
Starting a new blog is a very exciting venture. You have all these wonderful ideas, your motivated and you can’t wait to get the blogging party started.
The problem is, after you purchase the domain name and set up hosting you realize having a great idea is not enough. If you want your blog to be successful it is going to require you put in a lot of work.
From writing search engine optimized blog posts to figuring out how to get more visitors to opt in to your email list, trying to figure it all out on your own can be a bit overwhelming.
With this post we are going to walk you through the 5 steps you need to take to ensure your blog is successful from day one.
Step 1 – Create a Solid Blogging Strategy
The first thing you need to do is create a blogging strategy you can follow for the first few months after starting your blog.
You strategy should cover 3 key areas….
The first area is the end goal for every visitor that comes to your blog. What do you want your visitors to do before they leave your blog? Do you want them to purchase a particular product? Join your mailing list? Share a certain post? Whatever it is figure it out before you make your first post.
The second area you should focus on is content. You need to create a content plan that will help you turn your blog into the go to source in your specific niche.
To get the ball rolling consider writing a 5000 word ultimate guide on the main topic in your niche. For example, if you are in the weight loss niche you can create the ultimate guide on losing weight. You can then take each subtopic in the main article and turn them into more in-depth articles.
Avoid writing stand alone articles as that will greatly limit the amount of content you are able to create.
The third and final area your blogging strategy should cover is promotion or traffic generation. How will you promote your blog?
There are of course hundreds of different ways you can promote your blog. Some of the more popular options include social media marketing, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Youtube and email marketing.
Step 2 – Start Building Your List From Day One
One of the biggest mistakes new bloggers make is waiting until they have a bigger audience before they start building their subscriber list.
Don’t make this mistake!!!
The day you start your blog is the day you should start building your list. Over time you will see that your list is without a doubt your most valuable asset.
Why is that you ask?
Because you actually own your list. Its not like Facebook fans or Twitter followers. Your list is yours and you are free to download a spreadsheet of all of your subscribers at anytime.
It is said that for every $1 you spend on email marketing, the average return is $44.25.
Start building your email list from day one!!
Step 3 – Search Engine Optimize Your Blog
According to Wikipedia Search Engine Optimization is the process of affecting the online visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “natural”, “organic”, or “earned” results.
One of the best ways to improve search engine optimization is to create original content. Google loves fresh content that solves problems.
Google also loves websites that load fast. A slow loading website will cause your site to rank lower in the search results.
To see how fast your blog is loading you can use the Pingdom website speed test. Just type in your URL and it will analyze your website and show you where the bottlenecks are.
You should also install an SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO to ensure your on site SEO is where it should be.
Step 4 – Make Sure Your Blog Design Is Optimized For Conversions
How your blog is designed will affect readability and conversion rates. The best design is a simple design. You don’t need anything overly fancy. Just a simple blog that is free of clutter.
Make sure you use a font size that is big enough for your visitors to easily view your content. The minimum font size you should use is 16x.
Take a look at a few successful blogs in your niche. Pay attention to the design and model it on your website.
Step 5 – Promote, Promote, Promote
The fifth and final step is to figure out a way to get the word out about your blog. This is actually the step most new bloggers completely overlook.
While there are literally a thousand different ways you can go about promoting your blog, the fastest way is to spend money on advertising. With Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads you can quickly get your message in front of millions of potential readers.
When investing in paid advertising make sure you take the time to educate yourself on the ins and outs of the different platforms. You never want to just jump in as that is the surest way to lose all of your money without getting any results.
Check out this complete guide to Facebook Ads to learn how to get your campaigns set up as quickly as possible.
If investing in advertising isn’t in your budget right now there are several free options you can use instead. While these methods won’t cost you any money, they will cost you a great deal of time.
Guest posting is one great way you can start generating traffic without spending any money. The key is to find blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. To find guest posting opportunities simply go to Google and type in “guest posting” followed by the niche you are in.
For example, if you are in the weight loss niche you would type in “guest posting weight loss”. You will see a ton of websites that accept blog posts. Read over the requirements and submit your content if it meets those requirements.
Ready to get you new blog set up? Check out our affordable web hosting plans and get started today!