Having a proper blog launch checklist in your hand will give you an overview of how to start a blog smoothly.

If you are about to start your first blog then launching it in a proper manner could be a hard task for you. I have also gone through this situation in the initial days of my blogging journey.

So I have come up with a detailed blog launch checklist that will definitely help you to launch a blog.

If you already have a blog you can go through this list to discover whether you are going in the right direction or not.

Generate Ideas and Set a Goal

Before you start preparing to launch your website, you have to do some pre-planning or mind-mapping. What you are going to share on your blog? how it will be executed? etc.

1) Pick a niche

A niche is basically the topic on which you are going to write articles on your blog.

Note the point, if you are going to choose a broader topic then competition is going to be very high for you.

Now you may be confused between what a broader topic and a micro topic is.

Suppose you want to create a blog on the Shoe niche. In that case, Shoe is a broader topic. Now if you break down this topic and choose only Men shoes then it will be a micro-niche.

How to find a niche for your blog?

Well, This is a very hard task for beginners to finalize a niche. I will suggest you ask yourself the question given below before you pick a niche.

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  • On which topic you have enough knowledge and Interest.
  • Are other people also interested in that topic and search it on the internet.
  • Is there any popular blog on that topic that generating good revenue?
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These questions will definitely help you to come up with a great niche.

2) Discover the competition on that niche

Suppose you choose a niche on which there is already very high competition on the market.

Then there will be very few chances for you to rank higher on search engines.

You can make an idea of the competition by using any keyword research tool like Ahref, SEMrush, etc.

>> Get 14 days free trial on SEMrush

You can also use free tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubbersuggest, etc.

Pick few keywords from your competitor’s blog and check the keyword difficulties. These will give you a rough idea about the competition in that niche.

3) Visit a few Successful blogs of your niche

Find 5-6 popular blogs on the niche you have chosen and start visiting them.

This practice will give you an overview of how they are working, their tactics, plannings, etc.

By doing this practice you are generally learning from your competitors. Implementing these learnings will definitely help you on your blogging journey.

4) Research the earning potential

It is obvious that if you are investing your time and efforts on a blog then in return expect a good amount of revenue.

Suppose you created a blog on a niche on which you can hardly earn a few dollars in a month. Then all your hard work will go in vain.

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  • If you want to earn through AdSense then pick a niche on which Google easily gives AdSense approval.
  • If you want to earn through affiliate marketing then pick a niche on which you can easily sell something.
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5) Prepare a list of at least 30 blog post ideas

Want to make your blogging journey smooth?

Then I will recommend you to make a list of 30 blog post ideas before you launch your website.

Every blogger invests much time in researching keywords and generating good content ideas.

Suppose if you have 30 blog post ideas on your hand then you do not have to invest time in keyword researching in the first few months.

Well, this is not mandatory but it will definitely make your blogging journey easier.

6) Create a mind map for your blog

Before launching your website always make a mind map of how you are going to execute your plans, what will be the content structure of your blog.

7) Set an achievable goal

Set a goal like publishing 50 blog posts within 2 months or capturing 1000 emails within 6 months

But make sure the goal you set can be achieved within that time interval.

This practice will help you to be motivated and achieve that goal as soon as possible.


Make Your Blog Online

Now here comes the steps that you have to follow to launch your blog on the internet.

8) Choose a brandable Domain name

A Domain name is the address of your blog. Whenever a user types that address on the browser they will be landed on your blog.

Remember a few points before registering a Domain:

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  • Try to pick a short and simple name
  • Select such name that can be remembered easily
  • Always go for TLD(Top Level Domain) extension
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If you are facing difficulties in finding a catchy domain name then I will recommend you to use an online tool like NameMesh, which will suggest you all the available domain names.

9) Select a platform

Well, it is really confusing to which platform to choose for blogging. Although there are lots of CMS(Content Management System available) like WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, Wix, etc.

But among them, Blogger and WordPress are the most popular.

If you want to start a professional blog then you should go for WordPress. Currently, almost 39.5% of all the websites on the web are powered by WordPress.

10) Get a good hosting plan

There are hundreds of hosting provider companies in the market starting.

If you are just starting your blogging journey never go for too cheaper or too costly hosting plans.

Rather you can choose any affordable hosting provider like GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks also provides a free domain name for 1 year with all its plans so you do not have to invest money separately for a domain name.

