Back to Basics: Why Start a Blog?

Blogging has been around for quite some time now, and every day, someone decides to start a blog. There are many reasons why people start blogs – from wanting to share their daily lives with their friends (or complete strangers), to helping out others through the knowledge they have, and even to make money, there is a blog for that.

When starting a blog, or even if you are just thinking about starting one, the first thing that you should think about is – what is the goal of your blog? There should always be a purpose to doing something, just like in everyday life. Do you want to help others with your knowledge in SEO? Or, are you a photographer who wants to show off your latest photos? Are you a business that wants to promote your products? A defined goal is definitely important to have.

Once a goal is set, you will then have to figure out a name for your blog, figure out if you want to host it on a blog platform like WordPress or Blogger. If you’re really serious about blogging, and you may not know right away, it will be best to buy a domain name (like a dot com) and web hosting. From there you can either set up your blog using the WordPress platform or by using Blogger.com.

When your blog is set up, you can go ahead and start writing out posts. Another important part of blogging is planning out what you want to write about. Having a list of blog post ideas definitely helps. Adding relevant images to blog posts also livens up the post and makes it more appealing to read. It is also best to post frequently, so you have fresh content for your readers. Three to four times a week is recommended. Once you have about 15-20 posts on your blog, you can go ahead and promote your blog through Twitter, Facebook, and submit to Blog directories.

A blog is a commitment, just like any project. You may not get any comments on your blog at first, but as long as you update and promote your blog, people will slowly come to your blog. So make sure you keep at it!