“These days, you have the option of staying home, blogging in your underwear, and not having your words mangled. I think I like the direction things are headed.”
– Marc Andreessen
A Beginner’s Guide to Blogging
Today I’m writing for all of you newbies out there. Recently, I’ve noticed more and more brand new bloggers have been following me here on Blog of the Wolf Boy, and I’m the type of guy that loves to assist and teach. To give advice to each person individually would take up a lot of time. So, I have decided to create a post that covers the basics for any person that’s new to blogging with the hopes of encouraging them to become more successful with their new hobby.
Content

The most important thing which is going to define your blog is it’s content. Everything else will be built up around your content. If you can produce great content, then you have a promising foundation for the future of your blog. Now, every blog is different and everyone’s content is going to be different as well. Content is also bound to improve with experience so don’t be too hard on yourself if it isn’t perfect.
Some bloggers would tell you that you need to find a niche to thrive in, but that’s more of a half-truth. You don’t need a niche. I have no niche. My blog is a cluster of poetry, short stories, rants, interviews, health tips, mental health etc. No niche could define me, but I suppose if I had to choose which niche I leaned upon most in the beginning, it would have been mental health bloggers, because I’d felt they were easiest to relate to.
When you’re first trying to establish roots in the blogging world, it’s not a bad thing to pick one or two niche’s to focus on at first. This can help make your blog more appealing to others of the same niche, but as you grow, don’t be afraid to expand your blog’s content and bring other personal interests into your blog.
Do you know what makes for the best content? Passion! So follow your heart, wherever it takes you and try not to overthink it too much. Your blog is a metaphor for your heart and soul. It’s who you are.
Be sure to write in your own voice. Develop that. Write as you would speak in your daily life. Be as authentic to who you are as you can truly be. People read blogs for content, but people also read blogs because they want to feel for the author behind the content. So, show others what makes you unique. Who are you?
Formatting
Great formatting is going to help your blog catch a reader’s attention exponentially. I can’t tell you how many blog’s I’ve been turned off by, because the content is just one big blob of words with no end in sight. I usually graze through these sort of blog posts rather than giving them the sort of time and attention which they may deserve.
Now that’s not me being a prude, but I have a short attention span and nothing really grabs my attention in that sort of post. So, I get bored, and when I get bored, I scan through quickly so I can get the hell out of there. I’m not the only one who does this, it’s a common thing to scan posts.
In order to make your message more appealing to your readers, it’s important to break your writing up into proper small to medium-sized paragraphs. Add headers whenever possible. Use bold and italics to draw the eye to important details, and use pictures in nearly every post. All of these things put together, make a world of difference in highlighting your content!
Photographs
Okay, so you have your content now. You’ve broken your content down into nice little bite-sized paragraphs and it’s properly formatted. Now what? You need photographs!
But, you can’t just grab any old photographs from off the internet or you’ll likely be breaking copyright laws, and that sort of drama is not something that you need in your life.
So, where do we secure our copyright-free photos from then?
Well, my favorite website to use for pictures is Unsplash, but there are other great websites out there too offering similar services. Pexels is another great one, and Pixabay.
You do not need to give credit to the photographers when using their images off of these websites, but it is always appreciated when you do. If you intend to use photographs from anywhere else on the web, use caution and give as much credit as possible to the photographer/website and link back to where you took to the page that you took it from.
Community Involvement
Community building is an incredibly important part of blogging, if you want your work to be viewed, read and recognized. The blogging community is a very friendly community but if you don’t take a little time throughout your week to read others work, give feedback and make a few friends, then there’s not really any motivation for others to be drawn into your world.
I know that it’s scary to reach out to bloggers who are more experienced then you, and you may not be sure of what to say, but you know what – most people are just happy that you’ve taken the time to visit and to give feedback!
Work to build a network and a community. Interactive posts usually do quite well. Give others a chance to air their opinions. Perhaps end your posts with a question to get others talking. This builds rapport with your readers.
