How To Not Be A Rookie When You’re A Newbie Blogger
You don’t have to look like you’re new to the game folks.
A lot of us are getting the hang of posting articles, and many of us are getting more acquainted with the finesse of writing good posts for our LinkedIn accounts, and webpages. So, before you continue on reading, I’d like to tag this article with 3 keys that have helped me, and will also help you post better content without making rookie mistakes.
- Name It
- Spell It
- Jenga
Key 1: Name It
If you haven’t built yourself a webpage yet, the first thing you need to do is grab yourself a proper domain name from a hosting provider such as Bluehost.
A lot of us will use free web services like WordPress or Squarespace to create webpages, and this is fine and dandy when you are first starting out. But a classic rookie mistake is to not buy and update the domain name before starting to share the website post URL online.
If your domain name looks like this: ‘www.Yoursite.Wordpress.com’ then I’m talking directly to you. < This format screams out rookie; and not only that. Search engines like Google and algorithms on LinkedIn give priority to credible domain names. Meaning, your post will show up in more search results, on more timelines, and reach more people if you own it: ‘www.YourSite.com’.
Pay the $3.95 a month, it’s worth it. Personally, I use Bluehost, and recommend it. However, there are several other hosting providers out there that would get the job done too.
If you've never checked out hosting package prices here are a few.
Key 2. Spell It
A permalink is the default URL that is assigned to new posts, and by default, they usually look pretty ugly; something like this: ‘www.gotitgo.com/post.php?post=123&‘. A common rookie mistake, is to begin sharing your post URL without updating it to a descriptive phrase.
Why update it you ask?
The answer is search engine optimization, SEO. The best way to get your posts to your audience is by making the URL ‘searcheable’. For example, the permalink to this post is www.gotitgo.com/bluehost-newbie. It’s not the title of the article, but I mention Bluehost quite a bit, and this post is also written for newbies…so, it’s descriptive and searcheable.
Change your permalink to the title of your post, or something relatable. Your post will reach a wider audience by doing so.
Quick helping hand to WordPress users…
I use WordPress as my webpage editor, and when you create a new post or page, right below the title there is an option to edit the permalink text. It’s very simple. Just click on it and make your changes. This is how I edited the permalink to this post.
As an aside, when I first started blogging, I used GoDaddy.com as my hosting provider. And, one thing that I didn’t like about the hosting package was that I had to purchase WordPress webpage editor as an additional service. With Bluehost, WordPress is included when you buy a hosting package. That’s why I switched hosting providers to them instead.
Take a gander at their hosting packages.
… Moving right along …
Key 3. Jenga
There’s no question that many of us are really getting the hang of creating great posts sharing great messages; content. But the difference between posts which get read, and a posts which get scrolled passed, comes down to one word; readability. The most detrimental rookie mistake is to share a poorly formatted post.
Before you keep reading you need to come to terms with 2 things:
- Most of your readers will be reading your posts from their mobile devices, not their computers.
- Search engines will boost your posts to more people if they’re being read, shared, and liked.
Make your posts readable by breaking it up. Pay attention to posts and articles that you’ve enjoyed reading, and notice the use of headings, subheadings, horizontal lines, hyperlinks, and pictures. Matter of fact scroll back up through this post, and notice how it is split into sections. Good formatting will make your post easier to consume; especially if it’s lengthy.
Quick rule of thumb, when you are writing up a post, break paragraphs down to 2 sentences and then hit enter. On a smartphone this is literally the perfect chunk of text to read; not too overwhelming.
A Note To Folks Who Are Further Along The Entrepreneurial Journey
I know that I’ve only scratched the surface, so I’m passing the mic to you. Feel free to leave a comment below with a tip that you would give a newbie who wants to post an article tomorrow.
Thanks for reading.
Pat Flynn from SmartPassiveIncome.com wrote a great post called I Just Started My Blog, What Should I Do To Get Started The Right Way, which is a digestible read to build on what you just read here.
Disclosure: I haven’t been given any free services or products in exchange for mentioning companies. The only consideration is in form of affiliate commission as an advisor. I only recommend products that I have investigated and feel will deliver value to you. ?2017 Copyright www.GotItGo.com