Launching That Blog of Yours

This article is a part of the Blogging Guide.

You’ve got everything ready for the launch. The domain name has been purchased, the hosting is arranged for and WordPress is installed. You’ve even chosen the template that looked like it could do well with your content.

What might seem trivial to some is daunting for others. Beyond that default ‘Hello World’ post lays the abyss of the empty database and the nonexistent categories you would need to create.

I remember the thrill of tweaking my theme, installing plugins friends recommended and then the first few hours sitting in front of my desk, staring at the ‘blog’. This is when the realization hits you, if you haven’t stashed a few articles to go with the blog, now is the time to set everything aside and do some writing.

Introducing Yourself

The first thing you have to do after deleting the ‘Hello World’ post and the default comment, is to change the default About page.
The importance of the about page is high. Following the general feel and the atmosphere of your blog you’ve managed to create using the theme and your custom header, this is where people go when they are just before subscribing to your feed. Readers would like to know the person that is behind this blog.

The Important Parts of the About Page:

1. A short introduction of yourself and your subject matter, e.g.: my name is Alex, 28 years old, married, father to a baby girl. This blog is about Internet Marketing, blogging and making money online.
2. Why are you writing, and what can the reader expect to receive from this source of information, e.g.: I take great pleasure in creating useful information and educating the beginner blogger in the tricks of the trade. You will find how-to’s, opinions, and general information about who and what in the blogosphere on the theme of blogging, Internet Marketing and making money online.
3. Way to contact you. This could be an email address, a contact-me form (there’s a plugin for this) or a selection other ways of contact, i.e.: skype, messenger, subleupon, etc.

Your First Post

After changing the About page, you will not be able to escape writing the first post.

• The first post of your blog will have to provide roughly the same information as the About page. This will give you and your first readers a starting point.
• Make it something between 300 and 400 words, not too long, but not too short either to qualify for SEO purposes (250 words is the accepted minimum).
• Your first post will be have to assigned to your first category. If you choose it to be pure introduction, create a general category, that you will use for posts not directly related to your subject matter. I use “Otherwise Interesting”.

Congratulations, you have successfully launched you blog.

- Alex

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