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10 Blogging Steps To Do Before You Launch a Blog

Note: this post was original published as POST launch blog tips. But then it hit me that these are all things you should be doing before you launch a blog, ie in that sweet spot of time after you create a WordPress blog but before the world knows about it. Anyways, deep breath, get these PRE blog launch tasks done right away and expect some actual post launch tips coming soon!

Your blog goes live and…now what?

You have a blank slate of a blog with nothing on it, yet all the potential in the world!

Lately I’ve been helping so many people with the setup part of blogging that I’ve sort of forgotten the pre-launch period.

So right here we’ll cover 10 critical tasks for you and your newly created blog.Β Here are some steps to do after you setup WordPress, but before you launch a blog to the world!

10 Tasks for New Blogs

Quick note: These are actual flaws I see on your new blogs and truly are things that if you do straight away really will jumpstart your blog. They apply to blogs and sites in all niches!

1) Delete the pre-made features

WordPress comes with several initial “things” in place to show you what you can create. From the “First Post” to the Sample Page, Archives, Meta, and Recent Comments sections these all look rather pointless at first. So delete them.

You can fill the space with actual pages, archives, etc once you create a few blog posts. For now, simple is best and these pre-made features will only distract people.

2) Change your theme immediately

On WordPress it’s quite easy to change the entire theme (or look, or design, whatever you want to call it) of the blog. Just go to Appearance – Themes – Install Themes – Upload, then find your theme.

You can also search for free themes by criteria, or can browse premium themes (these are paid options) at a place like Theme-Junkie.

I’ve personally used a premium (costs money) theme Theme-Junkie for about a year now, and wrote a premium theme review tell you how my theme helped jack monthly revenue to the moon.

3) Create a working title before you launch a blog

Working is the key word here!

Either just title your blog, or upload an image banner containing your title. Please do this soon, readers will run for the hills if you don’t.

4) Write a welcome message (our favorite blogging step)

A welcome message, just in MY humble opinion, should be your very first post. It tells readers why you started and gives them an idea of what’s to come.

I think you should have a blast writing one.

5) Do your best to show signs of interaction

When I wrote about the popularity contest that is social proof, I mentioned how showing interaction on a blog leads to…more interaction.

Grab a Twitter dialogue box, a simple Google Plus badge, or ask a few friends or family members to be your first commenters. This will make a huge difference going forward.

6) Create an about me page

Also in the fun category, do this literally right away.

Say I’m a reader curious about what your blog, or website covers. I’ll either read the welcome post or this about me page to find out. If it’s missing, I’m gone.

Spend about an hour making this personable, and really, really good. I know a lot of you won’t even listen, but this page really is critical. It’s good for getting subscribers and customers too.

7) Research your niche before blog launch

A big part of our guide to planning your new blog was niche research.

If you didn’t research other blogs or websites like yours before beginning you should really get on that now. Knowing what’s out there will help you tailor your content to be original, and you might even meet some helpful blogging friends along the way.

8) Put on some comfy clothing

I really could have put this up at number 2 or 3 but I’m just thinking of it now. These jeans are not broken in!

launch a blog

9) Get a logo

You should have a logo that explains your purpose and includes a motif or two.

You should do some preliminary research on what logos are working on people nowadays (usually Google images is good enough) then ask one of your design-savvy friends to create a working logo. Or open up Photoshop and tackle it yourself!

I say working again because it doesn’t have to be perfect! Which brings me to my last point.

10) Ditch the perfectionism

Throw it right out the window of your apartment, because being a perfectionist will really hold you back in blogging.

You have to make mistakes to learn, we know this.

But in blogging, you have to actually put yourself out there, online, and get your hands dirty. You have to learn code, try out writing styles, totally botch the design, and generally be goofy.

post blog launch blogging tips
Watch out for our new eBookstore for full guides to make your pre and post blog launch a big success!

If you expect things to run perfectly your blog will go no wehere at all. And, the good part is nobody is judging!

The Usual Discussion

Now to the comments we go. Wonder who will be first…

  1. Do you agree first impressions on a blog are crucial?
  2. What’s the first thing you do after you make a blog? How about post-launch?
  3. Did you just start a blog and find this useful?

Post your thoughts today right below.

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28 Responses to "10 Blogging Steps To Do Before You Launch a Blog"

  1. Hi Greg,

    You have been an enormous help, and this entry, in particular, gave me the nudge I needed to get moving. One item that isn’t on your list that I am most curious about is how to summarize a post, so that a full length entry isn’t featured on my blog’s homepage.

    I tried the instructions listed on the following two forums to no avail…any input, Dear Blogger?
    http://wordpress.org/support/topic/how-to-show-a-post-summary-in-home-page
    http://wordpress.org/support/topic/how-do-i-show-a-summary-of-posts-on-the-home-page-and

    And I cannot explain why I am wary of this plugin, but I am.
    http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/summarize-posts/

    I need help!

    1. I never thought it’d happen, but a comment I can’t answer in one comment πŸ™

      Dear Blogger recommends the Theme-Junkie forum, because they helped me do exactly this, on my homepage. It’s some code copy pasting.

  2. Hello Greg Narayan,

    Seems like the important check list for every new blog. As ehsaan said, yeah i too believe in first impression is best impression so better to build an amazing blog with good design later comes the quality content and other thing.

