If you want to create a site that is regularly updated, then a blog is ideal. While static websites are great for if you don’t want to update your site very often, a blog is better for sharing news and regular updates as well as interacting with your visitors. So how do you create one? Read on.

Step 1: Decide On a Topic

Before you decide how and where you will build your blog, you need to think about what you will be writing about. It could be a hobby, a trip you made, your political views, anything that you want to share. Take your time to come up with something you will enjoy blogging about and that others will be interested in reading as well.

Step 2: Choose a Blogging Platform

There are several blogging tools around that you can use to create your blog. You can choose either a free or paid option. Popular free blogging services include WordPress.com and Blogger, while the most popular paid platform is WordPress (without the .com).

So which one should you choose? First, if you have no budget at all, the choice is simple: stick with free services like WordPress.com and Blogger. If you want to create a personal blog, then free blogs are also fine. If, however, you want to create a commercial blog, then you really need to select a paid hosting account with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

The advantages of using a paid hosting account and installing WordPress on it are:

• You get your own domain name (www.yourname.com)
• You have full control and ownership over your blog
• You have the freedom to do whatever you want with your blog (like put ads on it).
• A paid host will not put ads on your blog

If you have even a little money to spare, it is always best to use a self-hosted blog. A web hosting account is not expensive these days. For just $40-50 a year you can get a hosting package with everything you need to create a great blog.

Step 3: Set Up Your Blog

If you chose a free blogging service, setting up your blog is very easy. You can read a detailed tutorial on how to set up your blog at WordPress.com here.

Step 4: Create Your First Post

Creating your first post in using either WordPress.com or a self-hosted WordPress blog is very easy. If you know how to write an email or use a Word processor you will have no problems at all.

Step 5: Promote Your Blog

Now that you have set up your blog and created your first post, it’s time to start promoting it. One of the best and easiest ways to get started is by sharing your blog on Facebook and Twitter. If you have a lot of friends and followers you will instantly get visitors to your blog.

After that, you should visit a few blogs that are related to the topic of yours. Leave a few helpful comments and (if allowed) include a link your blog in them. Don’t overdo this though. Also contact the owner of the blog and ask if they would be interested in exchanging links with you. Before you do this, make sure that you have at least 20 blog posts; most people will not link to a blog that is still under construction.

You can also join forums related to your blog’s topic and leave a link to your blog in your signature. Again, don’t spam, just participate in the discussion and create helpful posts.

For more web promotion strategies, click here.

Creating a blog is one of the fastest and easiest ways to share your ideas and thoughts online. Thanks to the many great tools available setting one up is very straightforward and if you want to you can get started in a matter of hours or less.