10 Often Overlooked Things To Do Before Launching A Blog
Ready to start a blog but not sure where to begin?
If you’re new to blogging, the idea of starting a blog can seem like an overwhelming task.
There are so many things you need to do/ know before you can even publish your first post! In this article, I’ll share the top 10 things to do before launching a blog.
The things I will be sharing are the most important things to do, and unfortunately also often the most overlooked. Doing these before launching a blog will benefit you. It will ensure that you start on the right foot and achieve success sooner rather than later.
- Determine why you want to start a blog
- Decide what your blog is going to be about
- Create a blogging schedule
- Choose the right blogging platform
- Create a business plan for your blog
- Write your about me page
- Write at least 5 blog posts
- Create social media profiles
- Write your legal pages
- Join supportive facebook groups
Things To Do Before Launching A Blog
1. Determine Why You Want To Start A Blog
In the words of the famous writer Simon Sinek: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
When it comes to starting a blog, this is especially important to remember.
Why are you starting a blog?
- Is it because you want to share your thoughts and experiences with the world?
- Is it because you want to make a difference in people’s lives?
- Is it because you want to become an expert on a particular topic?
- Are you using your blog to drive traffic to your business?
- Do you want to build an audience that will support and promote things you create (like a book or product)?
- Or are you simply looking to share your thoughts and experiences with the world?
Whatever your reason may be, make sure that it is clear to your readers.
When someone visits your blog, they should be able to quickly understand why you are blogging and what value you are offering them.
What is your main reason for wanting to start a blog?
If you don’t have a clear WHY and clearly defined blogging goals then things won’t go as smoothly and you may become discouraged along the way.
2. Determine What Your Blog Is Going To Be About
The very first thing you need to do before starting a blog is to determine the topic or niche of your blog.
In simple terms: What are you going to write about?
This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised that a lot of people jump right into starting a blog without giving much thought to what they will write about beyond their first post.
Spend some time thinking about what your blog will be about. Are you interested in writing about travel, food, fashion, lifestyle, or something else entirely?
The more specific your focus is, the easier it will be to come up with topics to write about on a regular basis.
As you think about what you are going to write about on your blog. it is important that you are focused on topics that
- You have an interest in
- You are knowledgeable about
- Other people have an interest in reading/learning about
By focusing on these three key factors, you’ll ensure that you are able to create content for your blog that is both interesting and valuable to your readers.
What are you passionate about?
When deciding on your blogging niche, it’s important to focus on topics that you are passionate about. There’s no sense starting a blog on something that you are’nt that interested in.
Ask yourself: What do you love to do and talk about?
Doing this will ensure that you enjoy blogging and will stick with it for the long haul.
What are you knowledgeable about?
It’s crucial that you are extremely knowledgeable about what you plan to blog about.
This will make it so much easier to write high-quality blog posts that are informative and engaging.
People want to learn things when they visit a blog, so make sure you are the best person to teach them what they want to learn about.
Are there things that you aren’t knowledgeable about?
It’s okay if there are some things that you don’t know about. You don’t have to be the most knowledgeable person on any particular topic. You just want to make sure that you are able to provide your audience with as much value as possible. This might mean teaming up with people who are more knowledgeable than you in certain areas or doing a lot of research to make sure your content is well-informed.
What are people interested in learning about?
When it comes to starting a blog, it’s important that you focus on topics that people are interested in reading about.
This is the key to starting a successful blog.
What do you think would interest your audience?
Do some research and see what kinds of things people are searching for online when it comes to the topic you are interested in blogging about.
This will give you a good idea of what content you should be creating for your blog.
Also, think about things that you search for and things that you are generally curious about. If there’s something that you’re curious about, there’s a good chance that someone else is too.
Do some research and see if there are any popular blogs that focus on things you’re interested in.
What’s trending?
It’s also a good idea to blog about things that are currently trending.
Take some time to see what is popular on social media and in the news.
There might be something that you can write about from a unique perspective that will interest your readers.
3. Create A Blogging Schedule
Once you know what your blog is going to be about, it’s time to create a blogging schedule.
This is something that you will need to do in order to ensure that you are consistently publishing content on a regular basis.
Your blogging schedule doesn’t have to be super rigid, but it’s important to have some sort of plan so you know what you are supposed to be working on each week.
If you’re struggling with coming up with topics to write about, you can use a content calendar to help you plan out your posts ahead of time.
Here are some things to keep in mind when creating your blogging schedule:
– How often do you want to publish new content?
– What times of day are best for publishing blog posts?
– What days of the week are best for publishing blog posts?
– What type of content do you want to publish?
– How long does it usually take you to write a blog post?
– Are there any topics that you would like to avoid writing about?
Once you have all of this information, you can start creating a blogging schedule that works for you.
It’s important to be realistic when creating your schedule. Don’t try to publish a new blog post every day if you know that you won’t be able to keep up with that kind of publishing frequency.
Aim to publish at least one new blog post per week, and work on increasing the number of blog posts you publish as you get more comfortable with blogging.
