How To Blog
Create & Design Blog Sites Easily -
Reach Thousands With Your Message
Learn How To Quickly & Easily Start A Blog From Scratch, Effortlessly
Add Content To It, And Manage It In Just Ten Minutes a Day
- Automated By Web Blog Software
Backstory: Pam is a newbie infopreneur learning Internet marketing. After much struggle and little success, she runs into a guru (by accident, at a party - read all about it in "Pam Meets a Guru") - and her life changed!
Step by step, she is learning to create information products, sell them online and achieve real, lasting business success. She's not there yet - but this episode in her saga will show how she's getting closer!
Pam was excited. She was going to be a blogger. Everyone at the seminar said that was the way to go.
Eager to get started, she read many articles about how to create blog sites, design a blog and find content to add to a blog.
And the more she read, the faster she realized that this wasn't going to be easy and quick.
She called me to ask for advice. We met for a coffee at Starbucks.
"How to blog?"
That was her rushed first question the minute we sat at our table.
"Whoa!" I cried. "Let's take this slowly. You can rush in and start blogging this afternoon. Many bloggers do.
"But if you really want to create a blog that has impact, attracts readers, and retains their attention, then you want to do things a certain way. The right way."
That's what we talked about for the next hour.
Where Did The Word Blog Come From?
Pam didn't know. "Who came up with the word blog?" she asked.
"The word Blog is short for 'Web Log'. A log or diary of stuff that you host on the Web."
"Ah, so is blog an acronym?"
"Well, maybe. Though an acronym is often a set of letters that expand into a term. Anyway, what did they tell you at the seminar about the origin of blogs?"
"Nothing" said Pam.
"Oh, you're missing out on knowing the history of blogs - and that's as fascinating as the enormous potential that blogging has for your business. Do you want to know a bit about it?"
"Of course" she said.
So we talked about how the world's first blog was probably 'Open Diary' created by Dave Winer, though the term itself was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997.
At first, blogging was just like regular diary writing, but done on the Web for everyone to see. As it evolved, a blog became useful for a variety of other purposes.
What Does A Blog Stand For?
Personal blogs were still about individuals and the (not so?!) interesting events in their lives.
Corporate or business blogs were published by businesses, to share news and information with their clients, vendors and the public.
Genre specific blogs were focused on sharing stuff about their niche topics with a select audience who gravitated towards them.
Media specific blogs cropped up once the multi-media Web arrived, adding sound, light and movement to an Internet that was once only written words on a screen.
Today, blogs are rich online resources of content and information presented in a chronological and categorized fashion making it both interesting and useful to consume.
"Did you know there are over a BILLION blogs?" I asked Pam.
She looked surprised - and a bit disappointed.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
She shook her head sadly. "With that many blogs around, how am I going to get anyone to read mine?"
"Oh, if you create a blog and design it well, and then add valuable content to it on a regular basis, then you'll attract a crowd very quickly."
And then we went on to talk about how to have a blog.
How To Have a Blog?
"Before we get into it deeper, you must know what exactly is a blog" I told Pam.
"In the words of Darren Rowse, a very respected Problogger, the definition of a blog is 'a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order' - that is, the newer posts appear first, and older ones later.
But more to the point, for you, a prospective blogger, a blog is an easy way of publishing your thoughts to the Web.
You don't have to know how to code, program or handle technical details. Just type into a box and click a button to publish your content to your blog. It's even called push-button publishing!"
Pam smiled. "That's nice to hear. I easily get confused with complex technology."
"Me too." We laughed.
"So, how to start a blog?" asked Pam. (Did I tell you she's persistent?)
"You go to one of the free blog sites and sign up."
There are many blog services that let you set up a blog completely free. The list runs into the hundreds, but a few you can try out are:
- Blogger - http://www.Blogger.com
- WordPress - http://www.WordPress.com
- Live Journal - http://www.LiveJournal.com
On these sites, you can make a blog without having to worry about installing software, configuring databases or doing anything even remotely technical. It is ideal for beginners to test the waters and get an idea of how blogging works.
You register for an account, fill up a few boxes in an online form, choose one of the free blog templates from the collection available, and click a button to have a blog created for you instantly!
Some of the best blog sites started out as free blogs on Blogger or WordPress before moving on to more elaborate solutions. You too can shift your blog to a different location after you have gained some experience, though you can start out with a hosted blog on your own server right away, if you prefer it."
"What's the difference between a free blog site and hosting a blog myself?" Pam wanted to know.
So I listed out the pros and cons of each option.
Remote Hosted Blogs
Benefits: No hassle of installing software or scripts on your server and troubleshooting problems. You don't even need to have your own domain name or web hosting service.
Disadvantages: Your blog hosting service might be offline for maintenance or crash, and you have no control over what to do. At times of heavy traffic, you may face delays in updating your blog.
Your account could get shut down at any time for any reason, and you could lose all the benefits you gained from blogging. All links to your blog point to the blog hosting domain, not your own.
Hosting Your Own Blog
Benefits: You have more security, and you are in control. Your blog's accessibility is dependent only on your server, and you can fix it when there's a problem.
Disadvantages: You need to have technical knowledge and expertise (or access to someone with it) about installing and maintaining blog software on your web hosting server.