Read – HostArmada Review 2024 – Affordable and Powerful Hosting (My 6 months experience)

11) Install WordPress

Installing WordPress can be a complicated task for beginners. But if you purchase hosting from GreenGeeks you can install WordPress with just a few clicks using their quick launch wizard tool.

For complete details, you can read our blog post on how to install WordPress using GreenGeeks quick launch wizard.

12) Set up a strong username and password

With the passing of time, the number of spammers and hackers is increasing day by day.

In this situation, every website owner should be aware of the security of their blog.

So always create a strong username and a complicated password. 

blog launch checklist

Do not use ‘admin’ as a username and never make a simple password like ‘12345’. Rather create a password that is a combination of numbers, alphabets, and special characters.

13) Create an email using your domain name

You have to add your email to the Contact us page so that your visitors can easily reach you.

An email using your domain name makes it more professional.

For example, you can create your email address such as contact(at)yourblogname(.)com

Creating such an email id is not mandatory but for professionalism, I will recommend you to create one.

14) Make sure to active SSL

Blogs without SSL gets a negative impact on the eyes of Google. If a site does have SSL means the site is not secure.

Many hosting companies provide free SSL certificates with their hosting plans, GreenGeeks is one of them.


Few Changes in WordPress Dashboard

Before you move forward you should do the changes mentioned below on your WordPress dashboard.

15) Hide wp-admin page

The default setting for logging in to the WordPress dashboard of any website is just by adding /wp-admin/ by the end of the URL.

So obviously bots and hackers also know this, and they try to login into your WordPress dashboard.

That’s why I recommend you change the wp-admin URL into something that only you know. There are many WordPress plugins with the help of which you can do it.

I personally use the WPS Hide Login plugin for this purchase. You can also use this plugin.

16) Get rid of pre-installed plugins

After installing WordPress you can see some pre-installed plugins in the plugins section.

Some of them have literally no use on your site.

Simply uninstall them and always try to use fewer numbers of plugins as possible.

The default permalink of WordPress looks unprofessional which consists of the date of publishing the post.

Also, it is not a good practice when it comes to SEO(Search Engine Optimization).

I will recommend you to keep the permalink setting as the Post name. It is the best option available.

seo friendly permalink setting

For changing the permalink simply hover to setting and then setting permalink. Here you will get all the options.


Get your blog ready to launch

Now here comes the most interesting part where you will design your blog’s look.

You have successfully selected a niche and created a WordPress blog. Now here comes to designing a great logo for your blog.

Here are some importance of having a logo –

  • It makes a great first impression on your readers.
  • Helps to build your blog as a brand.
  • A logo tells that your blog is professional.

You can also use your blog on your social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc which will help you in brand recognition.

For logo creation, you can use Adobe photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is the best software to create any type of professional logo.

You can also go for online tools like Canva, Crello, PicMonkey, etc.

19) Install a professional theme

Selecting a lightweight fast loading theme is very important. The default installed theme of WordPress is not so professional.

The loading speed of your website is directly proportional to the size of the theme. So always try to choose a lightweight theme.

Some recommended light-weight themes are:

GeneratePress:

GeneratePress is one of the most popular lightweight themes currently available. It is perfect for speed, stability, and accessibility.

This theme is available in both the free version and the premium version. GeneratePress premium will cost you $59 for one year and for lifetime access it will cost you $249.

The best part of GeneratePress is once you purchase this theme you can use it on up to 500 websites. Also, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

WPAstra:

Astra is another fast, lightweight, and highly customizable WordPress theme. They have over 1.2 Million active users across the world.

Like GeneratePress, it is also available in both the free version and the premium version.

The premium version of Astra comes under three plans and the pricing starts from $47.

20) Remove unwanted widgets

Widgets are basically the block areas where you can place your blog’s sidebar.

By default, WordPress comes with several unnecessary widgets. Also, the theme you have activated may have many widgets.

Keep your blogs look as simple as possible and remove unwanted widgets.

21) Pick a good font for your blog

Fonts play a very important role in your blog. Even if you write very good content on your blog your user can get a bad experience because of the font. 

The visitors to your blog will consume your content through the font. So choose your font wisely.

Never pick any fancy font which hard to read.

good font selection

If you like a font on another site but don’t know the name of that font. In this case, you can use a chrome extension known as WhatFont through which you can find the name of any font.

