How to Start a Blog

Creating a Successful Blog

1. Come up with a list of interests. Before you define your blog's intention, you should have a general idea of what you want to write about. The sky is the limit when it comes to your blog's category, but common topics include the following:

   1. Gaming
   2. Style
   3. Politics/Social Justice/Activism
   4. Cooking/Food
   5. Travel
   6. Business/Company

2. Know what not to blog about. Things like private information—both yours and other people's—and personal details that you don't want to share with people close to you shouldn't be topics for your blog.

   1. If you have a job that required you to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), you should avoid discussing activities or topics outlined in the NDA.
   2. Blogging about other people is fine as long as you don't harass or discriminate against them, but be aware that they may see your content and retaliate.

3. Consider your blog's intention. While having in mind a blog topic is a good start, your blog needs a specific direction in order to get off the ground. Common reasons for blogging include one (or a combination) of the following, though you can certainly find your own inspiration:^[1]

   1. Teach something — Best-suited to instructional blogs (e.g., DIY projects).
   2. Document your experience — Good for travel blogs, fitness challenges, and so on.
   3. Entertain — Well-suited to a variety of mediums such as comedy writing, fan-fiction, and so on.
   4. Call to action — Commonly used for your business or company blog.
   5. Inspire others — This is a category that can stand on its own, but may best fit any of the other intentions in this section.

4. Check out other blogs in your category. Once you've established your blog's topic and goal, research other blogs that use the same topic and/or your preferred style of writing to see how they engage their audiences.

   1. You shouldn't outright copy a blog you admire, but you can take inspiration from the tone, layout, or language used for the blog content itself.

5. Brainstorm blog specifics. The last two things you should know before you actually make your blog are the blog's name and how you want the blog to look:^[2]

   1. Blog name — Come up with a name that you feel comfortable sharing with others. This may be a combination of your interests, your blog's content, and/or a nickname; just make sure that your blog's title is both unique and easy to remember.
   2. Blog design — You probably won't be able to design your blog's layout exactly the way you want to, but having a general idea of the color scheme and font type before you go to create your blog will make it easier to find a template you like.

6. Create your blog using a reputable platform. Common blog platforms include WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr, but you can choose any commonly used service you like. Once you've selected a service, your blog creation process will usually look something like this:

   1. Open the service's website on your computer.
   2. Create an account (preferably a free one to start).
   3. Enter your desired blog name, then pick a URL.
   4. Select a blog layout and any other requested details.

7. Promote your blog on social media. Once you've created your blog and made a few posts, you can increase your blog traffic by posting a link to your blog on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.^[3]

   1. You might even consider using the blog's address in your bio or as your "Company Website" on social media.

8. Research keywords for your posts. "Keywords" are words which both pertain to your blog's topic and have a high search engine rating. Using keywords in your blog posts will make it easier for people who look up those words to find your content.^[4]

   1. Keyword generator sites such as http://ubersuggest.io/ or https://keywordtool.io/ will come up with a list of words that relate to your blog's topic.
   2. Re-check the keywords you use every time you create a blog post.
   3. If you fit the keywords into your posts in a natural way, search engines will be more likely to pick up on your blog than if you just scatter them throughout the posts.

9. Get your blog indexed by Google. Ensuring that your blog is indexed by Google will increase your search engine ranking, making it easier for people to find your blog when they look up related keywords.^[5]

10. Use images in your posts. One thing that search engines tend to prioritize over all else is image use, so make sure your posts have high-quality images attached to them.^[6]

    1. You may get bonus points for original photos.
    2. Users tend to appreciate visual input alongside text, so adding images to your blog is a good idea even if you aren't worried about search engine optimization.

11. Keep posting content. Little will cause your blog to stop drawing in traffic faster than not posting for a long period of time (or posting erratically). Develop a posting schedule that allows you to post at least once per week and stick to it.

    1. Missing a post by a day or two once in a while is fine, though you should consider making a note on social media that your post will be late.
    2. Fresh content will also help keep your blog near the top of search engine results.