"Ok, I get it. Maybe it's best for me to start with a remote hosted blog, and then think about moving it to my own blog hosting server, because that will let me get started right away," said Pam.
I agreed. So we went on to discuss how to create a blog.
Create a New Blog - The Easy Way
Almost all of the free blog services offer a quick and easy way to create a blog. They have tutorials, and often videos too, that will guide you through the steps to take.
Briefly, here is how to set up your blog at Blogger.com
Blogger.com is now owned by Google, and offers an intuitively simple blog set up tool that is designed to let beginners get up and running within an hour. Realistically, all it will take you is 15 minutes to set up your blog - unless you run into any problems! |
"You make it all sound so easy when you explain it step by step" cried Pam in delight.
"Well, actually, it really is that easy! I mean, when you know what to do."
We both laughed, and I went on.
"If you want more details, I have a great little guide called "The Newbie Toolkit To Create Your First Free Blog" that has a lot of illustrations to guide you through the process. I offer it as a free bonus when anyone joins my email list."
"Fantastic. So, I'll be running along then. I want to get my blog published right away."
I said nothing. Pam looked at me strangely.
"Well, isn't that all? Or do I need to know more about blogging?"
I smiled. "What do you plan to do for blog content?"
She looked a little uncertain. "I can write some nice articles. I've got a few good ideas to develop into blog posts."
"Sure, you can do that. How many ideas do you have? How many blog posts can you create from them? What topics will they be on? Who will read them? What keywords will you use? How competitive are they? What categories will your blog include?"
"Wait. Stop. Enough."
She sank back into her seat, with a resigned look on her face.
After staring at her empty coffee cup for a moment, she looked up smiling again. "Let me get us another cappucino and we can talk more about blog content and other stuff."
How To Write A Blog?
Pam came back, carrying two steaming mugs. She took a long sip at hers and then asked: "What should I write about?"
"Well, there are many kinds of content you can put on your blog," I replied, and explained further.
Tell Stories. You could describe things you've done, explain your streams of consciousness, or share idea feeds. You can write long articles or short snippets.
Show Pictures. One of them is worth a thousand words. Good blog software lets you store and display pictures, even combine them into sequences for showing your readers in attractively packaged slide-shows.
Make Presentations. You can use any type of data including Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, Flash or Quicktime movies, PDFs, Audio feeds, downloadable applications - whatever.
Post Audio and Video. With the flexibility afforded by 'embedded' commands, you can plug in audio and video content into your blog from places like YouTube into your blog.
"Hmm... that's interesting. So I don't have to write everything. I can use any form of content," Pam remarked.
"That's right. What form of blog content you use will depend upon your audience. Do they like to read or listen or watch? Do they have access to technology that lets you share multimedia content with them? As long as what you post as blog content has value to your audience, you will have many of them visiting your blog regularly!"
"What kind of content works best for blogs?"
"Bloggers have used many different kinds of content. The big thing is finding out what your readers and visitors want and like. Then give them what they want. You may run a blog survey, or have a poll, or present them with a questionnaire to find out their preferences.
I have published blog content in the form of:
1. Lists
2. Answers
3. Reviews
4. Links
5. Tips
6. Questions
7. Stories
8. Breaking News
9. Editorials and Commentary
10. Predictions and Trends
11. Interviews
12. Project updates and progress notes
13. Case studies
14. Link collections
15. "Best of" compilations
Then there are the "related series blog posts" which break up an in-depth research article into a multi-part series, each part becoming a blog post.
All these forms have worked well for specific purposes. What probably matters more is having a blog content plan!"
"What's a blog content plan?" Pam asked.
Do You Have a Blog Content Plan?
"Even before you start to write a blog, spend some time thinking about how you will add content to it.
1. Is the content going to be created by you, or will you outsource it?
2. If you plan to outsource it, who will create it, and how much will it cost? What lead time should you factor in to get your blog content back in time?
3. What kind of content will you use - text, photos, graphics, audio, video, combinations?
4. How long, extensive and detailed will your content be?
5. How frequently will you update your blog?
6. Who will add content to your blog (yourself, a webmaster, automated blog software)?
Your content plan will depend upon your blog and what you intend to do with it. Having a plan makes it all more organized and structured. And you'll be a more efficient blogger!"
Pam was nodding her head as she made notes on her pad. Then she looked up and said:
"At the seminar, the presenter made some nice points about how to blog in a way that engages readers. Specifically, he gave us some tips for writing on the Web."
"What did he say?" I asked.
Blog Writing Tips
"Well, he told us that on the Web, people 'scan' instead of 'reading'. And out of what little they 'read', the average person only understands 60% - and remembers less."
"If anything, that's an over-estimate!" I laughed along with her.
"He suggested making blog posts 'scannable'."
"Did he say how to do it?"
Pam showed me her notes, where she had made a numbered list:
How To Make Your Blog Post Scannable
1. Use bullet points and short phrases instead of long winding sentences.
2. Bold and CAPITALIZE important phrases and words
3. Write informative headings and sub-heads that stand alone and communicate complete messages
4. Intelligently use white space to avoid crowding text together
5. A picture is worth a thousand words. Use images.
6. Be concise, clear and crisp.
7. Stick to one point - and make it effectively. Spread out multiple points over multiple blog posts."
"That's a fantastic set of guidelines, Pam. You should print them out and keep them by your computer when you blog!"
