Easy Way to Start a Blog: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

 

Easy Way to Start a Blog: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

If you want a simple, thorough guide on how to start a blog, you’ve come to the right place.

With over 4 million readers, we’re one of the world’s biggest websites about blogging. We’ve helped thousands of people start a blog, improve their writing skills, and earn real, tangible income online. And today, we’re going to help you.

In this massive, in-depth article:

We’ll walk you through the step-by-step process for starting a blog, answer some common blogging questions, and show you free tools and resources that’ll put you on the path to success.

You’ll follow the simple steps, create your own blog, and start padding your wallet with tens and twenties.

Sound good?

Let’s dive right in.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1:
Pick the Right Blog Topic

Chapter 2:
Choose the Right Blogging Platform

Chapter 3:
Choose a Domain Name

Chapter 4:
Purchase a Web Hosting Plan

Chapter 5:
Install WordPress

Chapter 6:
Design Your Blog by Choosing a WordPress Theme

Chapter 7:
Install WordPress Plugins

Chapter 8:
Blog Set Up & SEO

Chapter 9:
Write Your First Post!

Chapter 10:
Boost Your Traffic, Promote Your Blog, & Master Social Media

1. Pick the Right Blog Topic

“What are the most popular blog topics?” “How do I come up with a blog idea?” “What should I blog about?” “How to choose blog topics?” “What if I don’t know what to blog about?” “How do you start a blog?”

We get questions like these a lot, and they usually come from people at their wit’s end.

Want to know the big problem with blogging?

Most people don’t know there’s a huge chance of failure, so they spend months or even years creating a blog that has zero chance of succeeding.

Eventually, they give up and start over, but again, they invest months or even years into creating a second (or third or fourth) blog that doesn’t work.

The reason?

It’s not because they’re dumb. And it’s not because they’re lazy.

It’s because they’re choosing the wrong blog topic.

Granted, if you’re starting a personal blog, the rules are different. Do you enjoy the topic? Is it fun? Those are the only two questions that should matter to you.

But if you’re looking to start a blog that will bring in traffic…

If you want to create a blog that will generate passive income…

The good news is we’re going to show you how to pick a winner.

And it’s a lot simpler than you’d think.

How to Choose a Winning Blog Topic

Jot down a list of topics that interest you.

These could be your hobbies, topics you suspect are highly profitable, or something random you read in a magazine while waiting to see the dentist.

To be a viable blog topic, you need to be able to answer “yes” to these five questions:

1. Do any existing blogs on this topic have a Facebook page with more than 10k fans?
2. Do any blogs on this topic have more than 50k followers on Twitter?
3. Does Amazon have any books with more than 30 reviews on this topic?
4. When you search for words and phrases related to this topic, are there any Google ads?
5. Do any words or phrases related to this topic have more than 100k searches in Google’s Keyword Planner tool?

These questions will let you know whether or not there’s an existing audience for your topic.

Here’s why this is important:

Too many bloggers try to be cute. They hunt for an audience no one else is serving. They think, “if there’s no competition for this topic, creating a successful blog will be easy!”

Wrong.

If there are no competitors, who will link to you? Where will your audience come from? How the heck will anyone find you?

It’s counter intuitive, but the more competition there is in a blogging space, the easier it is for a new blogger to find success in that space.

So, don’t try to be unique. Don’t try to be too clever.

Pick a blog topic that has an existing audience and popular blogs already vying for the audience’s attention.

2. Choose the Right Blogging Platform

We’ll keep this section brief:

There are several free blogging platforms out there, and for what they are, and what they do, they offer solid value.

In fact, we’re big proponents of bloggers starting with a free blog at Medium.com so they can test their ideas and make sure they’re viable before creating a full-fledged blog.

But once you’re ready to build an audience and make money online, there’s only one blogging platform you should consider (and no, it isn’t Tumblr, Blogspot, Squarespace, or Wix):

It’s WordPress.

Or, more specifically, self-hosted WordPress.

As of this writing, 37.5% of all websites use WordPress — including heavyweights like TechCrunch, the Star Wars blog, Mercedes-Benz, and, yes, Smart Blogger.

With virtually unlimited plugins you can install, customizations you can make, and designs you can implement, a self-hosted WordPress blog offers flexibility the free platforms can’t match.

