This is a collaborative post
Starting a blog is as simple as ABC, but there are so many things brewing behind the scenes. Did you know that about 7.5 million blogs are published every single day?
Now, that’s hard work, and it can pay off for you too. But not every piece of content published is a success. There are many factors you must consider when you start a blog. This includes services such as blogging platform features, user-friendliness, content management capabilities, hosting options, price, and more.
But don’t worry! This article aims to provide you with a comprehensive checklist to help kickstart your blogging journey.
The Ultimate Checklist to Blogging in 2024
Whether you’re just getting started or want to refresh your knowledge, this list has everything you need to know about starting a blog. For instance, topics on the first page of the search results page on Google are generally 2 years or older.
Hence, you need to be patient and understand that keeping content updated and value-adding with fresh insights is critical for the success of your blog.
Let’s follow this ultimate checklist to get you on your way to publishing your first post in no time!
Brainstorm Your Blog Idea
It’s better to be a master of one thing than a jack of all trades. Before you start a blog, it’s important to be sure that you have a good idea for one.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What’s your niche?
- What do you want to write about?
- Who is your audience?
- What will make your blog stand out from the rest of the crowd?
- Are there any gaps in the market for certain topics?
You need an idea that’s both interesting and original. Think about the area of expertise that you have and what would be useful for others.
Secure Your Domain Name and Hosting
Now, it’s time to pick a domain name! A domain name is the name of your website.
So, you must ensure that the name is catchy and memorable. The name should capture what your blog is about. If possible, try using keywords in the domain name so that search engines will be able to find it more easily.
Hosting is where your website lives on the internet — it’s basically the storage space for all of your files and images that make up your site.
You can pay for hosting with a monthly fee or buy it as part of an all-in-one package with other services like email or web design tools.
Customize Your Blog’s Design
Create a unique look and feel for your blog that reflects your personality and business. The design of your site is an important part of establishing authority and trust with readers.
Don’t just use a template or a theme. Make your blog’s design unique by adding your logo, colour scheme, and photos. The design of your blog is its first impression, so you want it to be as good and responsive on all devices as possible.
Set Up Essential Pages
Your blog is only as good as its content, so you’re going to want to make sure you have a few essential pages set up before you even launch your blog. It includes pages like Contact Us, an About page, Terms of Service, and a Privacy Policy page.
You can provide a brief introduction of yourself and share your story regarding the blog. Inject some humour and keep it honest and transparent to improve the relatability quotient with the audience.
A privacy policy tells visitors about how you’ll use their personal information, such as email addresses, IP addresses, and cookies.
Install Important Plugins
Plugins are important to enhance the efficiency and optimize the functionality of websites. There are several plugins that every blogger needs to install:
- A backup plugin that will create backups of your blog automatically. Hence, you don’t have to worry about losing your hard work if something happens to your site
- An anti-spam plugin that will help you fight off comment spammers and trolls from trying to ruin your blog’s reputation
- A plugin that can optimize images in your blog posts
- A social sharing plugin (this will make it easy for people to share your content on social media)
Get Analytics in Place
Analytics are vital for any blogger or business owner who wants to see how their content is performing. You need to know which posts are getting the most traffic, what keywords people use to find your site, and much more.
Google Analytics is probably the most powerful and popular analytics tool on the market today. It provides detailed information about your traffic source, demographics, SEO performance, and more.
You can also use it to set up goals and track conversions from specific sources (i.e., people who click on your affiliate links).
Create Social Media Accounts for Your Blog
Once you have all of the technical stuff done, it’s time to start building an audience by creating social media accounts or any other networks where you want your brand to be visible.
Social media is an important part of blogging because it allows people to find your content and interact with it easily. Start sharing engaging photos or videos that are relevant to your niche—this will help get your name out there so people know who you are! If you have a product-based blog, you can do product photography and video review that post on social media to engage audiences related to your niche.
Cracking social media isn’t rocket science nowadays, thanks to the numerous AI tools available. You can create social media posts as quickly as making your morning coffee. Let’s not forget that with AI video maker, you can instantly create captivating videos, and we all know that ‘videos speak louder than words’ nowadays.
Schedule Your Content Using an Editorial Calendar
A planner in the form of a content strategy and calendar gives a snapshot of the underlying details of the blog posts being published.
Create a template with all the necessary details and information, like the banner images, keywords, title tags, short descriptions, and important links or citations. All the tasks will be streamlined and organized to facilitate the final steps in the process of launching your blogs.
Once the calendar is in place, you can decide on a scheduling tool to ensure that the well-researched blogs reach your target audience and prove valuable in their search for knowledge.
10 Tips for Getting Started with Blogging in 2024
You may have heard the adage, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” That’s especially true when it comes to blogging.
But don’t let that stop you. Here are 10 tips that will be helpful in your blogging journey:
- Pick a topic(s) that interests you
- Get clear on your purpose and audience
- Select a good name for your blog
- Decide what type of content you want to publish on your blog
- Include images, videos, and audio clips whenever possible
- Create an editorial calendar and get organized
- Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback
- Build your email list from day 1 with lead magnets
- Automate your social media posts for free and get more traffic
- Get help from experts
Key Takeaways:
Even if you’re still trying to figure out what kind of content is right for your audience, start small with some low-effort guides or listicles.
Eventually, your content will develop an audience on its own—and before long, you’ll have an established, successful blog that’s well on its way toward one hundred thousand page views!
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post