"I will. Great. So..."
"How Often Should I Write A Blog Post?"
"That's tough to say. There's no hard and fast rule. It depends on many factors that go to the heart of why you wish to create a blog in the first place.
A good blog is updated often, with pointers to interesting events, pages, stories and news. Recent posts are displayed on top of the page; older stuff sinks to the bottom.
Your blog won't look very attractive if it has only old content. Ask yourself this: Is there any point to a blog - or even a website - that is only updated once a week? Once a month? Once a year?
The answer will vary depending upon your niche.
Having a schedule for posting new messages to your blog is helpful. But a calendar may be intimidating to some bloggers. So suit yourself. The good news is that no one's going to punish you if you post infrequently!
"So relax, and enjoy your blogging!"
Pam was nodding her head.
"What happens if I have a schedule, but for some reason I'm not able to stick to it? Can I get others to write for my blog?"
"Yes, you can. There are ways you can have content added to your blog by other bloggers."
And I explained how she could do this.
How To Get Others To Write A Blog?
If you have a team of content providers, you can create accounts for them using your blog software.
Each content creator then logs in and writes for your blog, adding their content automatically. You can even assign different levels of permissions for each user in some types of blog software.
What's more, you can even invite your blog readers to create blog content by leaving comments and feedback on your posts.
You or the author of blog posts can respond, and a conversation happens right there on your blog - creating automated content for blogs.
You can invite 'guest bloggers' to post to your blog from time to time, which gives them great exposure to your audience and provides you with useful blog content for free.
A fourth way to include content on your blog is by publishing syndicated content from others on your blog using some fancy programming technology, giving you automatic blog content for free.
Pam was interested in learning more about the last approach, as it was a way to automate blog post creation - without spending money!
How To Generate Automated Content For Blogs?
Most bloggers prefer to write or create their own content, and post it to their blogs manually, on a schedule.
But some blogs are created for the express purpose of reaching and attracting an audience on a niche topic. These blogs rely on one thing for their traffic - automated blog content.
By integrating several scripts and 'scraping' content from across the Web, these blogs can quickly grow to a size of many thousand pages - without requiring the blog owner to do anything beyond setting up the system.
You can choose to automate blog postings at any level in between these two extremes, depending upon your own goals and blogging philosophy.
"So are you saying that if I want to automate blog posting, I can simply set up my blog in a particular way and then sit back to enjoy all the benefits of having a blog?"
"Yes, if that's what you want to do."
"Tell me more. What other options do I have?"
That's when we talked about the different kinds of automated content for blogs.
Posting Content On Schedule Using Automated Blog Software
If you have created or bought a lot of content to use on your blog, you can use software to 'drip' the content into your blog on a regular schedule that you define.
This way, your blog will keep displaying a steady stream of fresh content for a long time.
The blog software handles this in concert with your blog hosting server's cron settings, publishing a post at pre-set intervals for as long as you have content available.
Syndication Scripts To Automate RSS To Blog Posts
There are specific scripts like CARP and BlogBomb that can work with RSS feeds from various blogs and parse their content for display on your websites and blogs... automatically. You get automatic blog content for free!
You will have to select the feeds to use, and set variables like frequency of publishing, number of items and whether to use blog post titles alone or short descriptions of content.
The rest is handled by the script, with the automatic posting to blog of syndicated content.
Scraping Content For Automated Blog Posts
There are some content providers who share and licence their work to other publishers. Article directories, video sharing sites and some podcast resources offer content for syndication.
You can use scripts to find relevant content (based on keywords of your choice), and then pull them into your blog to publish on a schedule that you program into the system. (There are plug-ins like Caffeinated Content which do this for WordPress blogs.)
"Wow. All of this sounds terribly exciting. But it also looks pretty complex and tricky. Are you sure I'll be able to do these things?" Pam asked.
"Well, not everyone is looking to automate blog posts or learn to use SEO blogging software, Pam. Most bloggers prefer to use conventional blogging to attract and retain a loyal following.
"Many of them use an automatic blog purely as an additional way to reach a section of their audience they cannot get in front of without ranking high on search engines like Google or Bing. Think of automated blogs as a funnel to draw in a few extra viewers to your main content resources or product catalog."
"Oh, ok, I get it now. Maybe I'll just start out with regular blogging and then see how automated blog postings will find a place in my overall strategy."
"Great. And now that you brought it up, do you have a blogging strategy in place?"
"I was just using the word without much thought. Do I need a formal blog strategy?"
"Guess what fraction of bloggers start out with a strategy? Fewer than 1%.
"You do NOT want to be one of the masses. Simply having a strategy, however simple and basic, will put you ahead of the crowd. Yet many people think it's all fluff and nonsense, because the impact you'll see from it is not immediate, instant or actionable right away."
"Then what are the things I should consider while coming up with a blog strategy?" asked Pam.
How To Make a Blog Strategy?
"Your blogging strategy involves many elements like your purpose in blogging, your audience, your desired impact, your resources available to execute and continue your strategic objectives, and your individuality - because in the end, a blog is about YOU.
"Remember, many millions of blogs out there are NOT wildly successful... because they don't have a strategy. That's how important this is.