Be careful not to drop links back to your blog. That’s an insincere and self-centered move, unless it somehow relates to the article. Aim to make friends genuinely and things usually just fall into place on their own. Awards may seem like a silly concept since they’re less of an award and more of a social networking tool, but it doesn’t matter. They’re a great way for you to connect with others, show your appreciation of another’s work and to make more friends. Whether you like these awards or not, the wordpress community likes these awards! So participate from time to time if you get an opportunity. They can help to familiarize your blog with new readers.
Social Media
Social media can be a helpful tool for promoting your blog outside of wordpress. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are useful tools for promotional purposes, and to get friends/family involved in your creations. These networks are not necessary in order to host a quality blog, but they certainly help to get the word out.
I’ve personally hosted a blog page on Facebook, but I’ve ceased using Facebook for personal reasons and I’m now an Instagram networker. Whatever works best for you, just get the word out there if you can.
Aesthetics
What people see when they first arrive to your home page is going to affect their judgement of your content. If you can make your blog look beautiful and easy to navigate, that’s going to go a long ways towards setting your blog apart from others.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different wordpress themes, see what works best with your content and style.
Visit your blog from time to time and imagine it’s your first visit. What frustrates you or is difficult to intuitively locate? How would a new person feel if they were to visit? How can you make things easier for them?
Add categories to your menu. If you write poems, create a section for poems. If you write stories, create a section for stories. Etc. Organize your content, and make it all look pretty. Home page’s are not necessary, but they can be nice on some blogs. I personally prefer to jump straight into the blog roll, it saves the reader’s time by not having to locate it themselves.
Bonus: Website identity and header are important ways to quickly tell new viewers what your blog is all about. So think about branding your blog and dropping a few keywords which describe what you’re all about. People want to know, and they don’t want to have to search for the answers! Hit them with it upfront.
Keep A Schedule And Stick To It
So, this one evaded me for the longest time during my blogging journey and holy cow, does this tip make a heck of a difference on your stress levels. First of all, set yourself a goal for how many times you aim to create a blog post every week. Some people like to write daily, some like to write a few times per week and others write only once per week!
You may be surprised, but there are upsides and downsides to both more and less frequency. On the plus side of frequent blogging, when you blog a lot, you reach more readers more often. On the downside, it’s harder to make sure all of your content is of considerable quality when there’s so much pressure to create.
Less frequent posts mean less traffic on a daily basis, but better quality content if you are dedicated and that is sometimes far better than daily posting just for the sake of posting! Figure out what works best for you and your schedule. Then make a routine for yourself. Make your blog posts go up on a routine schedule, if you can. Same time of day and days. This gives your readers an expectation of when they can find new posts on your blog.
Bonus: As your blog grows, consider writing posts ahead of time and scheduling them so that you can build a safety net of posts for the future. That takes some of the stress out of writing and it has made a huge difference in my own stress levels when it’s come to writing for my blog! Don’t underestimate the importance of this, especially when life becomes chaotic.
Live Like A Writer
Guess what? You run a blog now, which means you’re kind of a writer. Perhaps an amateur writer, but a writer none the less! That’s exciting. So, in order to help you come up with ideas to write about, it’s a good idea to start living like a writer in some small ways at least.
My suggestion would be to at least buy a small notebook to bring around with you on your day to day commute, wherever you go, whatever you do, and just jot down post ideas while you’re busy. In that way you’ll never think of and forget a wonderful post idea. It also keeps you in the mindset of being creative and thinking like a writer! Observe others, reflect upon your own life, think about those things that bother or disturb you, get personal from time to time, and share what you learn in your daily life.
Advertisements
There are a lot of blogs out there that have advertisements, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing, but wordpress can be overbearing with it’s ads. If you’ve upgraded and have the ability to disable advertisements, I would recommend it. Nothing ruins content more quickly then having an ad right in the middle of your post. Ugh…
That’s absolutely cringe-worthy. A few ads on the side bar or below your post is a matter of preference, but before you think about trying to make money with ads, you need to focus on creating great content, a great blog and having readers come back for more! So no ugly advertisements in the middle of your posts!
