The Right Tools To Start a Blog (part2)

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This post will continue from The Right Tools To Start a Blog (part1).

6.) Do SEO the right way.

SEO is really important to your blog, so try to pick the right keywords from the beginning.  For example, if you’re starting a design blog, you will use keywords like: design, graphic design, css tutorals, html tutorals, etc. A great tool to use is Google webmaster tools, which I have talked about in Part 1.  WordPress is also great because it has all the plugins to help you with SEO.  Here is a list of 20 of the Best SEO Plugins for WordPress.  When writing a post, use keywords that are relevant to the topic. Don’t forget to use h1, h2, and h3 for important parts of the post.

Key things you’re doing to make your website SEO friendly:

1. Permalinks.
2. WWW vs non-WWW – make should that you use the WWW.
3. Optimize your Titles for SEO.
4. Optimize your Descriptions.
5. Image Optimization.

Learn more about SEO for your website at yoast.com

7.) Promote Your Blog the Right Way.

Promoting your blog is really vital in getting traffic and more readers.  When I started my blog, one of the first things I did was looking at different design blogs that had News Communities and start posting my posts there. Some of the blogs I went to are: abduzeedo.com, webdesign-ne.ws, design-newz.com. There are many sites out there.  Don’t forget the social media promoting websites like: Digg, del.icio.us,StumbleUpon, Facebook, twitter, etc.  Also, try giving freebies to visitors because it will help you in the long run because you will attract more traffic and readers.

Key points to help promote your blog:

1. Link building with other websites.
2. Community networking and likes.
3. Social Media promoting and friends.

8.) Network With others.

I find it really helpful to network with others.  For example, I network with designers, developers, and a lot of people from the web & design field.  This networking is not about linking your posts to websites. It’s more for you to get to know the design community.  Exchange emails and help each other promote posts.  Keeping in touch is important for making friendships with other bloggers.

Key things about networking with others:

1. Find the right people to network with.
2. Exchange email addresses.
3. Keep in touch with your friends.

9.) Work space must be comfortable to work in.

One thing that keeps someone from making a good blog is that the blogger is not working somewhere comfortable.  Try to setup a comfortable working space away from the noise or distractions that will stop you from making quality posts. Make about two posts a week to start.  After a year or two, start doing 3 posts a week because you will have the traffic for it. I normally take 1 or 2 hours to write a post for my blog. You should think days ahead of what you want to write about.

Key things to make your working space comfortable to work in:

1. Get away from distractions.
2. Think of things to write about ahead of time.
3. Start with 2 posts a week.

10.) Enjoy being a blogger

You should enjoy writing and learning things that have to do with your blog.  If not, this is not for you. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy your new blog.