Writing a new blog posts is simple. Use the following steps advised by WordPress to post effectively so that you can starting building your presence online:
Steps to Adding A New Blog Post by WordPress
- Log in to your WordPress Administration Panel (Dashboard).
- Click the ‘Posts' tab.
- Click the ‘Add New' sub-tab.
- Start filling in the blanks: enter your post title in the upper field, and enter your post body content in the main post editing box below it.
- As needed, select a category, add tags, and make other selections from the sections below the post. (Each of these sections is explained below.)
- When you are ready, click Publish.
Main Sections For Writing A Blog Post
The following points are the main sections you need to pay close attention to when writing a new blog post. These sections will make the difference between a well optimized blog post and one that is not optimized. When using all the sections consistently with relevant content, you'll be well on your way to establishing your presence online:
- Article Title
- Article Body
- Excerpt
- Category
- Tags
- Featured Image
Article Title
Write the article title in section that looks like the image below:
WordPress: “The title of your post. You can use any phrases, words or characters. Avoid using the same title twice as that will cause problems. You can use commas, apostrophes, quotes,hyphens/dashes and other typical symbols in the post like “My Site – Here's Lookin' at You, Kid”. WordPress will then clean it up to generate a user-friendly and URL-valid name of the post (also called the “post slug”) to compose the permalink for the post.” Resource Link
Article Body
Write the article body content in the section that looks like the image below:
WordPress: “The blank box where you enter your writing, links, links to images, and any information you want to display on your site. You can use either the Visual or the Text view to compose your posts.” Resource Link
Excerpt
Write the excerpt content in the section that looks like the image below:
WordPress: “A summary or brief teaser of your post featured on the front page of your site as well as on the category, archives, and search non-single post pages. Note that the Excerpt does not usually appear by default. It only appears in your post if you have modified the template file listing the post to use the_excerpt() instead of the_content() to display the Excerpt instead of the full content of a post. If so, WordPress will automatically use as the Excerpt the first 55 words of your post content or the content before the <!–more–> quicktag. If you use the “Excerpt” field when editing the post, this will be used no matter what.” Resource Link
Category
Select a category or add a new one. This section looks like image below:
WordPress: “The general topic the post can be classified in. Generally, bloggers have 7-10 categories for their content. Readers can browse specific categories to see all posts in the category. To add a new category, click the “+Add New Category” link in this section. You can manage your categories by going to Administration Panels > Posts > Categories.” Resource Link
Tags
Select post tags or add new ones. This section looks like the image below:
WordPress: “Refers to micro-categories for your blog, similar to including index entries for a page. Posts with similar tags are linked together when a user clicks one of the tags. Tags have to be enabled with the right code in your theme for them to appear in your post. Add new tags to the post by typing the tag into the box and clicking “Add”.” Resource Link
Featured Image
Upload a relevant featured image to the blog post. This helps to capture the reader's attention. It’s also used when sharing to social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) This section looks like the image below:
If you don’t have a featured image, use a stock image from GraphicStock. Get 1 Year of Unlimited Downloads of Stock Images for $99. This is all I use.
WordPress: “A featured image represent the contents, mood, or theme of a post or page. Posts and pages can have a single featured image, which many themes and tools can use to enhance the presentation of your site.” Resource Link
6 Reasons It’s Important To “Reply To” All Comments On Your Blog
One of the common mistakes that people make with their own blog
is not paying enough attention to the comments people leave.
They either don't respond or they take too long to post a reply.
Or even worse, they don't allow people to post comments at all.
Those are all BIG mistakes and you are about to find out why.
1. Proves You Are A Real Person
The first benefit to replying to all of the comments that people
leave is that it proves you are a real person.
People prefer to deal with people rather than businesses that
don't have a face.
2. Makes Readers Feel Connected
Replying to comments makes you more real and they will begin to
think you have more of a connection.
When they feel more connected, they are more likely to trust you
and the products and services you recommend.
3. Shows That You Are Interested
Making personal replies to the comments also shows that you are
interested.
People will be more likely to leave comments or to ask questions
if they are convinced they will actually get a response.
4. Adds Another Comment To Your Blog
Another big benefit to replying to each comment that someone
leaves is that it adds another comment to your blog.
The search engine like to see that people are interested in your
content and having a large number of comments (even though half
of them are your replies) will get you ranked higher in the
search engines.
5. Produces More Responses
If you pay attention to the reply you give to each comment, you
can get even more of a benefit.
Instead of just giving a standard answer, you can also include a
question or an interesting comment.
This will likely produce another response from the person who
originally posted.
6. Prompts Additional Discussions From Other People
It will also prompt additional discussion from other people who
are reading the comments.
If you have a blog, remember to pay attention to the comments,
and respond to every one.
It helps your search rankings and will keep people coming back
for more.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO NEXT
Next, you should get a WordPress website. Once it's build, start posting to your blog and social media. Encourage others to leave comments.
Then, reply to all comments on your blog.