Ready to start a blog but not sure how?
Fortunately, it’s not as hard as you might think. And to help, I’d like to share an infographic my friends at StartBloggingOnline were kind enough to share with me.
This guide will help you get your blog off the ground in no time.
10 Things You Need to Know to Start a Blog
How to Get Started Blogging
Here’s a quick summary of how to start a blog—whether it’s for personal use or a business.
NOTE: If you’d like more help running your blog, get my book, The Business Blog Handbook: a Step-by-Step Guide to Running a Business Blog that Drives Traffic and Accelerates Growth.
Okay, here they are… 10 things you need to know start a blogging.
1. Learn SEO Basics
You only need a basic understanding of metadata, keyword research, and site structure. And you can get started without understanding it at all—so don’t let that stop you.
But if you understand SEO, you’ll have more success, faster.
The key is to figure out what people are searching for (that takes keyword research) and then create the content that they’re probably looking for.
Easy. If you have the right tools, that is. Here’s what I recommend…
Ubersuggest is a simple, all-inclusive tool for optimizing your content. It’s affordable and intuitive — so even a newbie can use it.
But maybe all you want to do is keyword research. If that’s you, I recommend Keyword Snatcher. Super easy. Just enter your keyword and let it run in the background for the rest of the day. I ended up stopping it at 10,000 keywords—it would have kept going if I had let it!
2. Build Authenticity and Credibility
Trust is the foundation of a successful blog. And to build trust, you need to:
- Be yourself
- Be factual
- Disclose relationships
- Proudly share social proof and testimonial
That’s it. Not hard at all!
3. Use Long-Form Content
Whether you’re publishing graphics (like this infographic), videos, or text, long-form content provides more information and answers more questions—which means it’s more likely to rank for popular search queries.
That means more traffic for you. So think long-form. All things being equal, you’ll get better results.
4. Create Your Own Product
Blogging for its own sake isn’t always sustainable. It’s best if your blog supports a business, promotes a product, or has another
If you aren’t a business with products to promote, why not create a product? It can be anything, really. A video training series, ebook, or online course are great products to get started with.
5. Build Linkable Assets
An important way to boost traffic is to get backlinks to your pages. And the best way to get backlinks is to create high-value content that other sites want to share with their audience.
You don’t need these right away, but they’ll help you optimize your site and rank better in search engines. So take time every now and then to brainstorm infographics, charts, and memes you could make. They’re all great linkable assets.
6. Write for the Reader, Not Search Engines
This is a fine balance, and you’ll need to experiment to find your sweet spot. But ultimately, Google doesn’t pay the bills. Your customers do. So write valuable blog posts they’re eager to read—and do light SEO to make sure search engines will rank your posts.
READ: How to Balance Optimization and Persuasion when Writing for the Web
7. Find Your Niche
People need to know what your blog is about—exactly. Find your niche, then figure out how to say it so people understand at a glance.
Most importantly, stick with it. Don’t write about dog care on a gardening blog.
Don’t think you need to pick a big, well-known topic, either. You can be
So instead of writing about “health,” say, write about “CBD products” or “regaining health after a major illness.”
8. Know Your Audience
If you’re writing content your audience cares about, they’ll become fans. Period.
READ: Content Marketing Tip #1: Know Your Reader
9. Don’t Just Be in It for the Money
You need to be solving a problem for your niche audience. If you’re just trying to make money, it will show, and they won’t trust you.
See how it all works together? Find your niche. Find out how you can help them. Then focus on providing valuable solutions that really work.
10. Don’t Choose a Free Platform
You get what you paid for. Always. The best websites are build with WordPress on a self-hosted site.
My website is hosted on Siteground, and it’s built with a Genesis theme. I recommend them both.
You Can Do This!
There’s more to blogging that just jotting down your thoughts and clicking the “Publish” button. But it doesn’t have to be hard or confusing.
These 10 steps are a great way to get started—they’ll help you build a strategic foundation for quick success.
You can build more expertise once you’re publishing. Then… well.. there’s no limit to what you can accomplish!
