretty quick to come to a conclusion about your new site. That’s why it’s a good idea to be ready before you try to get traffic to your sparkling new articles.
So here’s a list you can bookmark and refer back to that will help you if you’re just warming up a brand new blog:
1. Blog Title Look at your blog title. What is it telling your readers? If you are still on a free domain and thinking about moving to self hosted site, think long and hard about your blog name.
2. Tagline Getting your tagline just right is extremely important. It speaks volumes about your blog. It tells the first time visitors what is it about and what’s in it for them. Aim to make it descriptive rather then creative.
3. Blogger Template Showcase a clutter free design. Install a premium theme to make it look really professional. You are only looking at one time cost but it will really help your blog stand out. You can easily tweak things to make your design look exactly the way you want.
4. Author Bio Add a brief author bio and image to your sidebar. This way anyone landing on it for the first time can see at a glance who writes it. Again emphasize on why you write this blog.
5. Popular Posts Show your most popular posts on the sidebar. This way your best content is always available for newcomers.
6. Sign up Form Place your email sign up form in a prominent position. A top bar works well. Another good position is to add it to your sidebar. Be careful that it is above the fold and the reader does n’t have to scroll down to find it.
7. Contact Make it super easy for your readers to contact you. Add a stand alone Contact Me tab on your main navigation or add this information on your About Me page. Don’t make readers jump hoops to get in touch with you either.
8. Guest posts If you are accepting guest posts, it is a good idea to display your guidelines in an easy to locate position. Think about adding a Write for Us or Guest Post Guidelines tab on main navigation. If you accept guest posts by invitation only, say so.
9. Social Media Profile Link Add links to your Social Media profiles on your sidebar. Be consistent with your choice of icons.
10. About Me Work on your About Me page until you are happy with the result. After your home page, this is the most frequently visited page of your blog. It needs to tell the visitor who you are, why you are writing this blog and why should they care. Meaning what makes you qualified to write on this topic. Don’t forget to add your opt-in form.
11. Subscription Form Add a subscription form after every post to remind your readers. Add other relevant plug-ins that will display similar posts.
12. Social Share Buttons Add social share buttons at the end of your posts so that people can share them easily. Don’t add too many to confuse them. Select a few networks that you are active on yourself so you can respond and keep an eye on what’s happening.
13. Ideal reader Profile Create your ideal reader profiles. Go into detail and write a few person as. Make sure you appeal to at least one type of reader when writing your blog posts.
14. Headlines Headlines can make or break your post. They need to make somebody curious enough to click on it. Spell out the benefit and try to stay away from formulaic ones.
15. Hook Your Reader Hook your reader in with an irresistible intro. Perhaps make a startling revelation or share a shocking statistic? Ask a pressing question or say something totally unexpected.
16. Content Screen Make your content screen friendly. Short paragraphs, subheadings, bulleted lists, images, screen shots and lots of white space. Every single element will go a long way in making it highly scannable.
17. The Principles of Effective Communication Practice the principles of effective communication. Blogging is much more about writing. Remember to be clear, concise and connect with your audience.
18. Relevant Call Add a relevant call to action to your home page (subscription form) or at the end of your blog posts (Share, comment, link, buy something). Don’t overwhelm readers with unnecessary choices.
19. Create ‘link bait’ Create ‘link bait’. Examples of these are round up type posts, interview posts, long lists — in short, posts that a lot of people would be interested in linking to. They are excellent ways to build authority and show off some social proof (tweets, likes, comments, links etc).
20. Reply Me Type Plugin Install Reply Me type plugin. This sends an automatic email when you respond to a comment. The commentator does n’t have to check any boxes to receive updates. Moreover, the person only receives the response and not all the comments in the thread. They never miss your response and it helps build engagement.
21. Show Care Show that you truly care about your community and always respond to their questions and any relevant comments.
22. Freebie Offer Offer a freebie to get people to signup for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog. Nothing entices anyone than a relevant freebie. This can take a form of a short report, an ebook or even a link to a video. Make sure you deliver high value content to get people to sign up.
23. Hire Me Page Add a hire me page if you have any services on sale and list all the details for easy access. Don’t bury this information.
24. Testimonials Place testimonials and raving customer feedback on your site to add credibility and authority.
25. ThankAdvocatesThank your advocates and your biggest supporters. People who always take time out to comment and share your stuff.
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