"You may find this dull, boring and even frustrating stuff to wade through just now. But later on, you'll thank yourself for doing it, because these factors enhance and multiply the effect of the specific blog marketing steps to follow."
Pam smiled. "Ok, so please take me through this step by step. What do I do first?"
I started explaining the 6 key components of a blogging strategy.
- Purpose
- Audience
- Impact
- Resources
- Personality
- Business Plan
Blog Strategy - Your Blog's PURPOSE
Every blog has a purpose.
1. Your blog may be a personal diary, a stream of consciousness log, or a compilation of your individual rants and raves. If it is, you don't need an audience. Your blog is like a personal diary.
2. Or your blog may become your platform. You leverage it to reach a specific audience that you have defined specifically. You should know the demographics of that audience, so that you can engage and interact in an intelligent and helpful way with them.
3. Your blog may well be your ticket to fame. It could be your launchpad to spread your greatest ideas zooming out into the blogosphere, where hopefully it will touch lives, change minds, create influence.
So before you start worrying about how to set up a blog, ask yourself what is your purpose for blogging.
Once you have the answer, it acts as a beacon guiding you towards the destination. So think hard about WHY you want to blog - before you post your first message.
Blog Strategy - Your Blog's AUDIENCE
Who will read your blog? What kind of person is your blog's ideal audience?
You can't decide who will access your blog once it has been published. Anyone on the Web can see it.
But by clearly defining your ideal audience, you will be able to address them best, by tailoring your writing style, frequency and topic choice to match their interests.
That's the key to having one of the most popular blogs - knowing whom you are writing for, and then meeting their needs, expectations and demands.
Blog Strategy - Your Blog's IMPACT
What exactly do you want to achieve with your blog?
- Do you want to become famous, a celebrity?
- Do you want to sell more of your products or services?
- Do you want your site ranked higher on search engines?
- Do you want to make more money?
- Do you want to make a difference in the world?
Think about this as you decide how to build a blog. How big an impact will you make? What form will it take? How hard will you have to work for it? It is important to know, because that will determine what you focus on and how you go about it.
For instance, if your blogging is to help you get higher rankings, then you should learn how to link blog on search engines. Or if your goal is to maximize profits, then you should dive deep into learning how to make money blogging.
Blogging is indeed very powerful in making an impact. But knowing more precisely what form of impact you are looking to make will help you tailor your blog's structure and process to maximize your impact.
Blog Strategy - Your Blogging RESOURCES
Blogging is simple, cheap and easy. There are millions of free online blogs.
Most blogging tools and platforms are not complex and require very few technical skills to get going from scratch. Free HTML blog templates will let you create professional looking blogs easily.
However, depending on your purpose, audience and desired impact, you may need some specific resources and networks to help you reach your goals.
Automated blog content starts to look appealing if you are short of time to spend on writing fresh blog posts. Your blog marketing budget will define how much you can spend on outsourcing content, getting technical assistance, tweaking your blog design, or hiring a blog directory submission service.
You will also need to look at assets you have that may have been overlooked.
- Do you have clients and customers, contacts and friends who can help you in some way with your blog?
- Do you hold any positions of influence where you can reach many people and invite them to your blog?
- Do you have specialized knowledge or information that's valuable to readers?
- Are you passionate about your blogging? It's easier to stick with it if you are curious, interested or passionate enough about what you blog.
Blog Strategy - Your Blog and YOU
Your personality is one of the most unique features of your blog. Yet not many bloggers pay much attention to how it will be reflected in all that you do.
Your blog IS you.
Not 'about' you. Not 'by' you. Not 'for' you.
YOU.
And that holds true for all but group blogs, when the 'you' stands collectively for all members of the group. Keep that in mind when you decide how to write a blog.
Your choice of content, topic and language reflects your values, morals, beliefs, and is an indicator of your character, integrity and principles. So think about what you will publish to your blog.
- Will you be respectful of freedom and individuality?
- Will you permit hate, explicit and illegal subjects?
- Will your blog reflect a philosophy you believe in?
- Will you lie, mislead or fake data?
- Will you admit it if you're wrong?
- Will your commentary be fair, unbiased and factual?
You may even want to use blog surveys to refine your choices, and then post a final summary in the form of a 'Statement of Values' on your blog.
Blog Strategy - Your Blog Business Plan
Having a written business plan can boost your blog's success in a way that's hard to believe.
A blog business plan doesn't have to be fancy, complex and involved. Just a simple outline of your plans, goals and targets will do.
A case study will help you understand better, so here's one part of my blog business plan from the Heart Kids Blogathon event blog.
"The goal for this blog is to help fund expensive heart surgery for poor children with congenital heart defects. The target for this blog is to raise a sum of money (last year, it was $75,000) over a specified period of time. We plan to do this through a 24-hour non-stop blogging marathon, where the blog is updated every 30 minutes round the clock - and spread the word so donors can contribute during that period."
There were a few more details about the execution of the plan, but those are the basics.
You can arrive at your own blog business plan easily. Just answer these few questions:
- What do you want your blogging to achieve in the next 3 years?
- What intermediate targets or milestones will let you assess progress?
- What specific action will you take to reach each one within each time frame?
That way you'll know exactly what you need to do next, how quickly (or by what deadline), and how to monitor and measure your progress.
