Blog Building 101

Simple steps to begin a blog

Blogging is a great way to communicate in professional, social, and personal manners. I have personally followed many lifestyle and educational blogs for years, so it has been really exciting to build a blog over the last few months as I've worked my way through the EIT program through Sul Ross State University. Below are a few simple steps that can be taken to create a blog.

Step One: Blog Platform

Do the research and choose a platform that meets your needs. I personally use WIX for my blog. It is incredibly user friendly and can be personalized and tailored to the needs of blogger.

Step Two: Blog Purpose

As you begin developing your blog, begin with the end in mind and think about your overall purpose of blogging. For me, I knew that I would be posting mostly information and resources that are tailored for educators. For this reason, my blog is set up to best support this kind of material. However, through the different platforms and layouts, users have the ability to create blogs for various reasons.

Step Three: Templates

Most blog platforms provide many options for templates that allow users to just plug in their information. I was almost overwhelmed by the amount of choices that Wix offered as far as layout and template. Keep in mind the "vibe" that you are going for and thinking about readable elements like colors, font, and backgrounds. Choose templates that are pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate for their purpose.

Step Four: Map Out Content

When creating the blog, it is quite possible that you will want things to be easily searchable or on separate pages. As you are developing the blog, create tags, categories, and pages that best support the information on the blog. The easier things are to find, the more accessible your blog will be.

Step Five: Social Media

Connect your blog to your social media accounts to reach more people. This is a great way to advertise for your blog and get your work out there.

Step Six: Test, Test, and Retest

Before you publicize your blog, ensure that you have tested it out on multiple devices. It is always wise to have others look over your material as well. Wix offers the opportunity for you to see what the page looks like from multiple devices as you create posts. This is a great tool to use to make sure that you are creating something that is readable for all audiences.

Step Seven: Create and PUBLISH

After you have set up your layouts, begin writing posts. Think about your topic, create tags and categories that help narrow down your topics and add elements that make your blogs relative and more inviting. This is the fun part! Once you have created your first blog, PUBLISH it!