Yes, WordPress is technically free too. It’s open-source. However, as we explain in the article linked above:

Just like there’s no such thing as a free puppy (once you factor in food, veterinarian bills, and replacing all your shoes after they’ve become chew toys), WordPress.org’s software isn’t actually free once you add up the other expenses.

Because it’s self-hosted, you have to purchase a hosting plan so you can install WordPress on your own web host. That costs money (unless you choose free hosting — more on that later). You also have to purchase your own domain name, which we’ll discuss in a moment.

But don’t let these relatively minor expenses deter you.

If you’re serious about blogging, building an audience, and monetizing your blog content, you need to set up your blog on a rock-solid foundation.

You need WordPress.

3. Choose a Domain Name

Put yourselves in the shoes of a visitor.

You’re browsing the world wide web, and you see a headline for a blog post that catches your attention. Maybe a friend on Facebook shared it with you, maybe it came up on a Google search, or maybe it’s just a link in another article you’re reading.

Regardless, you click the link and, consciously or not, you’re asking yourself a single question as you browse through it…

“Is this for me?“

Within a few seconds, you have to decide whether to keep reading the post or move on to something else, and the only way you’ll stay is if it’s relevant to you.

And not just the post, either. When you’re deciding, you’ll take in the design of the web page, other posts’ headlines, and, yes, the domain name.

For example, consider Entrepreneur.com. Is there any doubt who the site is for? Entrepreneurs, of course!

How about BeABetterBlogger.com? Obviously, it’s for people who want to become better bloggers.

Neither names are clever, but they help you decide to stay or go by clearly articulating who they are helping. That’s what a good domain name does.

Of course, all the great domain names are taken, right?

Not necessarily.

How to Choose a Custom Domain Name for Your Blog

Here are three different methods for finding the perfect domain name:

• Name the audience. The simplest way to get a clear domain name is to call out the audience in the domain itself. (Examples: SmartBlogger.com, CouchPotato.com, AFineParent.com)
• Name the topic. If your blog focuses on a specific topic, try finding a domain name that describes it in clear, concise language. (Examples: ArtofManliness.com, BudgetsAreSexy.com, PaleoHacks.com)
• Name the benefit. Why should people stick around? If you have a good answer, sometimes you can turn it into a new domain name that really stands out. (Examples: BeABetterBlogger.com, MakeALivingWriting.com, BiggerPockets.com)

Our suggestion:

Use these three strategies to make a list of 10-20 domain names you’d be happy having. You can write them out in a word processor or, if you want to get fancy, you can use a blog name generator tool like NameStation to produce a lot of ideas at once.

Once you’re finished brainstorming, head over to a domain registrar like Bluehost  to see if the domain names are available.

Bluehost will let you search for up to 5,000 domain names at one time. You can access it by clicking the “Domain” link at the top of the page next to the search button:

Sometimes you get lucky, and one of your favorites is available. If not, you either have to head back for another brainstorming session, or you can go to a premium domain name.

Either way, a few words of advice:

Don’t get hung up on your domain name. While it’s certainly helpful to have a good one, there are thousands of hugely popular sites with terrible domain names no one understands.

In other words, it’s not really a “make or break” factor for your site. Give yourself a few days or maybe a week to brainstorm ideas, and then make a decision.

Click here to get a Web Hosting

4. Purchase a Web Hosting Plan

If you’re not familiar with the term, a “web host” is kind of like a warehouse for websites on the Internet.

You pay a small fee to keep your website on the Internet, handle all your visitors, back up your website, provide customer support, manage the security of your website, and so on.

In short:

Website hosting costs money, but you usually get a good bit for your money.

5. Install WordPress

With your new domain and web host connected, it’s time to set up WordPress.

But don’t worry. Installing WordPress isn’t complicated.

In fact, many premium WordPress hosts (like SiteGround) makes the process ridiculously easy — no cPanel or localhost know-how required.

If you chose a different website host, we’ll go over their steps for installing WordPress in a moment.

But first, let’s quickly walk through SiteGround.

After logging into your SiteGround user panel for the first time, the Account Setup Wizard will appear as a pop-up window:

As shown in the screenshot above, click the Start a new website option and select WordPress as the software you want to install.

Next, you’ll create the login details for your WordPress website account:

As shown in the screenshot above, click the Start a new website option and select WordPress as the software you want to install.

Next, you’ll create the login details for your WordPress website account:

Enter your preferred email address, a good username, and a strong password.

Click the Confirm button to continue.

