20 Tasks to Perform Before Starting a Blog

Sep 12, 2014 Bhattarai Chiranjeevi Blogging & Social Media 0

People when start writing blogs, they often face this misconception that their first blog itself will take them to places. Traffic will just flow in and they will have a long list of email addresses.

The sad part is that it doesn’t work like this.

When you start a blog, only content does not require your hard work. There are other things you need to focus on.

Right Platform

Blogger and Tumblr are free sites which many bloggers start to use but the truth is if you want to take blogging seriously then you should start a site of your own. On these free sites, you do not control your assets and they are owned by them and not you.

This is a real worry.

Always use a self-hosted WordPress set up. You own the server, the domain name and the blog. It gives you control.

Distinctive Angle

This is the most crucial part, trying to be distinctive. Without having something unique to present in your blog, you will become just another blogger. It is not necessary that you have to be original. All you have to do is do things differently.

Think long and hard before writing something. It is your own brand and you need to put on lot of efforts before presenting something in front of the readers.

Manage Email Subscribers

If you want to make money as a blogger then it is important to have a mailing list because it lets you-

Promote Posts- You can tell your subscribers about the new post you have written. They can Tweet your work and get you more readers.
Promote Products- If you have launched an eBook then you already have customers to promote it.
Increase Reader Feedback- By emailing you build a personal connection with your readers. You will also gain their loyalty. They will be more than happy to give you their feedback.

With tools like Aweber you can manage your emails and set up various lists.

Clean up your Textual Layout

The main part of your site is your content. Images, graphics, email subscriber form, these things are secondary. It is important to carefully work on your blog design.

Do not make the textual part look messy and hard to read.

There should be a good font mixture both for your header and body text and the font size should also be pleasing.

Know your Brand

Your brand is not just a logo, a name or your website. It is your hard work and reputation. Make sure you know what you want from your brand. Focus and create a message that you want your brand to stand for.

Read Other Blogs

Read what other people have to say. Get to know what your competitors are doing. Absorb as much as you can. Healthy research is always beneficial.

You will also learn how blogs in your niche made it big. Learn about what they did differently that made them achieve success. You will also learn what are making other blogs fall and try to avoid the mistakes they have committed. Remember reading other blogs is never a waste of time. You will always gain something or the other from this activity.

Generate Good Comments

It is not easy to get people to comment on your blog. It takes time and many people complaint about it. Before getting comments on your own blog, make a list of all the big blogs written in your niche. Read the comments on their articles.

You have to build a cycle. To gain comment, first you have to start commenting on other blogs. But your comments should look genuine. “Good writing”, “Nice article” does not work.

Articles that Solve Problems

Create content that stays relevant forever. Write a problem solving articles of 3000 plus words, it will be evergreen if the quality is good too. This type of writing appeals a large number of people. This will get you subscribers as well.

It is not always important to write articles on super-advanced topics. Start with minor things which affected you. Share personal experiences.

Tweak your Opt-in Form Placement

Take a look at how your email forms are set up. You need to have a theme and a design that give you conversions. It might sound surprising but even a few pixels of bad placement can result in loss of subscribers.

A blog has some hot spot. There are some places where the eyes of the readers fall naturally. Take advantage of them.

There is the space just above the fold, you see this area when you first load the site.
The top right of your sidebar is also a hot spot.

Create a Split Test

With the help of this test, you will be able detect if your opt-in form is working correctly. Create two forms and then use Aweber to see which one is working perfectly. 50% of the readers will be able to see one form and the rest another. See for yourself which one gains for subscribers.

Set up a Gravatar

By setting up Gravatar, you will be able to get a photo next to the comments you write. It links your photo with your email address.

Power of WordPress

WordPress is not just a blogging platform. You can transform your normal sites into e-commerce. If you are aware of the right coder then you can make your WordPress site do anything. But you need to realize the power of simple template designs.

Right plugins can transform your blog completely. It can change the way your blog works both on cosmetic level and inner level.

Play and experiment with it and you never know what exciting thing you can get your hands laid on.

Create Goal Oriented Strategy

When you start a new blog make sure you have a goal oriented content strategy. The content you write is not only to get traffic or subscribers. You need to know how to earn money too. Craft a strategy that takes you closer and closer to your goal.

Know the Cost Associated With Hiring Staff

Bloggers think they can do without staff. They cannot. Do not hire full time workers if you do not want to but you can always outsource the work and manage more time consuming task yourself.

Avoid day to day tasks and focus on things that really matter to your growth. Work on business development and create exciting content.

Brand Consistency

All your social networking profiles should match the main branding. If you want people to recognize you then you need to have brand consistency. They will know it is you whenever they see their stuff.

Have a Video

Video is getting bigger day by day. People have easy access to them with smartphones. It is great way of having traffic.

You can have a usual talking video where you can speak right into the camera. The quality should be professional. Spend some money in the activity.

The second video can explain a screen capture. Computer screens can keep moving while you speak into a mic and give commentary.

For the third kind, go for a fully animated presentation. They can be expensive but when it comes to launching products, they are the best.

The fourth video should be like a small movie. When these videos fit into your content strategy, they prove to be very profitable.

Guest Posting Gigs

You do not have to write all content by yourself. Get content from other writers. This will grow your blog. Find new people. It may take a lot of research work but it is completely worth it.

Subscribe to the Top Blogs

You will learn a lot when you will subscribe to the top blogs. If a blog leaves you in awe then it is good to subscribe to it. You can get some really good ideas. They can be your source of inspiration or guidance.

Better Permalink and Page Title Structure

It can make a huge difference in your SEO rankings.

Permalink structure is a shape your URL takes on single posts and pages.
Page title is a title structure that is visible in top information bar.

It is good to choose your post name for your default permalink structure.

Research your Topics

With a use of keyword tool you can always research for titles and topics. It will help you create more SEO friendly titles.

Conclusion

Starting a blog may not take a lot of time but it is the pre blog hard work that will shape the future of your writing. Try the points mentioned above to make an identity in the world of bloggers.