If you have decided to start blogging, you may be wondering – where do you start? Here is how to start blogging in four steps.

1. Research blogs – Visit sites like Technorati and Google Blogsearch for blogs related to your industry. Who writes the most popular blogs? Consider subscribing to several of them either through email or their RSS feed. RSS feeds allow you to subscribe anonymously and to read several blogs in one place – an RSS reader like Google Reader.

2. Start commenting – Once you feel comfortable reading blogs regularly, start leaving comments. The general rule of thumb for commenting is to always try to increase the blog post’s value in some way. For instance, you can share an example, ask a question, disagree, or add a point that may be missed. By commenting, you can start engaging with the community and getting noticed by other bloggers without having to produce lengthy blog posts.
3. Start blogging – When you are ready to join the blogophere, it’s time to find the right blogging platform (I recommend WordPress), buying a domain name, and creating your first post. Commit to blogging regularly – at least once per week; ideally daily for maximum impact.
4. Track your results – Decide what metrics matter to your business: number of blog visitors, subscribers, leads or sales. How will you measure and track each of these numbers? For instance, you can check out who is visiting your website by installing Google Analytics and who subscribes to your blog with Feedburner.

If you want to learn how to start blogging, these four simple steps will have you setting up your own blog and posting content.

1. Know your target audience. Who are your readers? What problems, concerns, and frustrations do they have? These are great ideas for topics to write about. Find information that would be interesting to your readers and deliver it in an engaging way.
2. Write regularly. Be consistent with updates and stick to a schedule so readers know when you will publish content. You will find it difficult to attract regular subscribers if you only update your blog once or twice a month. Try to post weekly – every day is best.
3. Keep it relevant. No one wants to waste time reading boring blog posts, so try to give your story a new angle. Can you turn your idea into a “how to” article or “X tips” list? Everyone wants practical tips and advice they can start using now. Can you interview a well-known thought leader in your industry? Write a review?
4. Proofread. It’s difficult to proofread your own writing, so once you finish an article, walk away for a few minutes. When you come back, read it aloud. Yes, over the long-term, you will probably miss an error or two, but try to keep your blog as error-free as possible.
5. Spread the link love. Link to other articles, blogs and websites whenever you can. This helps you build credibility and start conversation with others in the blogosphere. The biggest problem with linking is broken links, so if you use WordPress, I recommend installing the Broken Link plugin to monitor any broken links your site may accumulate.
6. SEO-optimize your content. No one will read your content if they don’t find it first, so boost your chances of being found in Google by using keywords in your article. Before you publish any post, visit Google’s Adwords Keywords Tool and use a popular key phrase in your title.
7. Spend time crafting your title. Your title is the ad for your blog post, so it’s job is to peak your readers’ curiosity and get them to want to read more.

By following these seven steps, you can create a blog that will attract readers and keep them coming back.

1. Set up a blog. There are more choices than ever to set up a free blog. The most common options are to use hosted platforms like WordPress or Blogger, both of which you can set up in less than five minutes. WordPress actually has two options: a hosted service at WordPress.com and software you can install on your web host at WordPress.org if you prefer complete control over your blog. If you aren’t tech-savvy and don’t want to set up a blog and web host yourself, stick with the hosted platform for now.
2. Buy a domain name. If you have $10 to spare, I highly recommend you purchase a domain name for your blog rather than using the standard URLs: http://yourblogname.wordpress.com or http://yourblogname.blogspot.com. Domain names let you take your site with you, so to speak, if you ever switch web hosting companies or blogging platforms. A domain name is simply http://www.yourblogname.com. There’s no “wordpress” or “blogspot” in the URL. If this is just a trial run, having your own domain name isn’t as important, but if you want to use this as your business blog, it is worth the investment. Both WordPress and Blogger allow you to buy domain names through them during the sign up process.
3. Learn the vocabulary. Like with any specialized activity, blogging has its own terms you should be familiar with.
   • Permalink – A shorthand term for “permanent link,” or the URL of your individual blog post.
   • Trackback – If you reference someone else’s blog, your blog will notify them with a brief message that links back to your post.
   • Ping – Your blogging software may notify other sites by sending them a short message that you have updated your blog.
   • RSS feed – This is a special way that blogging software may format your content so it can be read in different internet browsers and RSS readers.
4. Create your first post. Decide what type of content you want to publish and start writing. If you are writing a business blog, you want to make sure your content is interesting, engaging or entertaining to your readers. What do they want to know about? Write in a conversational format and add personal touches throughout your content. Can you add a joke, anecdote or story to better communicate your message?
5. Discover your writer’s voice. The more you write, the better you will become, so don’t worry if your initial posts aren’t perfect. You don’t have to be Shakespeare to blog. Over time, you will discover your own style and writing will come easier to you.

It’s easy to set up your own blog, so don’t let that hold you back from getting started with blogging. If you don’t yet have a blogging account, take a few minutes right now to open one.

Many people will have you believe that a blog is different from a website. However, that’s not really true. A much more accurate statement is:

All blogs are websites, but not all websites are blogs.

The Difference Between Websites and Blogs

Blogs are websites that allow you to publish your content quickly and easily, without having to know HTML or other programming languages. Many blogs list the most recent content first, so posts are listed in reverse chronological order. They also give you the ability to allow people to comment on your posts, to notify you if they write about your post (trackbacks), to let blog aggregators know when you’ve updated your blog (pinging), and to allow people to read your newest posts from their blog reader (syndication) – see the my list of blogging terminology (www.bloggingcoach.com/5-terms-blogger/) for definitions.

Of course, not all blogs offer these features, and many websites that don’t consider themselves “blogs” (such as newspapers and journalists), offer similar features, so the boundaries can be murky.

To me, the difference between a blog and a website is semantics. I use my website to sell my products and services. I use my blog to educate people about my products and services, but I generally don’t focus on the “hard sell” the way my website does.

Blogs are great for maintaining communication with readers, building community, and networking with peers. Websites are great for selling things and making a profit – the two go hand-in-hand in my book. Not everyone will subscribe to those particular differences, but in general, that’s what I tend to see most often.

Blogs Are Flexible

In addition, when you create a website, you usually have a good sense for what types of content you need to include to sell your products and services. You need information about each type of service you offer, details about the products people can buy, your company and contact information, and so on.

With blogs, you can pretty much write about any topic you like for the day and can focus your blog around a variety of topics. One day, you might be focused on current events while the next, you might answer a reader-submitted question. Your focus can change considerably from day-to-day.

Blogs Are Monetized Differently

With your website, you usually have a sales page that is designed to convince your readers to buy your products or call you for a free consultation or whatever else you want prospects to do. You have a handful of “money pages” – those pages that are designed to make you money by converting well – and other pages that direct people to your money pages.

With blogs, you usually don’t go for the hard sell, like you do with your website. If every blog post you wrote tried to convince someone to buy something, many people wouldn’t stick around and keep reading your blog. People love to buy but they hate to be sold, so if they feel you are pressuring them to make a purchase, they will often move on.

That doesn’t mean you can’t use your blog to drive traffic to your sales pages. You can easily include a link to your related product or service somewhere within your blog post and direct people to your sales page – but your blog post, itself, shouldn’t be a high pressure sales pitch.

If you don’t have any products of your own to promote, you can start reviewing other people’s products and using affiliate links to make money each time someone buys a product based on your recommendation. The best product reviews offer your opinion of the pros and cons of the product – people want to know how this product specifically helped you and why you are recommending it.

As you can see, there are a few subtle differences between blogs and websites. As a generalization, blogs are great for demonstrating your expertise, networking with industry experts, and building customer loyalty through interactive communication while websites are great for actually selling your products and services and promoting your company information.

1. Link Related Posts - Often, when blog posts get pushed off the front page, they lose their popularity and languish in your blog archives. Unfortunately, most of your readers won’t take the time to read through all your old posts, so it’s up to you to promote them. A great way to do this is to link to old content whenever you post new content. This can help to prolong the life of older posts, and keeps you from having to write the same content over and over. If you use WordPress as your blogging platform, you can install the Related Posts plugin and WordPress will automatically link to posts of interest.
2. Rewrite or Edit Old Content – If you have blog posts that aren’t ranking well in Google, try updating and optimizing them with fresh keywords. Sometimes, all it takes is a new title to improve your blog post’s ranking. Alternatively, if you have older posts that do rank well, you can use them to link to newer posts that may be related.
3. Write a Series – If you want to blog in depth about a particular topic, consider writing a series of several articles. You can keep these as short as two or three or make them longer such as a 30 day challenge. Make sure to link to previous posts so that new readers can quickly get up-to-speed on what you are currently discussing.
4. Feature Your Best Posts – Create a list of your best posts and link to them either in your blog’s sidebar or on a “Featured Articles” page on your website. Here, you can link to 5-10 of your pillar articles that either you are most proud of or that have gotten the most traffic or comments.

Creating a profitable blog that has an active community base takes patience and persistence, but by linking to previous posts and engaging new readers, you can dramatically increase the number of visitors who become regulars.

Leave Comments

Leaving quality comments that add to the community discussion on the top blogs within your niche area is one of the quickest ways to generate traffic to your blog. Use Google Blog Search or Technorati to find blogs within your niche area, then subscribe to their blogs. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with how these bloggers write and who generally participates in the blog discussion, join in.

Just a quick note here: don’t spam! And by spam, I mean comments like “I agree with your post. Check out my blog.” Find ways to actually contribute and add value to the discussion. Keep it short – if you prefer to write a lengthier response, you can do so on your blog.

Build Relationships

If you want to build a high traffic blog, seek out the influencers in your niche and build relationships with them. Participating in their blog or forum discussion is the first step. You can also write about their content on your blog and reach out to them by sending them a personal email introduction.

Bloggers prefer personal interaction, so don’t send a generic email that sounds like it could go out to 10,000 others. Rather, talk about the subjects they write about, reference a particular post you liked, or ask about something they might be interested in. Whatever you do, don’t give them a hard sell pitch.

