Why ?
The key here is the words "New Blog".
If a friend shares a link with you to a website, you check it out and it looks amateur with little content what do you do ? You get the hell outta there is what you do ! Every time that friend shares another link to that site your first impression is imprinted in your mind, chances are you won't go back for a second look.
This is something that happens so many new bloggers they fall into the first impressions trap.They start a new blog, publish one post, give no thought to the design then share it like crazy.If you were selling a house you wouldn't leave all the builders tools lying around, put one chair in the living room then invite potential buyers to check it out ?
When we first start a blog we have a limited ability to attract visitors.One ace we have up our sleeve is we can share our new blog with friends online and also offline.The last thing you want to do is invite all your friends to check out your awesome new blog but when they arrive there is nothing to see.
5 Check Marks Before You Promote A New Blog
1. Have at least 6 posts published (10+ posts if you can) so people have different content to browse through.
2. Have at least the basic design set up even if it's just a proper blog title and description in the header.
3. Have subscription options available - You will want to have at least an RSS feed and Facebook Page for the blog so people can subscribe and be updated when you publish new posts.
4. Have no ads - Yes No ads what so ever, until you have a few hundred page views daily you ain't gonna make money from ads so just don't have them.Let the content be the only focus on your blog when your more established you can look into how you might monetize.
5. Have an About page - This is a great way to let people know what direction the blog is looking to take and what they can look forward to in the future.
By now you should be able to see were I'm going with this.First impressions last so make sure the first impression people get of your blog is a good one or you may loose them forever.
We love to hear your opinions or questions and that's just what the comments are for below.
Paul Crowe
I'm the owner and main author here on Brighter Blogs.I've been a full time Blogger and Web designer for over eight years.I have worked on thousands of projects and blogs over the years and I bring this information to you here on BB.Making every tutorial easy to follow for bloggers of all levels.
Hi, Paul.
ReplyDeleteGood tips. I found myself in this very scenario two months ago when I was launching my new blog (Be A Better Blogger). I've been blogging for almost 10 years, but it's been a LONG time since I had a new blog!
I used many of the same tips you suggest in this post:
- I waited until I had published 10 posts before I began sharing the blog (and its posts) on social media.
- My design was 99% complete. (My day job is as a website developer, so no blog of mine is ever 100% complete because I'm always making minor tweaks to improve it! Haha.)
- I created an account with AWeber and had opt-in forms ready to go.
- I had detailed About and Contact pages.
The blog is not quite two months old, but so far, so good. And I'm definitely glad I waited to promote it until I had all my ducks in a row.
Also: I've read your stuff for a long time over on your "Spice" blog. I was quite surprised to visit there for the first time in a couple months and discover you weren't running the site anymore! Thankfully, a Google search helped me to discover Brighter Blogs.
Hope you're doing well!