Tips for Blogging Newbies

Almost everyone has engaged in website creation through blogging considering its simple steps and procedures. It has been quite a known fact that most service business owners use a blog platform as a primary website, most of the time you’ll even encounter some static pages they created on some traditional website. Some though, use the platform as a blog and post updates frequently.

Instead of using ezines or traditional websites, there are several advantages in using blogs:

1. Search engines love blogs. Regularly updated content in blogs attract search engines. Frequent updates and posts will give you notifications that Google (for example) has indexed that post.

2. Content can be quickly distributed. So visitors will be notified of any new posts on your blog you can instruct them to subscribe to your blog via updating services similar to Bloglines or Feedblitz.

3. A little web programming is advisable. Once the blog is set, its now simply a matter of logging in, typing info for your post, adding graphics or any media needed, and publish your post to your blog.

4. Reader feedback. Its essential readers can give comments or feedbacks after you log an entry. Remember that blogs are a great way to connect with your audience.

Are ezines and traditional websites dead? No, because people take in information differently. Some prefer to learn by audio or hearing (great audience for podcasting, an audio form of blogging), some want to receive updates as they are published (blog readers), while others like a stable, stationary to which they can refer when they’re ready (readers who archive ezines or bookmark web pages).

To begin to blog, here are 10 simple steps to follow:

1. Blogging platform. Blogger.com or WordPress.com offers free services to help you get started, although the free services have limits in customizing your blog. So advice clients to subscribe to Typepad.com that way your blog will be hosted on their servers. You can also purchase a hosting account where WordPress can be installed. You can download WordPress at WordPress.org and is free of charge if you install WordPress on your hosting account. If you use Typepad on the other hand, many of your examples will relate entirely to blogs hosted on that platform.

2. Name. Choose a good name for your blog considering that blog names can either be attention-getting or off-beat. For service business, it would be best if you name the blogs with keywords relating to your business. Its also advisable you get the “.com” version of your blog’s name or your blog’s URL with the word “blog” attached to it. After you’ve set your blog, your blog provider will give you info on how to map your domain to your blog (Note: You don’t want to simply forward your blog to your domain name, as that impacts the URLs of your individual blog pages).

3. Look and Layout. Do you want blog archives displayed? Do you want to be the only author or do you want to permit others to make posts as well? You’ll encounter several questions concerning the design of your blog during the starting phase. Typepad lets you modify or make changes even afterwards. Probably the best way to know your layout is by looking at other blogs and knowing which appeals to you the most.

4. Widgets. There are several numbers of widgets, or add-on programs, that you can utilize for your blog. Check your blog’s software site for additional info concerning features you’d like to add to your blog. For starters, its advisable to give visitors a couple of ways wherein they can receive blog updates through updater or feeder services, as mentioned earlier.

5. Comments. Spamming can be really irritating, so try to set your comments to moderated, which means that you have to approve any comments to your blog before the post goes live.

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