by Cori-Leigh | Blogging |
The idea of starting a new blog is exciting! This initial enthusiasm quickly turns to frustration when we realize the many details involved. Designing and customizing a blog is often a challenge for many beginner bloggers.
In this post I share how you can quickly start, create, and launch a blog that looks pleasing to your readers. One that is easier for you to manage when completed. Using a simple start design that works. You can easily build on it over time. It doesn’t have to be perfect!
I remember starting my first blog. As a writer all I wanted to do was write. I didn’t know the first thing about how to begin designing my blog. Visitors would see my site disaster then quickly run for the hills! All I’d seemed to accomplish was a ton of mounting frustration, overdoses of discouragement, a site that looked awful, and nothing was working right!
In this post I provide tips starting a blog with a simple clean design.
1. Why begin with a simple and clean design?
Creating a simple design is the best way to start. In the beginning less is more. Nothing fancy. Especially if you don’t know what you’re doing yet.
Of course we all want great looking blogs. It’s easy to look at the big picture. When we do this we fail to understand the importance of the small steps that lead us where we need to be.
We have to simplify our mindset. If we don’t do this then we can’t enjoy the process of starting a blog. Instead of enjoying the process of starting a blog we can become overwhelmed and stressed.
First impressions count. Have you ever heard the saying, ” You never get a second chance to make a first impression?”When someone visits your blog for the first time they will formulate what they think at first glance.
This is another great reason for a creating a simple start design. By making your blog pleasing for everyone you will be sure your visitors will appreciate it. You’ll have succeeded at making a great first impression!
7. Blog Page
8. Blog Posts
If you want to design a header it is best to keep this simple also.
by Anne Peterson | Blogging |
This is a guest post contribution by Anne Peterson. Today Anne helps us understand how keeping a journal keeping a journal helps writers. Anne is a poet, speaker, and published author of 16 books, including a children’s books, poetry books, two memoirs. Her most recent book is her second memoir entitled, Always There: Finding God’s Comfort Through Loss.
It started innocently. Someone shared how they enjoyed writing in a journal and suggested I might also enjoy it. How hard could writing in a journal be? You make an entry every day and write what you feel like writing.
Little did I realize it at the time, but writing in a journal was extremely helpful. And I have a bunch of journals to prove it.
When the words won’t come
Whether you want to call it writer’s block or you have another name for it, sometimes words do not flow. Journal writing is an effective way to get my creative juices flowing. As simplistic as it sounds, it really did help.
As a returning student, one day in an English class, I sat there trying to put something on the paper before me. But instead of the words pouring out of me, I had nothing. Zilch. Zero. And so I just started writing what I was feeling…
I don’t know what to write. I don’t know what to write.
Over and over I repeated that sentence. I didn’t feel foolish, at least no one else knew of my struggle. And then, all of a sudden the door of my mind opened and words started tripping over each other, trying to get out. And journaling helped me more than one occasion.
A great storage place
Writing in a journal gave me a place I could just let my mind unwind. And when I did some free writing, I found myself going at it in full force. I didn’t have any direction as yet, but that was okay. I concentrated on just getting the words out on paper. I could store them there until I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them.
I’m a poet and I find it interesting that some of my best poems started in a journal. I felt free to sit and reflect with no pressure. Just like when we were kids and we would lay on the ground outside looking up at the cloud shapes and trying to imagine what they were. No pressure, just reflection.
An emotional outlet
Sometimes we’ve got ideas, but we struggle to get in touch with them right away. This is where I’ve found it’s helpful to just write them out.
Are you angry? Then go at it. And use all the exclamation points you desire. Are you sad? Then go ahead and get those melancholy words out, you may even find you feel better afterwards.
Sometimes as writers we need to grease the machinery to get it moving with ease. At those times, I do free writing. Whatever pops in my mind ends up on my paper. And I usually feel energized once that happens and I sometimes have trouble stopping. And that’s a good problem to have.
Whether we are blocked in our writing, we want a convenient place to store ideas, or we need to vent, journaling is a great idea. Then we’ll be free to do the thing we’re meant to do—write.