Guest Posting

Many bloggers are in constant need of new content and welcome guest posts from other bloggers. One of the benefits of being a regular commenter on a high traffic blog is that you can network with other bloggers and set up mutually beneficial marketing agreements.

The general rule of thumb is to go where your target audience already is – and interact with them there. As you build rapport and trust, they will eventually follow you to your blog to continue the conversation.

Choose a Niche You Are Passionate About

I recently wrote about being passionate about your blog topic – I really can’t stress this enough. If you start out blogging on a topic you have zero interest in, blogging will soon become a lackluster chore that you quickly tire of. You need that initial enthusiasm to get you through those first days, weeks, or months that your blog struggles to gain traction and readers.

How you feel about your topic will show through in how you write, so if you find your topic boring, chances are, your blog posts will sound boring to readers.

Write Regularly to Build Momentum

Once you’ve chosen a niche area, it’s time to get into the habit of posting regularly. These don’t have to be long posts – mix it up. You can write a tip one day, a how-to the next, an editorial or links post the following day, and so on. The quicker you fall into the habit of posting regularly, the faster your blog will take off.

It often takes tremendous energy to create something from nothing. When you first start your blog, it is a blank canvas – and as any writer can tell you, staring at a blank page can be daunting. It’s easy to become overwhelmed – you could write on so many topics. Which should you start with? Or discouraged – you thought you had so much to say, but nothing you write sounds as profound as those thoughts swirling through your head.

How to Brainstorm for Blog Content

If you need some brainstorming ideas for content, here are a few:

1. Read other blogs – Sometimes, the best inspiration for blog posts comes from what other people are saying. Look for bloggers who also write about your niche. Some great places to start your research are at Google Blog Search or Technorati.
2. Check out social networks - What are the most popular topics on Twitter? Check out TweetMeme.com to find out what is currently trending or do a Twitter search for topics related to your niche at Twazzup.com.
3. Set up Google alerts – Want to know whenever the media writes about your topic? Simply enter your keywords and Google Alerts will keep you updated daily via email or RSS feed about who else is talking about your niche.
4. Join an online forum – If you write in a popular niche area, chances are there are popular forums devoted to that topic. Do a search for your main keyword + “forum” or “message board” and you will probably find dozens. You can also search social websites like Yahoo Answers – what types of questions do people ask about your niche? Start collecting frequently asked questions that you can answer on your blog.

Coming up with new ideas for content is easy once you get the hang of it. There is always something going on that you can write about – whether that’s breaking news, responding to the blogosphere, or answering questions from readers. Just keep writing and building momentum – and soon, you will have plenty of content for your blog.

1. Write with passion – Choose a niche topic that you like and are passionate about. While it’s not always true that you can do what you love and the money will follow, it’s a lot easier to write consistently about what you enjoy than what you find dull and boring.
2. Write with your reader in mind – Many people make the mistake of writing about whatever they are interested in. This is ok if you are creating a personal blog and just want to update friends and family about what is happening in your life. However, if you hope to make money, think about what types of content your audience would most like to read. People generally prefer to read easily accessible content that is a quick read.
3. Write with a personal touch – Imagine your readers are personal friends and you are writing directly to them. You can include personal anecdotes, stories, metaphors, humor, or jokes throughout your posts. Some bloggers will include photos to spice up their blog and give it a certain kind of ambiance.
4. Be conversational – Similar to #3, write as if you are talking with someone rather than if you are preparing a formal paper. Keep the industry jargon or legalese to a minimum. You want to convey warmth and friendliness with your posts and let your personality shine through.
5. Have a purpose – What’s your blog’s purpose? Why do you feel people should read your blog? That might be to teach people how to do something, to share your love of a particular hobby, or to demonstrate your expertise in an area. The best blogs maintain focus around a subject and have a specific purpose – what’s yours? Why are you writing?

Creating a successful blog doesn’t happen overnight. It often takes a few weeks or months to develop your writing style and unique voice. That said, keep at it! It never hurts to develop better writing and communication skills – and who knows what opportunities may find you now that you are publishing on the web!

1. Permalink – A permalink is the permanent link (or URL) on your blog where your post can be found. Often on blogs, new content is posted to the blog’s front page. As new posts are added, older posts are pushed off the front page. Permalinks let visitors know where they can find that content after it is no longer on the front page.
2. Pinging – Pinging is the action of notifying blog aggregators whenever you update your blog. Most of the popular blogging platforms do this automatically, but if you want to let over 50 blog services know about your post, you can use a free pinging service like Pingoat.com.
3. Trackback – If you link to someone else’s blog on the web, your post may show up in their “trackback” section. Trackbacks help you monitor who may be talking about your post.
4. RSS Feed - An RSS feed is a specific type of file that allows you to syndicate your blog’s content. This allows people to read your blog in a blog reader like Google Reader. Whenever you update your blog, people who have subscribed to your feed will automatically receive the new content. To keep track of your RSS Feed statistics, sign up for Feedburner.com.
5. Blogosphere – The online community of bloggers who actively participate in and share their opinions with other members of the community.

Blogging isn’t rocket science, but it does have a different vocabulary than creating a website. By understanding these terms, you will be well on your way to fitting into the blogosphere.