Digital Careers, Digital Marketing, Professional Tips

7 Things to know as a first-time blogger

by Aishat Yusuf

When you’re just starting in the world of blogging, it can be easy to become overwhelmed. That blank page staring out at you seems to mock you; try as you might, you can’t summon the words for your first post, and you don’t know how to market or structure your blog, either. Rest assured that this is a problem facing many bloggers, and we’re here to help you with it. Here are are some 10 essential tips for first-time bloggers to help you overcome your “blog fright” and build the perfect blog for you!

 

 

1. Build your expertise first

You shouldn’t enter the world of professional blogging until you’re confident that you have the right level of expertise. Blogging is built around being knowledgeable and authoritative about your subject, and if you can’t say that you’re confident in talking about your chosen area, then you likely won’t make it very far. Research your topic extensively and make sure that you’re ready to be challenged whenever you write a post because it will almost certainly happen.

2. Identify your audience

Different audiences call for different registers. Twas ever thus in the world of writing, so one of the best things you can do as a blogger is to identify your audience and know how best to write for them. Of course, you should always still “write like you”; don’t try to co-opt or adapt somebody else’s style, because you won’t develop a cohesive voice of your own. Think carefully about what your audience wants from you and how you can change your writing style to fit that audience.

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3. Focus on content at first

While you will be tempted to get your graphics and branding right, the more important thing about a blog is having great content. First and foremost, people are visiting your blog to read what you’re writing, and although an enticing aesthetic will help to draw more people in, it won’t create long-term fans. Your writing will do that, so make sure that the content is on point before you start worrying about things like branding (which you will still need to focus on eventually!).

4. Optimize your blog for SEO

Google’s best SEO practices are constantly shifting and changing, but it’s definitely in your best interests to keep up with them and know what they are at all times. By keeping on top of this, you’ll be able to optimize each piece of content to rank as highly on Google as it possibly can. This goes for images, too; make sure your alt text is sharp and your images are the right size (and make sure you’re inserting images in the first place, as this can be a huge SEO boon).

5. Watch your analytics, but don’t live by them

As with any kind of content creation, your analytics are of importance, but they shouldn’t be all that drives you to keep creating new content. After all, your analytics might tell you why a certain post is doing well, but they won’t necessarily tell you why that post is doing well. Analytics could also dissuade you from trying new things and taking creative risks with your blog, which would be a mistake, as these risks are what can catapult you to the next level.

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6. Figure out monetization

Monetization is one of the thorniest issues for bloggers. How are you going to translate your passion into a profession? There are several different avenues you can take to monetize your content, including asking people to subscribe, holding back some content for premium subscribers, and even freelancing for other blogs. However, if you decide to monetize your blog, though, make sure you do extensive research on whether that strategy will work for your chosen niche.

7. Don’t delete old content

If a blog post hasn’t performed particularly well, you might be tempted simply to get rid of it and move on. However, you should never do that. You never know when a piece of evergreen content could be rediscovered and shared for whatever reason, but you can be sure that if you delete it, that definitely won’t happen. Even if you’re writing news posts or content that deals with current affairs, don’t delete it if it doesn’t perform; you might be able to link back to it later.