And do not set the font size too small. Experts say that the ideal font size for a blog is 16pt. So based on your font family choose the font size in the range of 16pt to 18pt.

22) Install a security plugin

If you are not aware of the importance of a security plugin for your blog.

Then let me tell you on average 30,000 new websites are hacked every day.

Most of the WordPress security plugins provide WAF(Web Application Firewall) which identifies and blocks malicious traffic.

It also protects your site from spam, vulnerability, infinite login attempts, dangerous URLs in comments, and many more.

Some of the recommended WordPress security plugins are Wordfence, iThemes security, etc.

23) Add an SEO plugin

An SEO plugin is very important for optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and overall on-page SEO of your blog posts.

Although there are many SEO plugins currently available on the market. But the two most popular SEO plugins are RankMath and Yoast.

Both of them are available in both the free version and the premium version.

I personally use RankMath on blogs and I am totally satisfied with it.

One interesting feature of RankMath is that it shows an on-page SEO score of your post out of 100. So you can optimize accordingly to get a higher score.

24) Get a page builder for your blog

WordPress page builders help you customize a beautiful website according to your needs without any coding knowledge.

Most of the page builders come with several pre-ready templates, elements, etc.

Here are few advantages of having a page builder on your blog:

  • Create a beautiful layout just by drag and drop.
  • No coding knowledge required.
  • You can easily create amazing coupon deals, popup subscriptions for your blog.

There are lots of WordPress page builders available. But if you are a beginner, I will recommend choosing Elementor or Thrive Architect page builders. Both of them are very easy to use and beginner-friendly.

25) Design a homepage

The homepage is one of the most important parts of a website. It is the first page where your visitors will land.

Well, the need for a homepage defers from niche to niche.

If you are working on a niche where you have to collect emails of the visitors of your blog. Then a custom homepage is highly recommended.

Apart from that a custom homepage gives your blog a highly professional look.

You can easily design your homepage just by drag and drop using any page builders like Elementor or Thrive Architect.

Make sure the homepage you design is easy to navigate. Make it simple but professional. You can add testimonials, reviews (if any) on the homepage.

26) Add few essential pages

Now here comes the adding of some important pages. These pages have different prospective that is explained below.

About us – It is a very important page that every blog should have.

The About us page is basically for describing who you are and what information you are sharing through your blog.

On this page, you can include your previous achievements and works. It will help your visitors to trust your content.

Contact us – The Contact us page is a must-have page for your blog.

Your blog audience may have some queries, confusion, or opportunities for you. In that case, they can easily reach you with the help of the Contact us page.

On the contact us page, you can add your email address, your social media profile, or you can simply create a contact us form using any for builder plugin.

Other important pages – Apart from the About us and Contact us page there are some other important pages that every blog should have. These are Privacy policy, Terms and Conditions, and Disclaimer.

There are many online tools with the help of which you can create these pages. But for accurate information prefer creating by yourself.

Always try to add your profile links of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram to your blog.

The importance of adding social media profiles to your blog are listed below:

  • It will help you to increase your brand reach and awareness.
  • Your audience can easily get connected to you.
  • It helps to increase the trust and authentication of your blog.

NOTE – Add social share buttons on your blog so that people can easily share your blog posts.

There are lots of social share plugins available such as Social Snap, Social Warfare, and many more.


Create Content For Your Blog

You have done keyword research, installed WordPress, designed your blog, added essential pages. Now here comes the most important part of a blog that is producing content.

28) Start writing content

For writing content click on the posts on the left sidebar of your WordPress dashboard. Then click on Add new, here you can write your post.

Always try to write detailed blog posts that solve all the queries of users. Cover every single topic around the keyword you have selected.

If you don’t have proper knowledge of On-page optimization then use the RankMath plugin and try to achieve the maximum score possible out of 100. This will help you in the on-page optimization of your blog post.

Here are some tips for you to write a proper blog post:

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  • Use headline optimizer tools to create a catchy title.
  • Try to use short paragraphs in your posts.
  • Use an interactive and friendly tone while writing.
  • Add bulleted points and Numbered list.
  • Draft your post and read it.
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Nowadays I am using AI writing assistant tools for writing blog posts. With the help of these tools, I can easily write a 1000 words article in under 20mins.

29) Do proper internal linking

Internal linking helps to link your one blog post with others. So doing proper internal linking is very important for SEO(Search Engine Optimization).

