Anyone can start a blog on one of those free blogging host like Blogger, Wordpress, TypePad, Xanga, etc. But, only a handful can be successful in this competitive area. Here are the steps I took to get from a viewer of one (myself) to a blog with an average of 2,000, that also provides a small income for doing something that is fun.

I try to be as basic and all-inclusive with this list, but with all list that’s just not possible. Think of this guide as a good start in getting a successful blog off the ground.

1. Pick and buy a domain name for your new blog. GoDaddy is a good choice at $8.95 a year.
2. Look for a decent host. Most people who are just getting started use bluehost or DreamHost. The other blogs I run uses Dotable’s reseller plan.
3. Install WordPress, the best blogging software out there. After using many different platforms, WordPress is by far the best.
4. Find a theme here for your new blog and not use the default one that’s included with WordPress. If your a decent designer, you might want to make your own theme.
5. Set the permalinks. In the Admin Screen -> Options -> Permalinks, set the Custom structure to: /%post_id%/%postname%. The %post_id% helps prevent problem accessing pages with the same naming format.
6. Measure your site traffic with Sitemeter.
7. In the next month or so write about 20 high quality posts. Than continue to write at least one every couple of days. Even better if you can write everyday.
8. Set up a Bloglines account and subscribe to the feeds of other bloggers so you know what others are currently talking about so you can interact with them by commenting.
9. After a few months of blogging, interacting with other blogger with comments, and getting some inbound links, its time to think about monetizing your blog with Google AdSense. Make sure you use the channels to track the clicks, which will help you test out different advertising configurations.
10. Remember never ever click on your own ads or have your friends click on it. You don’t want to be kicked out of something that will make you a lot of money in the long run if your patient. Slow and steady wins the race.
11. At your six month anniversary you should have some Google PageRank. At this time you can sign up for Text Link Ads and earn some money by selling links to your site. This gives you a steady income every month to pay for your hosting.
12. Have patient with your blogging. Don’t stop after a few month of not seeing any new visitors. Just keep writing and commenting and they will come.

These 12 steps should get you up and blogging and making money in no time.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 20th, 2006 at 1:39 am and is filed under Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.