Why Should You Blog?
"Whew!" said Pam. "And here I was planning to run home and set up an automated blog by this evening! It looks as if I have my work cut out for me for the next couple of weeks."
Her face looked a bit troubled. She turned to me, and asked:
"Should I really be blogging? I mean, this sounds like so much hard work! Now I'm not even sure if I have any business creating a blog."
"Pam, if I thought it wasn't worth the trouble, do you think I'd have told you so much about blogging? Of course you should publish a blog. Or even multiple blogs, even if you must rely on automated blog posting to manage some of them."
- It's quick, easy and non-technical
- You are 'forced' to keep your content fresh
- It is optimized for search engines
- You get a built-in linking structure
- It is simple to generate multiple pages
- You create an online community
- It is easy to syndicate and spread your content
- You initiate conversations with readers
- It pulls in a lot of web traffic
"In fact, there's no good reason NOT to blog!"
"I guess I understand what you mean. It's just that I thought blogging was quick and easy - but now it looks to be a big hurdle to overcome."
"There are thousands of bloggers caught up in the myth of free easy blogs. And that's why there are millions of abandoned blogs clogging up free blog space across the Web. Most of them have fewer than 5 posts published many years ago!"
"I guess mine would have joined that long list if I hadn't had this chance to discuss this with you," said Pam, with a wide grin.
Our cups were empty, and I was getting hungry. We walked over to the counter, got some cookies and refilled our cups with more steaming coffee. As we walked back to our seat, Pam asked:
"So tell me...
How Exactly Do I Start Blogging?"
"Pam, there's a specific process I go through each time I post to my blog. This works well for me, though you may modify or tailor it to suit your needs.
"Your blogging process is the actual sequence of steps you will take to populate your blog with content, and then execute other tasks to market and profit from the content.
Your action plan will include 2 kinds of tasks:
- things you will do every day (or week, or month)
- things you will do occasionally (or 'one time' tasks)
Make a checklist that you can go through and check off as you get them done. Here's what I keep on my list...
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Install plug-ins and widgets When you find a plug-in or widget that might enhance your blog's impact, integrate it into your blog. Tweak your blog templates By optimizing your templates for keywords, renaming the categories, and inserting links to your related websites, you can enjoy the trickle-down effect of your blog's popularity in the future, for no extra work. Register for an affiliate program When you find a new product or service you'd like to promote on your blog, register as an affiliate, collect links or ad banners, upload them to your blog and monitor results. Register with social networks and bookmarking sites By using a service like OnlyWire.com, you can quickly and easily bookmark all your blog posts with just a few mouse-clicks. Establish joint ventures You could contact an influential blogger and negotiate getting on their blogroll. If you succeed, this alone will drive a flood of traffic to your blog for YEARS. Create linking pages Once your blog has some meaningful content, you can drive new visitors to your archived posts by creating pages with internal links to your older blog posts, categorized by topic or theme.
Post to your blog Frequency and timing matter, especially when you're building a new blog. Early on, you may post 2 or 3 times a day for the first 2 weeks. Afterwards, you'll slow down a bit and post once a day for another 2 weeks, and then make 2 or 3 posts per week on an ongoing basis. Ping blog networks You may do this automatically through your blog software (or with plug-ins) or manually through services like Pingomatic and Pingoat. A 'ping' notifies various directories that a new post has been published on your blog, and usually brings in a nice flood of visitors every time you post. Email your list If you build an opt-in email list to receive updates when you post to your blog, you can email them to say you've updated your blog. Submit to blog directories You may do this on a schedule, working your way down a long list of sites that accept submissions, adding your blog and RSS feed to 5 or 10 of them every week. Or you may use blog marketing software to periodically add your blog to a huge collection of directory sites. Comment on other blogs Find related blogs to your topic. Visit them and post comments on their blogs, with links back to yours. Doing this consistently on a daily or weekly fashion brings your blog new readers. Create or find new content This can be a time-consuming effort unless you are an expert, writing on something you know a lot of, or have access to a lot of information on your topic. You may want to set aside one day in a week to collect and compile content for future posts. Add income streams Try out a new revenue stream for your blog now and then. Find new products to promote. Sell text links. Tweak ad placement for your Google Adsense ads - or try alternatives like banner ads or affiliate advertorials. Test different free blog layouts Tweak your blog structure to see if changing the position or colors of an ad block or replacing an affiliate endorsement or altering the location of a banner ad gets you a better response and higher income than the earlier one.
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"That was so complete and comprehensive. I'll just follow these steps one after another. Thanks a ton for that. Is there anything else I should be aware of, or think through before I create a blog?"
"Let me see..."
"Have You Decided On A Blog Platform?"
"What's a blog platform?" asked Pam, a puzzled look on her face.
"A platform is the blog software you use to publish your content to the web. There are many commercial and free software available to choose from. They'll get you started blogging - fast and easy.
Here are the most popular among them.
a. Blogger - http://www.blogger.com/b. WordPress - http://www.wordpress.org/
c. Radio Userland - http://www.userland.com/
d. Movable Type - http://www.movabletype.org/
e. Open Journal - http://www.grohol.com/downloads/oj/
f. Expression Engine - http://expressionengine.com
Some of these programs run on a remote server. Others you install on your own web hosting server. In both kinds, you access the clean and simple user interface through a regular internet browser like MS Internet Explorer or FireFox or Safari."
