Whether you’re thinking of starting a WordPress blog for the New Year, or you have already dipped your toes in to blogging, here are 5 basic tips we think you should be using for 2014:
Tip #1: Don’t expect WordPress to Do All the Work for You.
This is your blog, so take the reins! WordPress is a great platform for new blogs, since it ranks well in Google, and you can build your profile and Page Rank relatively quickly. This will only happen if you put the work in though. How many times do people buy gym membership in January and vow to get fit, yet end up visiting the gym a total of three times, only to make use of the café? It is the same with updating your blog posts regularly, checking your social media channels, and looking at your analytics. If you keep up a routine with your blogging, you will see results!
Tip #2: Optimise!
Search engines love WordPress sites. They are clear and simple for engines to read, and thus can easily be optimised for certain keywords. Make sure you tag each post with meta-keywords (no more than 10, ideally less than 5, otherwise readers may get confused!). You may not rank in Google’s Top 10 results for your chosen topic or keyword straight away, but clear formatting, tagging any pictures, and sharing on social media channels, will all help optimise your posts, and your blog. Be consistent!
Tip #3: Change your URLs
This may seem pretty obvious, but it’s an easy one to forget. WordPress does customise your URLs for you, but sometimes they may not be as relevant as if you were to do them yourself. Make sure there are no symbols such as $ % £ £ or * in the URL since this can confuse the search engine and make it more difficult to find your page. If a URL is very long to reflect a title, shorten it to basic keywords or phrases. Basically, you need edit your URL to reflect the content on the page and match it to the searcher’s query. It means the searcher’s journey will be made simpler, they will reach the content they are looking for, and will be more likely to stay and read your post.
Tip #4: Take Control of Your Sidebar
There are so many options, apps, and extensions you can add to your WordPress sidebar, it is easy to let it become cluttered. Have a purge and get rid of anything that is not useful either to the message of your blog, or enabling sharing, or putting money in your pocket. Go to ‘Appearance and Widgets’ and purge now!
Tip #5: Schedule Your Blog Posts
Starting and maintaining a new blog can be a daunting task, particularly when you don’t have much time. An easy tip for time management, is to set yourself an allotted amount of time each week, write your posts/s and schedule at the same time each week. When you have a post written, go to the ‘Edit’ screen. Go to the top right and click on ‘Publish’, then ‘Publish Immediately’, then click ‘Edit’. You can select the time and day when you want your post to go up. This is good if you want to schedule posts throughout the week, or if you have written articles in advance.
Do you have a new blog, or are you thinking of starting one? Do you have any questions that this article hasn’t dealt with? Even better, do you have any top tips for your fellow bloggers? Let us know!
Luurrve this! I’ve been meaning to restart my fashion blog, but as I’ve been tumblr total for so long, I wasn’t sure I could really engage with what WordPress has to offer. I’ll definitely use this as I try to reignite my old WordPress writing affair. Thanks for all the tips!