We gently coax words out, directing them where they should go as we pepper punctuation here and there. And then our story starts to take shape. There may be times we have to exclude some words, and they may not be happy about it. But if we’re gentle, we can convince them we may be able to use them at a later time.
Writing is a privilege
Writing is not a hobby for me. I see it as a calling. Something I was made to do. In fact, I was only in 5th grade when I discovered my love of writing. Miss Farnsworth had just told us that there would be a contest. We were to write a creative essay or poem. It could be about anything we chose.
The idea came to me after a few moments. I’d write about my Shadow. How my shadow followed me everywhere. At the end of my paper, I revealed my shadow was really my 3 year old brother, Steve.
Turning in my paper, I smiled inwardly. I sure wanted to win, but even if I didn’t. I had so much fun writing my piece.
The next day she announced the winners.Three were chosen. Barbara Edgecomb wrote a poem about Babies, I think Kenneth Dobson wrote a winning piece as well. My heart started racing as I waited to hear the third and final winner.
Did she really call my name? I was overjoyed. The prize was that we all got to go downtown Chicago to read our pieces on WBEZ, the educational radio channel. It truly was a thrill, but more importantly, it was then I realized my love for writing. I take writing seriously. I believe everyone has a voice. One that needs to be heard.
And I’m doing my very best to fulfill that calling. But writing is not just something I like doing. I have to write. For me, it’s like breathing.
Your turn. Let us know in the comments;
Do you keep a journal?
How has journal writing helped you become a better writer?
by Cori-Leigh | Blogging |
Do you find it difficult to write and publish posts to your blog regularly? Many bloggers complain they simply struggle to find the time to write. For these bloggers they face feeling stuck and discouraged. The great news is you can develop a blog posting routine easier than you may think!
You don’t have to write extra long posts of a few thousand or more words. It’s better to practice writing well and produce shorter posts starting out. Posts of 600 words are a great exercise. Doing this will help you to become a skilled writer. Helping you to write with brevity and create quality content.
It takes time to develop the skill of writing and publishing regularly. We can’t get better at anything unless we learn to enjoy the process. The most important thing is to start writing daily. Consistently publish content to your blog!
Set aside time to write daily.
Do you wait for the inspiration to write? If you wait you may be stuck for quite a long time! Writing doesn’t flow freely unless you take the first step!
You have to show up and be committed to the act of writing everyday. Professional bloggers write daily even if they don’t want to.
Decide on a time and place that works best for you to write. Doing this helps you to take your writing seriously. Write intentionally and with purpose. It won’t take long to get into the correct mindset. In time you will develop a daily writing habit.
What has helped me is using a kitchen timer for 15 – 30 minutes. I’d refuse to stop writing until the timer goes off. By that time the words are flowing freely. I can continue writing until the post is done! I still do this when I see I’m distracted by many things going on around me.
[bctt tweet=”The more you write the easier it becomes. Soon writing daily will become a habit. Your thoughts will flow like running water!” username=”https://twitter.com/CoriWriterBWP”]
Writing a blog post is not a one step process.
If you don’t develop and adhere to a blog posting routine then you’ll struggle as a blogger. Remember why you started your blog in the first place. We have a blog to write for the reader. To help them solve a problem based on the area you write about.
Developing practices that enable you to create quality blog content is essential to your growth and success in blogging.
To succeed at this you have to fill your blog with quality content. To do this you have to write and publish regularly. In a routine your readers can rely on. Writing your posts is not a one step process.
I’m a part of Jeff Goins Tribe Writers community.
What helped me to improve how I wrote my blog posts is by Jeff’s 3 bucket system.
It`s simple and effective!
The 3 bucket system is comprised of 3 steps. Ideas, drafts and edits.
Using a blog post template.
A few years ago I started using a blog post template. Doing this helps me to quickly create my post foundation. Comprised of a few simple steps to start.
Michael Hyatt shares here how to
Use a Blogging Template to Write Posts Faster
I start my posts by quickly laying the foundation. Once I’ve done this the rest is easy!
- Introduction – What is your post about? Give a brief description here.
- Headings- Write out each heading. You can change up the wording later.
- Content- fill in each heading point with a bit of content.
- Conclusion – wrap up the post with a short conclusion.