    Thanks for the share.

    1. Great to see ya Jordan.

      Yeah, and oddly enough a good first impression usually comes from keeping it really simple, at first at least.

  3. I surely hope people do their niche research BEFORE they start their blog, Greg. lol

    Once they chose that niche, they do need to stick with it though. Writing posts on unrelated topics doesn’t do any good for anyone.

    1. Lol. Obvious to some, not to all.

      Exactly. But in the hunt for traffic that sort of writing happens. I love explaining to folks why they shouldn’t do the all-inclusive “my favorite things in life blog”, because no one else cares.

  4. Great post, Greg. Post and blog promotion are one of the most important parts of launching a new blog. It’s how you get eyes on your content, start to build traffic and a community. Thanks for sharing your story and insights with us. I’m glad to have found your piece on bizsugar.com. I hope to see more of your content there. πŸ™‚

    Ti

  5. 1. Wholeheartedly! This very reason kept me from launching the blog many a time, as I was not abiding by #10 at the time. In my own reading of blogs, a first impression either gets bookmarked or forgotten.
    2. I worked on my about me page and fiddle faddled around in Dashboard for what felt like an hour, but turned out to be four and half!
    3. I am less than a week from the start of my blog, and this post helped give me the nudge on items I had been putting off (alternate themes). Thanks for the push forward, Greg!

    1. Hey Laura!

      Love the list comment. I’m glad I’ve helped you DO. That’s definitely a major goal here (actionable advice, no fluff).

      Oh man, I’m guilty of dilly-dallying around on the blog too. Sometimes I have to force myself to not look at a post or page for days on end to actually create new stuff.

      What themes are you checking out?

      Enjoy that novelty feel on your blog! Being new is pretty special.

  6. Proverb ‘First impression is the lasting impression’ goes true with blogs as well. If I find no interest in blog; I’ll not be coming back to read the posts and to comment on them.

    Secondly, If I find some blog really interesting, I unknowingly click on ‘About’ page. I have read many about pages of different blogs. Some of them are really appreciable.

    Finally, I’d have to admit that this post by you, Greg, really helped me because I’m gonna start teaching ‘blogging’ to some of my friends and classmates in the upcoming weeks. Thanks, Greg.

    1. Whoa, great decision to start teaching Abdul. So much fun.

      And doesn’t it seem everyone is curious about blogging? Everyone wants their own little empire – it’s just great. My family members always bug me with questions πŸ™‚

      I know, I often remind myself how my readers all have busy schedules of their own. Really helps me figure out what to say, and mainly, what to delete. That whole mutual respect for one’s time thing is pretty big.

      Glad you enjoyed this one!

  7. Hello. You can call me a newbie in this blogging field and as you can see, I’ve just started on my new venture. Sort of as a hobby as I don’t have any specific objective at the moment. Hope to learn a new thing or two. After reading the entry here, I can see there are still a lot of things which I’ve missed out. Obviously still a long way to go.

    1. Hey again Samantha.

      Hope this didn’t overwhelm you.

      I think just based on this comment you and your blog are in for good things – starting casually is SO good for learning blogging (it’s how I began) because you don’t feel pressured and can truly learn all the amazing things within blogging.

      So maybe not “long way to go” but “great journey ahead” πŸ™‚

  8. Hi Greg I love your blog I will visit it always. You made it! You made it BIG time congratz! πŸ™‚
    I started blog out architecture! πŸ™‚
    http://architecture-hall.blogspot.com
    I use blogger.com
    I put nice template, modified it a little.
    Do you like it? πŸ˜€
    I am ushure that I am providing good service because my traffic sucks πŸ™ πŸ™
    πŸ™

    1. “Sweet Wood House in Nature!” Nice! I do like it, very simple and lots to look at. Kept me intrigued!

      I dunno about BIG time πŸ˜‰ but I love what I do here.

      Really glad to have you as a reader now!

        1. Well you made it BIG time comparing to a lot of bloggers πŸ˜‰
          I would love to have people follow me and talking to me asking for advice and asking me to share the knowlege πŸ™‚
          I belive if we do not give up we can all do it πŸ™‚

          Eat some boiled eggs if you like those πŸ™‚
          I had two for dinner.

  9. If I’d launch a new blog any day, the first thing that I would put on it is a about me page. I believe when a user finds a useful and interesting website, he first looks for about me page only and tries to gather more information about the author.

    The last point is absolutely true. No one is born perfectionist. Mistakes are a part of life and who cares about anyone. After all no one is judging us here.

  10. Relieved to read #10. Perfectionism is why I have yet to launch my personal blog! Thanks for the list.

  11. I agree with Ehsan. First impression is last impression. So make sure you impress everyone who visit your blog for the first time by your blog’s theme, content and your story.
    Good one, Greg . And i loved the last point. No one is perfect, so better not try to be.

  12. Always love to be the first one to comment on your posts, Greg.

    First impression is definitely the last impression. The first thing I’d suggest to someone who just launched a blog is to write your first post with a welcome message telling why you started and how you can help people.

    Finding a good theme, designing it, installing necessary plugins and setting up WordPress are all part of the process.

    1. #first πŸ™‚

      Yeah I’d basically follow your blog starting advice to the end of the world Ehsan – it’s that good.

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