Do you want to create a successful blog?
Succeeding is quite simple if you adopt the most effective strategies to attract traffic and build your online authority. Simple does not mean, however, that it does not require a lot of work!
Many ask me to talk about the best strategies to achieve maximum visibility on the Internet. I therefore decided to write posts that illustrate all the essential steps to create a winning blog , very visited and with shared contents.
In this article I will tell you about the factors that need to be taken into consideration to launch your blog online and reach the top spots on search engines.
The first things to take into account to create a successful blog
If your goal is to create a successful blog, first of all you will need basic technical knowledge, and for that you can rely on our WordPress video course .
Once you have learned the main skills, the first activities you will need to carry out are the following:
- Answer the Fundamental Questions about how your site will be structured
- Use the answers you provided in step 1 to fill out the SiteMap Functional Model
The Fundamental Questions are those that title the following paragraphs. You can write them down on a notepad to be able to respond in writing and calmly.
SiteMap’s functional model (sitemap) is a kind of organization chart, a representation of how the pages are organized within your site. Thanks to it you will have more control over your content and you will be able to make the navigation of your site much more intuitive.
1. What is the focus of your website?
There are over 7 trillion sites on the Internet today!
This is a huge number, but which of all these sites are the ones that are known and well tracked by search engines?
Surely those who focus on a single topic , as they are able to treat all aspects of it in depth, thus satisfying the curiosity and all the questions of users.
The latter, in fact, mindful of the positive experience, will have the pleasure of visiting the site again and will share the precious contents they have had access to with friends and acquaintances, generating an increasing volume of traffic. To create asuccessful blog, you have to carefully choose the topic you will cover: the more specific, the better.
The trick is to specifically identify the niche you want to target. If you can discover a certain target, that is a group of people who are interested in a specific topic, you will be able to address that issue in a particularly in-depth manner. You will therefore be able to distinguish yourself as “the industry expert” and anyone with a need for information will know that you are a safe and reliable resource.
2. What are the sub-categories of the chosen topic you want to deal with?
Each topic has different aspects that can be treated individually.
For example, if I had in mind to create a site on the topic “Dogs”, the sub categories could be Breeds, Feed, Health, Leashes, Kennels, etc …
Prepare a list of all the sub-categories that come to mind and that you want to cover on your site.
Focusing on a specific niche and topic, in fact, does not mean that you will have to talk only and exclusively about a micro-aspect of that sector. You can also address related topics or go from general to specific. Any topic, however limited, includes sub-topics that will give a very precise structure to your website.
3. What types of content can you create within these sub categories?
Articles, Podcasts , E-books, Videos, etc… the possibilities are endless.
Depending on your passions and experience, ask yourself what types of content you are best at producing:
- Do you like to write? Create articles or e-books.
- Do you like making recordings? You can produce videos and podcasts.
- Do you like taking pictures? You can produce image portfolios.
Furthermore, the content type of your articles can also have different formats . In fact, think about how different the communication style of a review, tutorial or interview can be.
4. What is the most relevant domain name for your topic / website?
To make it easier for people to remember the name of your website, I recommend that you follow some simple basic rules: use a name that is short, clear and easy to remember and write.
Also, decide if you want to enhance your brand or highlight the topic you are dealing with.
For example, SOS WP deals exclusively with WordPress-related issues. We therefore made sure to include the name of the platform we deal with in the name of our site. Even if this does not matter at the SEO level, it still helps to be more recognizable and thanks to the term SOS we immediately explain that we offer help with WordPress.
For example, if you are dealing exclusively with Golf-type cars, you can include the term Golf within your domain. If you have not yet purchased a domain or hosting space for WordPress I recommend you read this post, which explains why we use and recommend Siteground hosting .
5. How will you bring visitors to your content?
Many new bloggers are convinced that, by creating a site and publishing a few articles, they will be able to attract traffic automatically.
Although this was true until recently, today it is practically impossible to obtain results in this way. For this reason we suggest that you plan your strategies in advance to bring more visits to your site. Among the most effective methods, one of the ones that certainly work best to attract immediate traffic is guest blogging .
Social networks are also an excellent source of visits. But remember that your success will always be based on quality content that has been properly optimized.
6. How many hours a week can you dedicate to your site?
Remember the saying “Rome wasn’t, it wasn’t built in a day” ? Likewise, creating a site takes time and energy.
When undertaking something new, the best way to learn and be able to implement the strategies learned best is to refer to those who already have experience in the sector.
Theory and practice go hand in hand.
Make sure, therefore, to prioritize your training and, at the same time, the maintenance and growth of your website. The world of the Web is constantly evolving and my advice is to always dedicate part of your time to update yourself on the latest news in WordPress, SEO, content creation tools, etc.
7. What features do you want your site to have?
When choosing a template for your site it is always advisable to look for one that has already integrated all the features you need. To help you identify the ones you might be interested in, here is a list of all the main features a site built in WordPress can have.
Choose the features you are looking for in your theme from this list:
Blog
Forum
Portfolio images
Contact form
Responsive capabilities for Smartphones and Tablets
Sliders in JQuery
Social Buttons (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedInetc …)
Shortcodes
eCommerce integrated with WooCommerce
Perfect! Be sure to make a note of your answers, as they will be very useful to you in the course of building your website. Also write down any other ideas that come to your mind that aren’t included in this list.
Creation of the SiteMap of your site
Another fundamental step to create a successful blogis the creation of the Sitemap. I am not referring to the XML Sitemap , which is used by Google to correctly identify all the pages of your site, but to a structure model of your pages.
Create a graphic, on paper or on your computer, that represents your website: start from the Homepage from which links to the Blog, the About Us page, the Frequently Asked Questions page and the Contact page.
Under Blog, enter categories and tags. Blog articles are organized within categories and tags, in order to make them easier and faster to reach.
Now create a category for each item you listed in the answer to question # 2.
If these categories have sub-categories of topics you want to cover, use the tags.
Once you have entered the pages and categories that make up your website, save the document and keep it handy. This file will be used to create and manage your blog, and to have a track to follow during your work.
Conclusion
In this article I have told you about everything you need to consider when designing a successful blog. So you have seen how to use your answers to the “Fundamental Questions” and how to create your first “SiteMap”.
These are fundamental steps for anyone wishing to undertake an online business with excellent expectations, starting on the right foot.
Do you have anything to add to the considerations I made in this article?
What procedure did you follow in the creation of your blog?
Share your experience with us by leaving a comment in the box below.
