Step by Step Guide to Starting a New

Want to blog but don't know where to start? Here's a basic guide to blogging

Rajasekar KSHttps://twitter.com/ContentTribe

What are your goals?

Begin with clear goals

Begin a new hobby

Add to your regular earnings

Keen to share your expertise in some area

Plan to quit your daytime job soon

Build authority as a subject matter expert

Connect and network with a community

How much time do you have for blogging?

Warning! There’s going to be a fair bit of hard work

Are you willing to learn?

How to choose a theme to blog

How to promote your blog

Which platform to use – blogger, wordpress, typepad

Which social media to deploy

What do your readers want

How to use Google Analytics

How to select a theme?

Start with your passion

Are you…a gardening enthusiasta stamp collectora techiean astrology buffa basketball playeran environmentalistsomeone who has a lot of stories to saya bike or car crazy guy?

Convert your passion into a blog

Find out what your audience wants

Google to find out what people are looking for around your chosen subject

Identify a few topics to start

Plan what readers want after each topic

Build content for each step of the reader's interest

How to Choose a name for your blog?

Smart internet marketing is about choosing a name that’s familiar (I mean a word already top of mind)

Keep it small and memorable (makes it easy to remember and type)

The best keyword for your blog should form part of your domain name

shopping.com. gadgetgifts.com, horoscopes.com, technews.com, guitarlessons.com

Congrats! You've got a keyword rich domain name for your blog

Now, buy the domain name

Choose a good registrar

www.godaddy.com www.namecheap.comwww.name.com

Book domain name for 5 to 10 years(This is a good indication of your long term plans)

Which blogging platform should you choose?

Wordpress, blogger, typepad, moveable type are popular blogging platforms

Blogger’s drag and drop is easier for those who don’t know even a bit of html and don’t want to learn basic code

The rest need a bit of learning

What about Hosting?

Costs $100 to 150 per year to host multiple blogs

Choose a good company

www.bluehost.comwww.dreamhost.comwww.laughingsquid.uswww.livingdot.com

Ready with blogging platform!

WHAT NEXT?

You must write at least 300 words per blog post

Write 10 posts before you publish your blog

Post two to four articles a month

Write an SEO-friendly title for your blog?

Choose the most important keyword phrases for your blog and write the title

The title is very important as it informs readers and search engines what the blog is about

CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment ...

Gift Ideas: Christmas Gifts, Gift Baskets, Gift Cards, Wedding Gifts

See how clearly they indicate what the site is about

How to write a Search Engine

Friendly Description

When you search, the first line you see on Google is the title

Shoes, Clothing, and More | Zappos.comwww.zappos.com/Free shipping BOTH ways on shoes, clothing, and more! 365-day return policy, over 1000 brands, 24/7 friendly customer service. 1-800-927-7671.Women's Shoes - Men's Shoes - Bags & Handbags - Kids' Shoes

The next two lines the description

Readers tend to read the title and description…before deciding to proceed to the site

Walmart: Shop Walmart Online for Low Prices on Top Brands in Computers, TVs, Toys, GPS, Video Games, DVDs, Music, Apparel, Housewares, iPod, Photo, Grocery, ...

Amazon.com: Online retailer of books, video games, toys, music, and video recordings. Region 1 DVDs and prices in US dollars.

JC Penney: Provides a variety of apparel for the whole family, jewelry, housewares and home decor, and shoes. Includes a gift registry, employment and credit card ...

Create a compelling description that converts well

Like a good pick up line

Writing blog post titles

Keyword rich and less competition

Kick butt headlines that may not have the exact keywords targeted

Use Google Keyword tool to find the relevant keywords

Look for longer keywords that have decent number of searches and less competition

https://adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool

Ready to BLOG? Share your feedback

Send a quick question to rajasekar (DOT) india (AT) yahoo (DOT) com

Or follow me herehttps://www.twitter.com/ContentTribe

www.PositiveMantra.com