12 Super Simple Steps for Beginners (2024)

If you would like a easy, thorough roadmap for the way to begin a weblog…

…and also you’re uninterested in wading by 20,000-word “final guides” filled with filler and fluff…

You’ve come to the proper place.

With over 4 million readers, we’re one of many world’s largest web sites about writing and running a blog. We’ve helped 1000’s of individuals begin a weblog, enhance their writing expertise, and earn actual, tangible earnings on-line. And at the moment, we’re going that will help you.

On this easy-to-digest publish:

We’ll stroll you thru the step-by-step course of for beginning a weblog, reply some frequent running a blog questions, and present you free instruments and sources that’ll put you on the trail to success.

You’ll comply with the straightforward steps, create your personal weblog, and begin padding your pockets with tens and twenties.

Sound good?

Let’s dive proper in.

Desk of Contents

1. Choose the Proper Weblog Subject

“What are the preferred weblog subjects?” “How do I give you a weblog thought?” “What ought to I weblog about?” “How to decide on weblog subjects?” “What if I don’t know what to weblog about?” “How do you begin a weblog?”

We get questions like these loads, they usually normally come from folks at their wit’s finish.

Need to know the massive downside with running a blog?

Most individuals don’t know there’s an enormous probability of failure, in order that they spend months and even years making a weblog with zero probability of succeeding.

Ultimately, they offer up and begin over, however once more, they make investments months and even years into making a second (or third or fourth) weblog that doesn’t work.

The explanation?

It’s not as a result of they’re dumb. And it’s not as a result of they’re lazy.

It’s as a result of they’re selecting the incorrect weblog subject.

Granted, for those who’re beginning a private weblog, the foundations are totally different. Do you benefit from the subject? Is it enjoyable? These are the one two questions that ought to matter to you.

However for those who’re trying to begin a weblog that can usher in visitors…

If you wish to create a weblog that can generate passive earnings…

It’s essential to select a viable weblog subject that has a preventing probability to succeed. As a result of right here’s the half that’s robust to swallow:

All weblog subjects aren’t viable. Some will fail regardless of how good you’re or how laborious you’re employed.

That’s the unhealthy information.

The excellent news is we’re going to point out you the way to decide a winner.

And it’s loads easier than you’d suppose.

Find out how to Select a Successful Weblog Subject

Jot down an inventory of subjects that curiosity you.

These might be your hobbies, subjects you believe you studied are extremely worthwhile, or one thing random you learn in {a magazine} whereas ready to see the dentist.

To be a viable weblog subject, you want to have the ability to reply “sure” to those 5 questions:

1. Do any present blogs on this subject have a Fb web page with greater than 10k followers?
2. Do any blogs on this subject have greater than 50k followers on Twitter?
3. Does Amazon have any books with greater than 30 opinions on this subject?
4. Once you seek for phrases and phrases associated to this subject, are there any Google adverts?
5. Do any phrases or phrases associated to this subject have greater than 100k searches in Google’s Keyword Planner device?

These questions will let you recognize whether or not or not there’s an present viewers in your subject.

Right here’s why that is necessary:

Too many bloggers attempt to be cute. They hunt for an audience nobody else is serving. They suppose, “if there’s no competitors for this subject, making a profitable weblog will likely be straightforward!”

Unsuitable.

If there are not any rivals, who will hyperlink to you? The place will your viewers come from? How on earth will anybody discover you?

It’s counterintuitive, however the extra competitors there may be in a running a blog house, the simpler it’s for a brand new blogger to seek out success in that house.

So, don’t attempt to be distinctive. Don’t attempt to be too intelligent.

Choose a weblog area of interest that has an present viewers and common blogs already vying for the viewers’s consideration.

2. Select the Proper Running a blog Platform

We’ll preserve this part transient:

There are a number of free running a blog platforms on the market, and for what they’re, and what they do, they provide strong worth.

In actual fact, we’re large proponents of bloggers beginning with a free weblog at Medium.com to allow them to check their content material concepts and ensure they’re viable earlier than making a full-fledged weblog.

However when you’re able to construct an viewers and generate profits on-line, there’s just one running a blog platform you must contemplate (and no, it isn’t Tumblr, Blogspot, Squarespace, or Wix):

It’s WordPress.

Or, extra particularly, self-hosted WordPress.

As of this writing, 37.5% of all websites use WordPress — together with heavyweights like TechCrunch, the Star Wars weblog, Mercedes-Benz, and, sure, Good Blogger.

With just about limitless plugins you may set up, customizations you can also make, and designs you may implement, a self-hosted WordPress weblog gives flexibility that free platforms can’t match.

Sure, WordPress is technically free too. It’s open-source. Nonetheless, as we clarify within the article linked above:

As a result of it’s self-hosted, you must purchase a hosting plan so you may set up WordPress by yourself net host. That prices cash (except you select free internet hosting — extra on that later). You additionally must buy your personal area title, which we’ll focus on in a second.

However don’t let these comparatively minor bills deter you.

In the event you’re critical about running a blog, constructing an viewers, and monetizing your weblog content material, that you must arrange your weblog on a rock-solid basis.

You want WordPress.

3. Select a Area Title

Put yourselves within the sneakers of a customer.

You’re shopping the world vast net, and also you see a headline for a weblog publish that catches your consideration. Possibly a buddy on social media shared it with you, possibly it got here up on a Google search, or possibly it’s only a hyperlink in one other article you’re studying.

Regardless, you click on the hyperlink and, consciously or not, you’re asking your self a single query as you flick through it…

“Is that this for me?“

Inside a number of seconds, you must resolve whether or not to maintain studying the publish or transfer on to one thing else, and the one method you’ll keep is that if it’s related to you.

And never simply the publish, both. Once you’re deciding, you’ll take within the design of the online web page, different posts’ headlines, and, sure, the area title.

For instance, contemplate Entrepreneur.com. Is there any doubt about who the location is for? Entrepreneurs, after all!

How about BeABetterBlogger.com? Clearly, it’s for individuals who need to change into higher bloggers.

Neither names are intelligent, however they show you how to resolve to remain or go by clearly articulating who they’re serving to. That’s what a very good area title does.

After all, all the nice domains are taken, proper?

Not essentially.

