WordPress Blogging Tips to Help You Get Started
If you want to start a blog, WordPress is probably the
easiest and most user friendly application you can use. There are even simpler
options -such as using a free online blogging service such as Blogger.com, but
then you really don't have much control over your own site.
With WordPress, you get the best of both worlds -an easy to
understand platform and unlimited features that enable you to grow your blog
and add bells and whistles as you learn.
WordPress.org
vs WordPress.com
First, I should point out that there are two WordPresses.
They are run by the same company, but WordPress.com is a service that hosts
your blog for you -like Blogger, Tumblr and other third party sites. These are
often called Web 2.0 sites. There's nothing wrong with creating your blog this
way, but it does limit you in some ways.
When you use WordPress.com or any Web 2.0 site, you don't
own the blog. You are simply renting space on it. This means that the host can
delete your blog at any time. This happens if you are deemed in violation of
any TOS (terms of service). It's surprisingly easy to do this, even without
meaning to.
For example, WordPress.com does not allow you to make your
blog commercial in any way. So if you want to start a business or even make a
few extra dollars every month, this is not the way to go.
Another reason why WordPress.com and other such sites are
not ideal is that you will have a harder time with SEO and generating traffic
than if you owned the blog. That's because most of the "link juice"
generated by your article will go to the host rather than your specific site.
That's why WordPress.org is what I'm going to focus on here.
This is when you buy a domain, get hosting and start your own blog.
Choosing
a Domain and Web Host
Your domain is your URL -the address of your website or
blog. If you haven't chosen one yet, you will have to do this first. If you
don't have web hosting either, you will also need this. You can combine these
if you want. Many web hosting companies offer you a free domain when you sign
up for hosting.
When choosing a web hosting company, it's good to pick one
that has a lot of experience with WordPress. If you really want to be sure of
this, you might go with WP Engine, a company that specializes in WordPress.
They are, however, a little more expensive than most web hosts.
If you want to save money, you can still find a good web
host that can support your WordPress site. Bluehost, for example, is highly
recommended for this. They are even recommended by WordPress itself.
One suggestion I will make here is that, whatever web host
you choose, try to pick a plan that gives you unlimited domains/websites.
Sometimes one host will offer several different plans.
The difference in price
is usually only a few dollars per month.
The point is that creating WordPress blogs can be addictive!
You will probably not want to stop with one. So you may as well have a hosting
plan that lets you create as many as you want.
When choosing a domain, try to keep it short and simple. If
you want your blog to rank well in the search engines, choose some good
keywords in the title. These are words that people will actually search for
when looking for information.
If your domain is something like Bobsblog.com or
Marysblog.com, you will have a personalized name but not one that is likely to
help you with SEO (search engine optimization).
This is of particular
importance if you intend to sell something. If you only want a blog to share
with your friends, family members, co-workers, etc.
then it's not important.
How
to Install WordPress
Installing WordPress is quite easy with most major web
hosting companies. You usually use a script installer such as Fantastico or
Softaculous (your web host probably has one of these -look on your control
panel). You can then install WordPress in a few clicks.
I don't want to waste too much space here describing the
steps of installing WordPress, because you can find this at your web hosting
company. There are also numerous articles and videos on this topic.
What
Should You Blog About?
This doesn't seem like it should be a problem, but many people
experience "blogger's block" after writing a post or two. I'm
assuming that you've already chosen your topic. After all, if you can't even
think of a topic, it's not really a good time to start a blog yet!
But even when you have a topic that interests you, it can be
challenging to think of actual posts to write. For this, you may need to do
some research for inspiration. Here are some ideas.
Set
Google Alerts -You can get emails from Google that will
deliver news to your inbox based on some keywords you choose.
Amazon -Check
out what books are popular. Also check out their magazine section!
Other
Blogs -check out Google Blogs and see what others in
your niche are writing about. You don't want to copy them, but you may get
ideas you can put your own spin on.
Offline
Books and Magazines -Go to the library, bookstore and
magazine section at Barnes & Noble (or wherever magazines are sold). Read
newspapers. These are all great sources for ideas.
Consistency
is the Key to Success
If you have a blog, you have to write blog posts! This is
really the most important "secret" to having a successful blog,
believe it or not. You hear a lot today about "quality content,"
which is, of course, important.
If you are populating your blog with auto-generated or spun
content (if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it -you're better
off!) you won't get very far. The search engines are quick to recognize this as
low quality content. However, you do have to generate posts on a regular basis.
Forgetting about the search engines for a moment, when a
visitor sees that a blog hasn't been updated in months, he or she is likely to
conclude that it isn't very active or relevant. You probably do the same when
you are looking up new sites online.
Search engines also love blogs that are frequently updated.
It also gives you more content for them to index. Let's say a few words about
SEO, as long as we're on that topic.
The
Vast Universe of WordPress Plugins
Once you get more familiar with WordPress, you may want to
start looking into more advanced features. This often means adding plugins.
These are tools that you upload to your WordPress site to perform a variety of
functions.
Plugins can be used for security, SEO, to create forums or
membership sites, to place contact forms on your site or hundreds of other
things. Plugins give you the ability to accomplish many tasks that would
otherwise require advanced knowledge of coding.
There are so many plugins for WordPress it would be
impossible to keep up with them all. At first, you may not think you need any
plugins -and this is true. Yet it's so easy to use them that you may as well
get your feet wet and install some basic ones.
You can access the plugins settings from your WordPress
dashboard.
·
Akismet -This
anti-spam plugin is already included when you install WordPress, but you have
to get an API key to activate it. There are instructions on how to do this.
·
Google
XML Sitemaps -This makes it easy for Google and other search
engines to index your posts and pages.
·
W3
Total Cache -This is a great plugin to help your site load
faster and operate more efficiently. It does this by caching posts, pages,
databases, scripts and other elements that take up space.
·
BulletProof
Security -Helps keep your site safe from attacks. This is
important, as hackers often target WordPress sites.
·
WordPress
SEO by Yoast -Makes it much easier to optimize your site for
the search engines.
The above is a very abbreviated list of what you can do with
plugins. If you have any particular needs or ideas for special features for
your blog, chances are there's a plugin that can help you achieve this.
WordPress: The Perfect Place For Your Blog to Evolve
What makes WordPress so amazing for bloggers is that it can
help you at any stage of your blogging career. For rank beginners, it makes it
easy to set up a barebones blog. Advanced users can play with all the
configurations and plugins.
Yet WordPress is still just a tool. It's up to you to come
up with awesome content so people have a reason to visit your blog!
0 comments: