Thinking of starting a new blog? Congratulations! The journey will be both struggling and rewarding. We have created this blog launch checklist to make sure you are off to a right start!
Blog Launch Checklist
Find Your Niche
Probe yourself. Why do you want to create a blog? What do you want to create a blog for? Find something that interests you and create a blog on that i.e. find your niche. If you begin a blog on something you do not have an interest in, you will get bored very quickly. You do not want that to happen.
Also Read: How To Select a Niche For Blogging?
Set Goals
Set some measurable goals for yourself with outcomes and deadlines such as having 10, 000 views in the first month of blogging. Work hard to achieve those goals. Make sure you set realistic goals.
Also Read: Why Is Goal Setting Crucial For Success
Keep Tabs On Competitors
Find out about the other blogs in your niche and keep yourself updated on their work. Try to notice their weak points and improve upon them. Try learning from them too.
Have A Strategy
Create a strategy for your blog. Know where you are headed. It is never a good idea to fight shots without an aim.
Also Read: Successful Content Marketing Strategies
Make Sure Your Brand Name Hasn’t Been Taken
Go on domain selling websites to see whether the name you have in our mind for your blog is available or not.
Buy A Domain Name
Buy a domain name and hosting package so that you own your blog and are in complete control of it. Free blogging platforms can be very limiting.
Also Read: Learn To Be A Pro At Social Media Marketing
Install WordPress
Install WordPress on your domain as your blogging software. Thie is where you will write blog posts, edit the design and template, and develop your website.
Choose A Strong Username And Password
Use a difficult username and a strong password that has many characters, capital letters, and numbers. Try to write down your password and username somewhere securely.
Set Up An Email Address
Create an email address using your domain name. You can use it to sign up for blog related services.
Choose A Nice Theme
Choose a theme that serves your purposes. You might have to buy a theme or you can look for free ones that suit your blog.
Also Read: Top Mistakes Bloggers are making veryday
Remove Unwanted Stuff
Get rid of the unwanted stuff from your theme such as the META login area in the sidebar. To do this, go to APPEARANCE > EDITOR > SIDEBAR. DO keep a backup to avoid accidental disruptions.
Typography
Make sure your font, font size, and spacing are at least 15px.
Also Read: Create a free blogs on Blogspot – Step by Step Guide
Choose A Creative Name & Tagline
Choose a captivating name and tagline for your website. It is a good idea to set the target keyword in the header.
Add A Security Plugin
It is important to add a security plugin such as Limit Login Attempts. Also, learn how it works.
Create a Sitemap
You need to make a sitemap with the plugin XML Sitemaps. This will let Google see how the blog is structured and updated.
Add A Social Sharing Plugin
A lot of traffic can come from social media platforms so include a social sharing plugin such as Mashshare so people can easily share your posts on their social media accounts.
Sign Up For Akismet
Sign up for an Akismet key to prevent spam comments from disturbing your blog.
Also Read: FAQ every New Blogger must have in their mind
Add A Notification Plugin
Add a plugin such as Subscribe to Comments so that commenters will receive notices their comments are replied to.
Yoast SEO Plugin
Add the Yoast SEO plugin. Do the basic set up and then learn more along the way.
AWeber
Register for a service like AWeber so that you can store your email subscribers’ addresses, analyze stats, etc.
Opt-In Forms
Make some opt-in forms for your blog using the AWeber form generator and add those forms to your blog’s code.
Free eBook
Write a free eBook that you give visitors who sign up for the newsletter. Make sure the eBook is of high quality and related to your niche.
Follow Up Email
Make an automatic Follow Up email which will welcome subscribers to your blog and deliver the eBook.
Landing Page
Create a landing page for promoting the free eBook and place it in strategic places such as the sidebar.
Permalink
Make sure your permalink shows the name of your post and not unnecessary details or numbers.
Title
Edit your title in the theme code to ensure the post name appears first and not some unexpected alternative.
About Page
Write an About Page which describes you and your reason for starting the blog. People love personal stories of the bloggers as they feel connected this way.
Contact Page
Make a contact page which has an email address and links to your social media accounts.
Logo
Try to get a logo designed by a professional freelance designer. If you can’t, it is ok.
Social Media
Link your social media accounts to your sidebar so that people know where they can follow you.
Pillar Post
Write a pillar blog post of around 2,500 words that tells people what the blog is about and what people can expect on your blog.
Also Read: Creating great content for your blog
Links
Add some relevant links to quality sites and resources to our blog posts to make your blogs more reliable.
Good Photos
Add some great photos to your blog post. You can go to websites such Dreamstime to get wonderful pictures!
Add Media
Add a lot of media to your blog post like videos, audios, graphics, pictures, infographics, resource lists, etc. as they increases the value of a post and make ranking better.
Categories and Tags
Create smart categories and tags. Categorize your posts and use 3-5 tags for each post.
Get An Analytic Package
Register for an analytics package such Clicky to track visitors and see which posts they read.
Webmaster Tools
Register for Webmaster Tools to get some interesting insights about how Google views your blog and how search performance can be improved.
Get Feedback
Ask someone for genuine feedback, preferably an experienced player in the field. Try to listen to their criticism and try to work on your shortcomings.
High Traffic Days
Publish your first blog post on a high traffic day such Monday or Wednesday to get maximum exposure.
How To Make Your Instagram More Engaging.
Blog Promotion
Promote your post by sending emails to people that you have mentioned in your pillar post and inform them that they were featured. You can also spend some money on Facebook for marketing. 
Also Read: Facebook Marketing Tools
If you are planning to start a blog, this blog launch checklist will surely help you. Good luck with the new blog and keep us updated on your trials and triumphs!