Find out how to Select a Customized Area Title for Your Weblog

Listed here are three totally different strategies for locating the proper area title:

• Title the viewers. The only option to get a transparent area title is to name out the viewers within the area itself. (Examples: SmartBlogger.com, CouchPotato.com, AFineParent.com)
• Title the subject. In case your weblog focuses on a particular subject, strive discovering a site title that describes it in clear, concise language. (Examples: ArtofManliness.com, BudgetsAreSexy.com, PaleoHacks.com)
• Title the profit. Why ought to folks stick round? You probably have a very good reply, typically you may flip it into a brand new area title that actually stands out. (Examples: BeABetterBlogger.com, MakeALivingWriting.com, BiggerPockets.com)

Our suggestion:

Use these three methods to make an inventory of 10-20 domains you’d be completely happy to have. You possibly can write them out in a phrase processor or, if you wish to get fancy, you should utilize a weblog title generator device like NameStation to provide a whole lot of concepts without delay.

When you’re completed brainstorming, head over to a site registrar like Namecheap (affiliate hyperlink) to see if the domains can be found.

Namecheap’s Beast Mode will allow you to seek for as much as 5,000 domains at one time. You possibly can entry it by clicking the “Use Beast Mode…” hyperlink on the high of the web page, or by getting into a key phrase and clicking “Beast Mode” subsequent to the search button:

Generally you get fortunate, and one in every of your favorites is out there. If not, you both have to go again to the drafting board for one more brainstorming session, or you may go to a premium area title market like Sedo.

Both method, a number of phrases of recommendation:

Don’t get hung up in your area title. Whereas it’s definitely useful to have a very good one, there are millions of vastly common websites with horrible domains nobody understands.

In different phrases, it’s probably not a “make or break” issue in your website. Give your self a number of days or possibly every week to brainstorm concepts, after which decide.

4. Buy a Internet Internet hosting Plan

In the event you’re not aware of the time period, a “net host” is sort of like a warehouse for web sites on the Web.

You pay a small price to maintain your web site on the Web, deal with all of your guests, again up your web site, present buyer help, handle the safety of your web site, and so forth.

Briefly:

Web site internet hosting prices cash, however you normally get a very good bit in your cash.

Editor’s Observe: In the event you’re on a good finances, take a look at 11 Free WordPress Hosting Services That Don’t Suck. Not one of the free choices mentioned will be capable to stand toe to toe with premium net hosts, but when “value” is your chief concern you’ll need to test it out.

There’s a gazillion totally different WordPress hosts on the market, however the internet hosting supplier we advocate to our college students is SiteGround (affiliate hyperlink).

SiteGround is like a type of hole-in-the-wall eating places that’s each reasonably priced and actually freaking good, and it’s fairly probably one of the best net host on the market for newbie bloggers.

Listed here are a number of of our favourite options:

• A technical help workforce educated in WordPress
• A built-in Content material Supply Community (CDN) to hurry up your website
• Free SSL certificates (so Google will know your website could be trusted)
• Each day backups (so that you by no means lose your knowledge)

And for those who’re a brand new buyer, SiteGround gives reductions of as much as 62% for Good Blogger readers (simply click on one in every of our SiteGround affiliate links).

Find out how to Buy Internet Internet hosting at SiteGround

Go to SiteGround (affiliate hyperlink) and click on the GET PLAN button beneath the managed WordPress internet hosting possibility that most closely fits your wants.

For freshmen, we advocate the StartUp plan:

On the subsequent display screen, do the next:

• Click on the I have already got a Area possibility
• Enter the area title you bought earlier from Namecheap (Instance: kevinjduncan.com)
• Click on the PROCEED button

On the ultimate display screen, you’ll full 4 sections:

1. Account Info (your e mail handle and password)
2. Consumer Info (your title, mailing handle, and telephone quantity)
3. Cost Info (Visa, Mastercard, and Uncover are accepted)
4. Buy Info (billing interval, [optional] additional providers)

Let’s have a look at Buy Info in additional element:

In the event you select a 12-month billing interval with no additional providers or add-ons, your 1-year complete will likely be $83.88.

Decline the Additional Providers, overview your order, and click on the PAY NOW button.

Congratulations! You’ve bought SiteGround internet hosting.

Now it’s time to attach it to your Namecheap area title…

Find out how to Level Your Area Title to Your Internet Host

This subsequent half is just a little technical, however we’ll make it as easy and painless as attainable.

To attach your Namecheap area title together with your SiteGround internet hosting account, comply with these steps:

1. Signal into your Namecheap account.
2. Click on Area Listing on the left-hand sidebar and choose MANAGE subsequent to your area (for those who simply bought the area title, you may also choose it out of your account’s important Dashboard).
3. Within the Nameservers part, select Customized DNS from the drop-down menu.
4. Enter your SiteGround title servers. To search out them, log into your SiteGround account, click on the Go to cPanel button, and replica the Title Servers listed within the ACCOUNT INFORMATION part. This tells Namecheap you’re the rightful weblog proprietor.
5. Save your modifications in Namecheap by clicking the inexperienced checkmark.

That’s it.

In the event you want a helpful visible, right here’s a brief YouTube video tutorial that’ll stroll you thru the method:

5. Set up WordPress

Together with your new area and net host linked, it’s time to arrange WordPress.

However don’t fear. Putting in WordPress isn’t sophisticated.

In actual fact, many premium WordPress hosts (like SiteGround) make the method ridiculously straightforward — no cPanel or localhost know-how is required.

In the event you selected a special web site builder, we’ll go over their steps for putting in WordPress in a second.

However first, let’s rapidly stroll by SiteGround.

After logging into your SiteGround consumer panel for the primary time, the Account Setup Wizard will seem as a pop-up window:

As proven within the screenshot above, click on the Begin a brand new web site possibility and choose WordPress because the software program you need to set up.

Subsequent, you’ll create the login particulars in your WordPress web site account:

Enter your most popular e mail handle, a very good username, and a robust password.

Click on the Affirm button to proceed.

Lastly, after studying the SiteGround Phrases of Service, you’ll click on the Full Setup button.

And that’s all there may be to it.

SiteGround will now set up WordPress for you. In only a few quick minutes, you’ll be able to log into your WordPress Dashboard.

Find out how to Log Into the WordPress Dashboard

In your favourite net browser, go to your WordPress login URL by appending /wp-admin (or /admin or /login or /wp-login) to the tip of your area title.

