Starting his new life in the ‘big city,’ Chris O’ Doherty
felt there was something missing. What could this ‘something’ be? He didn’t
have a blog (obviously) and realised that in order for his life to be complete
he, like the multitudes of other young adults, had to get his thoughts out
there on an internationally accessed platform and get people to listen. But
where would he start?
Luckily for Chris and all you aspiring blog prodigies, I
found out from the who’s who of the blogging world just how to start your blog
and get it noticed. I hope you’re taking notes…
Why should I even
start a blog?
Blogging today comes with multi-purposes.
“It really depends on what you’re trying to achieve with your blog: Do
you want to make money? Do you want to talk to people? Do you want to re-post
stuff that you find cool?” asks popular blogger and TV presenter, Natalie Roos.
“I started my blog as a way to document my stories. I never had any intentions
of getting sponsorship deals or having avid readers. Really, I just wanted a
place to talk.”
Web expert and designer, Kyle Redelinghuys adds, “A blog could be described or
used as an ‘open diary’. It allows the author to express his or herself on any
topic. Having a blog is a good exercise in free speech.”
With so many
options, how do I know which platform to choose?
Again, this is determined by what the aim of your blog is.
For longer, more detailed blogs, Both Natalie and Kyle recommend Wordpress and
Natalie also adds Blogger into the mix, “They are free, and are super easy to
use. You can post long stories and pictures.”
If you’re looking for quick and easy blogging, Tumblr is
your best bet, “Tumblr would be second choice. [It] has more of a short and
sweet feel,” says Kyle.
“I’d suggest Tumblr… when you’re mainly re-posting stuff and
posting a picture-a-day,” adds Natalie.
I’ve signed up,
now how do I get the ball rolling?
Look is everything, “Get some help with the design.” Says
Natalie
And that’s where our web expert comes in, “There are
loads of free themes available for download for Wordpress and Tumblr, as well
as the other popular blogger platforms. Web design is going towards a more
image-centric focus, think big images, big text. Typography has exploded since
the capabilities of HTML and CSS have now catered for the use of any font
online, which is a huge bonus. Go for simple, clean, neutral colours –
gradients and greys are really popular.”
After you’ve sorted out your design, Natalie urges you to, “Write
about what you know. And post the links on your Facebook and Twitter profiles.
That’s how you gain readers.”
Are there any dos
and don’ts ?
“I think “do” try and give every post your own voice. You’re not a
newspaper journo. You don’t have to write for everyone’s taste. Blogs are
niche. You’ll eventually have a readership that likes your voice, even if they
don’t like what you might be saying.” Says Natalie.
Kyle adds that you should, “Try to blog consistently… This has got as much to do with readers
checking your blog as it does with Google ranking your site. Grammar is a big
deal, tagging your posts is important [and] making sure your site looks good.”
As far as the
‘don’ts’:
“Don’t steal content. The internet is a big place...but it can be a
very small place. It’s okay to re-post content, but always give credit to your
source.” Says Natalie.
Kyle simply adds, “Don’t do drugs.”
Now how do I
actually get people to read it?
Use your other social platforms, “Make it available to the people who
already like what you say: your Twitter and Facebook subscribers. They’ll share
what you have to say.” Says Natalie.
Kyle gets more technical, “keep keywords in the title. Repeat those keywords three to five times
throughout the article, and then another five to ten phrases closely related to
those keywords, without using the [actual] keywords. Google changed their
search algorithm and that’s why if you load your article with too many of the
same keywords you get marked down.”
This will
enhance your search results and make your blog easier to find on the
ever-growing Web.
Now that I’m on
track, I just need to know how to maintain my new hobby
“Share as much as you can and keep in line with SEO
and design trends and see what happens. Nothing on the internet is guaranteed.”
Says Kyle.
Natalie adds, “Treat it like a
job. Post often and choose a general theme for your blog: fashion, lifestyle,
food, funny random [stuff] that happens to you. Keep doing it. It pays off.”
Popular blogs to
check out for inspiration:
