Adding Value

When starting a blog, your first step is to consider how you’re going to add value to your audience. If you’re familiar with creating short form content you need to start thinking about how long form content will serve your current audience and greater targeted audience.Try diving deeper into  a specific product that you’ve been sponsored to post about. Take the space and time to tell your audience about an experience you recently had. Long form content can fill in many of the gaps that social media platforms simply can’t. The key is finding the best way to add value to your existing content through longer posts.

Website Creation and Landing Page

The next step is to create your website. We suggest using either WordPress, or SquareSpace. These websites provide user friendly guidelines and templates that will get your website up and running in no time. Pick the platform that fits your needs and your budget. We like WordPress for their variety of helpful plug-ins like Yoast. Make sure the URL you choose represents your brand, and is easy to search for!

Once you’ve set up a working website, you’ll need to create a landing page. This page should serve as a place where every facet of your online presence — active platforms, etc. — is easily accessible.

Make sure the layout features clear, clean images and easy to read text. The design of this page is important, so choose a template that reflects your personal brand aesthetic and matches the content you produce.

Schedule and Plan

As with any new venture, consistency is highly important. But make sure you don’t burn out!

You’ve figured out how to add value to your audience and you’ve created your website. This is where scheduling your content comes in. Plan out your first blog posts and create an ongoing schedule to hold you accountable. Most successful bloggers use editorial calendars to keep on top of their content schedule.

All good things take time; dedicate space in your schedule to commit to your blog, even if it’s just a few hours a week. You can enhance your consistency through scheduling or an editorial calendar but make sure you are holding yourself accountable for your output. Part of building your website visibility is increasing the amount of posts you have available for readers— so you can direct more traffic to your page.

Here are some of our other favorite scheduling platforms:

• Asana has one of our favorite free editorial calendar templates.

• Notion can also be used for content scheduling and is super customizable.

• Buffer allows you to schedule how you share your blog posts across your multiple social media platforms.

• Trello helps you organize and manage your content schedule.

  
  

Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is one of the most important parts of blogging. Make your website easy to discover on any search engine. There are certain rules to follow to optimize the amount of traffic that a search engine might be able to send to your website. Google has easy-to-follow webmaster guidelines. Use this to make sure you’re creating quality content that will attract the greatest amount of traffic.

Another tip to SEO optimize your blog is to focus on keywords in your headlines and blog content. Think about how a user may search for the content you’re writing and engineer that into your headline.Keeping your content updated will also optimize your website. Search engines want to push websites that are relevant and active. This is why keeping to a consistent content schedule is so important. You can also link to your other articles, increasing your optimization through backlinks.

Email List

When creating your blog, make sure there is a dedicated space for interested readers to add their email to an email list. Both WordPress and SquareSpace have templates for you to add an email collection feature to your home or landing page. You can also offer an incentive to join your mailing list, beyond just offering a sign up.

• If you’re a food blogger, try offering an exclusive recipe in return for signing up for the mailing list.

• If you’re a fashion blogger, give out a code for 20% off a certain site in exchange for an email collection. Think about what you could offer as an incentive and incorporate that into your blog.

Creating an engaged and dedicated mailing list is one of the best ways to increase your connection with your audience and build community. An email list can also add value to what you can offer brands in a potential partnership. Many brands have extremely low email open rates and are looking for ways to directly connect with consumers. If you have a dedicated and loyal email list, you can be very attractive to certain companies.

Engage with Your Audience

Make sure your posts have a dedicated section for comments and discussion. An active comment section on your website can drive traffic to your blog. It also allows for a more in-depth conversation than most social media platforms. Giving your followers a space to connect directly with your content, your audience, and you, is one of the best ways to encourage community around your work.