Internal linking helps in audience retention and boosts the page views count of your site. Overall the engagement of your site increases.

Apart from that internal linking helps Google bot’s to crawl and index your post quickly.

Remember, always add relevant links to a post. Do not link any unnecessary posts.

30) Consider adding more media

Do you know according to research by Buzzsumo it is found that blog post that has images in every 75-100 words got the double amount of social shares with fewer images.

But that does not mean you unnecessary stuff images on your blog posts.

Add images, screenshots, videos, infographics only where it is necessary. More media helps visitors to consume informations quickly.

31) Optimize images before uploading

If the loading time of your website is high then images can be one of the factors that are affecting your website’s speed.

Images with large sizes take much time while loading. So always make sure you compress images before adding them to your post.

There are lots of image compress WordPress plugins like ShortPixel, Smush, etc which reduces some percentage of image size.

But I will recommend you manually resize the images using online tools such as compresspng, compressjpg, etc.


Track Your Blog Performance

You are writing content for your blog, but you not measuring whether peoples are reading your content or not. This can be a problem for you.

32) Submit Your Blog to Google Search Console

Submitting your blog to Search Console helps you to quickly index your blog posts. You are basically listing your website on Google absolutely free of cost with this tool.

Google search console also allows you to see the clicks, impressions, positions, errors, etc of your blog.

Also, don’t forget to submit the sitemap on Search Console. The sitemap is basically a file that contains all the URLs of your blog posts and pages.

33) Connect to Google Analytics

Google Analytics tool will help to track the performance of your blog. You can check the number of users, new users, average engagement times, real-time users, traffic source, and many more.

To connect your blog to Google Analytics, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Sign-up for the Google Analytics account.

Step 2: Now login and click on the Admin option on the left sidebar and then Create New Account.

Step 3: After that fill in all the details including your website URL, account name, etc.

Step 4: Copy your unique tracking id and paste it within your blog’s head tag. You can easily do it with the help of a plugin name Insert Headers and Footers.


Promote Your Content

blog launch checklist

It is also possible that you are doing keyword research and writing great content, but not getting enough traffic on your blog. So promoting your blog is very important.

34) Share on your social media platforms

In the initial days, you will hardly receive any organic traffic no matter how good quality content you write.

So after publishing a new post on your blog sharing it to your social media platforms should be the first thing to do.

From there you will get a good amount of traffic to your new site.

Remember – Do not share a single URL many times on Facebook. Otherwise, Facebook may block your URL and you will be unable to share your future posts on Facebook.

35) Built a good relationship with other bloggers of your niche

Connecting with other bloggers is very important if you want to get success in blogging. It will help you to grow your blog quickly.

By connecting with other bloggers you can make a good amount of backlinks. You can get invitations of Interviews, Round-up posts on others’ blogs.

But don’t just connect with an intention of getting a backlink. You can share the content of their blog, comment on their posts. It will automatically grow a good relationship.

If you want to learn more about networking then must read our blog post on how to connect with other bloggers.

36) Create an email list

Email marketing is a very effective way to drive targeted traffic to your blog.

So start collecting emails of your visitors from day one.

Some popular ways to collect emails are by providing free courses or ebooks, popup subscriptions, etc.

37) Start writing answers on Quora

Quora is a goldmine for getting free traffic on your blog.

After writing a new post on your blog pick 2-3 relevant questions on Quora and write a detailed answer. Within your answer, you can add a link to your blog.

If you can effectively use Quora you can drive thousands of traffic on your blog.

38) Do Guest Posting

Guest posting is a great way to get high-quality targeted traffic on your blog.

Guest posting helps to increase the number of quality backlinks, increases brand awareness, helps to build relationships with fellow bloggers.

How to find the guest posting sites?

You can easily find a good number of guest posting sites by typing the following on your browser.

  • Your Niche + ‘Guest Post’
  • Your Niche + ‘Write For us’
  • Your Niche + ‘Submit A Guest Post’

Conclusion

I hope this blog launch checklist is helpful for you. Every newbie blogger should follow this checklist to launch a blog perfectly.

If I missed any point make sure to mention it in the comment section.

And Share It If Possible 😀

Atanu Das
“This is Atanu Das, founder of the blog Bloggingfix. I am a Software Engineer by profession and a Blogger by passion. I have more than 3 years of experience in the field of Blogging. I love diving into the world of artificial intelligence and exploring trending AI tools”