My first blog.. Any tips?

My tip: Put something together as best you can for where you're at now (knowing it will have flaws) then post it back here for us to critique it.

Congratulations on your first blog.
My advice is to have a pop-up to capture visitors emails when they come to your website. You will simply increase your opt-in rates up to 300%.
Also I recommend to use Digg Digg or ShareThis in your blog so people can share your content in Social Media. Your content will go viral.
And finally follow some other blogs posts to improve your experience.

Chris

You better write and write consistently first. Build your audience by writing valuable content that you think your audience will surely enjoy. Make contents that promotes activity, like asking questions "what do you think?" "Share your experience with us" and the likes.

If you are trying to make money out of the blog later on, do not expose your intention right away, build your image first and customers/followers will come naturally.

Hope this helps

I second the advice of Jarrod. This is really too big a question; there are books written on the subject. I don't mean to sound harsh, not at all. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing it and giving my input. Congratulations on getting started with this new project!

First of all Congrats! For your first blog. The main part of blogging is content. So, whenever possible write as much as unique and rich content which will give your users a reason to visit your blog first. After that you may customize your blog with different ways. But Don't use too many plugins as it will negatively affect your blog performance. Always Use a Security plugin. I am using "Wordfence" because it one of the best security plugin for WordPress.

At last wish you a much success with your new Blog

Congratulations on making that wise decision!

I personally love blogging and earning online that way.

One great tip when first building a new blog online would be to keep very simple - do not over crowd your blog with banners and other stuff that no one is going to even look at.

The simpler the design and the blog is - the more people are going to stay and click around.

When there is too many links to click on your blog - then that can also overwhelm the visitor and that alone can decrease the bouncing rate tremendously!

Keep everything very organized!

Also, do not spend waaay too much time on the blog's design - right now you want to get the blog going! .... so just publish content very often, then get out there and start implementing internet marketing strategies to start building up the daily traffic flow to your blog.

Remember: It is not about how much content your blog has - it is about how many people are looking at the content you already got!

The success of a blog comes from the promotion you do for it, more than the content itself.

I could go on and on - on blogging tips! LOL

But this should be enough for you to just run all the way with it!

Make it happen! ...

...because you can!

I wish you the best of the best!

Cheers!

To get more opt-ins place your opt-in form at the end of each post and add a call to action!
This alone will get you much more subscribers
Congratz on taking action!
Good luck
Art

I concur with the advice above, concentrate on high quality, targeted articles that are original, and keep on checking your traffic. Incorporate social media marketing and create some few backlinks. But most important of all, blog consistently.

1. Build an email list
2. Don't worry too much about web design
3. Build an email list
4. Use the Google Keyword Planner to SEO your posts
5. Build an email list

Fitness is not a niche: it's a market, and one of the biggest ones.

Training for marathons is a niche. Exercises for regaining fitness after pregnancy is a niche. Neck exercises for golfers is a niche. Long-distance cycling is a niche. Training to jump higher is a niche. Fitness is emphatically not a niche.

"A niche should be an inch wide and a mile deep."

I wish someone had told me, before I did my first site, that "website design" is of pretty remote and tangential significance to one's income, in affiliate marketing. Accurate targeting (relevance) and attracting non-SEO traffic already interested in the exact niche I'm covering (note the emphasis on the word "exact"!) are far more important.

.

Congrats on your first domain.

The one thing above ALL others that I really wish I did when I started "trying" to blog was to pay for a proper premium theme. I now use Genesis with Lifestyle Pro child theme and find the whole process so much easier! Don't waste time looking for a free one, pay the price now and reap the rewards later of a decent theme. If you REALLY can't afford one, I have heard this one is one of the best you can get free: https://thethemefoundry.com/wordpress-themes/make/

Make sure you are writing UNIQUE articles regularly.
Do some SEO works.
Create social profile.
create branding
Collect email address by providing something FREE
Sell products

Write the quality contents on the topics that people are looking for. Continue writing quality contents and make your audience. Do NOT use pop-up to force the users for subscription of like, most visitors would return and your website bounce rate will increase which is not good.

