There are so many blogs online and more and more being created everyday. With so many free blog tools available it’s no wonder they are becoming so popular. One of the many advantages of blogging, is that the site is made of a few templates only which means easier management unlike, other sites that are made up of several pages. The bonus is you don’t need to be at the same computer to get access to your files, you can be anywhere in the world as long as you have access to the internet and then all you have to do is simply log into your admin panel and start creating, editing pages. Blogging tools like Wordpress also make blogging an exciting project as it offers so many features and plugins you won’t want to stop blogging because it makes it all that more fun. What’s more is that you have thousands of templates to choose from each with its own unique designs, feel and personality unlike some templates out there that just offer standard templates that all look the same.
Making the website is the easy part but what comes next is even more challenging and it can even be exciting if done correctly and consistently. The key is to remember traffic is important and without it your website wont be getting anyone coming to visit it.
I’ve built a few websites and the tips I am going to give you will show you the steps I take when creating a successful blog website. I can’t guarantee your success but I can help you by providing you with a checklist that I use to create my own blog websites. Hopefully you can use this step-by-step guide to create YOUR very own successful blog website. Remember there should be no “Under construction” no broken link, no unfinished posts when you start marketing.

1. Decide on a domain name for your site www.myblog.com. It is a good idea to choose a domain name that includes effective keywords and something catchy that visitors to your site will remember
2. Choose and download a custom blog template from a blogging tool like Word Press and Moveable Type. Word press is my favorite and is very popular. http://www.wordpress.org
3. Modify your blog look and feel. By this I mean changing the logo, replacing the standard footer, removing any unwanted sidebar widgets.
4. Research keywords - a very good keyword tool is Google Adwords Keyword Tool. You only need to enter one keyword or phrase and it shows several keyword variations. You can even order these by Keyword search volume, cost and ad position estimates or search volume trends. Google Adwords also allows you to search for site-related keywords. Another good keyword suggestion tool is Word Tracker.
5. Add social bookmark links for visitors to use so they can bookmark your site. These are available as plugins with blog tools like Wordpress. These can be added at the very every of every post on your site.
6. Use Meta Tags in all your posts. Again these are available as plugins
7. Use SEO title tags – what most people don’t know is that post titles are also used as title tags by Word Press. By using title tags you can ensue this doesn’t happen. You want to be using catchy keywords in your title that you have researched in step 4 above.
8. Create keyword rich categories but keep them short and not descriptive
9. Enable automatic trackback and ping functionality. These can be managed from your blog admin panel very easily.
10. Create Feedburner Pro account and activate feed tracking.
11. Sitemap – using sitemaps is important to ensure search engines like Google know your pages and how often they change and it makes your website easier to crawl by search engine spiders. You may want to investigate Google Sitemap Generator. www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/
12. Create a resource section on your blog, for example within your blogroll. Make sure you don’t just list any. Identify trustworthy blogs and websites that are relevant to your blog topic that others will find useful.
13. Monitor your site statistics to check the performance of your site and make changes if required and keep adding new content. Google Analytics is an excellent tool to use and it’s free. Just register your site, place the required code on your site and validate. It’s as simple as that. You can use this to determind how people find your site and where they are coming from.
14. Optimize your template by showing RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds and comments. You should then submit RSS feed and Blog URL to prominent RSS and Blog directories / search engines. Read RSSTop55 Best Blog Directory and RSS Submission Sites
15. Engage in an ongoing link building campaign.
16. If you have podcasters web sites or video content then submit to Podcast and Vlog (video blogs) directories.
17. Seek feedback on your blog by joining and participating in relevant forums and discussion threads and try to be an active member in the forums you join. Once a member you can create a signature that contains your URL blog address.
18. Research other blogs out there similar to your own and leave comments with your website URL.
19. Write new content regularly and make use of those researched keywords.
20. Monitor comments on your blog and try to respond even if it’s a simple thank you for dropping by. These people are your potential return visitors