"Which one of these is the best choice?" Pam asked.
"It depends on many things. And ultimately, the choice is personal. Whichever blog software suits you the best will be the 'perfect solution' - for YOU!"
"Ok, I'll look around. Does a free service automatically mean poor quality?"
"Surprisingly enough, no, not always. And you get many nice goodies added on to your blog platform account, like free blog backgrounds and templates to select from."
"That's reassuring. I've sometimes had big trouble by using a free solution."
"I know. But with blogging software, that often isn't the case. Blogger and WordPress, the most popular platforms, are both free."
Video from Google about getting started with Blogger.com
Video from WordPress on getting a new account
"Those videos are fantastic. Thanks. There's another thing I've been wondering about..."
Does Blog Design Really Matter?
"The best blog sites have decent design. Some are outstanding and amazing. But with that said, it is so easy to design great blogs using the templates and free blog layouts widely available, there simply is no good excuse for having a blog design that sucks!"
"Touche"
"When it comes to designing a blog, there are nine areas or elements to consider.
1. Header
2. Content Area
3. Primary Navigation
4. Secondary Navigation
5. Headlines
6. Comments
7. Post's Footer
8. Footer
9. Advertisements
The header is right at the top of your blog page, and what hits a visitor when they first see your blog.
- Make it memorable, impactful and informative.
- What message do you want to convey?
- What title and tagline will you display to readers?
Be bold and experiment until you hit upon the ideal header that POPS!
Your content area must be easy to read, with few distractions and a nice choice of font and color. Use consistent structure and create harmonious themes.
Your primary and secondary navigation links serve two purposes - to help visitors explore different parts of your blog, the categories, archives, "about you" page and more. They should be accessible easily and recognized as links that can be clicked on.
Headlines are titles of your blog posts, and are designed to catch a browser's eye and attention. You may use a different font or color or size to do this.
Comments are usually at the end of a post, where discussion takes place. Your blog design should make comments easy to distinguish from the main content, and separate comments made by different people from each other.
Your blog's footer contains elements at the end of a post, like the date and time of each post, the author, and other social bookmarking links that readers can click to rate your post. You can use it for promotional purposes by inserting links, banners or other ads for your products or services.
Finally, your blog may display ads. Unless you factor them into your design, they will stick out badly and destroy the visual impact your blog makes. Placement of ads must also be such that it does not detract from your content.
There are many places to display ads, such as the header, the sidebar, at the bottom of each post, or in the footer of the blog itself. Banner ads are most popular, followed by Google Adsense.
Can Blog Templates Help Me?
"If the blog elements are standard, then wouldn't I be better off using a blog template instead of trying to design my blog any other way?"
"Yes, that's certainly an easy way to get a good-looking blog" I agreed.
Most ready-made themes for blogs have incorporated these elements into their design, and will give your blog a pleasing look and feel. You can customize various parts of the design by simple re-coding of the blog template (if you don't know how, a blog designer can help).
Before you decide on a final design, be sure to browse other blogs for ideas. Sometimes, seeing what you like on another blog can help you come up with your dream design!"
Also keep this in mind, most blogs are valued for their content rather than how they look. There are only two things that work to build an audience on your blog:
1. Create Content Worth Reading
2. Create Content Worth Linking To
Stay focused on creating great content that attracts and retains your audience.
How To Make Your Blog Content Stand Out?
Pam had been scribbling furiously on her pad as I talked. A moment later, she turned the page, and glanced at me.
"Now, here's something I just thought of. How can I make my blog content stand out from the rest of the crowd?"
She grimaced. "It can't be much fun to spend so much time and effort on my blog if no one is going to find it - or keep coming back for more!"
"No, that isn't fun at all. And why blog marketing is so important for every blogger."
"When do I get started with blog marketing?"
"Right now."
"But I don't even have a blog yet!"
"That doesn't matter. In fact, it's better to begin before you have a blog - because when your blog gets published, it will be ready to hit the ground running!"
"What can I market before I have a blog, though?" she asked.
"Marketing begins well before you have something to tell the world. And blog marketing begins with finding out WHAT you should be telling the world!
In other words, you should find a niche that will make you rich... and then perform keyword research that will point you to the best form of content to create so that your blog will appeal to the most readers."
"Ah, I begin to understand. Finding a hot niche is the key to everything, isn't it?"
"Yep. It's the cornerstone of every successful Web strategy - including blogging. In fact, your blog traffic will depend directly upon how well and aggressively you go about executing your marketing plan!"
Your Blog Marketing Plan
Pam stared at her notepad for a long moment before she spoke.
But how about blog marketing itself? Aren't there a gazillion different ways to promote my blog? How will I know what works best? Where do I begin?"
"You've already taught me a lot about finding a niche and researching keywords.
I thought for a moment.
"Ok, let's talk about specific high impact blog marketing methods that are capable of bringing you as many readers as you want or need. You must understand that while all of these tactics work, some work better, and some are less effective. And not all of them work all the time. Many are free, while some require you to spend time or money to set up."
"I understand. Please go on."
Get On Blog Directories
"One of the first things you'll want to to is get your blog listed in blog directories."
