How To Start a Blog For Beginners - What To Put On Your Blog Page
Posted: Friday, November 02, 2007
by LeahG Artist
Cartoon & Illustration Services
These are my recommended top 8 essential elements to include on your blog page.
Title
Make the title as catchy and relevant to your blog content as possible. Consider what people may be searching for and use words that will help the search engine identify your blog as having the necessary content.
Author Profile:
Author Photo
You may wish to add to the personal touch. I myself use a photo that while recent would not easily identify me if out and about. It is my intention to be recognized on the Internet only and not while out shopping with the kids!
Blog Introduction
Let your readers know what the blog is about and what your blogs aim is. Again this is no different to what an author may do with a book, except the introduction for a blog should be considerably shorter, perhaps no longer than 4 short paragraphs.
Categories and table of contents
With blogs you tend to only display a few at a time (perhaps 8) and as new posts push old posts further down the line (and off front page) having a table of contents with posts separated into categories is a great way for readers to be able find other posts they may be interested in. Also you could have a section, which highlights your most popular commented upon posts.
Links
Swapping blog site addresses (links/URL's) with other bloggers and displaying them on your blog could help improve your search engine ranking but only if the linked blogs are similar topics to yours.
Blog posts blog content
Your blog is not a blog without content! My advice would be to write about what you know.
Reference sources properly with links. Read up on copyright law and do not use images or directly copy text without seeking permission of the author or artist or referring to their terms of use, which should be displayed on their web/blog pages. If there is no copyright message, assume NO copying is allowed without their prior permission.
Copyright message
Some writers on the Internet will prohibit all copying without seeking prior permission. I am one such writer. But others may be happy to share their work as long as you clearly credit the work to them and provide a link back to their site. Details of their restrictions and uses are usually displayed somewhere on their blog. Decide for yourself whether you allow or prohibit copying and then detail these terms accordingly on your blog.
For more blogging advice see HERE.
LeahG Artist and Designer
Leah left the retail and health management world a few years ago to become a freelance writer and artist. She now enjoys creating funky vibrant cartoons and illsutrations for websites, promotional materials and as gifts. Leah would love to illustrate her own children's books in the future. Presently she is creating cartoon and cartoon mascots for business clients.
Visit LeahG's Cartoon and Illustration Services website here for updates and latest art work.
Leah left the retail and health management world a few years ago to become a freelance writer and artist. She now enjoys creating funky vibrant cartoons and illsutrations for websites, promotional materials and as gifts. Leah would love to illustrate her own children's books in the future. Presently she is creating cartoon and cartoon mascots for business clients.
Visit LeahG's Cartoon and Illustration Services website here for updates and latest art work.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)This is valuable info for beginning bloggers such as myself.Hi Susan I have just set up a blog creation service too for those who want an online presence but don't have the time or the know how to get started. Details can be found on my home page.
Great article...I've always believed in creating blogs about a specific topic you are passionate about as opposed to just about yourself. This way...it's always fun for you to write and you'll develop a larger fan (reader) base. Also, making your blog personal with a photo is always recommended like you said!
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