How to make a successful blog

In this article, we will take you through the steps of a blog set-up and the best way to generate content. This article will help you to choose your blogging software, write a blog post and optimise your site for search engines.

Online or self hosted?

If you are a casual blogger, then you will be able to make do with blogger software on Google. This is one of many free online platforms that require no computer knowledge to use. It is free to sign up so do not be afraid to try them out. You can always shut down your accounts if you do not use them.

Self hosted sites

Hosting your own blog will give you more creative control and choice over the kind of advertising that you use on your site. Look for some cheap web hosting and install a content management system like Wordpress or Joomla. There are hundreds of internet guides showing you how to perform these installs.

Choosing a subject

A successful blog needs to be updated often. If you are not passionate about the subject you will be blogging about, you will not have the motivation to continue. Aim to blog at least three times a week. If you are struggling to commit to this, then try to get some guest blogs written for you. Author's advice This doesn't happen overnight. Before people are willing to guest blog for you, you will need to be established with more than a hundred posts or so. As you develop your followers, more people will want to write for you. Don't be afraid to guest blog for other websites too. You can advertise your blog and later, call back the favour and have them guest blog for you!

Choosing a blog theme

The appearance of your blog is very important. Choose a theme that suits the topic that you will blogging about. If you are planning to make money with your blog, then remember to choose a theme that allows you to place adverts in prominent places. Google AdWords is the most frequently used advertising platform.

SEO

Search engine optimisation is big business. Many companies spend thousands of pounds with dedicated SEO specialists to improve their site's visibility in the search engines. As a private blogger, it is likely that you are unable or unwilling to do this. You can help people discover your site through the search engines with these simple tips: - Include important keywords in the headings
- Remember to include good description in the "Alt" tags of images
- Link to other popular sites Good luck in your new blog, if you are persistent you will be successful!