Now that your blog is live and you have a plan of attack for the type of content you want to write about on your blog, it’s time to actually get some content published! Your content can be anything you like. It’s your blog, so there is no right or wrong way to publish content on your site. I will give you some examples and guidance on the direction I went with my blog.
How to Create Your First Blog Post
When you log into WordPress for the first time you will notice that there is already a published post on your blog and it’s called “Hello World”. This post is there to show you what a generate post will look like. You can delete this post and create a new one if you like, which is what almost everyone does.
If you feel like you need a recap on how to publish your first post through WordPress, be sure to refer back to my previous post on the simplicity of WordPress.
The first post on your site should be simple, direct and gain the attention of your audience. In most cases your first blog post will only be read by you, as you likely don’t have an active readership yet.
If you want to see the very first post that I published on ZacJohnson, you can view it here or see the screenshot below.
While the launch date of your blog isn’t that important, I ended up going live with my first blog post on St. Patrick’s Day, which makes it easy for me to remember the day my blog first went live. I’m also Irish, so it’s a fun way to celebrate two events in the same day!
As you can see, my first blog post was very simple and it didn’t even have any images added to the post. Don’t go nuts over your first post as it’s your first and the majority of people to your blog will probably never see it. Your most recent blog posts are always going to get the most attention and older posts will get pushed down and can be seen in your archives.
Once you get the hang of how to write blog posts you are free to write and publish new content as often as you like. You can add pictures, videos, mess around with different fonts, styles and it’s always a good idea to link back to your older posts through your most recent posts as well. This will allow new visitors to your site to find your older content over time.
What You Need to Know About Blog Pages
Blog posts and blog pages… you are probably asking about the difference between the two. POSTS are more like updated articles and daily updates, while PAGES are usually focused on areas of content that don’t change with time, but are frequently accessed.
To give you a few examples of PAGES on ZacJohnson.com, you can refer to the top menu on the site.
These are some of the pages I have created for the site and below I listed what each of them are and how I used them.
HOME – Clicking “home” will send you back to the main page of the blog. This is a direct link in the menu header and not an action PAGE.
ABOUT – The “about” page is one of the most read pages on your blog. When someone visits your blog for the first time, if they like what they are seeing, they will probably want to learn more about you. The about page is common among blogs and you should definitely set one up on your blog.
CONTACT – When someone wants to get in touch with you, a simple CONTACT link will do the trick. On this contact page you should have all of your generic contact info, which should a be a contact form that someone can fill out, your address and phone number (usually only if you are a corporate business) and links to all of your major social networks.
ADVERTISE - If you have a blog that offers advertising and review services, you will definitely want to add this page to your site. The more information, rates and testimonials that you can provide through your advertising page, the more successful you will be in securing new advertising.
AFFILIATE GUIDE, MAKE MONEY & RESOURCES – These three pages are specific to the site and depending on the niche of your site you would probably create something similar as well. The affiliate guide is recap of the top posts on the site, which also breaks them down into different categories. The “make money” page lists a bunch of different ad networks that I am currently working with and recommend. The “resources” page includes a list of different tools and services I am currently using. These pages are all great to have, especially when you have a marketing/learning type of site where people are interested in the tools you are using.
The Pages You Must Have on Your Blog
I’ve given you a few examples of the types of pages I have on my sites, but all blogs will vary. I’ve listed three of the PAGES below that you must have on your site and a few other recommended pages that may apply to your blog. You must have these pages because it’s what people are going to be looking for when they get to your site.
- ABOUT – Let your audience know more about you.
- CONTACT – Make it easy for people to get in touch with you.
- ADVERTISE – If you have great content, people will advertise on your blog!
Also consider:
- DMCA / DISCLAIMER – Depending on your site topic and niche, you may want to set one of these up. These are simple and offer some protection for your blog versus not having one. (Example: If you are using an image that is copyright and you have it posted on your blog, the owner will ask you to remove it instead of trying to take action against you.)
- FAQ – If your blog is focused on a service or something technical that a lot of people might have questions about, it’s a good idea to create a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page so people can refer to this page for answers instead of sending you emails all the time with the same questions.
- 404 Page – A 404 page is what people get sent to when they are trying to access a page or URL that doesn’t exist. You can create a custom 404 page so people are sent to a nice looking page that sends them in a good direction instead of leaving them at a dead end.
- Guest Blogger Page – Many blogs offers guest blogging which allows other bloggers to write content for their site. If you would like to have other people contribute content to your blog, adding this page will get a lot of interest. (also see best guest blogging practices)
Start Creating Your Blog Posts and Pages Now
When creating blog posts and pages for your site, always remember that you can add, update and remove content from your blog at any time. You can update your contact info and about me pages as your progress with time. Just make sure you add these pages to your blog now so you get started off on the right foot.
If you haven’t already, get setup with your blog and a free domain name, then shoot me an email with any questions you have about getting setup. I can even set you up with a free premium theme to get you on the right path.
