We all love Lisa’s helpful posts (remember the one about things you need to know about images and the things to do before you publish) and she’s back with a few things we should all get on top of if you haven’t already. She also updated her snazzy little website Elembee, check it out. — Meg
In the spirit of the new year, today I’d like to share a few ways you can prepare your blog for the future!
1. Buy a domain name.
Maybe you’ve started a blog and have no idea where you want to go with it, so why would you want to put money into it? Or maybe you’ve been at it for a while, and the domain name issue has slipped your mind. Take a few minutes, and spend the $10-$15 — I promise, it’s worth it! A domain name offers you so much more flexibility for the future, whether you decide to change blogging platforms, or start a new blog altogether and redirect your traffic to your new space. Plus, there’s no guarantee that name will still be available a year down the road when you decide you really need it. GoDaddy is a popular choice for registering domains, but regardless of what you choose, make sure you keep track of your account information.
2. Install Google Analytics.
Again, this is another one of those things you may not think is important when you don’t know where your blog is going, but it’s best to have it just in case. Google Analytics is the standard for website stats, and it only starts tracking from the time you install it. The numbers may not be as important when they are low, but you can’t see growth over time if you don’t have a good starting point. The install process depends on the platform you’re using, so just do a quick search, and a number of instructions will come up.
3. Set up a Facebook page.
I rarely use my personal Facebook account, so I hesitated to create a page for my blog for a long time. I wish I had created one sooner. As bloggers, we tend to know about the latest and greatest apps for keeping up with our favorite sites. The average person is probably just going to bookmark your site and revisit it when they can remember. But everyone these days has a Facebook account, and for many, it’s the first site they check in the morning or visit when they’re killing time. A Facebook page will help you connect with those people. While your updates aren’t guaranteed to show up in every fan’s news feed, you’ll reach a lot more people that way than if you rely on them to remember to check their bookmarks. (Side note: A Facebook page is different from your personal account. You can read more about it on Facebook.)
4. Back it up.
Backing up your site is one of those boring tasks everyone knows they should be doing and just forget. Well, here’s your friendly reminder — do it now. And set up a schedule!
5. Write it down.
I mentioned this already, but it’s that important, so I’ll say it again: Make sure you keep track of all account information. Take some time and gather all emails and logins associated with your site, even if you have no idea what they mean. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used an old email the client thought was inconsequential to get exactly what I needed to set up their site or redirect their domain. Also, if you work with someone else on your site, and they set up any accounts for you, make sure you understand what they’re setting up, why, and how you can access it, in case you need to provide that information for someone else in the future. At the very least, you should know where your site is hosted and how to log in, as well as where you bought your domain and how to log in.
Photo by Meg Biram
Thanks for this post! I’ve been focusing on taking my blog as a hobby to a more serious “brand statement” and love the tips you have shared! I did buy my own domain last year and now off to take care of the rest! Keep these posts coming! Thanks.
Great tips, Lisa!
Just curious.. how do you back up a blog? What do you back it up to?
Depends on what platform you use! I’ll let Lisa take this one.
I wrote a post with instructions here. Also check out the link at the bottom of that post — it has instructions for other platforms as well as where to store your files.
love those pink kate spade pumps at the top of this post!
thanks for the helpful tips!
xoxo…beth
http://www.fashiondotnow.com
These are awesome tips and should be at the very top of the list! Setting up a schedule has taken me the longest but I finally made an editorial calendar and am trying to stick with it
Def helps!
Great tips! Thanks, Lisa!
Great post. I’m in the process of doing all of these things and cant wait
xo Ashley
luckylittlebird.blogspot.com
Thank you for the great tips and blog help.
GAAAAAAAH! I have come to your website from so many sources and I am elated to find out today that you are a DC blogger. I’m relatively new to the blogging scene but have been a dedicated follower of many for years.
I took notes from your to&from valentine’s day edition and am pumped to follow you here too.
http://www.sheismoments.com
This is definitely helpful! I’ve been trying to secure a domain name, but I’ve found the one I want has already been taken. Do you know if there’s any way around this or will I have to change my blog name altogether to get a domain name that’s not taken?
You may be able to buy it from the person who has it, but if they are using it, they probably aren’t going to sell it. I would recommend finding a variation you can use instead — try “.net” instead of “.com” or add “blog” to the end of your domain. You can also add hyphens, but avoid it if you can — they aren’t as user-friendly.
Thank you Lisa! I will look into this. Unfortunately I picked a somewhat generic blog title, but at this point I don’t want to change!
Thanks for the blogging tips! I just launched my blod in Jan. I am pretty excited to see what’s to come and am loving coming up with ideas.
Stop by. Check it out.
http://happinessiscreating.com/
These are great tips, thanks for sharing
Great tips! I had never even though about backing up my blog and will definitely be looking into this.
Love this post! Thanks for the great tips and ideas!
Thank you for this post. It was the perfect incentive to do more.
Great tips!
Sounds like a great way to set-up for success and gain followers
I’ve been really hesitant to set up a FB page because I like to keep my personal FB separate from Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest (more used for my blog), but you’re right. I can make a FB page for the blog and keep it separate from my personal page. You’ve convinced me.
How do you back up your blog? I have no idea how to go about doing this. Are you manually doing it or using a tool?
Great tips. I just recently started blogging from my store and I am learning so much. I need to figure out what I need to do to back it up. Thanks for the tips