There are many fitness blogs online. If you could narrow down your subject to something more rare, you will have a better chance of getting readers not already taken by more well established blogs.

Try to serve people rather than only selling.
Sell by solving people's problem.

Hey man, congrats on taking action and getting your blog up and running.

Don't get too caught up in the specifics about opt-in form locations, and squeeze designs or advertising slots on your blog, and etc. The first and most important thing to worry about is EXCELLENT content. This blog is for your list. The more they benefit, the more you benefit - because they will want more great content, and it will lead them into the option of purchasing some products (that you hopefully get money for). Their ability to consume is greater than your ability to produce. Make sure that content is super hot.

Congrats! Now you need to put some quality content on your blog and ping your blog post using a pinging service like pingomatic or pingler and get it indexed by Google.

A few tips:

1. Make your email sequence awesome. It should offer value... funny, filled with attitude, interesting and/or informative. Don't underestimate your readers. Give them good stuff and promote a few very good products.

2. Buy and use the products you promote so you can make sound recommendations.

3. Track every affiliate link in your email sequence. After 30 days of some decent subscriber volume see how much you earn per subscriber. This figure will help you figure out how much you can spend on new subscribers.

4. Pay for email subscribers. Facebook can be decent with a great email sequence.

5. By all means blog, but don't wait for organic search traffic. Get your venture profitable with paid traffic and organic traffic down the road will be a bonus. Even if you can only afford $5 per day for ads, do it and test. Once you know how much you earn from your email sequence, you can establish an ad buying budget.

6. Select products you promote strategically. For example it doesn't make sense to promote two work out programs within five days. If a reader buys the first one and you immediately promote something else, they'll have buyer's remorse and won't trust your recommendations.

That said, you can promote a workout program, eating program and a supplement in a short time span. In fact if presented properly you can explain how those three products together are the ultimate trio for the perfect body (or whatever health result you're teaching).

Six weeks later start promoting the next trio of products for the next stage of the progression in ultimate health/muscle etc. I work out and get a new work out every eight to twelve weeks. Most people do. Therefore time your long term email sequence with this in mind. In the interim write cool and informative info.

Fitness products can sell well but you need to know how to sell them.

Persistence will go a long way. Don't quit.

Wow! I've been here for only two days, and I'm still incredibly impressed by the quality of the replies people receive, even with the most general topics asked. This community is really generous and genuinely helpful. Kudos to you all! Can't wait to post my first "look at my new blog" thread!

Hey Its a good question..

You just remember some points i.e. really good for blog:

1. Title Should be clickable (More effective)
2. Always try to put a good n Innovative image in blog.
3. Content should be informative & not lengthy (Max. users are not interested to read more or big content)
4. Try to write in bullet points.
5. If you will give any ex. then its better for you.
6. Always add "Conclusion" Section at the end of the blog.
7. Ask about user experience and feedback.

If your blog include these points so you will definitely get the traffic.

Best Of Luck

Keep your content original and well written, only advertise it and market it when it is fully developed, you should be engaged friendly with your users and try to get them engaged.

Congratulations for your blog! Make sure you have a well-defined niche. Once this step is complete, choose a WordPress theme that suits your needs. Don't waste your time reading hundreds of posts and how-to guides. Add your first posts, install basic plugins, and start promoting your blog. Later on, you'll figure out what else you need for running your site and driving traffic.

Sounds like your learning. Keep your opt in above the fold! Install some plugins such as "seo plugin". Main thing is you want to do is just write and don't add any banners or advertising yet. First you want to build yourself up a little first and once you have a steady readership then and only then do you monetize it!

Sure have your capture box but thats it!

Provide good, steady content for your readers and be sure to share your post on all your social media sites. Give yourself time to really build a readership. Blogging it doesn't happen overnight but being steady in around 6 months to year you can start to get going.

There are many valuable tips given by warriors I would like to add my tip

Whenever you write post before that do conduct keyword research I will make help you, It will give you idea which content is in demand.

Connect with other bloggers and build healthy relationship with them, offer guest post it will dramatically increase your traffic.

Keep sharing your blog on popular social networking sites

Welcome to the blogging world. Just keep eye on quality, not quantity. Quality post regularly can reach you the destination easily.