05: How to Start a Blog from Scratch In 1 Week

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Sup Savvy nation?!

Today, I want to talk about starting a blog from scratch.

Let’s set the stage…

You're struggling to start your blog.

You're probably thinking:

• How do I get this on my site?

• I don’t have a site...

• How should I design the blog page?

• What categories do I need?

• Where should I link to it from?

Those plus 100 other things on your mind.

Well, let's simplify it with...

The "Blog Startup Guide".

1. Get a website host.

2. Choose a CMS, like Wordpress.

3. Make a Blog page.

4. Create categories.

5. Link to it.

6. Publish a 1st post.

No technical issues.

No hemming and hawing.

No hiccups.

Just a blog ready to go within hours.

Here's exactly how to do it:

Step 1: Get a Website Host

Wordpress.com is free.

I use Cloudways.com for hosting and Namecheap.com for buying a domain.

$0 to $20/mo for Cloudways and $10/year for a domain.

Step 2: Choose a CMS, like Wordpress

Wordpress is my go-to for blogs.

With hosting in place, add Wordpress.

Use Shopify for eCommerce.

Webflow also recommended, if you don’t like Wordpress.

Step 3: Make a Blog page

Add a New page within your CMS.

Call it “{Compay Name} Blog”.

Add a simple design where you can display your articles.

Set it up so that all blog articles published will be automatically displayed on this Blog page.

Here’s an example from one of my blogs: https://ecombalance.com/blog.

In most CMS’s, there will be an Element you can put in and configure to pull in and display all Blogs.

If you’re using a designer like Elementor Pro, create a template as well for the Blog Posts so when you publish the content, it automatically has a good design.

Again, here’s an example to see: https://connorgillivan.com/seo/

Step 4: Create categories

Add relevant Categories that you can tag blogs with.

Make them specific to what you'll be writing about.

You can always add more, but start with the core Hubs.

Step 5: Link to it

Link to the Blog page from your header and footer.

Add a featured section to Home page displaying blog articles.

Link from other pages on your site to the Blog.

This will help build authority to the Blog page.

And help people that visit your site make it to the Blog.

Step 6: Publish a 1st post

Write a Welcome blog post.

Explain why you started the blog.

Talk about your goals with the blog.

If your blog is for a business product or service, talk about that as well.

Aim for 1,000+ words for the first article.

In Summary

Don’t make it harder than it actually is.

Follow this Blog Startup Guide & have a blog rocking w/in hours.

Starting a Blog on your site is the 1st step for SEO content creation.

From there, you can develop a content plan and get to work writing.

Action Steps

1. Have a Blog already? Make improvements to it based on what I said.

2. Don’t have Blog yet? Follow this guide, get it set up, & publish that 1st post!

See ya next week,

Connor

P.S. Need help doing this? Hire me to help get your Blog off the ground!

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