Blogging for Beginners
Blogging for beginners is something I see many bosses talk about online. All too often, I read about bosses who wish that they could start a blog, but they don’t have the foggiest idea where to even begin, let alone how to grow their blog. It can be very daunting to get going if you have no idea how blogging works.
No matter how little experience you may have, ANYONE can start blogging. In fact, many platforms are so easy that they can be used by everyone who is able to use the internet. If you can use social media and email, you can use the majority of blogging platforms available. Many are designed to make it as easy as possible to start blogging for beginners and all other levels.
A Simple Guide to Blogging for Beginners
Wondering how other bosses seem to make blogging look so easy? No idea what WordPress means, let alone how you could ever keep to a regular schedule on top of all the other things you have to do each week? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. Blogging can seem very scary for many people.
The good news is that blogging for beginners does not have to be something to dread, even if you have no idea where to start. You’ve made a massive first step, simply by deciding to start blogging. That is great news! Now, you need to look at the next steps. Some tips to help you get things off to a good start include the following:
Keep it simple.
You do not have to rush out and spend a fortune to get going. In fact, it is far better to try and keep it as simple as possible while you first get started. You will have time to grow and improve. What is important for now is getting your blog up and running.
First things first, you will need to think about how you will start blogging. There are a few different platforms to choose from – some free and some paid. WordPress is generally the easiest and most affordable options. Many websites are built using this platform, which makes it easier to add a blog section.
Speak to your website developer about adding a blog to your website if you already have a website. If you don’t have a website yet, you could look at a WordPress.com site or a BlogSpot blog. These will have a link that looks a bit like this: ‘YourBlogName.wordpress.com‘ or ‘YourBlogName.blogspot.com‘, while a blog that is on your own website would look like this: ‘YourSiteName.com/blog‘. The upside to having a blog on your own domain is that your link will be the same as your website. It will also be easier for your blog to be found online when people do searches for topics similar to those that you cover on your blog.
Bonus tip: WP Beginner has a great comparison for choosing a blogging platform. You can also read my tips on starting a blog to see how hosted blogs compare to self-hosted blogs.
Stay focused.
Once you have the blog ready to rock and roll, you can move on to the fun part… thinking about what you’re going to talk about on your new blog. The biggest thing to avoid here is losing your focus. You will soon start to love blogging and you will want to share just about everything you can think about with your readers. That can end up doing more harm than good, however.
The best way to keep your blog on track is to choose a single focus area and then stick to that focus for all of your blog posts. Blogging for business is very different from blogging for fun. If you’re blogging for personal reasons, you can pretty much talk about anything under the sun. When you are blogging for business, it is essential to focus on your core industry. For example, as a freelance copywriter, I blog about a range of topics that all fall under the general focus of digital marketing, writing, growing websites, and being found online. My topics are not boring or limited but I am not sharing recipes, talking about fashion, posting pictures of my cats (no matter how tempting that may be) or writing about topics that do not apply to my business.
Think carefully about your industry and your primary services. What are your areas of speciality? What areas do you have the most knowledge on or feel the most passionately about in your line of work? In short, you need to choose your niche and focus on that.
Bonus tip: You can download my worksheet on Finding Amazing Blog Topics to get some more ideas on how to find topics that are aligned with your key focus. This worksheet is usually only available to subscribers, but I’m sharing it here for you to download!
Be consistent.
Consistency is absolutely vital to grow your blog and start bringing in traffic from search engines. You do not need to post every single day but you need to post on a fairly regular basis. I know all too well what a challenge this can be – running a freelance business and also trying to grow a creative side business on the side means that I seldom have time to work on my own blog. I try to get in a post or two each month at the absolute least.
Why is consistency so important? To understand this, you need to understand how blog posts help you grow your traffic. Ideally, your blog posts should contain keywords that make it easier for people to find your content online when doing searches. For example, you could do a blog on pink poodle grooming. Your post will include this term as a keyword and then anyone who is looking for groomers who offer pink makeovers for poodles will find your post. If you have just one blog post on that particular dye job, you may get lucky eventually. But, if you have also posted on professional poodle grooming, fast poodle grooming, fun poodle makeovers, purple poodle grooming, and so on, you will get in more traffic from those seeking grooming services.
If that is making you get a headache already, it is best to skip to the next point. Getting help can often make things far easier, as you can get all the benefits of blog traffic and consistent content without having to do all the hard work yourself. This also takes out a huge deal of the stress of blogging for beginners.
Bonus tip: It is often very useful to sit down at the start of the month and put together a simple schedule in a spreadsheet. You can think about what sort of topics you’d like to write about and then add your blog post ideas to your calendar.
Get some help.
Very often, it can end up costing you far less time and effort to outsource blog content rather than trying to do everything yourself. This is especially useful for those who are not fond of writing, who don’t want to risk putting out badly written content and those who know that they will not be able to stick to a regular schedule. Outsourcing your blog content is also a very good choice for those who are confused by keywords, links and other technical aspects but simply want to get a blog started.
You have a few options to consider if you plan to get help. The cheapest and usually the simplest route is to look for a freelance copywriter or blogger who is able to provide content remotely. Most good copywriters can update your blog directly in your chosen platform or they can send through content in a document that you can check and upload yourself. There are many benefits to hiring a blogger to help grow your blog, from increased traffic all the way to quality content that is interesting, relevant and focused. Your freelance blogger can also help you plan your content, giving you suggestions and ideas that you may not have considered.
Rather than trying to wing it, getting help takes a lot of the stress out of blogging for beginners, allowing you to focus on your primary work without the added hassle of trying to manage your blog. This is effectively a win-win situation all-round, making it an excellent investment.
Bonus tip: Look for a freelance writer who is willing to work with you and help you grow your blog. When you have a good relationship with your blogging expert, it will become easier to work together to make the magic happen. To see what benefits you can enjoy working with a freelancer, read my blog post on Why Hire a Freelance Blogger.
I hope that these tips have helped clear up any confusion you may have had about blogging for beginners. Remember, if you need any further advice or you’d like to know more about working with a freelancer, I’m always here to chat. Get in touch to find out how I can help you get started with blogging for beginners.