Examples:

• yourdomain.com/wp-admin
• www.yourdomain.com/admin
• yourdomain.com/login
• www.yourdomain.com/wp-login

You’ll be taken to your WordPress login web page:

Enter the username and password you created earlier.

Click on Log In.

Your WordPress dashboard will look much like this:

Now for the enjoyable half. Let’s start customizing your WordPress website.

We’ll begin by giving it a brand new coat of paint.

6. Design Your Weblog by Selecting a WordPress Theme

Earlier than we start customizing your WordPress website with themes or templates, we have to be clear about one thing:

Your content material issues greater than the rest.

You possibly can have a website that’s ugly, clunky, and sluggish, however if in case you have nice content material, you may nonetheless get visitors and earn passive earnings.

Not the other, although. You possibly can have essentially the most stunning, user-friendly web site on-line, but when the content material sucks, no person will care about you.

So, don’t enable your self to get misplaced in these particulars. Concentrate on making your web site practical, after which you may all the time come again and make it distinctive or stunning later.

Make sense? Good.

Now, let’s go over how you could find an excellent design in your web site:

Find out how to Select a WordPress Theme

In WordPress, your “theme” is the design of your web site. It dictates how your weblog seems to the world.

There are tens of 1000’s of stylish theme choices on the market so that you can select from — some free, some that cost money.

You may suppose having so many choices is an effective factor, but it surely’s truly the other. In his e-book, The Paradox of Choice (affiliate hyperlink), psychologist Barry Schwartz says having too many decisions can result in decision-making paralysis.

In different phrases…

The extra choices you will have obtainable, the extra seemingly you’re to select none of the choices.

So, we’re going to maintain this quite simple:

• If you would like a free WordPress theme, select Astra (affiliate hyperlink)
• If you would like a premium weblog theme, select Astra Pro (affiliate hyperlink)
• And if you would like an superior web page builder that’ll allow you to customise your design to your coronary heart’s content material, select Elementor Pro (affiliate hyperlink)

Choose the WordPress theme that most closely fits your state of affairs and wishes.

Obtain it.

Now, let’s set up it.

Find out how to Set up WordPress Themes

To put in a WordPress theme, comply with these steps:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane, go to Look
2. Select Themes
3. Click on the Add New button

From right here, there are two paths you may take:

• Search themes… from WordPress.org’s large listing of free WordPress themes, or
• Click on the Add Theme button to put in a WordPress theme you downloaded from a 3rd occasion (like Astra or one other Elementor theme).

Let’s stroll by each paths:

Path #1: Set up a New Theme From WordPress.org’s Listing

If you wish to set up a free theme from WordPress.org:

• Enter a theme title or a desired characteristic (Instance: “minimalist”) within the Search themes… discipline
• Click on the Set up button

Path #2: Set up a Thirty-Occasion WordPress Theme

If you wish to set up a WordPress theme you downloaded from a 3rd occasion, click on the Add Theme button and:

• Click on the Select File button
• Discover the third-party theme you downloaded to your laptop (Instance: premium-theme.zip) and choose it
• Click on the Set up Now button

Whether or not you select a free theme or a premium theme, you’ll “activate” it the identical method.

We’ll present you the way to try this subsequent:

Find out how to Activate a WordPress Theme

Instantly after putting in your WordPress theme, you’ll be given the choice to “Activate” or “Preview” it.

If you wish to instantly publish the theme to your web site, click on the Activate button. In any other case:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane, go to Look
2. Select Themes

You’ll then see each theme you’ve put in, together with the “default” themes which might be put in routinely by WordPress.

Discover the theme you need to use and click on the Activate button:

And that’s it.

Your fancy new weblog design is now seen to the world!

However is your weblog prepared for the world? Not but.

First, we have to enhance its performance. And we’ll begin by putting in a number of WordPress plugins.

7. Set up WordPress Plugins

WordPress is filled with options. Plugins add much more.

From the 50,000+ free or freemium plugins within the WordPress.org repository to the 1000’s of premium plugins obtainable from third events, there’s a WordPress plugin for just about every thing.

With so many choices obtainable, and with so many articles littered throughout the online touting “must-have” and “important” WordPress plugins, most newbie bloggers go overboard. They set up so many plugins, their websites sluggish to a crawl.

Right here’s the factor:

There are particular classes or kinds of WordPress plugins you completely want; nevertheless, there’s no such factor as an important plugin.

Anybody who tells you in any other case is giving unhealthy data.

On this subsequent part, we’re going to go over the six classes of WordPress plugins that you must set up. And sure, we’ll have a plugin suggestion for every class.

However for those who don’t like one in every of our suggestions, that’s okay. Merely discover a totally different plugin that provides comparable performance.

The 6 Kinds of WordPress Plugins You Must Set up (+ Suggestions)

1. Performance Plugins (Our Choose: WP Tremendous Cache)
2. Security Plugins (Our Choose: iThemes Safety)
3. Backup Plugins (Our Choose: UpdraftPlus)
4. SEO Plugins (Our Choose: Yoast search engine marketing)
5. Social Sharing Plugins (Our Choose: Social Warfare)
6. Email List Building Plugins (Our Choose: Convert Professional)

1. Efficiency Plugins (Our Choose: WP Tremendous Cache)

Why you want a efficiency plugin: In case your weblog is sluggish, your readers will bounce and Google will rank you decrease in search engine outcomes. A superb efficiency optimization plugin will “cache” your content material so it masses sooner.

Why we advocate WP Super Cache: W3 Complete Cache is one other good possibility, however we choose WP Tremendous Cache for its simplicity. The actual fact it’s maintained by the corporate behind WordPress, Automattic, doesn’t harm.

What’s the associated fee? It’s free.

Observe: In the event you go along with SiteGround (affiliate hyperlink) as your net host, as we advisable earlier, you gained’t want to put in a efficiency plugin like WP Tremendous Cache. SiteGround has its personal caching plugin, and it solely takes a couple of minute to arrange.

2. Safety Plugins (Our Choose: iThemes Safety)

Why you want a safety plugin: On common, round 30,000 web sites are hacked every day. In case your thought of securing your weblog is solely having a very good password, you’re asking for hassle.

Why we advocate iThemes Security: Previously often known as Higher WP Safety, iThemes Safety gives a one-click setup wizard that makes defending your website straightforward.

What’s the associated fee? iThemes Safety is free, however in addition they supply a professional model with additional options.