"When should I do this?"
"As soon as you have 10 to 15 posts on your blog, begin submitting it to specialized blog directories. Get as many of these done as possible. There are many different lists of directories."
"So I just visit each directory and submit my blog?"
"Yes. If this takes too much time, outsource it to someone, but get it done. Or use software to automate blog SEO. You can use programs like RSS Bot for this. As your blog grows in content, the directories will drive more traffic to it - so the sooner you begin the better."
"And what next?"
"Your blog will automatically generate an RSS feed. This allows easy syndication of your blog content to other sites, and lets 'subscribers' to your blog read it conveniently in a 'feed reader'. The quickest, easiest way to extend the reach of your feed is to submit it to various RSS feed directories."
"Are these the same as blog directories?"
"No, an RSS directory will accept only RSS feeds in XML or Atom format. There are hundreds of them - but don't let that put you off. Start submitting today - and keep going for as many days as it takes to get your feed listed in many places. Automated blog SEO software to help you do this is available."
"Alright, what else can I do?" asked Pam.
Blog And Ping
"You should ping every blog post that you publish. Remember, we already talked about including this in your blogging process?"
"Yes, I remember you mentioned it earlier."
"Another thing to know. Technorati tags are a powerful marketing tactic for your blog, bringing you inbound links from an authority site as well as some targeted traffic.
A simple tool to generate Technorati tags for your blog posts is available at Evil Genius Marketing - www.egmstrategy.com/ice/
Use the tool to generate tags for your blog posts. You may use the same common set of tags for all posts, or generate specific keyword rich tags targeted to each individual post you make.
Paste these tags to the end of every blog post before you publish it, and then ping Technorati to let them know you've updated it (this will be done automatically if you include Technorati's RPC code in the list of services you ping through your blog platform software)"
"Great. I've noted this down on my list."
Speaking of lists..."
"Are You Building Your Blog List?"
"One of the most powerful blog marketing tactics is using RSS button and email opt in form on your blog itself.
"By prominently displaying the RSS subscription button PLUS an email opt-in form, you can give your blog readers the twin options of subscribing to future updates via RSS or email.
"This lets you send them a reminder to visit your blog every time you add a new post, and will boost your blog traffic and readership significantly over time."
"Nice. I don't think this is the kind of information I could have found on my own somewhere else. Thanks for giving me these excellent ideas!" cried Pam.
"Well, I sure hope you put them to action, because simply knowing them but not using them won't get you more blog traffic!"
She smiled. "I will."
"Great. Next, let's talk about getting back links to your blog."
How To Get Your Blog Some Link Love?
Try and get on as many blogrolls as you can manage.
You (or someone you train) should contact bloggers in your niche who are highly reputed, have busy or high ranked blogs and contain quality content. Negotiate an exchange of links by way of including each other on your Blogroll lists, which will be mutually beneficial.
It may take some going back and forth, even getting on the phone or writing a letter - but if it works, this could boost your blog's ranking on search engines higher than most other marketing tasks you will do.
When setting up such linking arrangements, try and get the other blogger to include your choice of keyword as the anchor text of your Blogroll listing, so you get more value from the link.
Strive for a target of 5 quality links per week, and within a year, you could have around 250 links back to your blog - which will go a long way in making your blog an AUTHORITY site in your niche."
"Hmm... that sounds like quite a plan. And I know just the person to ask for help. My sister loves to network with people, by email or over the phone. I'll get her working on this as soon as I get home! Next?"
"What I've given you should keep you busy for weeks. But here is one more effective blog marketing method..."
Write Articles & Submit Them
"You mean publish them on my blog?" asked Pam.
"No. Write a short article on any topic related to your niche. It should be between 450 and 600 words, include your main keyword around 4 to 8 times, and maybe have your secondary keywords too.
Aim for 3 to 5 paragraphs. Write short simple sentences that are easily understood. Choose topics likely to interest readers in your niche. At the end, craft a catchy 'author resource box' mentioning your name and something attractive about your blog - with a link back to it.
If you cannot write an article, you may consider outsourcing it to a writer. Expect to pay between $8 and $15 for a good quality piece. When you are happy with your article, submit it to the top article directories only. These are good ones to start with:
- Ezine Articles - http://EzineArticles.com
- Go Articles - http://GoArticles.com
- Article City - http://ArticleCity.com
- Buzzle - http://Buzzle.com
- Idea Marketers - http://IdeaMarketers.com
And Then, Get Social!
Another thing to do is social bookmarking... it's all the rage lately.
You can use an automated service that makes it quick and easy to handle submissions of your blog to multiple bookmarking sites easily. It's called ONLYWIRE at http://www.OnlyWire.com
Join the service, log in to your account, and on the right side of each form field, you will see a link to the various bookmarking services.
Register for an account with each.
Then, drag the bookmarklet to your web browser's status bar (detailed instructions and a video are available on the site). This will make it easy to bookmark your blog posts at all these services - with just a click.
Each time you update your blog, you can bookmark the individual blog post URL to your social sites - and have it accessible to everyone else who uses those services.
What's more, it gives your blog a link back from these services."
"Gosh, I feel tired already! How am I ever going to get all this done with my blog?" Pam wondered aloud.
