Launching Blog? Seven Steps to Kick it Off Right

There are a lot of people who have launched blogs following some kind of engagement with me — I have friends, clients, coworkers, family members and partners who have or have had blogs. I think of them, privately, but sometimes publicly, as my blog spawn.

It felt like, for a little while, everyone in my social circle had a blog. There are new blogs being launched all the time — and while it is as simple as clicking a mouse, there are several best practices for launching a blog, particularly a blog you are publishing on behalf of a business.

Seven Blog Pre-Launch Steps:

1. Register with sites like Technorati so your blog is indexed and available in blog directories.
2. Read a bunch of local/relevant blogs and comment, leaving behind your domain/URL (this should be ongoing).
3. Use tools/plugins to make sure posts are tweeted/shared on social networks when published (also investigate Tweet Old Post as an option once you have some content rolling).
4. Determine what your blog “anchors” will be – will there be a regular weekly feature of some sort? (This is recommended.)
5. Brainstorm an editorial list of content so when you’re stuck for ideas, you have a place to go.
6. Create some list headers – blog posts with a number in the title do very well in traffic.
7. Do NOT launch your blog with only one post published. Make sure you have three to five in place before you go “live.”

What other tips can you offer the new blogger or someone launching a brand new blog presence?