3. Backup Plugins (Our Choose: UpdraftPlus)

Why you want a backup plugin: As a result of sensible bloggers are all the time ready.

Why we advocate UpdraftPlus: It strikes a very good steadiness between flexibility, options, and ease of use. It has a 4.8 out of 5.0 score on the WordPress plugin repository, and it’s actively up to date by its builders.

What’s the associated fee? UpdraftPlus is free, however in addition they supply a premium model for $70. Right here’s a breakdown of what you get with every plan:

4. search engine marketing Plugins (Our Choose: Yoast search engine marketing)

Why you want a search engine marketing plugin: If you would like web site visitors, you want Google to like your content material. Through the use of a very good search engine marketing plugin, you can also make positive your weblog posts are placing their finest foot ahead.

Why we advocate Yoast SEO: It’s the gold normal of WordPress search engine marketing plugins.

What’s the associated fee? Yoast search engine marketing has each free and premium variations. Its free model gives every thing you want.

5. Social Sharing Plugins (Our Choose: Social Warfare)

Why you want a social sharing plugin: By making it straightforward in your present readers to share your posts on their favorite social media sites, social sharing buttons assist get extra eyes in your high quality content material.

Why we advocate Social Warfare (affiliate hyperlink): There are a whole lot of social media plugins on the market, however we like Social Warfare as a result of it’s light-weight (e.g. doesn’t decelerate your web site) and gives distinctive options like “Click on to Tweet” packing containers and Pinterest-specific pictures and infographics.

What’s the associated fee? Social Warfare has each a free and professional model. Its free model gives all of the fundamentals you’ll want, however for those who resolve to improve the professional model is barely $29 (paid yearly).

6. E-mail Listing Constructing Plugins (Our Choose: Convert Professional)

Why you want an e mail list-building plugin: If you would like your weblog and enterprise to develop, turning weblog visitors into leads is a should. You want a option to seize the e-mail addresses of your readers so you may proceed to have interaction with them.

Why we advocate Convert Pro (affiliate hyperlink): Its drag-and-drop editor for creating pop-ups is essentially the most user-friendly possibility we’ve used.

What’s the associated fee? Convert Professional isn’t free. It prices $99 yearly or $399 for a lifetime license. If value is a priority, contemplate the free model of Sumo, which has some nice options, however contains company branding.

Find out how to Set up WordPress Plugins

Now that we’ve gone over the kinds of plugins you want, let’s stroll by the steps for putting in them.

It’s actually easy:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane inside your dashboard, go to Plugins
2. Select Add New

You then have two paths you may take:

• Click on the Add Plugin button (for those who downloaded a third-party plugin like Convert Professional), or
• Enter the title of the plugin within the Search plugins… discipline (if you wish to discover a free plugin from the WordPress.org repository)

Let’s rapidly go over each paths:

Path #1: Set up a Thirty-Occasion WordPress Plugin

If you wish to set up a WordPress plugin you downloaded from a third-party web site, click on the Add Plugin button and:

• Click on the Select File button
• Discover the third-party theme you downloaded to your laptop (Instance: convert-pro.zip) and choose it
• Click on the Set up Now button

Path #2: Set up a Plugin From WordPress.org’s Listing

If you wish to set up a plugin from WordPress.org:

• Enter the plugin title (Instance: “wp tremendous cache”) within the Search plugins… discipline
• Click on the Set up button

Instructed you it was easy.

After all, similar to once we put in a WordPress theme, there’s yet one more step to take to “activate” your plugin.

Let’s go over that subsequent:

Find out how to Activate a WordPress Plugin

Whether or not you select a free plugin from WordPress.org or a premium plugin from a third-party web site builder, you’ll flip it on the identical method.

You possibly can click on the Activate button that seems instantly after you put in it:

Or:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane, go to Plugins
2. Select Put in Plugins
3. Discover your plugin and click on Activate

Completed.

8. Weblog Set Up and search engine marketing (Search Engine Optimization)

Volumes have been written about on-page SEO, off-page SEO, Google RankBrain, key phrase analysis, SEO tools, search intent, Google Analytics, and all the opposite intricacies surrounding the ins and outs of getting ranked increased in SERPs (search engine outcomes pages).

We’re going to be straight with you:

If you wish to begin a weblog that brings in visitors, if you wish to catapult your content material to web page one in every of Google, you’re going to must roll up your sleeves and study search engine marketing.

We’ll offer you some nice studying materials in a second. However first, let’s cowl the search engine marketing fundamentals that you must know when doing a brand new weblog setup — the sort of search engine marketing fundamentals typically missed in superior tutorials.

We’ll begin with the simplest one.

Make Certain Google Can Discover Your Web site

To make sure search engines like google and yahoo like Google and Bing can discover your weblog, that you must be certain that the next are unchecked:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over Settings
2. Click on Studying
3. Affirm “Discourage search engines like google and yahoo from indexing this website” is unchecked

Create an XML Sitemap (and Submit Your Sitemap to Search Engines)

First, a fast definition from Google:

When your weblog is new and has few exterior hyperlinks pointing to it, a sitemap helps guarantee Google is ready to uncover the wonderful new content material you create.

So, let’s go over the way you create a sitemap (and how one can let Google realize it exists).

Find out how to Create an XML Sitemap

In the event you put in and activated the Yoast SEO plugin we advisable earlier, making a sitemap is a snap.

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over search engine marketing
2. Click on Common
3. Click on the Options tab
4. Scroll right down to the XML sitemaps possibility and ensure the change is toggled to On

You now have an XML sitemap in your weblog. Subsequent, we have to give it to Google, Bing, and different search engines like google and yahoo.

So earlier than we go away the Yoast search engine marketing plugin, let’s copy the URL of your sitemap:

1. Click on the query mark icon subsequent to XML sitemaps
2. Click on the See the XML sitemap hyperlink

Your sitemap will open in a brand new tab in your browser.

Copy the URL within the handle bar and reserve it.

Find out how to Submit Your Sitemap to Search Engines

The steps for submitting your sitemap differ from search engine to go looking engine. We’ll rapidly go over the preferred ones, beginning with Google:

Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console

1. Go to Google Search Console and sign up utilizing your Google account
2. Within the left-hand pane, choose your web site

Observe: In the event you haven’t but added your web site to Google Search Console, you’ll must click on “Add property” and comply with the steps supplied earlier than persevering with beneath.

