6 Tips for Blogging Noobs
Posted on 27. Apr, 2010 by Adam in Blogging, Entrepreneurship, Internet
When you’re first getting started with blogging or thinking about starting a blog, that’s the time to learn how to do it right. You don’t want to try and reinvent the wheel only to find out there was a much easier way. The following tips cover a wide range of topics and will help you get your blog going right, avoiding a lot of frustration in the future.
1. Be the blog. Write about a topic that’s true to who you are. Don’t try to pretend you’re something you’re not. Not only will you enjoy what you’re doing more, but your audience will appreciate it. People can sniff out a fake from a mile away. There are so called “gurus” out there who will tell you to “fake it till you make it” and to present yourself as already successful even though you’re just starting out. You might be an expert in your chosen field, but if you’ve just started your business, don’t be afraid to tell it like it is. You’ll feel better about what you’re writing, and you’ll inspire others who are interested in starting their own businesses.
2. Back up your blog. This is definitely not a lesson you want to learn the hard way. From the very beginning, and for as long as you have a blog, duplicate the files on your server in at least one other location. It’s a good idea to have a duplicate directory on your desktop as well as on a portable device, like a flash drive. It only takes one loss of your valuable information due to a server crash or human error to wish you had heeded this advice. Speaking of which…
3. Find a great hosting provider. Hosting providers are a dime a dozen, and many are priced as such. In some cases, their service and performance are good, despite their low prices. In other cases, you’re sacrificing what’s most important for a low price. So how do you know which provider is best for you? Research. Look at online reviews, and ask around. Ask other bloggers and site owners who they use and trust. Which brings us to our next tip…
4. Ask for help and advice from other bloggers. Don’t be bashful or intimidated (or too proud) when it comes to asking for advice. Put yourself in the shoes of a blogger you admire. What would you think of someone new in your industry coming to you for advice? Would you think you’re too important to be bothered? Hopefully you wouldn’t. In fact if you became a popular blogger, it wouldn’t be because you had that kind of an attitude. Of course, you’re not going to get in-depth personal coaching for free, but asking a question is perfectly reasonable. So get help and advice. It’s a great way to shorten the learning curve, and you’ll make some great connections in the process.
5. Follow and comment on other blogs. Showing your support for other bloggers by leaving meaningful, thoughtful comments is important for a lot of reasons. First, you learn a lot by reading other blogs, and the comments that go with them. Secondly, it’s a great marketing technique. You get to link to your blog when you leave a comment, so you’ll get some traffic from it. And third, the bloggers you’re commenting on are more likely to check out your blog and return the favor. For more information on comment marketing, see our recent post on the topic.
6. Know your audience, and provide them with outstanding content. More than any other tip or trick you can learn, this is ultimately what will make the difference between a successful blog and one that never takes off. It’s the same if you own a restaurant, sell software, or write a blog: If you give people what they want, they keep coming back. So stay connected with your audience though social media, the comments on your blog and by participating in forums and comments on other blogs. Listen to what people are saying and address their wants and needs in a way that’s thoughtful, entertaining, and most of all, true to your style.
Of course, above all else, it’s important to just get started. If you wait until you feel like everything is just right, you’ll never make anything happen. So get going with your blog and tweak as you go. And as you do, follow these tips, and you’ll be a blogging superstar before you know it!
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29 Responses to “6 Tips for Blogging Noobs”
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Shelina Ishani
27. Apr, 2010
Great advice for new bloggers like myself!
Thankyou
Shelina Ishani
Blog Tips
27. Apr, 2010
#2 and #5 are BIG musts for me, I have had sites go dawn that I didn’t have recent backups, real pain the a$$!
Commenting is my # source for promoting my site, get your name (and face if Gravatars are used) out there!
Jenn
27. Apr, 2010
Great advice, thanks! I am printing this out so I don’t lose it ;)
Jenn
David Siteman Garland
27. Apr, 2010
I’d add also, be thinking monetizing very early in the game if it is part of your business (as opposed to just blogging for fun). Asking “why” you are blogging can change perspective on everything.
Romantic Room
27. Apr, 2010
Content is definitely king. If you approach your topic with creativity and passion, traffic will follow.
Bryan
Kelvin | Forex Indicator
27. Apr, 2010
Backing up of blog is one of the most forgotten part of a blogger. I learn it the hard way and now I will schedule a backup every week just in case something bad happen and all my years of hard work will be gone.
I love your point #6 which is what really separates winner from loser. Some bloggers thought that giving too much will prevent people from buying things from them. They are totally wrong. The more value you provide, the more your readers trust you and the more likely they will buy something from you.
pandora jewelry
28. Apr, 2010
good tips. A good hosting server is very crucial requirement. In the start, i got my hosting account from a cheaper company and my websites were down for many hours every day. now i am paying to another good and reliable company and i m happy. This speed ups the blogging and efficiency.
