Are you thinking of starting your own blog? There is no need to be in two minds about it because these days everyone seems to have a blog of their own. Some have personal blogs while others have official blogs focusing on professional acceleration. However, not all blogs seem to be successful. Some blogs are lacking in purpose while others are lacking in focus. So, the key question is how to come up with a successful blog? Here are a few smart steps to get you started in that direction.
- You need to determine your long term, as well as, short term goals and objectives.
- Start by getting a domain name. Also get a blog host and install WordPress.
- Choose an appropriate theme and determine what logos to use and preferably which colors would go best.
- Include an opt-in form for gathering email subscribers.
- Start generating strategic content which would be of assistance to many people.
Facts to Know While Starting a Blog
Here are some facts of blogging you must know to be successful in 2017.
A WordPress blog hosted on your own would be working best for you
It is most important to set up a WordPress.org blog on your own. Free blogs such as Blogger and Tumblr are not good enough in my opinion as they do not allow you total ownership, control, and even the branding options that are essential for blogging success. People who are currently using any free blog host would want to migrate in future but then it would be a challenging process. It is pretty simple to start with your very own WordPress.org blog and it is the best way to start your own blog today.
Importance of visual content would be growing
Visual content includes photos, graphics, and even videos. Visual content is going to be even more significant in 2017. You must identify high-quality images and photos for your blog. This could be a pretty challenging issue. You must identify a stock photo site that offers top quality images and lets you use them on your blogging site with just an attrition license. Another option would be using photos that have been taken by you. You could either take your own pictures or hire a professional to take pictures as per your specifications. This would help you forge ahead of the competition and stay apart from the others in the industry. Visual content is increasingly getting popular and gaining in importance.
Grow a Mailing List
Boosting your mailing list is an important aspect of blogging. Even a decade back it was the same scenario. Any veteran blogger would advise you to grow your mailing list, because that is a sure-shot way of getting into anyone’s inbox as and when you wish to. This could boost traffic to your newly launched blogging site. This would also boost sales when a product is launched or when an affiliate product is promoted. Moreover, the primary reason for growing your email list is that you no longer could rely on Google anymore for driving traffic. You also could not trust the various social media platforms which are used to changing their policies constantly. You could rely only on your mailing list for driving traffic when all else fail.
Do Not Ignore the Competition
You simply cannot undermine the role of competitors and competition in the blogging world. Whatever post you seem to be writing right now, has already been written before. Every topic you are thinking about seems to be already there. You must consider using an effective program for doing some research on existing competition. A research would be a great way of learning the specific keywords targeted by the people. You could determine the number of backlinks your competitor is using and the source of those backlinks
Long Content Crucial for Success
Long content is good for driving traffic. Long contents usually, catch the attention of numerous bloggers. According to Neil Patel long content is quite effective and it proves to be quite fruitful for him. Generate long content for solving issues and providing immense value so that people would be compelled to share the long content with their friends.
Conclusion
Blogging has become an intensely scientific process with time. Top guns have realized the true value of blogs. Social media platforms are in the habit of investing money for getting an impressive return on investment. You must chalk out a robust blogging strategy for success. You should be open to experimentation with new ideas throughout your blogging career and that would spell blogging success for you in 2017.