3. Below Index, click on the Sitemaps possibility
4. Within the Add a brand new sitemap part, enter the URL you saved earlier and click on Submit

Submit your Sitemap to Bing Webmaster Instruments

1. Log into Bing Webmaster Tools (you’ll must create an account if in case you have not but accomplished so)
2. Below the My Websites part, click on your web site

Observe: In the event you haven’t but added your web site to Bing Webmaster Instruments, enter your weblog’s URL within the Add a Web site part and click on the ADD button.

3. Within the left-hand pane, click on Configure My Web site and select Sitemaps
4. Enter the URL of your sitemap within the Submit a sitemap part and click on the Submit button

And that’s it.

You’ve efficiently submitted your sitemap to Google and Bing.

Change Permalinks Construction

By default, WordPress units the hyperlinks in your weblog to the next format:

Why do they do that? Nobody is aware of for positive. “For grins and giggles” is the speculation we’re going with.

However whatever the purpose, that you must replace this hyperlink construction earlier than you publish a single piece of content material.

Right here’s the way you do it:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane, hover over Settings
2. Click on Permalinks
3. Below Frequent Settings, set the choice to Put up title

Now your hyperlinks will seem like this:

• yourdomain.com/how-to-brew-coffee
• www.yourdomain.com/seo-tips
• yourdomain.com/social-media-strategies
• subdomain.yourdomain.com/how-to-start-a-blog

Not solely is that this hyperlink construction higher in your readers, but it surely’s higher for search engines like google and yahoo like Google too.

Set up an SSL Certificates (So Your URL Begins With https As an alternative of http)

Talking of issues Google likes…

You completely, positively should set up an SSL certificates in your web site. Right here’s why:

• Readers will know your web site is protected
• Your web site will likely be protected due to the encryption of readers’ delicate knowledge and private data
• Google sees it as a ranking signal, which suggests not having an SSL certificates will harm your content material’s rankings in search outcomes

Okay, so what’s an SSL certificates? How have you learnt if a web site has one or not?

Search for a safe padlock and https in a web site’s URL:

If the URL has them, the web site is safe. If it doesn’t, it isn’t.

Find out how to Set up an SSL Certificates

Your webhosting package deal from SiteGround (affiliate hyperlink) contains free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt.

Right here’s how you put in them:

• Log into your SiteGround account
• Click on the Go to cPanel button
• Within the Safety part, click on Let’s Encrypt
• Choose your area title, select the Let’s Encrypt SSL possibility, and click on the Set up button

A couple of moments later, your SSL certificates will likely be up and working!

In the event you want extra steerage, take a look at SiteGround’s Let’s Encrypt tutorial.

9. Write Your First Weblog Put up!

Can we be trustworthy for a minute?

That is the enjoyable half… content material creation!

It’s time to start writing blog posts. Taking concepts in your head, turning them into phrases on the display screen, and sharing them with the world.

Let’s stroll by the way you do it.

Up first, the fundamentals:

Find out how to Begin a Weblog Put up in WordPress

1. Within the left-hand pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over Posts
2. Click on Add New

In the event you’re utilizing the brand new WordPress block editor (aka the Gutenberg editor), your display screen will seem like this:

In the event you’re utilizing the basic TinyMCE content material editor, you’ll see this:

Both method, you’ll be capable to add a publish title (aka headline), write your publish, select your class, tweak HTML and CSS, add free stock photos, and extra.

For detailed directions on how to navigate the classic content editor, WordPress gives an in depth help article.

In the event you’re utilizing the WordPress block editor, let’s go over the fundamental navigation so that you’ll know the way to get round.

Block Navigation in Gutenberg

1. Add a brand new block
2. Undo and Redo buttons
3. Content material construction (phrase rely, headings, paragraphs, blocks)
4. Block navigation (a drop-down displaying all of the block varieties used within the publish)

Subsequent, the sidebar navigation:

Sidebar Navigation in Gutenberg

Find out how to Add a Block within the Block Editor

Click on the plus (+) signal within the top-left nook.

Select the class and the kind of block you need to add:

Every block could be edited, deleted, saved as reusable, and moved up or down with drag-and-drop choices:

Don’t fear — WordPress blocks, widgets, and the like will get simpler the extra you employ them.

Now let’s deal with the writing questions we hear most frequently from bloggers.

Query: “How Do I Discover Good Weblog Put up Concepts?”

We sometimes advocate two strategies:

1. Use BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a device that allows you to discover common posts on social media. In the event you want inspiration, what’s simpler than shopping content material that’s already doing effectively together with your audience?

2. Discover the Factor That Retains Your Readers Awake at Evening

In different phrases:

What has your readers tossing and turning at two o’clock within the morning?

Are they questioning the way to get extra visitors to their blogs? Are they affected by author imposter syndrome? Or possibly they’re combating weblog promotion?

Bloggers who’re capable of reply this burning difficulty, and who make a concerted effort to put in writing about it and solely it, have a leg up on the competitors.

So, discover your readers’ ache level. After which deal with serving to them resolve it.

Query: “How Do You Write a Good Headline?”

Copy the professionals.

Browse Good Blogger and your different favourite, finest blogs. Search for patterns. You need to discover “listing” and “the way to” headlines are fairly common.

Right here’s a current instance from Good Blogger:

Working From Home? 14 Sanity-Saving Tools (+ 35 Pro Tips)

There’s a purpose for this:

Many years of copywriting and promoting analysis have revealed certain types of headlines convert better than others.

Why mess with what works?

Query: “How Do I Write a Good Introduction?”

There are a number of good methods for writing spellbinding introductions. Listed here are 5 of our favorites:

1. Empathize together with your reader
2. Ask a tantalizing opening query
3. Alternate between quick and lengthy paragraphs — give your writing a rhythm
4. Use delayed transitions
5. Use deliberate repetition of sure phrases to intensify their influence

Every of the above methods attracts the reader in and retains them engaged. They’ll need to dive deeper into your publish to seek out out what occurs subsequent.

Query: “How Can I Enhance my Writing Velocity?”

Eradicate as many distractions as attainable.

This might imply turning off your smartphone, buying noise-canceling headphones, and even logging out of your e mail.

One unconventional trick is to show off your grammar checker. Flip off Grammarly. These squiggly crimson strains are your mates if you’re proofreading, however they’re your enemy if you’re attempting to put in writing sooner.