Tags and Categories
Use tags for every single post. At least 4 or 5, this will help your blog post to be picked up by the wordpress search engine. I’ve heard somewhere that having more than 8 tags means your tags will hold less relevance, but I’m still not sure if this is true or not. Just make sure that you have a few tags in there for every post. Categorize your posts if possible, especially if you blog on a number of different topics and always select a featured photo. Again, photos are very important.
The Most Popular Posts Are Helpful Or Insightful
The type of posts that other bloggers react to most positively are usually the posts which are helpful and useful to them. I’d once heard someone refer to this as the “What’s In It For Me?” of blogging. Readers are most drawn to those posts that have something of value to offer. So try to come up with content from time to time that will be useful to others. Dash this with some deeply authentic and personal posts, which show who you are as a person and you’ve just created a recipe for a great blog.
I Believe This Is It! Good Luck To You!
Welcome to blogging and I hope you stick around for a while. Every new blogger needs a bit of help and support in getting started, so don’t be afraid to reach out to others with your questions or concerns. Most of the community is lovely and here to help. Nothing is more humbling then being looked up to by someone new.
Oh yeah – and have fun! If it’s not fun for you, then it’s not really worth doing.
This is a collection of everything that I wish I had known when I first started blogging, and in this way, I hope that it will pave an easier road ahead for you!
Good luck and best wishes from the Wolf Boy 😉
Great information!Authentically written, your personality shines. Thanks love xoxo
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you ❤
I’ve just realized that you’ve been going to my spam box. Multiple comments. You might want to check with Akismet about that. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Son of a……ok thanks for letting me know!
Question, can you expand further on separating posts into categories, i.e. love, lust, mental health. I’ve been trying to tackle that task but have failed to do so, I get overwhelmed lol too many, not enough? Is there any input you can provide for the dummy in me Haha
xoxo
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’ve had to contact Akismet twice already, it happens. They’re usually pretty quick to fix the problem.
Categories – I would say, you don’t need to really break your posts down into categories on love or despair or anything like that, but maybe “Poems” “Blog posts” “Videos” (If you’re still doing those). Things like that. Just to make it easier for your readers to find what they enjoy most, quickly. Does that help?
LikeLike
Yes sir, thank you so much Matt!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent advice well worth revisiting, Mat! 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks Tom. Anything to add?
LikeLike
Yes. Nothing.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well written, Mat! I’m saving this one to keep on hand for future referencing. 😊
LikeLiked by 4 people
😁 Cheers 😉
LikeLike
Yes! Cheers, indeed! Thank you for visiting my blog. It’s a work in progress; undergoing change in the works.
And it’s been a ton of fun!
I’m glad I found you from Lillian’s poetry blog. She was right what she wrote about you. 😊 Do you hope to teach English? I wish you well in your endeavors.
And you are always welcome to visit and add to—my blog 🎶
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well, Yeka was talking to me about you and she had only very good things to say. She was telling me to pay more attention to you and that you have an interesting story.
If you ever want to chat a bit via email, hit me up on my contact page. I’d be interested in learning more. Where are you from?
And yes – I want to write or teach or maybe both.
LikeLike
Thank you for the interest. Wow. I’m truly touched by all the kindness here on WP. May it continue…
I’m the girl from nowhere…but that’s another poem in the works. 🙂
…my family came from all over Europe here to America and Canada. Yay Canada who without there would have been no hockey in America!
Ask me anything—if I don’t know; I
Don’t know…you know? I’m happy to chat right here though—or you can also ask me on my site as well. Aw. Thanks Yeka. It’s ALL LOVE!
What about you?
You bring up some very interesting points here. And yes, most importantly—have fun with it! Remember why it is you are doing this in the first place?
