Blogging – Basics to Getting Started Quickly
Blogging is rapidly becoming a complex endeavor, as blogging sites get more sophisticated. For beginners, to get started blogging quickly, the focus should initially be on:
- selecting blogging topics
- selecting a domain name (an address) and setting up a hosting site (usually Bluehost)
- getting familiar with an editor (usually WordPress, comes packaged with Bluehost)
- producing content (pages and blogs)
- structuring the content and site (layout of pages, menus, categories, …)
- understanding the basics of search engine optimization (SEO)
I would advise against spending too much time initially on selecting a theme, exploring widgets, monetization and other advanced topics. The immediate goal is to get some familiarity with blogging and fundamental concepts.
I found two sites particularly helpful in fast-tracking the experience:
How to start a blog …
Neil Patel’s blog is an easy-to-read, step-by-step guide to getting started. Apart from the mechanics of setting up the blog, he also discusses how to select topics and how to produce engaging posts.
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Blogging Site
An informative, 40-minute Youtube video on using WordPress to build a blogging or corporate website. Theme selection is often an overwhelming proposition for new bloggers – I like his recommendations of the Schema theme (for blogging sites) or the Corporate theme (for business websites) in MyThemeShop.