It helps the close of your post when you generate a conversation around your post with a call to action question.
Kick fear and perfectionism to the curb.
Many writers and bloggers struggle with taking too long to write and publish a post. I used to be one of those bloggers who would take way too long!
What causes us to take too long crafting a blog post? A fear based mindset will hold your blog post writing back. Awareness is the key to dealing with the fears that lead to perfectionism.
These fears are guaranteed to generate writer’s doubt making it difficult to hit publish! When you calm your blogging fears you’ll kick perfectionism to the curb!
With practice and the right blogging mindset you’ll be well on your way to writing and publishing your posts quicker and more regularly.
They are guaranteed to generate writer’s doubt making it difficult to hit publish! When you calm your blogging fears you’ll kick perfectionism to the curb!
Create a routine that you can manage.
When we set a routine that is manageable it is easier to maintain. If you write 1 post per week and can consistently post this routine then keep doing it. On the other hand if you write 3 posts 1 week and next week nothing it confuses your audience.
The intentional effort given to creating a blog posting routine will take you far as a blogger.
Doing this will help you grow as a writer and blogger by leaps and bounds!
Let’s hear from you!
Do you have a blogging routine?
What helps you to consistently write and publish blog content?
by Cori-Leigh | Blogging |
If you’ve started your blog congratulations! Beginning anything new is the hardest part.
Once you have launched your blog you’ll need to do certain things to help it grow.
I’m frequently asked by new bloggers how to get readers and increase blog traffic.
Many bloggers think eventually their ideal readers eventually find them.
They mistakenly believe that one day high volumes traffic will magically appear.
This isn’t true.
To generate blog readers and loyal followers you’ll need to build your own tribe.
Doing this allows you to expand your reach to a larger audience.
In this post, I provide some helpful suggestions for attracting more readers and followers.
Ultimately generating more blog traffic.
Learn from influential bloggers
Experienced fellow bloggers can teach about how to effectively grow our blogs.
There are many writers and bloggers to learn from!
Those who have already paved a way to success for us.
Learn from them.
Show up where they are and express interest in what they do.
Join their course(s), read their books and blogs, leave comments and promote their work.
These bloggers will help you tremendously on your road to blogging success.
If you follow experienced bloggers lead you’ll grow a blog guaranteed to last.
One that will eventually grow to become a hopping blog on the web!
You’ll avoid making unnecessary mistakes that will save you lots of time and frustrations.
Community Connections
Utilize Social Media – The truth is not everyone visits, reads or subscribes to blogs.
Some people only use social media for online interactions.
It’s a great way to expand your reach.
Facebook groups are fantastic ways to connect with other bloggers in your niche.
You’ll make some blogging friends and help each other to succeed.
Blogging is about community and connections.
Share the works of other bloggers.
People will see your post and if it is of interest to them they’ll share and read it.
Get in the habit of describing a bit about each post.
Ask a question to encourage comments.
Build an email list
It isn’t enough to just write and set up a blog.
You need to build an email list right away.
Doing this will help you grow an audience of loyal followers.
Everyone loves getting something for free!
Offering a free eBook, newsletter, email course or something you can think of to offer your readers for free.
Doing this works amazing to grow your list.
Guest posting drives traffic to your blog
There is power in guest posting! For a long time after I started my blog,
I didn’t write anywhere else.
Once I began guest posting I noticed a difference in my blog traffic.
You’ll expand your reach to the audience of the blog owner you write for.
It helps you get known to readers and other blogger/writers.
Those who may not otherwise discover you.
Submitting guests posts in your niche enables you to reach a larger readership.
Comment on other blogs
When you read blog posts of interest to you and comment on those posts… you will also get noticed.
Engaging with other writers and bloggers helps you get noticed too!
You’ll generate more blog traffic by connecting with others.
We can’t succeed alone!
Here’s why;
-
- They will remember you the more you show up.
- You’ll develop the habit of connecting with other bloggers and writers.
- Other doors of opportunity will open as you connect with other bloggers.
- You show the founder of the blog you are interested in what they talk about and they’ll remember you.
- Commenting on other blogs directs some of their audience to your blog.
