Six Decisions to Make Before You Start Your Blog

Posted by Jim
August 29, 2008

Question MarkOkay, you want to start a blog. You’ve heard how cool it is. You’ve read about folks that go rich doing it. You’ve even read a couple. So, where do you begin? Start by making a few important decisions:

What topic will you be blogging about? The general consensus is that niche blogging has a better chance of long term success then just random posts about unconnected topics. Read “An Introduction to Niche Blogging” at DoshDosh.com.

Why are you blogging? Knowing the reason(s) you are blogging puts everything else in perspective. Probably the most important question, “For love or money?” Read “14 Awesome Reasons to Start Blogging Today” here at Blogging Startup.

How will you measure success? Once you know why you are blogging, you can set a standard for success. Having a goal will keep you focused and on track. Read “How Do You Measure Blogging Success?” here at Blogging Startup.

What blogging platform will you use? Will you be using an online blogging host or your own domain? You can start a free blog quickly with Blogger, Wordpress.com, or LiveJournal, or you can purchase your own domain and hosting to have a truly independent blog. Read “Choosing a Blog Platform” at Problogger.net.

What will you call the blog? Every blog (like every child) needs a name. (Hey, we can’t have nameless children running around!) Choose a name that describes your blog (like BloggingStartup) and, if possible, matches your domain name. Read “Choosing the Domain Name for Your Blog” at Problogger.net.

How will you promote your blog? You might ask, “Do I need to promote my blog?” And I might answer, “No.” But if you want visitors, readers, traffic, guests, friends, money, fame, wealth, and a reason to live…you will promote your blog. Read “10 Surefire Ways to Promote Your Blog for Free” at OneMansGoal.com.

That’s it. Answer those six questions and you are ready to start your blog.

Blogging Backends, Blogging in General, Feature, Making Money, Publicize Your Blog

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.

Comments

Great post and brilliant resources for anyone wanting to start a blog. I stumbled it.

Comment by CatherineL on August 30, 2008 @ 9:07 pm

Thanks Catherine. Glad you liked the post AND glad you dropped by my little blog.

Comment by Jim on September 1, 2008 @ 10:36 pm

Jim, thanks for the info. I am in the process of setting up my blog and this information is really helpful. I am a boomer and my blog will focus on caregiving, it will be in the form of a diary. I will be using wordpress but having difficulty downloading the template I want. But I digress, I will be using your tips before I launch.

Comment by Valerie Johnson on September 5, 2008 @ 3:51 am

Hi Valerie, glad the post was helpful. Starting a new blog is exciting and I wish you the very best. I think you are making a great decision using WordPress. The template loading will seem easy once you get the hang of it. Feel free to contact me through my contact page if you ever need assistance.

Comment by Jim on September 5, 2008 @ 11:00 am

its very useful article, thanks..
i have litle problem about SEO of my blog

Comment by goldoase on June 17, 2009 @ 5:45 am

Hi Jim, It is a good thing that I happened to see your post today. I am just on the process of starting blog and I am grateful to you for giving such wonderful tips. This is a very nice blog Jim…

Comment by Steve on June 17, 2009 @ 6:36 am

It’s really a great post and very useful one.Thanks for sharing.Hope it’s very helpful for the people those who wants to start a blog.Thank you so much.Keep blogging.

Comment by ecommerce856 on January 12, 2010 @ 2:08 am
Leave a comment

(required)

(required)