photo credit: BoneDaddy.P7
Begin with the End in Mind.
Creating a new blog? One of the most important things you can do when starting a new blog is research.
Research your “niche”, the topic your blog will be focused on and what the market wants. Sketching out your blog “architecture” or “frame” before you begin will allow you to create a blog that’s both relevant and beneficial…two keys to successful blogging.
If you create a blog that Inspires | Educates | Motivates you will have a successful blog.
Take the time to get to know your niche. What are people talking about in this niche? What questions do people have? (You’ll want to provide the answers.) What are the top blogs in your niche talking about?
Here’s a quick list of how to gather more information in your niche:
- Social Media Sites. Visit the top social media sites and search for your particular niche. Participate.
- Ehow and Article sites. Visit Ehow.com and various article sites. What are people writing about within your niche?
- Visit YahooAnswers and Wikihow.com. What questions are people asking, what information are they seeking?
- Visit Technorati.com and Google. Find some of the top blogs in your niche and READ.
- YouTube. Check out YouTube.com and search for your niche. Listen to the top videos and read the comments.
Make notes along the way. What are the key words used in your niche? Consider using the key words and related topics as main categories for your blog/blog posts. Search engines love content that flows and relates to the topic consistently throughout a blog post. With that said, don’t use the same word repeatedly, that’s considered too spammy. Use words that relate to each other, for example, “grill” and “barbeque” relate to each other, yet are not the same word.
The research you do now will help you structure both the architecture and initial content for your new blog.
Most importantly, there is no substitute for interest and passion when it comes to blogging. If you blog about something you like, love, are interested in and /or passionate about, that will come through in your writing. It will ring true to your readers, and this single factor alone will make a significant difference in the success level of your blog.
Please comment below. Let me know what you think, and if there are particular questions I can help with!
Thanks, Kate