Query: “How Can I Enhance My Writing Expertise?”

It’s cliche, however you must observe.

When Brian Clark of Copyblogger took a younger editor below his wing years in the past, he made him write 100 headlines each single day. That editor, who coincidentally went on to launch one of many world’s largest web sites about running a blog, bought actually good at writing headlines.

So, observe. Tons and many observe. And studying these sources will assist too:

10. Increase Your Visitors, Promote Your Weblog, and Grasp Social Media

Let’s be trustworthy:

Once you’re a newbie blogger, nobody is listening to you. You might write essentially the most wonderful piece of content material the world has ever seen, and nobody’s going to realize it even exists.

Except…

Except you inform them about it.

It’s essential to spend simply as a lot time selling your posts as you do writing them. At a minimal. Ideally, you’ll spend extra time selling them than writing them.

Listed here are some ideas so you may get essentially the most out of your promotional efforts:

Tip #1: Concentrate on One Social Media Platform

In the event you attempt to kick butt on each social media platform, you’re going to fail.

There are just too many platforms on the market, and there’s solely a lot time within the day. In the event you attempt to be in all places, you’ll drown.

Right here’s what you must do as an alternative:

Choose one social media platform. Concentrate on it. Overlook the others (for an extended whereas, anyway).

Which platform will depend on the place your splendid readers hang around. For some niches, that’ll be Fb. For others, it’ll be Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Discover one of the best social community in your weblog’s area of interest, be part of it, and dominate it.

Right here’s how:

Study Find out how to do Pinterest (the Proper Means)

Relying in your area of interest and viewers, Pinterest is usually a vital visitors supply.

In case your Pinterest recreation is missing, take a look at 9 Ways to Go Viral on Pinterest and Get an Avalanche of Traffic and Pinterest Marketing: 7 Simple Steps That’ll Turn Pins Into Profits, and implement the information we focus on.

Drive Visitors to Your Web site (and Join With Influencers) Utilizing Twitter

Tweeting is simple.

Tweeting effectively, and harnessing the facility of Twitter to drive visitors to your weblog and join with influencers, is troublesome.

In The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing in 2024, we provide methods to get Twitter visitors (and to get onto the radars of influencers).

If Twitter (X) is your social media platform of alternative, make sure you learn it.

Turn out to be a Fb Kung-fu Grasp

Whether or not you’re keen on or detest (or merely tolerate) Fb, there’s no denying it’s large.

Fb is so large that, most certainly, no matter your area of interest, it’s the place most of your readers hang around on social media.

If that’s the case, that you must grasp it.

These posts will assist:

Reply Questions on Quora

In the event you’re unfamiliar, Quora is a Q&A platform the place anybody can publish a query and get solutions from specialists in the neighborhood.

And it’s utilized by savvy bloggers (like our friends over at Ahrefs), to ship visitors to their weblog websites.

To study extra about Quora and the way you should utilize it to spice up your weblog’s visitors, take a look at How to Turn Quora into a Traffic-Driving Machine for Your Blog.

Tip #2: Keep away from These 4 Visitors Methods That Are a Waste of Time for Newcomers

Visitors methods have been round for years. Consequently, a few of them are a bit lengthy within the tooth.

A few of the following visitors methods are useless (and have been for some time), whereas some can get you just a little visitors however are too time-intensive.

Both method, if you’re a newbie, you must keep away from these 4 visitors methods:

1. Commenting on In style Blogs

As soon as upon a time, this was efficient, however because the blogosphere has grown, and common blogs have obtained an increasing number of remark spam, its return on funding has fallen dramatically.

Sure, weblog commenting can open doors to a future relationship with the blogger, but when getting click-throughs to your weblog is your main aim, you’re going to be upset.

2. Submitting Your Web site to Directories

Years in the past, submitting your website to directories was a viable visitors useful resource and an important a part of search engine marketing, however the advantages have disappeared.

Right here’s what Google’s John Mueller needed to say method again in 2017 when he was requested if submitting to directories had any search engine marketing worth:

Briefly, this advertising and marketing technique has been useless for a very long time.

3. Making an attempt to go Viral on Reddit, Hacker Information, and many others.

Whereas these websites can drive huge visitors, it’s troublesome to get your content material to the entrance web page till you will have a number of readers to vote for it.

Cross this technique off your listing till you hit 1,000 e mail subscribers (at a minimal).

4. Paying for a Distinctive Design

You’d suppose paying for a novel weblog design would assist set up your legitimacy and result in extra visitors, however in actuality, it doesn’t have any impact on visitors in any respect.

You’re much better off utilizing a free or cheap WordPress theme like Astra (affiliate hyperlink), and investing the cash elsewhere.

Tip #3: Make Highly effective Mates by Reaching Out to Influencers

Once you’re a newbie blogger, constructing an viewers is troublesome.

Need to know a shortcut?

Get somebody influential to introduce you to their viewers.

This introduction might come within the type of a backlink to your web site, an e mail point out, a share on social media, or letting you write a guest post for them.

Right here’s the way you do it:

• Discover the movers and shakers in your area of interest
• Get on their radars
• Attain out to them

It sounds straightforward, however there’s fairly a little bit of laborious work concerned. Lots, truly.

And right here’s the kicker:

Each different newbie blogger will likely be doing outreach too. So will skilled bloggers. Even influential bloggers who weblog full-time (together with those you’re attempting to attach with) will likely be doing it.

Each blogger who needs to develop their viewers is pounding the pavement and reaching out to different bloggers (or paying somebody to do it for them) within the hopes of creating highly effective associates.

Briefly, there’s a whole lot of competitors. So if you would like your outreach efforts to be efficient, you want a strong plan.

Blogger Outreach: How to Get Influencers to Promote Your Content for Free is filled with confirmed outreach methods.

Learn it and comply with it.

Tip #4: Pay for Fb Adverts

We hesitated even to incorporate this part.

Right here’s the factor:

Once you’re beginning out, you must not spend cash on Fb adverts. Or Google adverts. Or no matter LinkedIn is doing today.

However upon getting a strong basis in place, when you’ve reached 1,000 e mail subscribers, and upon getting visitors beginning to roll in from Google search outcomes… contemplate supercharging your efforts by studying the ins and outs of Fb’s advert community.

Right here’s a primer to get you began: How I Got 532 Subscribers in 43 Days Using Cheap Facebook Ads.

