Facebook Pixel
Join our Facebook Community

How to Set Up Your First Blog the Right Way the First Time

Are you convinced you need to start a blog, but you’re overwhelmed by the setup process?

getting-started-blogging.pngIf this describes you and you’d like a little hand-holding in setting up your own blog, I’ve been secretly working with Chris Garrett on a free resource that’s designed just for you. It’s called:

Getting Started Blogging

    It is a six-part course that will walk you through everything you need to know about setting up your blog the right way, the first time.

    Set up your blog with good foundations

    In a recent survey of ProBlogger readers, I discovered two fairly large groups of visitors with similar needs:

    Group 1. Readers who were yet to start their first blog.

    I was a little surprised to find this out at first, but it makes sense. Many people reading this blog are PreBloggers—they’re convinced that they need a blog, and they’re now researching how to do it.

    When I drilled down into the needs and challenges of these bloggers, I found that many felt real apprehension and fear about the setup process, and wanted some hand-holding in getting started.

    Group 2. Readers who had started their first blog, but had regrets about the way they’d set things up.

    This group had taken action on their desire to start a blog, but they’d done it in a way that left them with regrets. Perhaps they’d made poor domain choices, hadn’t thought through platform selection, or hadn’t thought carefully about content and technical issues that hampered them as their blogs grew.

    Many of this second group were reading ProBlogger as a way to research setting up their second blog in a way that was better than their first.

    Getting Started Blogging

    Whether you’re just starting your first blog, or you’re setting up your second, third, or fourth, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed by the options and how to do it right. Chris and I would love to walk you through the process and help you set up a blog with good foundations.

    This course will walk you through six lessons:

    1. Preparation. In this lesson, you’ll get tips on naming your blog, keyword research, and domain names.
    2. Platforms. Where will your blog live, and which platform is right for you?
    3. Types of Blogs.  This class is an introduction to some of the different blogging approaches you might consider.
    4. WordPress. Here, we cover how to install and customize WordPress.
    5. Adding Killer Content to Your Blog. This lesson is an introduction to the types of content you’ll want to add to your blog.
    6. Introduction to the Pillars of ProBlogging. Once you’ve got the foundations right, I’ll walk you through four areas you’ll need to work on moving forward to build a successful blog.

    Lessons contain a mix of both video content and articles. This course is completely free and is being run over at SitePoint’s courses area. And you’ll get immediate access to it all six lessons when you sign up.

    We’ll send you daily reminders over the week to help you keep on track, but you can take the course at your own pace—all in one go, or over a longer period if you choose.

    Interested? Sign up for Getting Started Blogging now.

    Too Basic for You? Check out the ProBlogger Academy

    getting-started-blogging-academyGetting Started Blogging is unashamedly for those at the beginning of their blogging journey—those who are starting their first blog.

    If you’re more experienced, you’re still welcome to take the course, but you might also be interested in a new series of short courses that Chris Garrett and I are putting together at the ProBlogger Academy.

    These four courses can be completed as a bundle, or you can pick and choose the topics that are most suited to your needs from the following:

    1. Creating Killer Content
    2. Boosting Your Blog Traffic
    3. Building a Community on your Blog
    4. Monetizing Your Blog

    Each course will be held over a week, and will have a forum area as well as Q&A sessions with Chris and myself.

    These courses are not live yet, but they will be rolled out in the coming months. You can sign up now or leave your email address to be notified of them as they go live.

    About Darren Rowse
    Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
    Comments
    1. This is just what I need! I have been using free WordPress themes and I they don’t always suit my content.

      I am excited to learn more about blogging and making my posts look more attractive.

      I hope to learn more about social networking as well!

    2. Thank you for putting up this helpful info and for providing it free. I saw the info about word press which I use now. Very helpful for anyone just starting a blog. Not alot out there provided free about it. Thanks

    3. Working in this industry you will realize that people are interested in starting blogs and making money but have very little knowledge or computer savvy at all.

      So dumbing it down is the easiest way to get some people on board so the learning curve is not so steep.

      But good stuff

    4. I wish I would have found this about a year ago! I built my first blog/site using Apple’s iWeb (BIG Mistake). I learned really fast that it was not good for SEO or commercialization! If you are on that path STOP, read the article above, and RUN to WordPress!

    5. This looks like a great way for me to be sure I haven’t missed anything with my brand new blog. Maybe it will lead me into the academy later.
      Dan

    6. I’ve used WordPress and found no shortage of great free themes to choose from. i’ve experimented with several styles and soon hope to become profitable. Thanks for your useful post. You are getting lots of comments which are also interesting. Good luck.

    7. It’s like I saw as a signature on another forum:

      “Test fail, fail fast, adjust fast.”

      You won’t get it right the first time. Accept that and start failing. The sooner you fail the sooner you can finally start to get things right.

    8. Hi Darren, what a fantastic opportunity for people not only to get started but to improve our existing blogs.

      I’ve had my blog for 20 months but still view myself as a relative newbie. The blog is getting there but i still have the newbie mindset so with that in mind i have signed up to your newsletter.

      I look forward to learning lots from you Darren,

      Regards, Barry

    9. As i am considering setting up another blog, i think rather than approach with a “know it all” attitude, i will start from the bottom up.
      thanks!

    10. I fall into #2. I’ve been blogging for about 2 years and find myself trying to reinvent the wheel all the time. Too bad I wouldn’t of read this first!!!!

    11. Everyone needs guidance which is best right from the start. This course is a mentor at the correct time with the precise help. Blooging brilliant from the ground up. What the doctor ordered!

    12. While I’ve had a blog for a while, I still consider myself a newbie and those tips will come in handy for sure.

      Thank for the article

    13. Great instructional post! Newbie bloggers will surely learn many things after reading this. kudos to you mate. Keep up and more power.

    14. I would say you need to give it at least one year before you really have a proper audience for your blog, and to allow it to mature.

      David.

    15. Hope one day I’ll make perfect blog ;) Thanks for tips.

    16. Great initiative Darren! Now newbies like me can finally stop searching for the secrets of successful bloggers

    17. Hey great post! It is certainly so much easier to start a blog off right rather than spending a lot of time later to fix any issues that may come up. I think the advice you provide here is sound and certainly will help any new blogger get started.

    18. Well I am your 2nd situation. I have started a blog but it went south quickly – but I know more now through my mistakes and learning from you. Thanks for the help.

    19. It’s obvious you have to start with killer content. I don’t know why some bloggers spend so much time blogging without having thought about the pillar posts that will draw people in.

      If you’re going to complain about traffic, you need to go learn how to write killer content or just shut up.

    20. You have a lot of good advice here. My only problem is that this site is extremely hard to read, which leads me to the question: Why do so many blogs use the most unreadable fonts possible. I’m talking about tiny sans serif fonts, Ariel being one of the worst and most unreadable. It’s almost as bad as putting everything in caps. I can barely get through a paragraph on most blogs before I start getting a headache. I know this has something to do with hosting sites. The ones I’m familiar have a very poor selection of fonts, and they abound with sans serif. I would really like to hear an explanation of why people think unreadable ie sans serif fonts are good for blogs. Thanks.

    A Practical Podcast… to Help You Build a Better Blog

    The ProBlogger Podcast

    A Practical Podcast…

    Close
    Open