The idea of starting a blog or website can be overwhelming. Even people who have been writing for themselves for years may find their heads spinning a bit at the idea of setting up an attractive website, preparing content, sharing content, and gaining new users. The good thing is that blogging has been around long enough that many services are now available to help even amateur bloggers get started, and blogging has come to gain a lot more acceptance in the literary world. As with any writing project, the key to starting a blog is silencing the inner critic, so your perfectionism doesn’t stop you from making any progress at all. Here are a few resources to help you.
Determine the Blog Type
The most successful blogs focus on a specific topic. It’s easier to attract readers if you can find a niche that you all are interested in, and seek out conversations on similar blogs or websites that might direct people to what you have to say. You can also check out other blogs that have lots of viewers under a similar topic, and see what you like or dislike about their webpages. Outline some topics that might fit under your blog type, and plan to write several posts before launching the blog, so there’s already some good content on there to keep new readers engaged.
Do the Technical Stuff
While it may seem overwhelming to set up a blog for the first time if you have no technological knowledge, a lot of services exist nowadays to help the average person navigate the World Wide Web. You don’t even have to understand basic code to be able to set up a good, professional looking site with some design elements that add personality as well. First take a look at some blogs that have formats you like. Then find some user-friendly sites where you can create a professional website design. It’s likely that you will purchase an already existing template that can be loaded into your blog site with a few clicks. You may have to adjust the design to meet your needs, but the bulk of the work is already done for you.
Decide How to Share Your Blog
Many bloggers use powerful social media tools to share their blogs and gain followers. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are just a few of the big platforms bloggers can use to share about their writings. Use hashtags and categories to help attract people who will be interested in your content. Beautiful pictures get a lot of attention on all platforms, as well as compelling content. Talk with other bloggers and writers online to start great conversations that relate to the topics you write about. Take just thirty minutes to an hour a day to work with social media, and you will soon find your list of followers growing, if you have content that interests them. Keep updating your content to keep it fresh for your new audience.
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