Blogging Guides
This page is designed to list all of our blogging guides in one place in a coherent order and they have been designed to cater for a beginner and intermediate level audience.
As you progress the focus will turn to more advanced techniques for bloggers looking to step up their game, produce better content, get more traffic and increase conversions.
While it is easy to start blogging, to be successful requires commitment and lots of learning.
So get ready to roll up your sleeves.
How to Start a Blog - Our essential guide for beginners looking to start their first blog with WordPress.
Naming Your Blog - The ultimate guide to choosing a good brand and domain name for your blog or website. How to brainstorm ideas, picking something brandable, mistakes to avoid, and how to choose the best domain name.
Best Blog Hosting - You need to self-host your blog, using a free platform won't cut it if you want to make money and turn it into a business. Read this guide on which hosting services you should use for your blog and why!
When to Redesign Your Website or Blog - A guide that takes a look and telltale signs your website is overdue a freshen up and a reboot.
How to Create a Website Project Plan - A blog is also a website and you need to look at the big picture when planning to build or redesign your website and blog. This guide will help you to formulate your ideas, aims, and ambitions.
How to Setup a WordPress Blog using Bluehost - A guide to installing WordPress using the popular Bluehost hosting service, one of our three approved hosting providers.
How to Find a Blog Niche and Topics - A helper guide for new and existing bloggers who need help finding a niche and topics to write about. Tip: Read this even if you have chosen your topics, there may be some ideas that can help you refine your content strategy.
Recommended Pages for your Blog - While blogging is mostly about creating posts, here are some pages you should consider adding to your WordPress blog.
Crafting the Perfect Blog Homepage Design - If you want to use your homepage wisely and generate leads, grow your email list and give your new readers the best user experience possible, you should follow this approach.
How to Make Money Blogging - Here's a comprehensive list of ways you can monetize your blog and audience including display advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and more.
Affiliate Marketing Explained - Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to monetize your blog so I created a detailed guide for beginners covering everything to do with affiliate marketing including how it works, how you can get started and my best tips and tricks.
Best Affiliate Programs - Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online and especially from blogging but using the best affiliate programs and networks is key to getting access to the best products and offers.
Ultimate List of Blog Post Ideas - There's no excuse for not having content ideas, this guide will leave you with an infinite list of blog post ideas to get you moving forward.
WordPress SEO Tips - Search Engine Optimization is one of the best ways you can get targeted visitors to your blog. Improve your SEO skills and gain an edge over other bloggers.
Get Traffic to Your Blog - Once your blog is live you need to make sure you are driving targetted traffic to your posts to ensure it gets seen. Here are some great ways to generate free web traffic.
Free Photos for your Blog - To make your blog posts attractive you need to create visual content and it helps to be able to use professional stock photography. There are many paid websites but there are some free options too.
Optimize Your Blog Post Images - While it's important to have nice images and graphics, you need to master the art of image compression and size optimization to make sure they don't slow down your blog.
Productivity Tools for Bloggers - How pro-bloggers get more done in less time and reap the rewards. Use systems and tools to help.
WordPress Help and Support - Looking to troubleshoot an issue with WordPress or need help? This guide shows you the best free ways to get help or learn how to solve a problem or install a feature by yourself.
WordPress Maintenance Services - Need maintenance and ongoing WordPress support? WPBuffs offer WordPress support packages for those that need technical assistance and they are highly recommended.
Blog Post Checklist: 21 Essentials - 21 things you should do with every blog article you write, before, during, and after publishing. Get the most exposure and longevity out of each piece of content by following these steps.
Formatting Blog Posts & HTML Basics - An article aimed at helping new WordPress users get comfortable with seeing and editing HTML elements and blog post formatting.
Essential & Recommended WordPress Plugins - Here's a breakdown of all of the WP plugins I recommend for blogs and websites running WordPress CMS.
The Best WordPress Themes for Bloggers & Website Owners - A breakdown of the WP themes I recommend for bloggers and niche/authority website builders also including theme frameworks for developers like Genesis, Beaver Builder & Elementor.
Repurposing Content - Clever Ways to Repurpose Content - A guide on how to get more mileage out of your content by repurposing blog posts into videos and infographics to drive more traffic and taking videos and infographics and turning them into blog post ideas.
Blogger Outreach - How to Grow Your Audience - This guide breaks down how to use outreach marketing to build links and exposure for your own blog.
WordPress Alternatives - A guide that covers all of the WordPress alternatives available for building a blog, website, or eCommerce store.
Speed Up WordPress - A guide covering a series of steps you can take to reduce the loading time of your website and improve your rankings and conversion rate in the process.
WordPress Security - Learn how to secure your WordPress website or blog from hackers and malware. This is a must-read if you run a site with WP in 2023.
Remove Malware from WordPress - A guide on how to fix and clean a hacked WordPress website or blog that contains malware.
Building Internal Links - Internal links are one of the best ways to lower your bounce rate and get people spending more time on your site, which in turn leads to other benefits. This is vital for any blog or website and using the LinkWhisper plugin will make this process extremely easy.
Should You Blog, Vlog, or Podcast? - A guide weighing up the pros and cons of each medium.
Grammar and Punctuation Apps - Improve your grammar, spelling, and punctuation with these desktop, mobile and browser tools.
Restoring and Backing up WordPress Blogs - Learn the different ways you can stay safe and secure with regular WordPress backups.
Reasons to Switch Hosting Provider - A breakdown of areas to look at to help you decide if you should switch the hosting for your website to a new provider.
How to Change Web Hosting Providers - This guide is a follow on from the guide above, this one focuses on how to migrate your website from one host to another for WordPress users but the same process applies for most website CMS options.
Best WordPress Contact Form Plugin - I recently switched all of my sites over to WPForms after a year or so of testing it alongside Contact Form 7 which I have used for years. Find out why.
How Coronavirus / COVID-19 is Affecting Bloggers & Online Businesses - A case study looking at how this recent pandemic has had an impact on all types of businesses including internet businesses and blogs.
Improve Your Content Strategy with a Content Calendar Template - You don't need to publish every day or even every week but consistency is still important. Using a content calendar you can get on top of your publishing frequency and greatly improve your content strategy.
How to Improve Your Blog's Domain Authority - Domain authority and page authority are essential metrics to learn about if you want to rank your blog on page 1 for your target keywords.
Sell Courses on Your Blog - If you want to add a sustainable revenue stream there isn't a better choice than launching your own digital course. Learn how you can add courses to your WordPress blog.
Blogging Guides Coming Soon
- Reasons to Start a Blog & Dispelling Myths
- Blog Topics that Make Money
- Building an Email List
- Best Blogging Tools
- GDPR Compliance Tools
- Guest Posting
- Blogging Mistakes to Avoid
- Blog Content Strategy Guide
- How to Write a Good Blog Post
- How to Write More Blog Posts
- Structuring Your Blog Posts
- Evergreen Content
- Optimizing Your Blog Posts for SEO
- Blog Post Promotion Guide
- How to Hire Writers for Your Blog