Blogging can seem daunting for those new to it. However, it is actually quite easy, once you’ve covered the basics. Here is an overview, demystifying blogging and giving you clear information to get you started… easily!
Stick to what you know
The great thing about blogging is that you CAN stick to what you know! Blogging is all about giving website visitors access to interesting and relevant information, information that can help them in some way.
So brainstorm your niche, write down the main subject areas you have knowledge of and base your posts on those.
Use tags and categories
One of the basic mistakes new bloggers make is keeping their posts filed under ‘uncategorised’. This makes it really hard for your visitors to search posts on similar topics.
Categories are the main ‘theme’ areas of your knowledge, such as ‘coaching’, ‘yoga’ or ‘fitness’ – the keywords you’d use for your business and what you do. Tags are specifics within those key areas – like ‘confidence’, ‘sun salutation’ and ‘arm exercises’. You can then write each blog post based on one or two tags or categories.
Use an SEO plugin
Those tags and categories (or keywords) come in really handy with an SEO plugin, like Yoast. You just enter your main keyword in the SEO plugin and it will let you know where else you need that keyword to be. This means you don’t have to really worry about your SEO at all!
Just remember to keep to one main keyword and mention it throughout your post. You can then also add it to the ‘alt text’ within your images and in the meta description (this is the handcrafted summary of your post, that goes in the SEO plugin).
Have a call to action
Each blog post needs to have a call to action. This is something you want the reader to do, as a result of reading your post. This could be leaving a comment, following you on social media or signing up to your programs or downloads.
You don’t have to stick with text
Blogging doesn’t have to be text-based. You can create audio and video, images and quotes. This can actually save you time too, as it’s much quicker to post an image or a quote – especially when you are short on time.
Stick to a regular schedule
The most important thing to remember with blogging is, you have to keep it regular. Whether you decide to post daily, weekly or monthly, you need to stick to your schedule.
When you start blogging you are committing to provide information and knowledge. The regular visitors to your site will come to expect and find that information and knowledge on your site – when you say you will.
Bulk schedule your posts
Committing to a regular schedule can be difficult. Life can sometimes get in the way, and scheduling your posts is the perfect way to ensure you stick to your schedule.
If you write a weekly post, you can sit down to write your content four times a month, or write once, but for a longer length of time. You then use the scheduling option within WordPress (next to the ‘publish immediately’ link in the ‘publish’ section) to schedule your posts throughout the month.
Don’t expect instant results
When it comes to blogging, you need to put in the work BEFORE you get results. So take your time to write good quality posts and build up a catalogue of interesting and relevant content for your website. You can then work on sharing the links to your blog posts around on social media etc, to ensure it reaches the audience you are aiming for.
Have you been putting off blog writing? What was your biggest takeaway from this post? What one action step can you take to get started with blogging? Why not share your experiences and advice on blogging below and, if you have any questions, post them too – and I’ll do my best to answer them!
Images courtesy of tashatuvango/Dollar Photo Club