Finally, after reading the SiteGround Terms of Service, you’ll click the Complete Setup button.

And that’s all there is to it.

SiteGround will now install WordPress for you. In just a few short minutes, you’ll be ready to log into your WordPress Dashboard.

How to Log Into the WordPress Dashboard

In your favorite web browser, go to your WordPress login URL by appending /wp-admin (or /admin or /login or /wp-login) to the end of your domain name.

Examples:

• yourdomain.com/wp-admin
• www.yourdomain.com/admin
• yourdomain.com/login
• www.yourdomain.com/wp-login

You’ll be taken to your WordPress login page:

Enter the username and password you created earlier.

Click Log In.

Your WordPress dashboard will look similar to this:

Now for the fun part. Let’s begin customizing your WordPress site.

We’ll start by giving it a new coat of paint.

6. Design Your Blog by Choosing a WordPress Theme

Before we begin customizing your WordPress site with themes or templates, we need to be clear about something:

Your content matters more than anything else.

You can have a site that’s ugly, clunky, and slow, but if you have great content, you can still get traffic and earn passive income.

Not the opposite, though. You can have the most beautiful, user-friendly website online, but if the content sucks, nobody will care about you.

So, don’t allow yourself to get lost in these details. Focus on making your website functional, and then you can always come back and make it unique or beautiful later.

Make sense? Good.

Now, let’s go over how you can find a great design for your website:

How to Choose a WordPress Theme

In WordPress, your “theme” is the design of your website. It dictates how your blog looks to the world.

There are tens of thousands of theme options out there for you to choose from — some free, some that cost money.

You might think having so many options is a good thing, but it’s actually the opposite. In his book The Paradox of Choice, psychologist Barry Schwartz says having too many choices can lead to decision-making paralysis.

In other words…

The more options you have available, the more likely you are to choose none of the options.

So, we’re going to keep this very simple:

• If you want a free WordPress theme, choose Astra 
• And if you want an advanced page builder that’ll let you customize your design to your heart’s content, choose Elementor 

 

Pick the WordPress theme that best fits your situation and needs.

Download it.

Now, let’s install it.

How to Install WordPress Themes

To install a WordPress theme, follow these steps:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, go to Appearance
2. Choose Themes
3. Click the Add New button

From here, there are two paths you can take:

• Search themes… from WordPress.org’s huge directory of free WordPress themes, or
• Click the Upload Theme button to install a WordPress theme you downloaded from a third party (like Astra or another Elementor theme).

Let’s walk through both paths:

Path #1: Install a New Theme From WordPress.org’s Directory

If you want to install a free theme from WordPress.org:

• Enter a theme name or a desired feature (Example: “minimalist”) in the Search themes… field
• Click the Install button

Path #2: Install a Thirty-Party WordPress Theme

If you want to install a WordPress theme you downloaded from a third party, click the Upload Theme button and:

• Click the Choose File button
• Find the third-party theme you downloaded to your computer (Example: premium-theme.zip) and select it
• Click the Install Now button

Whether you choose a free theme or a premium theme, you’ll “activate” it the same way.

We’ll show you how to do that next:

How to Activate a WordPress Theme

Immediately after installing your WordPress theme, you’ll be given the options to “Activate” or “Preview” it.

If you want to immediately publish the theme to your website, click the Activate button. Otherwise:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, go to Appearance
2. Choose Themes

You’ll then see every theme you’ve installed, including the “default” themes that are installed automatically by WordPress.

Find the theme you want to use and click the Activate button:

And that’s it.

Your fancy new blog design is now visible to the world!

But is your blog ready for the world? Not yet.

First, we need to improve its functionality. And we’ll start by installing a few WordPress plugins.

7. Install WordPress Plugins

WordPress is packed with features. Plugins add even more.

From the 50,000+ free or freemium plugins in the WordPress.org repository to the thousands of premium plugins available from third parties, there is a WordPress plugin for virtually everything.

With so many options available, and with so many articles littered across the web touting “must-have” and “essential” WordPress plugins, most beginner bloggers go overboard. They install so many plugins, their sites slow to a crawl.

Here’s the thing:

There are specific categories or types of WordPress plugins you absolutely need; however, there’s no such thing as an essential plugin.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is giving bad information.

In this next section, we’re going to go over the six categories of WordPress plugins you need to install. And yes, we’ll have a plugin recommendation for each category.

But if you don’t like one of our recommendations, that’s okay. Simply find a different plugin that offers similar functionality.

