The web is an amazing place, whether you’re a digital nomad or just want to explore the world of blogging and social media. It’s a massive place, filled with inspiration, and with possibilities for everyone.
The world of blogging and social media is ever-changing, with new platforms popping up and old ones evolving, but the fundamentals stay the same, especially in terms of writing and content creation.
Whether you’ve just started or are looking to further your career, this article will teach you the basics of blogging and social media so you can hit the ground running.
Set Up Your Blog
When you first decide to blog or create a social media page, the very first thing you should do is set up your blog (if you haven’t already).
Choosing a blog platform isn’t as easy as it seems, especially since you have so many options. You want to find a combination of features that works well for you but also doesn’t overwhelm you. For example, if you’re the kind of person who likes to write and doesn’t like to edit much, you might want to look for a blog platform that allows you to write directly on the site without needing to go through an editor first. At the same time, if you’re the type of person who likes to be involved in the community and makes a lot of social media shares, you might want to look for a blogging platform that also offers features for engaging audiences.
Choose A Blogging Platform
Once you’ve set up your blog, it’s time to choose a blogging platform. There are so many options when it comes to blogging platforms, both free and paid versions, and features that range from simple to advanced. It’s important to find a platform that works well for you and isn’t just trying to sell you on unnecessary features.
There are a few basic things to look for when choosing a blogging platform. First, make sure the platform is mobile-friendly. This will determine how easily you can access your blog from any device. If you plan on having a lot of readers, you might also want to consider investing in a high-quality header for your blog. These are the small details that can make a big difference in crafting a good-looking blog.
Create Your Blog’s Design
Once you’ve set up your blog with a mobile-friendly URL, it’s time to create the rest of the blog’s design. This includes everything from the header, to the layout, and the style of the font you’ll be using for your blog. You don’t have to limit yourself to using only a few header images, like the one above, either; you can use as many headers as you’d like, and there are a variety of wonderful free templates available online that you can use as inspiration for your own blog design, as well as professionally designed templates that you can purchase and install on your own website.
Don’t worry too much about what other people are doing when it comes to designing your blog. Instead, focus on making sure that everything is organized and looks good. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at some of the wonderful free blog designs that can be found online. You can also ask friends for their opinions or look through the WordPress design community to get inspired.
Choose The Right Username
One of the most important aspects of a blog or a social media page is the name you give it. This is the name that will be associated with your content, so it’s crucial that you pick a good one. Make sure that your username is easy to pronounce and memorable. You’ll be using this name often, so choose a username that you feel good about using.
There are a variety of ways to find the right username. One option is to enter your current name in the form below, and one of the many platforms will suggest options. If you already have a domain name associated with your full name (e.g., JoeBlogs.com), you can start using this as your username on social media platforms.
Pick A Suitable Password
You’ll be using your password to access your blog’s posts, as well as to log in to various social media platforms, so it’s important that you choose a strong password. It should be 12 or more characters long and contain at least one uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number, and a special character, like an asterisk or a forward slash. You can use this password to log in to your blog, as well as any other online accounts that you have associated with your email address.
You can also choose a different password for each of your social media accounts. It’s important to keep in mind what this password is used for, so if you use the same password for multiple accounts, it’s easy for someone to guess what it is and gain access to your personal information. Be careful not to write your passwords down anywhere, and be sure to change them frequently.
Set Up Your Social Media Accounts
If you have a Facebook account, it’s probably the simplest and most common social media platform, with over 1 billion active users. You can use this to connect with potential and existing readers of your blog. When someone shares a post on social media, it has the potential to reach a huge audience, so set up your accounts on the main social media platforms now. You can choose to either use your full name or a pseudonym on social media accounts, just make sure to keep consistent across all platforms.
If you have a Twitter account, you can use it to connect with other bloggers, writers, and content creators. Just remember that Twitter is a little different than Facebook when it comes to building a following. You should follow as many people as you can, but don’t just follow anyone who has a large audience. Instead, follow people who have tweeted about or worked on projects related to your niche area.
Choosing the right hashtags for your tweets is crucial for promoting your content on social media. If you’re not sure what hashtags to use, check out popular ones for your topic or niche. If you’re using Twitter, try to use hashtags that are relevant to your audience’s interests.
Optimize Your Blog For Search Engines
Just as Google, Bing, and other search engines can’t see what’s on your website unless you specifically tell them to look there, bloggers can’t rely on just their readers to find their content. The key to getting found by search engines is to have articles that are “optimized for search engines.”
“Optimized for search engines” basically means that you have taken the time to research keywords and appropriate phrases that can be used to effectively describe your content. This will make a big difference in your blog’s SEO (search engine optimization). You should work on becoming “optimized for search engines” as soon as possible, especially if you want to grow your blog’s readership.
Curate & Post Regularly
The key to having a successful blog is to keep publishing regularly. Even when you’ve got nothing new to publish, you should still be putting out content on a regular basis. It’s easy for blog articles to become dated quickly, especially if you don’t update them frequently enough, so make sure to publish at least twice a week on a regular basis to keep your content fresh.
Blogs that are frequently updated with new content tend to do better than those that haven’t been updated in a while. It’s important to keep in mind that SEO changes constantly, so even though you might be following all the best practices, you could still be struggling to get any traffic unless you’ve got a steady stream of new content to draw upon.
Measure & Monitor Your Blog’s Growth
It’s important to measure the success of your blog. This isn’t as easy as it seems, especially if you’re just starting out. In addition to publishing regularly, you should also be tracking the performance of each of your blog posts, especially those that are considered “blogged” or “tweeted.”
There are a variety of tools you can use to track the performance of your blog posts. For example, you can use Google Analytics to track the traffic to specific blog posts. This could be done easily enough through WordPress’ built-in statistics, or you could download a free Google Analytics tool that will pop up a little box on the blog’s sidebar. Make sure to check this box frequently to ensure you’re getting accurate data.