"Don't try and do it all in a rush" I said. "Take it slow and easy. Have a schedule. And use the system in a consistent and regular fashion - and watch your blog traffic grow steadily."
"Ok. I'll try that. What other blog marketing methods do you suggest?"
Here Are Some More Blog Marketing Tactics
"Run ezine ads. Email your house list. Publish an email newsletter. Run a Google Adwords campaign."
"Check."
"Issue press releases. Launch a viral marketing promotion. All of these work to varying degrees, you'll have to test it and see which ones you can get to work well - and keep using them."
"Ok."
"And then, there's posting on forums."
"You mean discussion forums on the Web?"
"Yes, forum marketing can be very powerful and effective in driving more blog traffic, even when you automate your blogs."
Forum Marketing For Your Blog
When you make one of the more 'newsy' blog posts, preferably something controversial or provocative or hot at the moment, mentioning it on forums can bring in a surge of visitors to your blog.
Here's what to do:
- locate an interesting news story or article or opinion/editorial relevant to your niche
- think about what you want to say
- type a short introduction or 'lead in' to the material
- copy-paste an excerpt (short paragraph or snippet) from the article or news story or website
- place a link to the rest of the story/article/website
Then, search on Google for forums/discussion groups/bulletin boards on your niche topic. You can do this by searching on Google for 'Your Niche' + forums
Pick 3 of the busiest, most reputed, high ranking forums, where many people visit and post regularly.
Visit them, register for an account (use your keywords as your user name and craft your 'signature' to get some SEO benefit as well - don't forget to include a link back to your blog in the signature)
Now, post a curiosity provoking message. Use a headline like this:
* Have you read this news about ... ? or* Did you know ... ? or
* What did you think about ... ?
In the body of your message, make a vague reference to the news story or article you blogged about. Do NOT give out all details, but hint about how important it could be to others in your niche.
Then, sign off!
The link to your blog in your signature then acts as their roadsign, bringing visitors to your blog.
Pam looked amazed.
"How interesting! It looks like you've got this down to a science" she exclaimed.
"Frankly, I've used this approach several times myself and it always works well. The key is to avoid coming across as a spammer, or sounding too desperate to attract visitors to your blog."
"Anything else?"
Blog Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Can Help
"Don't overlook basic SEO (search engine optimization) when you post blog content. You know, stuff like including your best keywords in the TITLE tag and in the META keywords for your blog.
By their architecture, blogs are natually SEO'ed to a great extent - but you can still tweak a few things to your benefit.
Always keep working on getting inbound links from other bloggers. You can do this by
- making high quality posts (also called 'link bait')
- issuing press releases
- linking back to the blog from your other blogs/websites
- organizing link swaps with other relevant websites
- buying links from high PR websites
- participating in blog carnivals
The best inbound links are the ones coming from higher ranked sites than your own, relevant to the topic you are writing about and which link to you using relevant keywords.
A few other things can give you a slight edge over the competition in search engine rankings.
- Post tightly themed content
- Use simple HTML validated site design
- Keep your posts to modest length (around 250 to 400 words)
- Stay focussed. Keep one post devoted to one topic, or one keyword
- Register the domain name for your blog for at least 2 years
- Make sure your blog has no duplicate content or canonical URL issues
- Everything else being the same, large content sites are better
- Put your best keywords in your image ALT tags
- Watch your colors. If your text is similar in colour to your backgrounds some search engines will consider this spam
There are many more advanced SEO tricks, but these basics coupled with a high quality content rich blog can bring you serious benefits over competing blogs and websites.
Are You Ready To Blog?
By now it was getting late, and I had another appointment. From the way she kept glancing at her watch, I could see that Pam was keen to leave as well.
"Well, this ended up becoming quite a marathon discussion on blogs and blogging. I hope you got something of value in helping you create a blog, Pam?"
"I sure did, thank you so very much," she said, as she grabbed the sheets of paper on which she had been frantically scribbling notes for the past hour or two.
"So, are you ready to blog?" I asked her with a smile.
"Yes, I am. I'll be putting as much of it to use as I can - and will ask you in case I have any doubts or questions. Is that ok?"
"Sure" I said, as we shook hands and walked out of Starbucks.
Just as I passed out of the door, I turned my head back - and saw two of the girls behind the counter pointing at us... and one of them was tapping her head with her index finger, in the universal gesture that said, wordlessly:
"They Must Be CRAZY!"
But if you read this and still don't believe you can make money blogging, well, then so are YOU!
:-)
Are YOU ready to blog? Get busy!
Who is Pam?
Pam is a character. No, she is not 'real' - except she is. She is representative of EVERY newbie or beginner entering the arena of Internet marketing hoping to become a profit-pulling infopreneur.
She is a little bit of YOU. And that's why I hope you'll read the rest of her saga - and get some value from the lessons in it.
To download the report
in PDF format
CLICK HERE
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| ABOUT DR.MANI |
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For over ten years he has influenced countless e-publishers, home business owners and Internet marketers with his powerful writing, insight and experience. You can learn more about Dr.Mani, his diverse Internet marketing activities and his non-profit work for congenital heart defects awareness - and also see how YOU can be a part of it all... and help a 'heart child' live.
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Dr.Mani is a heart surgeon using his infopreneur business to fund heart surgery for under-privileged children in India.