- Do this regularly and it may lead to a guest posting opportunity.
Your turn
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below…
What is something you’ve done that has increased your blog traffic?
by Ryan Biddulph | Blogging |
This is a guest post by Ryan Biddulph. He shares smart blogging tips at Blogging From Paradise.
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I came across a few social media updates today.
Various business owners published content designed solely to appease the “getting mechanism”.
Everyone is highly entitled to getting traffic and making money.
But if blogging becomes *all* about getting you usually struggle, fail and quit since *loving the blogging process* brings worldly rewards.
In rare cases, the getting mechanism yields great worldly success for folks clear on receiving money.
However, this crowd gradually learns that earning profits without passion is like consuming a diet consisting of bread and water. No matter how much bread and water you acquire and eat you will never feel satiated, fulfilled and flat out good.
Think through that analogy closely. Imagine hungering for more bread and water. First you do whatever you can to secure 100 loaves of bread. Chasing 100 jugs of water follows.
What do you have at the end of the day?
Bread and water for the next 50 days if you consume 2 loaves of bread and 2 jugs of water daily.
Does it feel good to subsist on bread and water, no matter how much you can get your hands on?
Nope.
Similarly, bloggers discover how acquiring more money without adding the passion component to the process does not elicit peace of mind, happiness, and freedom.
How can you live in peace if you feel empty each time you reach a new blogging income goal?
This is the getting mechanism in graphic action.
The Getting Mechanism
The getting mechanism knows one word: more.
Getters want to get no matter what.
The getting mechanism usually leads to failure since you need to love giving in order to lay a rock-solid foundation for your blogging campaign.
I listened to a mindset trainer a few weeks ago.
He noted how a few billionaires he spoke to initially tried to generate more billions before coming across his school of thought. Gradually, each of these getting mechanism folks learned how a deeper connection with spirit is the answer to their mental restlessness. Making more money to buy more yachts and more water skis is not the answer, this crowd eventually learned.
Blogging Review
I reviewed my blogging campaign recently.
Things moved along OK.
But I also took my foot off of the cyber pedal in the giving department.
I also seemed to be a little too focused on taking.
Lesson learned.
Blogging gets easier when you give and a lot tougher when you take.
By this, I mean the basic idea of being generous frees you to succeed. Helping readers freely increases your skills, exposure, and credibility in a wonderful way. Success genuinely sprints towards free givers.
Unfortunately, most bloggers focus on getting or taking. This getting mechanism in the mind ruins any possibility of becoming successful because how can you succeed when focused on trying to get as much traffic and income with as little as giving as possible?
True; we are all entitled to leverage our time and talents on some level. Reaching a high number of targeted readers per act seems to make sense.
But when taking or getting becomes the sole object of blogging you missed the point. Never mind the fact that succeeding becomes impossible if you skip the skills development necessary in order to succeed.
How Can You Be Helpful?
How can you be truly helpful?
Ponder this question for a while.
Give it deep thought.
For me, being truly helpful means writing and publishing blog posts, guest posts, and genuine blog comments. I do that best. Writing is in my wheelhouse.
Perhaps other talents resonate deeply with you.
Do you love podcasting? Maybe you enjoy creating videos. Perhaps you want to publish some other form of content.
Or maybe you are a master networker who does your best work on the social media side of things.
Whatever feels soulful to you simply go for it.
Doing what you love doing blogging-wise is an easy but sometimes uncomfortable way to let go the taking-getting mechanism from your mind. I am learning this a little bit more daily. Doing what I love doing moves the focus away from what I get from the doings. I seem less concerned with taking if I am busy giving.
Does that make sense?
How to Apply in a Getting-Focused Blogging World
Reading this post may feel all hunky dory to you.
Giving feels fun.
Obsessing over getting does feel stressful when you really think about it.
But 10 seconds after feeling good about giving and focusing less on getting you may see a post about how to get 6 figures through blogging.
Temptation arises. The urge to get seems powerful once again.
The ego rears its head again.
The getting mechanism seems alive and well again.
The only way through the getting mechanism and its seeming stranglehold on the blogging world is facing it head on and forgiving it.
