5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Creating A New Blog
The internet is full of blogs, and before you create yet another, ask yourself these questions to help both you and your readers.
There are blogs written to dissect, discuss and explain just about every topic you can think of. The beauty of the internet is that it allows the world to share information, whether it concerns pets, celebrities or even breath mints. There are millions of successful blogs on the web, but for every successful blog there are 20 that aren’t doing so well.
Before adding yet another blog to the World Wide Web, ask yourself a few questions to make sure you are heading in a direction that is good for both you and your potential future readers. By taking a moment to focus your purpose and direction you can save yourself time and effort later on down the road.
Readers aren’t going to want to know about each of your business/personal interests. By creating a plan, schedule and theme you can easily target your audience and increase the number of readers that return to your website after their first visit.
Take a moment to formulate answers to the following questions before you get started for best results on your new blog:
Why am I creating a blog?
If you own a business, the answer to this is easy. Every business should take advantage of the inexpensive benefits that a business blog offers: a blog provides an easy way to boost SEO and help you interact with your clients. Whether you are just looking to provide company news or provide an entertaining news source, a business blog is a great way to expand your reach and develop a brand identity.
If you are looking to create a blog for personal reasons, it’s important that you identify the purpose of your blog. Depending on what you are wishing to express, you will want to spend a few minutes thinking about what you are trying to put out into the world and the results you expect. Some blog creators are looking to make money from blog clicks, while others are simply looking to stay in touch with family and friends. By first identifying your expectations, you can begin to formulate the rest of your blog plans.
What do I want my blog to do?
Similar to the question above, defining exactly what function or role you would like your blog to take on is important as you take the next step towards getting online. The function of your blog can be as small as a private platform for your personal thoughts and as big as increasing sales for your small business.
Knowing what you want your new blog to achieve helps you decide on the tools and web hosting package you choose to use. Almost no traffic doesn’t need a lot of resources or capabilities, but a business blog needs to be prepared for fluctuating visitors throughout the day. Making these decisions early on can help you make informed decisions and save you both time and money.
Who is my audience?
Whenever publishing content live on the internet it is important to imagine who you think will read it. You need to be sure that you are appealing directly to whoever you want to read your blog. If you are writing for yourself then your job is easy, but if you are targeting a customer base or a specific demographic, then this question might require a bit more thought.
Blogs are terrific platforms for reaching people’s screens. The content is easy to share with others and offers the potential of reaching many people in a short period of time. Developing a large readership requires you to know and understand who will be reading your blog. Is your content entertaining? Does it answer the questions your audience is looking for? Making a plan or sketch of your ideal reader can help you best appeal to the internet users you are looking for.
What domain should I register?
Domains are one of the most important components when creating a blog. Your domain, or web address, is the location your readers will find you on the internet and is the first impression website visitors have about your blog.
Be sure that your domain explains a little bit about the image you are trying to portray or about the brand you are trying to promote. You want your domain to be memorable, recognizable and easily sharable. Learn more about choosing the perfect domain at Midphase.com.
How will readers find me?
Website traffic can be created through a variety of methods. Search engine optimization allows readers to find you through the use of a search engine. Cultivating SEO can be a tough process, but there are tools available to help make your quest a bit easier. Midphase offers a helpful Website SEO Guru to help you get started.
You can also create traffic through social media accounts. By creating accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media services and then linking them to your blog, you can create a pathway from news feeds to your door. However you plan on finding readers, be sure that you have developed a plan that will work for you.
Blogs are a booming industry and can offer readers and writers alike with information, entertainment and inspiration. By simply finding a focus and a direction you are well on your way to blog success. Good luck and happy blogging!
Get started on your new blog today at Midphase.com. We have answers to all of your website questions.