Samantha Milner
28. Apr, 2010
Hi guys,
Great Blog. Thanks for posting.
Kind regards,
Sam
X
Credit girl
28. Apr, 2010
When I read a blog, I look for a personal voice either through their writing style or through their blog’s uniqueness. I like to know that I am actually interacting with a real person who has a passion for something so there needs to be a voice.
Legitimate Work From Home Jobs
29. Apr, 2010
I agree 100% with what Credit Girl said. The style in which a writer expresses his/her thoughts plays a big role in how often I read their blog. A personal voice is so important to me.
college textbooks
29. Apr, 2010
These are very good tips for the noobs. I have had my site crash and nothing was backed up, talk about ground zero. It was horrible. knowing you audience is also key.
New Balance
01. May, 2010
#2 is one of the most important tips in my book. There’s nothing worse then finally getting your blog started and having it hacked and losing all that hard work you put into it. Back up often, it could be a lifesaver in the future and save you a few headaches. It’s such a simple task to do too.
Wedding Planning Checklist
01. May, 2010
I was reading somewhere on another blog that a good option is to use your true voice. Often we find ourselves trying to be something that we are not. This usually does not work out too well.
handmade holiday gift ideas
03. May, 2010
WordPress offers both hosted accounts with little to no setup/knowledge necessary, but also has a standalone platform to host your own blog on your own site.
handmade holiday gift ideas
03. May, 2010
First of all, what could I include in my blog? Is it good that my interests are so diverse? And should I use Blogger or WordPress, judging by my interests?
mariana
03. May, 2010
the back up is a good idea to have a duplicate directory on your desktop..
Laptop Briefcases
03. May, 2010
Great tips for new bloggers. These are things that new bloggers often don’t consider. They jump on the cheapest host they can find, choose the most profitable niche and expect results by simply posting. There is a lot more that goes into being a successful blogger.
Payday Loan Lenders
04. May, 2010
Great tips for new bloggers. As more and more blogs are giving backlinks these days, linking with other blogs without spending any money is not a difficult thing.
Backup is I would say really important. I have faced the issue twice where because of the host I had a problem with my site. Good I had back up at that time.
Web Design Los Angeles
05. May, 2010
We all knows that content is like a diamond, if its unique than it will surely shine like Diamond but other thing you mentioned is very useful and important, which is we can ask to other expert blogger for improvements or we can observe their blog and follow others and communication via comments and most useful idea is to create backup. g8….
PHP Tutorial
06. May, 2010
In the start, i got my hosting account from a cheaper company and my websites were down for many hours every day.
Laptop Briefcases
06. May, 2010
I feel sorry for any bloggers who had to find out these lessons the hard way, especially the tip about backing up your blog. I’m sure many bloggers think nobody would ever hack their blog and that backing things up is a unnecessary task only for the paranoid. I’d hate to have to try to recover a blog if it was hacked or lost some other way.
Wealth Creation
07. May, 2010
There are a lot of bloggers in the Make Money Online niche that are guilty of #1. All of them are yelling in their blogs that they are making this amount of money but they are not. They are just saying those to sell their products. But some are effective of doing it.
Wealth Creation
07. May, 2010
Just another thing, I want to give emphasis on #2. Backup Your Blog. I experienced this before where I was so complacent that I didn’t heed this call of the gurus. When someone hacked into my site, I had to say goodbye to my articles for more than a year. What a waste.
Wedding Planning Checklist
07. May, 2010
Wealth Creation – Too True on that. Backing up is soo important. Not many people realize what could happen in the event of a disaster!
handmade holiday gift ideas
07. May, 2010
These are things that new bloggers often don’t consider. They jump on the cheapest host they can find, choose the most profitable niche and expect results by simply posting….
handmade holiday gift ideas
07. May, 2010
As more and more blogs are giving backlinks these days, linking with other blogs without spending any money is not a difficult thing.
teknoloji
11. May, 2010
Google keywords tool. Check your keywords and search volumes to drive traffic. Content is king but you have to use the correct words.
Savannah Fence Company
13. May, 2010
What about blogspot and wordpress blogs? Do you need to back those up?
Kim Nash
17. May, 2010
Thank you for a great topic, I am a newbie blogger, and I wonder if it’s a good idea to mix up topics? I love to write about fitness and health from an average middle age woman perspective, but part of the “be the blog” thing for me is it seems other interests find their way into the blog – they are lifestyle related so not entirely different topics but still not purely fitness and health related.