Blogging may sound easy. It’s as easy as choosing what you wanna blog and start blogging right?? I see a lot of people on Twitter asking for blogging tips. Tweets like
- “Can anyone care to share with me about blogging tips?”
- “How can I make a successful blog?”
- “There are so many things I’ve heard about blogging. Where should I start?”
Of course when I see questions like that, I seize the opportunity to answer their questions and help them.
This is what I can tell every newbie blogger.
Before You Begin….
1. It is NOT for EVERYONE – Yes, you heard that right. This applies especially to those who wants to build a successful and thriving blog that is MORE than just a hobby. You don’t see many Mashable or TechCrunch do you?
2.It is HARD WORK – If anyone tells you otherwise, they are talking bulls… In short, your blog is as good as how much effort you put into it.
3. Don’t Expect Quick Results – If you expect quick results, expect disappointment. This point adds on the previous one. It takes time to see the results.
4. Are you passionate? – Before you become part of the statistic, (8/10 drop out) are you passionate enough to continue blogging and make your blog GREAT?
5. Are you making time for it? – If you are passionate, you won’t have issues with this. If you have at least spare 10 hours a week, it’s a good start.
6.The Blogging Mindset – Read this post and tell me what you think, 5 Personalities of A Successful Blogger.
7. Don’t be a copycat – Know your identity. Don’t be like the crowd. Find your way to be unique!
8. Research before starting one – A lot of people might tell you to just do it. But, you must find out what you want to blog about and why.
9. What is your niche? – This really follows through from the previous point. Do your research, find your niche and get started. NOT the other way round.
10. Are you in a very competitive niche – You can still succeed but its harder. But if you really like it, then nothing can stop you.
Blogging and Beyond…
1. Use WordPress! – Why? Because it is the best out there. Consider this:
- Ever growing list of highly customizable themes.
- Ever growing list of plugins
- Clean code, search engine friendly
- GOOGLE LOVES WORDPRESS
2. Don’t start selling things! – This is the one of the biggest mistake you can do with your blog. Don’t turn your blog into a sales page. Why? Read the next point
3. Write good quality content – That’s right. Before you start doing anything else, write good quality content FIRST. That’s what a blog is all about. Content.. Content.. Content.
4. Content alone is not enough – WHAT? Yes. If you are the greatest content writer in blogging history you still need people to read what you are writing, which brings me to the next point
5. Network and Build Relationships – This is probably one of the most important thing you need to do even as you are writing and churning content daily. You CANNOT succeed alone. What should you do?
- Find blogs in your niche and comment on blog.
- Stay active. Contribute and add value.
- Repeat steps a & b again and again…
6. Promote Your Blog! – Read this post on how to promote your blog. This step and the previous point will really boost your blog reputation. Trust me..
7. Don’t forget SEO – Master the basics of SEO. Get good tools to help you out with this. You don’t have to be the next Aaron Wall or Rand Fishkin.
8. Your Blog Design - I believe this comes next after content. A poorly designed website is gonna chase all your readers away.
9. Embrace Failure – There’s no foolproof way to be a successful blogger. You might not make it even if you’ve gone through all the points that I’ve mentioned. Think about this:
“We need the agony of short-term failure to ensure delicious long-term and long lasting success.”
10. Take A Break – When you are uninspired. Stop and relax. Your subconscious mind will do the thinking.
11. Seek Help/Mentor – Sometimes you need a boost and you need some guidance. There are always people to help you out. You can even consider a blog membership with forums and lessons to help you out.
12. You, my readers continue to add this…
For the experienced, what are your ingredients to success. What has brought you this far? I would love to hear from you about this.
Related articles For A Newbie Blogger
Do you need help with Starting A Wordpress Site?
Then...use Thesis just like the pros around. Even if you are not a pro, Thesis has a great supporting community and forum to help you with questions on how to use Thesis. Finally, if you need access to resources that I use for my business online, check out my resources page. You will find goodies and gems that might help you as well.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: megabizflakes
October 30, 2010 at 1:14 am
Awesome post bro!
Yeah, blogging is not meant for everyone and the system is not a fast cash money system lol!!! if you want to start blogging you must follow your passion and not the money!!!!!!! Thanks a lot. Have fun.
Hey Sam,
yeah blogging is not fast cash! i think blogging is one of the hardest ways to be rich online but as long as you enjoy doing it, you will find a way.
Cheers!
Hey Bryan,
Love your post!
Very awesome point you share there, i have started my blog because i love to do what i am posting now in my blog, sharing my WordPress to other newbies.
But then it slowly makes me earning money too.
I guess the reason i blog, is my passion and then making money too.
Two goals
Thanks for this awesome post, tweeted!.
Kimi recently posted..WordPress Privacy Policy Plugin
Hi Kimi,
I’m glad you like my post. Hmm Im hoping to get more earnings for my blog too. Looks like your blog is doing well. Keep it up!
thx for retweeting too
Twitter: danlew
October 30, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Hi Bryan,
Nice post,
I also know for a fact keyword research as a blogger is one of the most overlooked aspects and yet most important particularly for headlines in blogs, choosing the right keywords in your post headline title not only to attract readers but to get maximum search engine traffic. As another one to add a part from your checklist I highly recommend bloggers use Keyword Winner.
The tool is designed to help not only newbies target low competition headlines for their blog posts but also experts as well all within the Wordpress dashboard as you start typing your post suggestions come up, it was just released to the market last week and is a big hit at the moment!
Dan Lew recently posted..How To Make Money With Keyword Winner
Hi Dan,
That’s right Dan, I think keyword research must not be overlooked like you said. That’s why I’ve added SEO into the list here too. It is complicated at first but once you get the basics right like keyword research you will have an edge over the rest. Good job on your product Dan. You are getting rave reviews from it!
Thx for commenting here
Twitter: alexanderthegry
October 31, 2010 at 1:26 am
This is an awesome post Bryan, everyone who wants to start a blog should definitely read this.
I would also add somethind Dennis Edell told me: “Don’t consider other bloggers as the competition but as your support” it’s not word by word but this is the meaning
Axel@Jocuri recently posted..Curse Formula 1 la inaltime
Hi Axel,
I’m glad you like the post! That’s a nice quote too. We all need support to be successful here.
Bryan
Twitter: RyanRenfrew
November 2, 2010 at 6:14 am
Just started a blog Bryan so found this very useful. U mentioned going niche, how niche should one go to begin with? I feel like I want to go in serveral directions and dont want to limit myself too early, did u find yourself staring with a broad niche and narrowing over time?
Ryan
Hi Ryan,
I think the best thing if you are new is to start with a broad niche and then narrowing down. If you want to start with a few niche blogs, i recommend starting with 2 first. Manage these 2 blogs for a while and see how you do. If you are getting good traffic, good readership etc then you can consider starting more niche specific blogs. Don’t get ahead of yourself too early otherwise you might end up killing all your blogs. Veteran bloggers with more experience tend to do a little more.
Take your time, you will get there
Superb post, Bryan!
This is a really great post that is a must-read for beginner bloggers! I really agree about networking and building relationships. If I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have became what I am today.
And it’s true that you should be passionate, otherwise you simply won’t succeed!
Cheers!
Gloson
Gloson recently posted..My Entry for the Awesome BlogEngage Contest
Hi Gloson,
Thx for commenting here! I’m glad you liked the post too. Networking and building relations is definitely one of the top things you must do. You cannot blog alone.
Have a great day
Great post , I loved it . Thanks for writting
nick recently posted..Blogging -Blog for beginners
Hi Nick,
Thx for stopping by. Glad you like the post. Hope it helps