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Last updated on August 27th, 2023
I’ve written multiple posts in the past about blogging, including how to pick a domain name, come up with topic ideas, and find free photos. Lately I’ve updated some of said posts, so I thought I should update an old post that folds them all together. Below are some tips on starting and running a blog, based on my own experience and what others have written online.
Note I focus on traditional text-based blogs. However, some of this can also apply to photographers/artists, podcast creators, or vloggers.
Why run a blog?
While it’s not for everyone, running a blog has some benefits:
- Gaining writing experience.
- Writing about a subject one enjoys.
- Generating site traffic.
- Demonstrating expertise on a subject.
- Explaining information to others in a written format.
- Less work than making video, recording podcasts, etc.; it also doesn’t require being telegenic or having a “radio voice.”
- You own your own content, without being subject to the whims of someone else (see: the current state of Twitter).
General blogging tips
Selecting a domain name
How to select a decent domain name
Selecting a good domain name for your site is critical. You don’t want to be stuck with something hard to remember, easily misspelled, or problematic. There’s also coming up with a domain name that isn’t already taken.
Coming up with blog topics
How to come up with ideas for blog content
7 tips on writing strong online content
Coming up with ideas for blog topics isn’t easy, despite what I wrote in these two posts. Still, any advice or possible inspiration helps.
Promoting a blog
Recommended Facebook alternatives (and why replacing it’s hard)
Social media can be useful for blog promotion. However, social media does have plenty of flaws, especially Facebook. Fortunately, there’s alternatives to Facebook, even if not all of them are perfect.
Maintenance
How to check your site for broken links
How to manage older blog posts
Maintenance of older posts is also a part of keeping up a blog. Links break, and information can become outdated.
Sources of free photos
Sources of free stock photos featuring people of color
Sources of free LGBTQ stock photos
Plenty of free stock photos exist, featuring people of color and LGBTQ people. Creative Commons licensed photos and public domain photos help make this possible.
Final steps before launching a blog
What to check before a blog launch
Before letting your blog go live, there are a few things you should do first, from setting up search engine optimization (SEO) to making sure there aren’t any typos.
WordPress tips
Choosing WordPress .com or .org?
WordPress.com or WordPress.org: Which version to choose?
Depending on what your blog requires, choosing to host it on WordPress’ own service (.com) might be an option. However, bloggers looking to monetize their site, or want a heavy degree of customization, will probably want to go with a self-hosted (.org) version of WordPress.
Securing WordPress sites
Basic tips for securing WordPress sites
Securing WordPress sites is also an important task. At a minimum, one should install updates for themes and plugins when prompted.
Avoiding WordPress mistakes
15 basic WordPress errors to avoid
There are a few things to try to avoid when setting up a WordPress blog. They include slow loading times, running an old version of WordPress, and leaving in the default “just another WordPress site” tagline.
WordPress plugins
Recommended WordPress plugins (2023 edition)
A list of my recommended WordPress plugins.
Speaking of plugins, WordPress has an assortment of plugins that are useful, or even vital, in running a WordPress-based site. At a minimum, I recommend installing:
- A general security plugin, such as WordFence.
- A comment anti-spam plugin, such as Antispam Bee or Akismet; the latter is WordPress’ default.
- A cache plugin, such as WP Super Cache.
Photo by Thirdman (Pexels)