I’m still up in the air with awards…they do serve a purpose. Good/bad/indifferent who can say? I have them saved for days when I need a pick up or run out of creativity…so I’ve really enjoyed them too! The first time I got one I had no idea what it was.
And I was like what is this? It felt a bit like being back in high school. It also felt like too much of a distraction—I wasn’t finished writing my story yet. I deserved no awards…so I thanked the persons…
Oh goodness now I’m rambling!
Have a great day, Mat look forward to your next post! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for the massive response… Hahah…
Well, I will try to learn more about you through your blog then.
You seem to have the community aspect of blogging down pat that’s always been more of a struggle for me to be honest.
I will be sure to add “Have fun” to this post 😉 Thank you.
I’m up in the air with awards too, sometimes they’re great and sometimes they’re a nuisance or a ploy to get links back to a particular blogger, which is annoying…
I’ve even found one that seems a little bit like a rip off of my Behind the Author series 😛
Keep on writing your story, and best wishes with your blogging journey 🙂
LikeLike
We will keep learning together then :). Thank you and all the best to you as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great tips! I think it’s so important that posts like this are being published regularly within the blogging community so new bloggers can get up to speed.
WordPress says the limit for tags is 15.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I wish I could find the article that told me more than 8 tags makes them less relevant though. No idea of that’s BS or not
LikeLiked by 1 person
Huh. Yeah, that’s not something I’ve heard before.
LikeLike
I will edit my post then. Thank you! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent tips! Bookmarked it.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Wahoo 😉🥳
LikeLike
🙂 Mathew, I am impressed.
I will resign from blogging and pass on my viewing audience to you (I know that they will be in good hands).
Have a great day, my friend!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Lmao. That was the best praise a guy could ask for 😂. No one could replace you though Renard. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
All really great info and very well written 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you, thank you 😁 Anything to add?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, but maybe I would just expand on if you want to take blogging seriously it is really important to blog consistently. Like you said setting a schedule whether it is once a day, once a week, is really important. When I first started blogging I was not consistent at all and it wasn’t until I took it more seriously that I started to get more of a following and got more out of interacting with other bloggers. Consistency is definitely key. I haven’t blogged all weekend and I already feel out of the loop! 😅
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good advice. Do you ever schedule posts ahead of time? I have about 12 days worth of posts built up and it really takes the pressure off of missing a day or two, but I know I’ve had more free time than most people.
LikeLike
I have not yet taken advantage of that feature. Right now I am really hard pressed for time to write so I have a hard time writing ‘extra’ posts to schedule in the future. It’s a great idea though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Understandable!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a habit of telling people this, but I really do enjoy your blog, and from what I know of you, you seem like a real cool guy. I just wanted to tell you that I read as much as I can of your pieces, even if I fail to comment sometimes…
LikeLiked by 3 people
Well, Watt, I think that’s because you’re a nice guy? Hahah…
There’s nothing wrong with being lavish in your praise. I, too, try to be supportive of the community and hey, it seems to be working for you. You have a strong following and people respect your writing as well. So thank you so much, and I also try to keep up on your blog, even if I don’t always know what to say either. ;P
Cheers, my friend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great info. I’ve printed your post, because I’m old school and like hard copy of important stuff.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hahah… Hard copies never hurt, that’s for sure! Thanks a bunch.
LikeLike
great advice. I wish I knew the value of tags when I first started, they are quite helpful!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I wish I knew that talking to other bloggers was important hahah….
