How To Start A Blog In 5 Simple Steps

So, after understanding why you should start a blog, you decided to start one but not sure of how to start it. Followed this simple guide on how to start a blog.


1. Pick a topic

This is something that people fail to think about before they start a blog. If you want to have a successful blog, you need to pick a topic or subject that you have plenty thing to say about, something that you have knowledge or interest in. There are some bloggers who post only once or twice in a month and that will be very difficult to attract readers


2. Pick a host

There are many choices but if you are looking at free platform, then go for either Blogger or WordPress. Both are quite similar and if you can’t decide which to go with, find out what you have in mind for your blog. If you like nice presentation, go for WordPress as their design looks more professional; if you prefer simplicity and easy to use, then Blogger would be a better choice. If you want to put up advertisement in a later stage, then go for Blogger as WordPress won’t allow you to do so at this moment.


3. Start Posting

Once you have decide on the platform, go ahead to create the blog and the next thing is to start posting. The only way to start blogging is to start working on it immediately, don’t give yourself any excuse to do it at other times. Blogging is really about doing it now and if you don’t, then, you probably won’t do it again.


4. Keep Posting

The most difficult part about blogging is to post regularly. There will be a time when you encountered the writer’s block and don’t have anything to post. So, it is good to keep writing ahead, meaning, writes as many articles as you can in advance and saved it as draft post. When you don’t know what to post for a day, pick out one of the draft post that you have pre-written and post it. This will help your blog to maintain a consistent posting frequency.


5. Learn and practice

Learn about all the buzzwords that are associated with blogging, RSS, SEO, Adsense, Technorati, Digg. Getting to know these terms will help you to improve your blog and increase the number of reader reading your blog.

Google SERPs Dancing AGAIN?

I was checking some of my blogs stats and there seems to be some changes going on again in Google SERPs. If you recall, there was a minor algorithm changes in late May that affected all .blogspot blogs, causing most of the blogspot blog to lost their SERPs ranking for several hours.

I am not too sure this time round because not all of my blogs are affected, only 2 lost their ranking at this moment. Asia'h Epperson is not affected yet. I did found an article posted about the Google SERPs Dancing a couple of hours ago, and the scenario mentioned seems to match what I found at my 2 blogs.

Did you found any ranking changes with your blogs?

Why You Should Start A Blog

Blogging is a very powerful and effective tools to reach out to million of reader all about the world. It has reached such a high popularity that you see people from all walks of life, be it politicians, businessmen, students, professionals, started blogging.

And, if you are still wondering if you should follow the latest trend and start a blog, here are some of the reasons why you should:-

1. Express Your Thoughts and Opinions
   
   In the past, when you have something to say, the only places you can go to is newspaper or magazine and even then, your letter might not be published or are subject to moderation.
   
   With a blog, you are free to write whatever thing you want to, nobody can stop you from doing so. Of course, you might want to be careful of what you write that may cause any legal issue out of it.
   
   Take this blog Asia'h Epperson as an example. Most articles that I wrote is all about personal rambling, I get the freedom to write whatever that I want, nobody can stop me from doing so.



2. To Help People
   
   If you feel that you have great knowledge about a particular topic or field, then, you should start to blog about that. It will help people who are looking for such information.
   
   For example, you might have fall into debt and after years of struggling, manage to clear all debts and becomes a millionaire. Now, go ahead and write about your experience, from falling into debt, clearing them and how you finally get rich.
   
   Or if you are an experience parent, people will be interested to read about all the encounters and experience you go through from having baby, born, nursing to raising them.



3. Stay Connected
   
   It is very common nowadays for friends or family member to live in different part of the world. You might have moved to another part of the world due to work commitment, study or maybe backpacking. Blog provide another alternative to keep them update about you. All you need is a internet connection and you can upload your photos, videos or stories and they are able to see them.
   
   



4. Make Money
   
   Yes, there is money to be made from blogging, but, it really depends on the kinds of topics and blogs you have. Let’s take the example of point 2 where you blogs about getting out of debt. Once your blog gets readers and traffic, you can put up advertisement or affiliate products that can enable you to make some money out of it.
   
   It is important to note that to make money out of blogging, it takes times and patience. Don’t expect to make big bucks from it in the beginning, it is not going to happens.
   
   Again, we look at this blog Asia'h Epperson. This kind of personal blog is not going to make any money, so it is important that if you decided to make money online through blogging, you start on a right topic.

So, anything else that is holding you back from starting a blog?

Writer's Block

When I decided to start blogging at Asia’h Epperson, never once did I think that writing personal thoughts or life events is difficult. There are so many things to write about, I can write about family, friends, personal encounter, thing that happens on the streets, television, movies and so on. I never think that I will run out of ideas to post.

But, apparently, I was wrong. There are so many times when I sit in front of the computer, staring at the screen, rack my brain for something to write, but simply don’t know what to write. Sometimes, I have an idea what to post, but, somehow, those thoughts just cannot translate into words.

People called it writer’s block and it will happen to every blogger, it’s just a matter of when. So, the next time round you see that I don’t post for days in Asia’h Epperson, you know that I hit that patch again. :)