The 6 Types of WordPress Plugins You Need to Install (+ Recommendations)

1. Performance Plugins (Our Pick: WP Super Cache)
2. Security Plugins (Our Pick: iThemes Security)
3. Backup Plugins (Our Pick: UpdraftPlus)
4. SEO Plugins (Our Pick: Yoast SEO)
5. Social Sharing Plugins (Our Pick: Social Warfare)
6. Email List Building Plugins (Our Pick: Convert Pro)

1. Performance Plugins (Our Pick: WP Super Cache)

Why you need a performance plugin: If your blog is slow, your readers will bounce and Google will rank you lower in search engine results. A good performance optimization plugin will “cache” your content so it loads faster.

Why we recommend WP Super Cache: W3 Total Cache is another good option, but we prefer WP Super Cache for its simplicity. The fact it’s maintained by the company behind WordPress, Automattic, doesn’t hurt.

What’s the cost? It’s free.

2. Security Plugins (Our Pick: iThemes Security)

Why you need a security plugin: On average, around 30,000 websites are hacked each day. If your idea of securing your blog is simply having a good password, you’re asking for trouble.

Why we recommend iThemes Security: Formerly known as Better WP Security, iThemes Security offers a one-click setup wizard that makes protecting your site easy.

What’s the cost? iThemes Security is free, but they also offer a pro version with extra features.

3. Backup Plugins (Our Pick: UpdraftPlus)

Why you need a backup plugin: Because smart bloggers are always prepared.

Why we recommend UpdraftPlus: It strikes a good balance between flexibility, features, and ease of use. It has a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating on the WordPress plugin repository, and it’s actively updated by its developers.

What’s the cost? UpdraftPlus is free, but they also offer a premium version for $70. Here’s a breakdown of what you get with each plan:

4. SEO Plugins (Our Pick: Yoast SEO)

Why you need a SEO plugin: If you want website traffic, you need Google to love your content. By using a good SEO plugin, you can make sure your blog posts are putting their best feet forward.

Why we recommend Yoast SEO: It’s the gold standard of WordPress SEO plugins.

What’s the cost? Yoast SEO has both free and premium versions. Its free version offers everything you need.

5. Social Sharing Plugins (Our Pick: Social Warfare)

Why you need a social sharing plugin: By making it easy for your existing readers to share your posts on their favorite social media sites, social sharing buttons help get more eyes on your quality content.

Why we recommend Social Warfare (affiliate link): There are a lot of social media plugins out there, but we like Social Warfare because it’s lightweight (e.g. doesn’t slow down your website) and offers unique features like “Click to Tweet” boxes and Pinterest-specific images and infographics.

What’s the cost? Social Warfare has both a free and pro version. Its free version offers all the basics you’ll need, but if you decide to upgrade the pro version is only $29 (paid annually).

How to Install WordPress Plugins

Now that we’ve gone over the types of plugins you need, let’s walk through the steps for installing them.

It’s really simple:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane inside your dashboard, go to Plugins
2. Choose Add New

You then have two paths you can take:

• Click the Upload Plugin button (if you downloaded a third-party plugin like Convert Pro), or
• Enter the name of the plugin in the Search plugins… field (if you want to find a free plugin from the WordPress.org repository)

Let’s quickly go over both paths:

Path #1: Install a Thirty-Party WordPress Plugin

If you want to install a WordPress plugin you downloaded from a third-party website, click the Upload Plugin button and:

• Click the Choose File button
• Find the third-party theme you downloaded to your computer (Example: convert-pro.zip) and select it
• Click the Install Now button

Path #2: Install a Plugin From WordPress.org’s Directory

If you want to install a plugin from WordPress.org:

• Enter the plugin name (Example: “wp super cache”) in the Search plugins… field
• Click the Install button

Told you it was simple.

Of course, just like when we installed a WordPress theme, there’s one more step to take to “activate” your plugin.

Let’s go over that next:

How to Activate a WordPress Plugin

Whether you choose a free plugin from WordPress.org or a premium plugin from a third-party website, you’ll turn it on the same way.

You can click the Activate button that appears immediately after you install it:

Or:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, go to Plugins
2. Choose Installed Plugins
3. Find your plugin and click Activate

Done.

8. Blog Set Up and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Volumes have been written about on-page SEO, off-page SEO, Google RankBrain, keyword research, SEO tools, search intent, Google Analytics, and all the other intricacies surrounding the ins and outs of getting ranked higher in SERPs (search engine results pages).

