WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging platform, and it is open source, which means that you can download and adapt it for free. There is little wonder then, that so many people use WordPress to power their blog. There are other blogging platforms you can use if you do not want to jump straight into WordPress (it is more for intermediate and advanced users), but if you are going to plough into WordPress, then here are a few essential tips.
Change your username as soon as possible
So, you are up and running, you have your WordPress blog, you have your server space and you are online. You have an empty WordPress blog that you have just spent hours designing using their CMS (Content Management System). Before you start uploading your magnum opus, you need to change your username and/or your password.
If you went via the conventional route then you created your own password (you were not given one), but if you were then you need to change it to something now. Do not pick “password”, “monkey”, your username or your real name. They are the most commonly chosen passwords on the planet. You should then change your username.
Your default username is easy for hackers to latch onto. If you leave it as a default, then all the hackers have to guess is your password. So change your username to something original and/or unique.
Upload five blog posts straight away
There is a lot of sense in uploading one every week, but to start with you are faced with a largely blank blog. In the unlikely event that you receive any traffic, they will not have much to look at.
Why as many as five blog posts to start? Because you cannot assume that every post is going to enthrall your readers. You need to give them at least a little bit of choice, and then remind them that you are going to upload new ones each week. Try to get them to sign up to your RSS feed.
Define your focus and niche straight away
Many people are so thrilled that they have carved out this snippet of the online world, which they cannot wait to upload everything on there, from posts about their opinion on the new Nightwish Imaginaerum CD to what they had for lunch. But, you cannot afford to be general when it comes to a blog. Your blog is already going to struggle with attendance, so what you need to do is create a specific focus and stick to it. If you want to tell the world about the most amazing squirrel you saw, or about your dad’s hip operation, then that is what Facebook and Twitter were created for.
Grab yourself a reliable scheduling tool NOW
There is going to come a time when you start looking online for reasons why your blog is so poorly attended. You will then realize that blogs are powered by the people who attend frequently (repeat attendees) and is not powered by new readers. This is where a scheduling tool comes in.
You have your new blog, and it is devoid of content for the most part. You need to start uploading that the same time every week. Grab a scheduling tool that allows you to upload onto it, but that will upload your posts at the correct time each week. The added benefit of this is that you can write several posts in one day, upload them to your schedule tool, set it in motion, and then forget about having to upload yourself for a few weeks.
About the Author
The article was contributed by Alice Norum. She works for online proofreading services and writes articles on education and blogging.