4.Choose the right blogging platform
There are many platforms to choose from when starting your blog.
WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger are all popular platforms that are free to use.
It’s important to choose a platform that you are comfortable with and that will work best for the type of blog you want to create.
If you’re not sure which platform to use, do some research online or ask people who have been blogging for a while what platform they recommend.
If you’re looking for more features and customization options, I would strongly urge you to consider using a platform like WordPress (I’m talking about wordpress.org- not to be confused with wordpress.com).
WordPress offers a lot of great features that can help you improve your blog.
In order to use WordPress, you need to purchase a domain name and hosting.
Your domain name is your web address (ex: yourblogname.com) and your hosting is what will store your blog’s files on the internet.
You can purchase a domain name and hosting from many different companies, but I recommend using Bluehost because they are one of the cheapest and most reliable hosts out there.
Setting up a Bluehost account is pretty simple, and they offer a lot of great resources to help you get started.
You can also check out my blog post on how to start a WordPress blog from scratch where I provide an in-depth look into how to set up your BlueHost account.
Use my referral like to get a MAJOR discount on Bluehost. You can pay as little as $2.95 per month (+ free domain) when you sign up for the 36 month plan.
5. Create a business plan for your blog
Even if you’re not planning on making money from your blog, it’s still a good idea to create a business plan before launching your blog.
The plan will help you map out your goals and strategies for the future and give you a better understanding of what it takes to run a successful blog.
Some things you may want to include in your business plan are:
– Your target audience
– The type of content you will publish
– How often you will publish new content
– Your marketing strategy
– Ways to monetize your blog
If you’re not sure how to create a business plan, there are many resources online that can help you.
It’s important to remember that your business plan will likely change over time, so don’t be afraid to make changes as needed.
6. Write your about me page
The about me page is the most read page on a blog. For good reason.
People want to know who you are, what your blog is about, and what they can expect from reading your content.
Your about me page should be personal, interesting, and give people a sneak peek into the type of person you are.
Some things you may want to include on your about me page are:
– Your name
– What you do for a living
– Your hobbies and interests
– The type of blog you have (ex: lifestyle, travel, fashion)
– Why you started blogging
The more personal your about me page is, the better. People want to connect with you, and the best way to do that is by giving them a little insight into your life.
7. Write at least 5 blog posts
This is an often overlooked task, and many people wait till they have launched the blog to actually start writing blog posts.
But, if you want to have a successful blog, you need to start writing content as soon as possible.
Here’s why:
– People need to know that you’re a credible source of information
– It takes time to build up an audience
– You need content to share on social media
– You can’t expect people to stick around if there’s no new content being published regularly
That’s why I always recommend writing at least five blog posts before launching your blog. It may seem like a lot, but it will help you establish yourself as a credible source of information and give you a foundation to build on.
8. Create social media profiles
In order to grow your blog, you need to create social media profiles and start sharing your content.
The best way to do this is by using the same username and profile photo on all of your social media platforms. This will make it easier for people to find you and increase the chances that they will follow your blog .
The most popular social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But there are many other social media platforms that you can use, such as Pinterest, Google+, and LinkedIn.
It’s important to note that not all social media platforms will be a good fit for your blog. So, you should experiment with different platforms to see which ones work best for you.
When creating your social media profiles, be sure to include the following information:
– Your blog’s name
– The type of content you publish
– The URL to your blog
– Your contact information (email address, website, etc.)
– A brief bio about yourself
– The link to your social media profiles
Make sure to also add a link to your blog on your website and include the logo of your blog in your email signature. This will help you spread the word about your blog and increase traffic to your website.
9. Write your legal pages
In order to protect yourself and your blog, you need to write your legal pages. This includes the terms of use, privacy policy, and copyright policy.
The best way to do this is by using a template that has been drawn up by a lawyer.
While there are many free templates available online, I strongly recommend investing in the legal aspect of your blog.
Not only does it make your blog look more professional, it also protects you and your blog. If you ever get sued or someone tries to steal your content, you will have the legal documents in place to protect yourself.
The laws change, so it’s also important to stay up to date and update your legal pages regularly. So, be sure to review and update your legal pages at least once a year.
10. Join supportive facebook groups
One of the best ways to get support for your blog is by joining supportive Facebook groups for bloggers.
These groups are filled with bloggers who are happy to offer advice, share tips, and provide support.
One thing that I have learned over the years is that there are no stupid questions. So, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Check out my blog post where I run through some of the best Facebook groups for bloggers that are out there.
Once you have found a group that looks like a good fit for you, join and start participating. You will be amazed at the amount of support you will receive.
Final Thoughts
Creating a blog is a lot of work, but it can also be a lot of fun. Just remember to take things one step at a time and to always be learning. The more you learn about blogging, the better your blog will become.
So these are ten essential things that you need to know before starting a blog. Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!
And that’s it for this week’s blog post. Be sure to come back next week for another post, and until then, happy blogging! 🙂