11. Construct Your E-mail Listing (Get Began NOW!)

In the event you polled 100 skilled bloggers who’ve been across the block or two, and also you requested them about their largest running a blog mistake, you’d hear one reply greater than some other:

“I want I began constructing my e mail listing sooner.”

Study from their errors.

Begin constructing your e mail listing on day one.

Get began now.

We’ll stroll you thru the step-by-step course of.

1. Choose an E-mail Advertising and marketing Service

There are a whole lot of good email marketing service providers…

…however if you’re beginning out, that you must preserve your bills in test wherever you may. That’s why we advocate MailerLite (affiliate hyperlink) to our college students, which is free for customers with 1,000 or fewer subscribers.

When you hit the magic 1k quantity, you may both improve to one in every of MailerLite’s paid plans or change to a special e mail advertising and marketing service supplier.

So, don’t overthink it. You want an e mail advertising and marketing supplier to start out constructing your e mail listing. Get a strong one which gained’t value you any cash.

2. Strategically Place Optin Kinds on Your Weblog

Utilizing an e mail listing plugin like Convert Pro (affiliate hyperlink) or Sumo, place opt-in varieties all through your web site:

In Your Header

Inside Your Content material

On a Touchdown Web page

In Pop-Ups

In Your Sidebar

On Your Homepage, “About” Web page, or Contact Type Web page

3. Give Folks a Cause to Give You Their E-mail Tackle by Providing an Moral Bribe (aka Subscriber Bribe)

Even when they such as you, most individuals gained’t offer you their e mail handle out of the goodness of their coronary heart.

No, that you must give them a purpose.

Moral bribes (also referred to as subscriber bribes, lead magnets, opt-in bribes, free gives, free items, and content material upgrades) give readers a purpose handy over their e mail addresses to you.

They provide you their e mail, and also you give them a free present.

That’s all there may be to it.

The lure many bloggers fall into is that they attempt to get too large and inventive with their lead magnet. Consequently, they typically fail to create one in any respect.

The lesson?

Maintain your subscriber bribe easy. Our suggestion:

Begin with a easy, one-page PDF guidelines.

In the event you doubt a highly-focused, one-page obtain could be helpful and interesting to readers, take a look at the next examples:

• Ramit Sethi of I Will Educate You To Be Wealthy as soon as supplied a downloadable PDF (“20 Questions Your Financially Unprepared Mates are Afraid Of”) as a lead magnet, which was primarily a single web page of helpful questions.
• MeetEdgar’s Laura Roeder (previously of LKR Social Media) as soon as supplied readers a “Grasp Weblog Technique Worksheet” — a single web page containing 9 strategy-related questions.
• Copyblogger had “11 Important Substances Each Weblog Put up Wants” as its moral bribe, a easy one-pager that was lower than 100 phrases in its entirety.

Every of those one-page checklists was quick, easy, and tremendous efficient.

With these three steps, you’ll begin your running a blog journey in a greater place than 99% of your rivals.

And when/for those who’re able to study extra about e mail advertising and marketing instruments and constructing your e mail listing, make sure you take a look at these useful sources:

12. Make Cash Running a blog

So, you will have a weblog and also you’re prepared to start out being profitable?

Superior. You’ve already made it farther than 99% of the dreamers on the market.

In a second, we’re going to inform you exactly what to do to generate passive earnings as a newbie blogger.

However first, we’re going to inform you what you shouldn’t do…

Please, no matter you do, don’t cowl your weblog in Google Adsense if you’re simply beginning out.

Significantly, we wrote a complete publish detailing why weblog adverts suck for monetizing your website. And we named it — yep, you guessed it — 13 Reasons Why Blog Ads Suck for Monetizing Your Site.

We encourage you to learn it for those who’re serious about plastering weblog adverts throughout your website, however listed below are the highlights:

• Weblog adverts pay peanuts
• They distract your readers
• They make your weblog look low-cost and sleazy

Okay, in order that’s what to not do. Right here’s what you ought to do:

Affiliate Advertising and marketing

We imagine one of the best monetization methodology for bloggers is to construct an viewers that trusts them after which supply high-quality services or products that can actually, genuinely assist that viewers.

Most bloggers hear this recommendation and resolve to run off and create a e-book or course, however we predict that’s a mistake if you’re a newbie.

In the event you’re not cautious, you may waste months and even years making a product your viewers doesn’t need. You don’t need that — belief us.

As an alternative, we advocate you promote an associates program from respected corporations that provide issues like 30-day money-back ensures.

It really works like this:

• You introduce your readers to a services or products from a trusted supply
• Your readers have a look at the services or products, resolve it’s going to assist them, and buy it
• You earn a fee on the gross sales

The great thing about online marketing is you win in a number of methods. You assist your viewers, you earn cash, and — most significantly — you study what kinds of services your viewers likes to purchase.

Upon getting this data, then you may exit and create your personal merchandise, programs, or e-commerce websites round it. Solely this time, you gained’t be guessing there’s an viewers for it. You’ll realize it.

We’ve written two nice newbie’s guides on online marketing and numerous affiliate packages. Earlier than you dip your toes into the affiliate waters, make sure you learn each completely:

Extra Cash Making Prospects

Internet online affiliate marketing is the simplest monetization methodology for freshmen, however there are different choices too.

Try these in-depth sources we’ve put collectively:

13. Find out how to Begin a Weblog and Get Paid: FAQ

Wow. We’ve coated a whole lot of data, haven’t we?

And the loopy factor is… we’ve merely scratched the floor. There’s a lot extra.

So earlier than we wrap issues up, let’s have a look at a number of extra frequent questions we obtain (ones we didn’t already handle above).

That is an ever-expanding listing, so if in case you have a query we haven’t coated about beginning a weblog, please be at liberty to ask us within the feedback part.

Ought to I Begin a Weblog in 2024?

We’re requested many questions by readers…

How do bloggers generate profits?

Can I begin a weblog without spending a dime?

How do I select a very good area title for my weblog?

…however all of them take a again seat to this one:

Why begin a weblog? Ought to I begin a weblog?

With the dominance of video content material on YouTube and Fb, plus the emergence of “microblogging” platforms like Instagram and Twitter, it’s affordable to marvel if the entire thought of running a blog is just a little… effectively, outdated.

