Creating a blog post in WordPress

The first thing to know about getting started with WordPress is creating a blog post. Blogging is the first thing that comes to mind when people think of WordPress. Even if you’re not a blogger it’s a good feature to know for the future, especially if you’re selling products or services. Not only that, but creating a blog post in WordPress is easy.

Getting started with WordPress

The first thing you have to do is have WordPress of course! You can download WordPress from wordpress.org. Don’t download it from wordpress.com!

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com

A lot of people get confused between .org and .com. Both are FREE, but the main difference is branding. If you want to have your own domain and build a business, you should go to wordpress.org.

When you sign up to wordpress.com, you don’t have control of your domain name (it will end in wordpress.com). This doesn’t look professional. Also, WordPress can put ads on your website.

If you’re just creating a blog to vent for fun and have no intention of building it in the future, then wordpress.com is fine.

Note: I just found out that WordPress.com has a payment plan. You can pay a monthly fee to have a domain name, but some of the plans have limited storage.

Creating a blog post in WordPress

Below you can watch the video I created on creating a blog post.

If you prefer to read about it, read this post.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself

Before hitting post, make sure you have someone read your post to check for spelling and grammar. It’s a big pet peeve for a lot of people. I know I hate reading books and blogs with a lot of grammatical errors. (I make mistakes too! If you see them let me know!)

I usually write all my posts in a google doc first. Then, I share my google doc so that someone can catch all my mistakes. I have a bad habit of not finishing my thoughts. There are a lot of times that I have incomplete sentences or move on without finishing my thought.

After I fix all the mistakes in the google doc,  I paste the blog post into WordPress. When I paste it into WordPress, Grammarly (it’s free) will automatically find mistakes for me. I fix those errors and then schedule my post.

Are you a big stickler for grammar? Let me know in the comments below.

 

-Paigon | Natasha Lane Design Co.

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I’m a big fan of binge-watching videos on YouTube. When I fall in love with a vlogger, I tend to go to their YouTube channel and look through their social media and website. I always feel disappointed when I discover that they don’t have a website or that the website is made on another platform that they don’t own (blogger or wordpress.com) because the design is usually subpar. Here’s why a vlogger should have a website.

Why a vlogger should have a website

Stake a claim

Having a website means that you own it. Social media is owned by big businesses that only care about how the platform will make money for them, so they don’t have your best interest at heart. A website is owned by you, which means you can do whatever you want with it at any time.

 

It's mine

 

So once you have one, what’s the point? Well, it’s time to build your community. You want to build a community on your own site, just in case the algorithm changes again on the social media platforms and it becomes harder to reach people. Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are always changing how your audience views your content. The easiest way to drive traffic to your site is actually pointing your social media followers to your website. Just add your website link to all your social media accounts.

Another way to build a community is to start a newsletter. Just add an opt-in to your website so that people can sign up. You can get started with Mailerlite or Mailchimp for FREE. Later, when you expand, you can start selling products and services to your list, but in the beginning, you want to nurture your list and build your following by providing great content. The point is, having a website gives you control over your content and opens up new avenues for growth.

Venture out

I hinted at new avenues for growth. What does that mean? It means there are so many possibilities for the future. Maybe you started creating videos for fun on YouTube, but then realize you want to do it as a full-time job. Maybe you started it to market one aspect of your business but decided to switch up your business plan and expand.

Dreams and plans always change, so it’s better to be prepared. It’s never too early to start. The first thing you should do is have a website so you can start collecting subscribers so that you’ll have potential customers who will know you and trust you. Next, you want to think about how you want to be perceived and who you want to attract. Once you answer that question, you can start thinking about branding your business (branding usually comes before the website, but you want to get started quickly).

 

endless possibilites

 

If you’re not sure what you want to do, just start thinking about where you want to be in one year. Then, think about 5 years from now. Are you going to still create videos then? Do you want to have your own business? It’s worth thinking about or preparing for just in case. Read More “Why a vlogger should have a website”

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Wait! I also want to mention this isn’t for someone who’s creating a one-page website. This is for someone who’s trying to build an empire. You want to create a blog, store your YouTube videos, create a podcast, sell services or products, etc. You’re planning on growing in the future. If that’s not you, you can just create a landing page.

Ok, back to the important information.

The 5 most important pages you should have on your website

01 Where am I?

First and foremost, you need a home page. This is the most important page on your site. Why? Because if your audience lands on your page through your blog post, video post, Pinterest, or wherever they clicked on your link in this infinite world of the web, they’ll head to your home page if they liked what they saw from the page they landed on.

Your homepage should have the most important information about your website on it. If you’re stuck on what to put on it, then here are some questions that will help you.

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My homepage is called ‘Start Here’. The title is not great for SEO, but I want to make it easy for people to know where to start if they’re new to my website. On my homepage, you know that my name is Paigon (not Natasha Lane), and I help vloggers and entrepreneurs elevate their video content through design and editing so they stand out online and become THE authority in their field.

With this statement, you know that this website is for vloggers and entrepreneurs who create videos. Not only that, but they’re serious about creating videos because they want to become THE authority in their field. You also know that I do it through design and editing. Not into video or design? Then you’re in the wrong place. If you are, then welcome, take all the information I have and grow your empire with me!

If you don’t tell them what the site is about and who it’s for, then you’re confusing the people who land on your website. They just want to know that they’re in the right place. Once they know, they’ll keep coming back for more.

02 About page

I did a whole post on the feature you should have on your about page, click here to check it out. You know what happens when you assume, right! I’m going to take the risk. If you have a website, I assume that you’re doing it for profit. I mean, it cost money to have a website, so you at least want to make enough to maintain it.

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  • What do you do?
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