How I wrote and publish my first post

Publishing your first post is a momentous occasion and should not be taken lightly.

I was so excited to publish my first post that I did not take the time to study the tutorial lessons on WordPress.

I wrote a long epistle and then hit publish. Needless to say, it was messy.

Read: Get publish on WordPress

After you have selected a name and theme for your blog it is time to publish your first post.

I cannot overemphasize that it is best to write several posts and arrange them by the date and time that you want to publish them.

The difference between a Post and a Page.

A Post consists of any information that you want to share with your viewers.

Your posts will always run on the home page of your blog with the most current post at the top unless you chose to change the settings.

Your posts will consist of the title, author’s name and date published.

A Page is permanent and helps to navigate your site. For example, Home page, About page, contact.

To write a post, click on your site then WP ADMIN – Post – Add New Post.

Guidelines to follow when writing a post

• Decide how often you want to publish a post and stick with it.
• As a beginner do not publish a post too far apart like once per week or once per month.
• Endeavor to post at least three times per week.
• If you write devotionals it is best to publish consistently every morning at a set time so your viewers will return.
• The more posts that you publish the more viewers will see your blog.
• Try to be concise and limit your words to about 500 or less. Lengthy articles tend to repeat their points. It is best to divide a long post and publish them separately.
• Write short paragraphs consisting of at least two sentences or one short sentence when you want to emphasize a point. An article with short paragraphs is more gentle on the reader’s eyes than an article with long paragraphs.

• Punctuate your article with pictures to give your readers a break from the sea of words. The great news is that WordPress includes free images from Pexels that you can easily add to your post. Adding images from the WordPress free photo library.
• After writing your posts choose tags (keywords that help readers find your post), place your post in a category (devotionals, love etc), enable the likes and comment buttons. You can schedule a publishing date if you do not want to publish it immediately.
• One very important point is to avoid pasting links in the content of your post. Use the link button to place it behind the scene so that your post will look professional. For example, do not do this: –  https://wordpress.com/support/links. Do this: – Links

Adding Links to post, pages and widgets (WordPress.com)

• Before publishing, ensure that you decide whether or not you want your blog to be public or private. If you want the world to see your blog you have to make it public and ensure it is publicized on social media. This means that if you were not a social media fan you have to become one. I recommend you begin with Facebook and or Twitter. Then as you grow you can add more.
• Before you publish, first preview the post as it will appear to your viewers and read it over. You will find a lot of mistakes that you can correct on the admin page.
• Edit and edit! My first blog post The Challenges of Relocation was written on March 19, 2014, and subsequently edited fifteen times. The last edit was done on July 2, 2020, when I wrote this article.
• When you are fully satisfied with your masterpiece press PUBLISH and enjoy the sense of accomplishment. Believe me, it is a wonderful feeling.

Share with us about the first time you publish a post on your blog and include the link to your first post.

Remember we can all learn from each other.

Join me next Thursday, same time and the same place, for more Blogging Tips.

Thank you for reading!