Before you can launch a blog, it needs a few necessary items to help you accomplish your goals. These crucial aspects of a blog work to improve your reader’s experience, build a loyal audience, and solidify your brand in the blogging world.
Make sure your WordPress blog has these 12 components for success.
1. About Page
Introduce yourself!
An About page serves as the place for a blogger to introduce themselves to the audience. Your About page should discuss:
Who you areThe topics you write about and are interested inFacts about you, your career, and your blogPhotos of you
While the list above is a basic outline, make sure your About page is captivating and encourages readers to take a specific action such as subscribing to your blog. Have fun with your About page and make it all about you.
2. Contact Page
Your readers and potential media contacts must be able to get in touch with you. This is where a Contact page comes in handy.
For bloggers who prefer to keep their personal lives private, you can use a contact form on this page. Others, however, prefer to list an email address and phone number. No matter which route you choose, it should be easy for readers to contact you via this page.
3. Media Page
Are you interested in making money from your blog? If so, you need to include a Media page. Your Media page works to inform interested brands, influencers, and other entities of your blog’s online notoriety and following. Your Media page can feature:
Blogs and websites you’ve been featured inSocial media follower countsLinks to your social media channelsThe number of visitors and page views your blog receives each month
The goal of a Media page is to show other brands and bloggers why they need to work with you.
4. Favicon
Does your blog have a logo? If you’re hoping to generate revenue from your blogging efforts, you need a logo. Your logo should also be displayed as a favicon on your blog. A favicon is a 16 pixel by 16-pixel illustration in the top left corner of a browser tab. Look at your browser tab right now and notice the Bluehost logo favicon.
Using a favicon helps to strengthen your blog’s brand. When readers see the favicon, they’ll know they’re on the right blog!
5. Mobile Responsive Design
With today’s smartphone and tablet technology, it’s imperative to have a mobile responsive blog design. A mobile-friendly blog design is no longer acceptable. Your blog content must respond to several screen sizes and devices. In fact, 57% of users reporting they won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed mobile site.
If using a WordPress blog, choose a mobile responsive theme from the thousands upon thousands available.
6. Social Sharing Buttons
As a blogger, driving traffic to your website through social media is crucial. Social sharing buttons allow readers to share your blog content on various social media platforms including Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and Pinterest. Add social sharing to your WordPress blog using tools such as:
Once you’ve installed your chosen social sharing bar or button, add copy to your blog posts encouraging readers to share your content.
7. Social Media Icons
On top of sharing your content, you also want readers to follow you on social media. Most WordPress themes include these icons in the blog design. All you have to do is add the appropriate links to each platform and choose where you want the icons to display. Most bloggers place their social media icons in the following locations:
Website headerBlog sidebarTop or bottom of blog contentWebsite footer
8. Blog Commenting System
Your readers need a way to interact with your blog content. Adding a blog commenting system to your website generates conversations about your content.
WordPress boasts a built-in commenting system. You must activate this when launching your blog. You can control which blog posts allow readers to comment by clicking on the “Screen Options” tab and checking the “Comments” box before publishing a post.
Other popular blog commenting systems include:
If choosing to install a commenting system on blog posts, remember to filter out spam and monitor the responses. With this in mind, some bloggers choose to add a CAPTCHA requirement for their commenting system.
9. Blog Categories
Your WordPress blog must have categories. Categories help organize your blog content, provide a bit of SEO assistance, and guide readers to the topics they enjoy.
Create specific categories for your blog based on topics, industry trends, and keywords. For example, if you own a cooking blog, your categories could be:
Healthy RecipesDIY RecipesSugary SweetsBakingQuick Meals for FamiliesRecipes Kids Love
Blog topics can also fit into more than one category, which helps to increase traffic to individual posts.
10. Related Posts and Latest Posts
Take a peek at the end of this article. Do you see the section titled, “Related”? This is content our readers will most likely enjoy based on this article topic and category. Bloggers use this tactic to drive traffic to other blog posts and keep reader onsite.
11. Email Subscriber Form
To keep readers returning to your blog for intriguing content, send them the latest articles via email marketing messages. As such, bloggers collect email addresses from subscribers via an easy opt-in form. Most bloggers include this in their sidebar, website footer, or at the beginning and end of each blog post.
12. Secure Website Hosting
Your website needs to be properly hosted in order to include any of these blog components. The last thing you want is a website that is constantly down or has a poor connection. Choose a secure website hosting service with strong security features such as SiteLock when launching your WordPress blog.
With all of these components on your website, you will be set for blogging success!
Share what components your blog cannot function without in the comments below.