Nonetheless, the numbers inform a special story:

• Tens of 1000’s of recent blogs are created every day
• In response to Statista, the variety of bloggers in the US alone is ready to succeed in 31.7 million within the coming years
• On WordPress, 70 million new weblog posts are written each month
• Market researchers estimate greater than 75% of Web customers learn blogs frequently
• Content marketing, which incorporates running a blog, is projected to be a $412.88 billion business

In different phrases:

In case your objectives are to construct an viewers and generate profits on-line, the query isn’t must you begin a weblog in 2024 — it’s why wouldn’t you?

So, sure, you must begin a weblog.

Proper now.

And because of this publish, you now know the way to do it, step-by-step. 🙂

How A lot Does a Starting Blogger Make?

In the event you’re working for one more firm, you can also make as a lot as $50,000 per 12 months. Skilled content material entrepreneurs receives a commission very effectively.

Alternatively, most starting bloggers are hobbyists. They tinker round of their spare time and infrequently make a lot.

In the event you do decide to running a blog over the long run, and also you begin a really common weblog, you can also make 1,000,000 or two (or extra). It’s an extended street, and most of the people fail, but it surely’s achievable.

What’s a Weblog?

In response to WordPress:

Blogs have grown up a very good bit from their “weblog” days, after all. (School scholar Justin Corridor is credited with the creation of the primary weblog, hyperlinks.web, method again in 1994). Right now, we have now style blogs, blogs for podcasts, blogs used as online journals, blogs that promote merchandise, and every thing in between.

How A lot Does a Weblog Value?

It actually relies upon.

In case your running a blog objectives aren’t to develop an viewers and generate profits, you may blog on Medium. It’s free, and it’ll enable your inner writer to shine.

Nonetheless, for those who’re eager to earn passive earnings with running a blog, you’ll must buy sure issues.

For instance:

• A site title from Namecheap (affiliate hyperlink) begins at $8.88 per 12 months for a .com area title extension.
• Internet hosting from SiteGround (affiliate hyperlink) is $3.95 monthly for the primary billing interval.

For a working tally, take a look at The Shocking Cost of Running a Blog (and How to Create a Realistic Budget).

What’s Gutenberg?

Also referred to as the WordPress block editor, the Gutenberg editor went stay as a part of WordPress model 5.0 in December 2018.

It’s a contemporary, drag-and-drop editor that changed the basic TinyMCE editor. In the event you’d prefer to study extra about it, take a look at WordPress Block Editor: The Ultimate Gutenberg Guide.

How do I Begin a Private Weblog?

If all you want is a private weblog (no e mail listing, no online marketing, and many others.), go along with Medium.com.

It’s free, it’s straightforward to make use of, and it has a pleasant, trendy aesthetic (for those who’re into that type of factor).

Is WordPress Free?

WordPress.com is free to make use of. Self-hosted WordPress.org software program is technically free too (anybody can obtain it). Nonetheless, for a self-hosted weblog, you’ll must pay for webhosting and area title registration.

What Can I do to Cease Spam Feedback?

Because it’s the largest running a blog platform on the earth, WordPress is a well-liked goal of remark spammers.

And whereas there’s nothing you are able to do to forestall spam feedback utterly (in need of turning off commenting performance in your website), there are steps you may take (along with putting in an anti-spam plugin) to strengthen your defenses and decrease the quantity of spam you obtain.

Maintain Feedback in Moderation

If you wish to maintain first-time commenters sparsely till you may overview and approve their remark, comply with these steps:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane, hover over Settings
2. Click on Dialogue
3. Within the E-mail me at any time when part, test the Anybody posts a remark and A remark is held for moderation choices
4. Within the Earlier than a remark seems part, test the Remark writer should have a beforehand accepted remark possibility

If you wish to maintain all feedback sparsely, even from people who’ve had feedback accepted beforehand, test the Remark should be manually accepted possibility:

The latter will guarantee spam feedback aren’t capable of sneak by and be stay in your weblog for the world to see, but it surely means you’ll must diligently overview the pending feedback in your dashboard.

Shut Feedback After a Sure Variety of Days

Most official feedback you obtain will arrive throughout the first few weeks after you’ve clicked the PUBLISH button in your publish.. Closing down the feedback part of a publish after a sure time period is a simple option to minimize down on the quantity of spam you obtain.

Right here’s how you are able to do it:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane, hover over Settings
2. Click on Dialogue
3. Within the Different remark settings part, test the Mechanically shut feedback on articles older than X days possibility

Enter the variety of days you wish to move earlier than feedback are closed. Durations of 30 days and 60 days are frequent.

Flip Off Pingbacks

A pingback is a notification that seems in your feedback part when one other weblog has linked to it.

Sounds nice, however the issue is pingbacks are simply abused by spammers. In case your weblog is pingback-enabled, your feedback can change into overrun with spam.

It’s finest to show off pingbacks. Right here’s the way you do it:

1. Within the left-hand navigation pane, hover over Settings
2. Click on Dialogue
3. Within the Default article settings part, uncheck the Enable hyperlink notifications from different blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on new articles possibility

How Can I Keep away from the Most Frequent Running a blog Errors?

Even specialists make errors. How do you suppose they grew to become specialists? Trial and error, child.

Thankfully, you will have a alternative. Study the laborious method and bump your head in opposition to the identical errors as everybody else, or use your mind and study from the failures of others.

If you wish to keep away from some frequent pitfalls, learn these posts:

The Backside Line on Find out how to Begin a Weblog (and Get Paid)

you’re in rarefied air, proper?

Most individuals who examine the way to begin a weblog don’t comply with by. They need to start out a weblog they usually discuss it nonstop, positive, however they by no means take motion.

Years from now, they’ll nonetheless be skimming posts like this one, nodding together with the phrases, and wishing they’d the braveness to make it occur.

However not you.

You’re going to take the steps we’ve outlined above and knock them out one after the other. You’re going to create a weblog, develop an viewers, and begin incomes an actual, tangible earnings.

And also you’re not going to attend days, weeks, or months earlier than you get began. You’re going to start out a weblog at the moment — proper now.

You probably have any questions or hiccups, we’re proper right here that will help you.

Are you prepared?

Then let’s do that factor.

P.S. from Jon: Kevin wrote almost all of this. A lot of it’s based mostly on my concepts, however if you wish to know who to thank for placing collectively such an superior useful resource, it’s him.