You will never convince most bloggers to stop blogging about money outcomes because they really want it and readers seem to really want to make large amounts of money.
Both parties tend to suffer a rude awakening because even highly successful, top earners discover sooner than later that money does not make you permanently happy even if it appears to create permanent freedom.
Understand this concept and you will move on from the getting mechanism firmly and definitely.
Trying to make 6 figures does not give you lasting happiness.
Making 5 figures does not give you lasting happiness.
Lasting happiness occurs from within via mind training.
Sustained happiness is in giving not trying to get.
True giving never asks.
Before you fall prey to another 6 figure promise – legit or not – ask yourself if you want freedom, happiness, and liberation or to spend time trying to get a specific amount of an illusory means of exchange.
Thinking it through this way puts the getting mechanism in your rear window for good.
by Ryan Biddulph | Blogging |
This is a guest post by Ryan Biddulph. He shares smart blogging tips at Blogging From Paradise.
Believe it or not, becoming a professional blogger involves:
- listening to your readers and solving their problems through your blog posts
- building your blogger friend network by helping bloggers in your niche
- monetizing your blog through multiple income channels
Follow those 3 steps for a while to go pro.
But most bloggers completely overthink blogging. Complex schemes, ridiculous strategies and difficult to execute techniques litter the minds of bloggers who overthink the process. Imagine reading the first step above and thinking:
“Can it really be that simple? The first step is just solving reader problems
through your blog content?”
YES!
However, simple does not mean easy because doing the simple thing of solving reader problems through blog content for 1000’s of hours spanning years feels highly uncomfortable in moments. No sane human being frames highly uncomfortable blogging activities as being easy.
For example, before I wrote this guest post for Cori I heard my ego chatter and its fears trying to convince me to take off the rest of the blogging day. I dislike dealing with the ego because it tries to use fear to scare me back inside of my comfort zone.
The simple act of writing and submitting this 600-700 word guest post became uncomfortable for a few moments. Guest blogging did not feel easy during those few moments. My neck hurts. My back hurts. I have blogged for 14 years; these types of days arise from time to time. Do not frame each observation I share as a complaint. Simply understand how doing simple, basic blogging things sometimes creates uncomfortable, unpleasant feeling emotions that make blogging appear to be:
- hard
- difficult
- challenging
Of course, the ego in its delusion turns to complex, time-wasting blogging strategies heavily tied to imagined spectacular outcomes as absurd balms for these blogging pains. For example, if simple blogging strategies did not appear to quickly yield successful blogging results for me in the past I tried to write viral, in-depth, brilliant blog posts spitting out riches for me.
I envisioned myself writing a single post that would drive enough traffic and profits for me to go pro. Taking this complex, outcomes-attached approach led to failure every time. I barely made a dime through these posts because I overthought blogging while breaking the basic blogging success rule: create, connect and monetize in simple, generous fashion for a while.
Stop overthinking blogging.
Stop trying to add as many complex details as possible to one blog post you clearly intend to go viral for the purpose of getting rich. No blogger goes pro by publishing one complex blog post. Bloggers go pro by publishing a steady volume of simple, easy to understand and easy to execute blog posts filled with basic, practical blogging tips.
Think long term simple versus short term complex.
You do not need another proven blogging strategy to execute now. Stop looking to new bright, shiny blogging objects. Do not join the next emerging social network with the hopes of connecting with boatloads of readers on those sites. Keep blogging simple. Solve reader problems. Publish 1-2 helpful blog posts weekly. Read and comment on 5-10 blogs daily. Steadily open income channels. Write and self-publish eBooks and create courses like me. Offer coaching services or consulting services.
Do not overthink blogging.
Successful blogging seems to be simple blogging. Before making blogging a complex failure just see the simple, successful blogging journey through. Keeping things simple for a while yields slow but steady blogging success. Each comment you publish plants a blogging seed. Visualize each blog comment seed growing into a blooming blogging tree over the long haul.
Be patient. Observe the ego’s impatient urges to make blogging complex by overthinking basic, success-promoting concepts.
Successful blogging is simple blogging.
Remind yourself of this blogging success secret to blog effectively for the long, sometimes challenging blogging journey.
