Your Guide To Blogging on iPage

There is no denying that blogging is such a powerful tool these days. Some fashion consultants started as bloggers, some famous product endorsers are bloggers and some politicians have taken into blogging to further spread their cause.

There are no do’s and don’t’s when it comes to blogging, which is why it is such a popular way to express oneself. If you want to have your own blog or want to take it a step further, we have some useful tips regarding blogging, especially if you are thinking of migrating your current blog into your own domain.

What You Need To Know About Blogging

Start by assessing what you have now. Are you new to blogging? Then brainstorm about the type of blog that you want, how often you can update it and who your target audience is. Make sure that you can feed your blog a lot of content because no one wants to see just 5 or 6 posts in your blog. Make the visit worthwhile!

If you are already an existing blogger and want to move your blog into your own domain, the good news is that there are tools that will help you publish, just like how you publish in Blogspot or Tumblr!

Blogging requires:

• Lots of good content (variation of photos, text, lists, videos, links to other sites etc.)
• An easy to read interface. No one will read if your font is too small, too difficult to decipher etc.
• A good host. No one can access your site if it is always down (or the connection is erratic).
• A good name that is easy to type and remember, so that your viewers can always visit your blog.
• A link to a social networking site, either Facebook or Twitter (or both!).

Remember that the key to a successful blog is the ease of reading while the users are on your site.

Blogging Hosting Requirements

Begin your hunt for a reputable hosting partner. This is different from the domain – the domain is just the name that you buy that serves as your “sign” or the address of your page. For example, it can be www.myfabblog.com.

The hosting is the service where you can store all of the images, text, applications and what nots required by your site so that it is universally accessible to anyone that is on the web. So this means that your hosting provider should be:

• Reputable. You don’t want your blog inaccessible 95% of the time.
• Affordable. You should comfortably be able to pay for your hosting every month for at least a year or two.
• Stable. You want at least 99.99% uptime record, guaranteed.

Qualities of a Good Blogging Host

Apart from that was listed above, there are other things to consider in terms of the features that your blogging host can bring to the table. You want as much help as you can afford, to ensure that your blog runs smoothly.

We suggest that you look for a blog host that has:

• Any time money back guarantee, so that you know you are not being scammed (please read their terms and conditions page carefully!)
• Web site building tools, just in case you don’t have access to a good pool of web developers, you can find this web site building tool and templates very useful.
• Support for WordPress. This is a must! WordPress can make publishing online so much easier, even for those who do not have technical background!
• Unlimited storage, so that you don’t need to keep a tally of the videos and photos that you have uploaded to your blog.

These are just some of the most important things that you should look out for when you are searching for that perfect blogging host.

How To Start Your Blog

Get things going by making a plan for your posts. Typically, a post or two per week is good enough to drive in a steady flow of traffic. Fewer than this may make your visitors think you have lost interest. Posts need not be long – sometimes a quick update can be enough. You can think of this as your Facebook page, too.

Plan for:

• The spacing of your posts. Most blogging tools allow you to schedule the blog posts so that you can write them before hand and then set the time and date when you want them published online. Most of the time, it is best to publish at noon, when people are just coming in from lunch break and are most often not diving into work immediately.
• The look and feel of your blog. Make sure that the design reflects your personality and that the fonts are readable and easy on the eyes.
• Varied content. Be ready to repost blogs from other popular sites, too, and share good finds in the internet.
• Section your blog into specific purposes, like if you are making a look book. Have a “My Closet” section where you compile all accessories and clothing items that you have posted. Then you can have a “Shopping Guide” section where you have links to online stores that carry the clothing that you have featured.