Welcome to the world of blogging. It is a fun world to be in, with a supportive community and a chance to express yourself creatively and freely. Starting out on your blogging journey is an exciting time, but we know that it can also be a little daunting. There is so much to take in that it can be difficult to know what to prioritize and where to focus your efforts. This is why today we are sharing 5 essential tips for new bloggers with you, a handy guide for those of you who are just starting out.
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Content is absolutely key
You might have read about the importance of a great blog theme, engaging and interacting on social media, building a community, email marketing and so much more. Whilst all of these things will benefit your blog, nothing is more important than content.
Assuming that you have worked out what your blogging niche will be, you now need to start creating content around the theme. Initially, you will want to create very regularly so that your blog has plenty for people to read when they drop by. As time goes on, you will settle into a writing routine that suits you.
The content needs to be well-written and engaging and it should reflect your personality and style.
Write blog posts that are useful
Whilst it is lovely to write about personal anecdotes and share tales, if you are in this for the long term and to make it profitable, you are also going to need to write blog posts that are useful.
You might well build up a following without doing this, but for the majority of us, we need to rely on sharing tips, news, and information that people want to read about. This can be anything from recipes to car reviews, just work within your niche.
Where possible, make things as specific as you can. This will help you in search engine results, and also searches on sites such as Pinterest. For example, a tech blogger might want to blog about using a Firestick with a VPN or a book blogger might write about Lucy Worsley’s latest release. If the blog post is all around this theme, then ensure that you have these keywords in there.
Make your blog appealing
Now that you have got the content and writing where it needs to be, you need to take a look at how your blog is looking to ensure that it appeals to readers.
Get the basics right here, so make sure that the font is easy to read, that the layout is clear and uncluttered and the colors complement one another. Add in menus and search bars so that people can easily find their way around and be sure to add a section about you and what your blog is all about.
There are thousands of themes available to use, so take a look at some of your favorite blogs and work out what it is that you like about the theme and layout and then start to find one that suits your blog.
Use social media wisely
You are going to need social media to promote your blog, so this is an area you will need to embrace. If you are looking to develop your blog into a business, it is also important to understand that brands and agencies often want you to be active on certain channels so you will need a presence there.
There are so many social media platforms that you can use that it can be easy to get a little lost in it all. Accept that you are not going to be able to be everywhere at all times, and this will become a lot easier for you.
It is a good idea to choose just a few social media channels to develop initially. Some bloggers concentrate on building one at a time, so you might choose to do that. Others dip into a few of them each day and gradually build them up that way.
Do not compare yourself
Comparison can be the surest way for you to give up on blogging, so step away from it.
You will be reading and chatting with so many bloggers that it can be easy to get caught up in comparing your blog to theirs, your success to their perceived success. It can really bring you down so you need to go back into your own world and work on your own content.
Strive to be the best that you can be, have fun with what you are writing and focus your efforts on improving your own blog. You can only control what you are doing, not what you think everyone else is doing, so throw your energy into that.