We’re going to be straight with you:

If you want to start a blog that brings in traffic, if you want to catapult your content to page one of Google, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and learn SEO.

We’ll give you some great reading material in a moment. But first, let’s cover the SEO basics you need to know when doing a new blog set up — the kind of SEO basics often missed in advanced tutorials.

We’ll start with the easiest one.

Make Sure Google Can Find Your Website

To ensure search engines like Google and Bing can find your blog, you need to make sure the following is unchecked:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over Settings
2. Click Reading
3. Confirm “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked

Create an XML Sitemap (and Submit Your Sitemap to Search Engines)

First, a quick definition from Google:

A sitemap is a file where you provide information about the pages, videos, and other files on your site, and the relationships between them. Search engines like Google read this file to more intelligently crawl your site.
What is a sitemap?

When your blog is new and has few external links pointing to it, a sitemap helps ensure Google is able to discover the amazing new content you create.

So, let’s go over how you create a sitemap (and how you can let Google know it exists).

How to Create an XML Sitemap

If you installed and activated the Yoast SEO plugin we recommended earlier, creating a sitemap is a snap.

1. In the left-hand navigation pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over SEO
2. Click General
3. Click the Features tab
4. Scroll down to the XML sitemaps option and make sure the switch is toggled to On

You now have an XML sitemap for your blog. Next, we need to give it to Google, Bing, and other search engines.

So before we leave the Yoast SEO plugin, let’s copy the URL of your sitemap:

1. Click the question mark icon next to XML sitemaps
2. Click the See the XML sitemap link

Your sitemap will open in a new tab in your browser.

Copy the URL in the address bar and save it.

How to Submit Your Sitemap to Search Engines

The steps for submitting your sitemap differs from search engine to search engine. We’ll quickly go over the most popular ones, starting with Google:

Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

1. Go to Google Search Console and sign in using your Google account
2. In the left-hand pane, select your website

Note: If you haven’t yet added your website to Google Search Console, you’ll need to click “Add property” and follow the steps provided before continuing below.

• Under Index, click the Sitemaps option
• In the Add a new sitemap section, enter the URL you saved earlier and click Submit

Submit your Sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools

1. Log into Bing Webmaster Tools (you’ll need to create an account if you have not yet done so)
2. Under the My Sites section, click your website

Note: If you haven’t yet added your website to Bing Webmaster Tools, enter your blog’s URL in the Add a Site section and click the ADD button.

• In the left-hand pane, click Configure My Site and choose Sitemaps
• Enter the URL of your sitemap in the Submit a sitemap section and click the Submit button

And that’s it.

You’ve successfully submitted your sitemap to Google and Bing.

Change Permalinks Structure

By default, WordPress sets the links on your blog to the following format:

• yourdomain.com/?p=123

Why do they do this? No one knows for sure. “For grins and giggles” is the theory we’re going with.

But regardless of the reason, you need to update this link structure before you publish a single piece of content.

Here’s how you do it:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, hover over Settings
2. Click Permalinks
3. Under Common Settings, set the option to Post name

Now your links will look like this:

• yourdomain.com/how-to-brew-coffee
• www.yourdomain.com/seo-tips
• yourdomain.com/social-media-strategies
• subdomain.yourdomain.com/how-to-start-a-blog

Not only is this link structure better for your readers, but it’s better for search engines like Google too.

Install an SSL Certificate (So Your URL Begins With https Instead of http)

Speaking of things Google likes…

You absolutely, positively must install an SSL certificate for your website. Here’s why:

• Readers will know your website is safe
• Your website will be safe thanks to the encryption of readers’ sensitive data and personal info
• Google sees it as a ranking signal, which means not having an SSL certificate will hurt your content’s rankings in search results

Okay, so what is an SSL certificate? How do you know if a website has one or not?

Look for a secure padlock and https in a website’s URL:

If the URL has them, the website is secure. If it doesn’t, it isn’t.

9. Write Your First Blog Post!

Can we be honest for a minute?

This is the fun part… content creation!

It’s time to start writing blog posts. Taking ideas in your head, turning them into words on the screen, and sharing them with the world.

Let’s walk through how you do it.