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m leaerning that lesson as well, but it took me over four years!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahah… xD
LikeLike
Thank you. This post is very helpful for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nice tips for bloggers.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is great Mathew, thank you for sharing🎶
I always leave my pencil behind my ear …. and my author book or use phone to write words and phrases that come to life…
Always words dancing in my mind wherever I am…
❤️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah I use my phone sometimes too to keep notes. Thank you Orki 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
One of the best beginner tutorials I have ever read. Concise and to the point. Even for the experienced blogger it is a reminder of best practices. Great post!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks a bunch Brad. Tried to simplify it as much as possible and skip over a lot of the BS that people don’t need to worry about as new bloggers… SEO and such… To be honest, I still barely understand SEO 😂
Appreciate your feedback
LikeLike
Thank you so much for such a helpful and enjoyable to read post! I’ve just started my own blog and I’m still very much a novice when it comes to blogging. You’ve given me some great ideas!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s what this post was all about! 😁 I’m glad its helped you. Woohoo. Go get ’em
LikeLike
Brilliant advice! Do you know the recommended number of tags to use for each blog post? I’ve been slowly going through each post and trying to sort out the tags. TIA 🙂💚
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ve heard it was under 8 tags, but I can’t recall where I received this information or if it’s true. I generally do about 6-8 per post.
Thank you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I will take that on board 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great tips for a blogger like me!
I will be reading this more than once.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks a bunch. I’m glad that its useful to more than just the newbies. 😊
What makes a blogger “like you” anyways? 😝
LikeLike
I started blogging when in treatment it was suggested that we start journalling.
I am just now catching on of how to do some things. Like tags, format, etc.,
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad to have you aboard
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry I had you mixed up with someone else with a similar logo. I’m glad its helped 😁
LikeLike
Thank you for the little dash of experience. It really shines a light for the road ahead.:)
LikeLiked by 2 people
My pleasure!
LikeLike
I just started on WP after a long while Mathew. I mainly post random stuff.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Welcome back 😊
LikeLike
I put a link to your guide in my links. It was very informative.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a bunch. Glad you found it helpful.
LikeLike
Always nice to be reminded of what’s important when blogging. I may take your advice here and there and work on the aesthetics and lay-out of mine. Maybe a new theme… Unfortunately, I need the expert advice of my son to feel really comfortable with messing with such things… Too be young again and have grown up with technology!!!
Lieve
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh yeah, for sure! I started messing around with computers when I was like 12 years old, and I still get lost in technology when trying something new. *cough* Instagram *cough* I’m sure by the time my daughter is in her 20’s she will be able to do circles around me online. Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Have fun with your layout. That’s most important.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you it was really helpful!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good! I’m glad. Thank you for dropping a comment.
LikeLike
This is probably the best one yet. Gave me a few things that haven’t been mentioned before
LikeLiked by 2 people
Like what exactly? Just out of curiosity, and thank you very much. I’m glad it was helpful 😊🙏🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
It more what you said within each point for example: Not needing to have a niche, using bold and italics to draw attention, and Aesthetics
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks a bunch for your feedback. Best of luck with your blog 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome and thank you 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I found this post very helpful! Thank you!
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re very welcome! Thanks for the comment 😊🙏🏻
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks again
LikeLike
GREAT BLOG MATHEW, WITHOUT THE BASIC FOUNDATION ONE HAS NOTHING TO BUILD FROM, CHINA
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on LIVING THE DREAM.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Any tips on formatting and blog site design for those of us who are not as tech savvy?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Are you using wordpress for your website and the wordpress themes?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am, yes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Then I’m not sure what you mean by design? The themes pretty much take care of themselves. If you’re unhappy with the look of your blog I recommend testing out some alternative themes until you find one that fits you just write and play around with it in your customizer.
LikeLike
Thanks for the help! Will do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had a business reach out about me sharing/writing some sponsored posts for them. I am so excited to, but they also asked about my “advertising options and rates”? Is that just referring to the amount I expect in return for my post, or does she mean that I can put a ad for them directly to my site? Thank you for being patient with what may be a silly question!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heya Stephanie, congratulations on being solicited for a sponsored post. I’ve never had the pleasure. Nice blog by the way, I checked you out. 🙂
I don’t really have experience to draw from with this particular question, so I would suggest asking for clarification from your sponsor. I hope your blogging journey continues to be successful 🙂
LikeLike