Up first, the basics:

• Add New Post in WordPress
• Blog Post Ideas
• Headlines
• Write an Introduction
• Write Faster
• Improve Writing Skills

How to Start a Blog Post in WordPress

1. In the left-hand pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over Posts
2. Click Add New

If you’re using the new WordPress block editor (aka the Gutenberg editor), your screen will look like this:

If you’re using the classic TinyMCE content editor, you’ll see this:

Either way, you’ll be able to add a post title (aka headline), write your post, choose your category, tweak HTML and CSS, add free stock photos, and more.

Note: When you want to add a new blog page in WordPress (About page, Contact page, etc.), the steps are similar:

1. In the left-hand pane of your dashboard, go to Pages
2. Click Add New

For detailed instructions on how to navigate the classic content editor, WordPress offers a detailed support article.

If you’re using the WordPress block editor, let’s go over the basic navigation so you’ll know how to get around.

Block Navigation in Gutenberg

1. Add a new block
2. Undo and Redo buttons
3. Content structure (word count, headings, paragraphs, blocks)
4. Block navigation (a drop-down displaying all the block types used in the post)

Next, the sidebar navigation:

Sidebar Navigation in Gutenberg

1. Preview and Publish the post
2. Categories, tags, permalink, and publishing options
3. Block settings (unique options dependent on the type of block you’re using
4. Hide the sidebar
5. More editor settings

How to Add a Block in the Block Editor

Click the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner.

Choose the category and the type of block you want to add:

Each block can be edited, deleted, saved as reusable, and moved up or down with drag-and-drop options:

Don’t worry — WordPress blocks, widgets, and the like will get easier the more you use them.

Now let’s tackle the writing questions we hear most often from bloggers.

Question: “How Do I Find Good Blog Post Ideas?”

We typically recommend two methods:

1. Use BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a tool that lets you find popular posts on social media. If you need inspiration, what’s easier than browsing content that’s already doing well with your target audience?

 

2. Find the Thing That Keeps Your Readers Awake at Night

In other words:

What has your readers tossing and turning at two o’clock in the morning?

Are they wondering how to get more traffic to their blogs? Are they suffering from writer imposter syndrome? Or maybe they’re struggling with blog promotion?

Bloggers who are able to answer this burning issue, and who make a concerted effort to write about it and only it, have a leg up on the competition.

So, find your readers’ pain point. And then focus on helping them solve it.

Copy the professionals.

Question: “How Do I Write a Good Introduction?”

There are several good techniques for writing spellbinding introductions. Here are five of our favorites:

1. Empathize with your reader
2. Ask a tantalizing opening question
3. Alternate between short and longer paragraphs — give your writing a rhythm
4. Use delayed transitions
5. Use deliberate repetition of certain words to heighten their impact

Each of the above techniques draws the reader in and keeps them engaged. They’ll want to dive deeper into your post to find out what happens next.

Question: “How Can I Increase my Writing Speed?”

Eliminate as many distractions as possible.

This could mean turning off your smartphone, buying noise-canceling headphones, or even logging out of your email.

One unconventional trick is to turn off your grammar checker. Turn off Grammarly. Those squiggly red lines are your friends when you’re proofreading, but they’re your enemy when you’re trying to write faster.

Question: “How Can I Improve My Writing Skills?”

It’s cliche, but you have to practice.

When Brian Clark of Copyblogger took a young editor under his wing years ago, he made him write 100 headlines every single day. That editor, who coincidentally went on to launch one of the world’s biggest websites about blogging, got really good at writing headlines.

So, practice. Lots and lots of practice.

10. Boost Your Traffic, Promote Your Blog, and Master Social Media

Let’s be honest:

When you’re a beginner blogger, no one is paying attention to you. You could write the most amazing piece of content the world has ever seen, and no one’s going to know it even exists.

Unless…

Unless you tell them about it.

You need to spend just as much time promoting your posts as you do writing them. At a minimum. Ideally, you’ll spend more time promoting them than writing them.

Here are some tips so you can get the most out of your promotional efforts:

Tip #1: Focus on One Social Media Platform

If you try to kick butt on every social media platform, you’re going to fail.

There are simply too many platforms out there, and there’s only so much time in the day. If you try to be everywhere, you’ll drown.

Here’s what you should do instead:

Pick one social media platform. Focus on it. Forget the others (for a long while, anyway).

Which platform depends on where your ideal readers hang out. For some niches, that’ll be Facebook. For others, it’ll be Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Find the best social network for your blog’s niche, join it, and dominate it.