There are many steps to setting up a blog that few new bloggers think about. Developing the right strategy will help your blog burst onto the scene with a better presence and ultimate branding.

Even if you’re already running a successful blog, are you sure that you’ve taken all the right steps to brand your blog?

Every day, thousands of hopeful bloggers burst on the scene. Some of these bloggers have the goal of just sharing their thoughts but the majority start with high aspirations of making a six figure income. In either case, they begin with the same starting point.

Being a blogger that has done both personal blogging and niche blogging, I thought I’d take a moment to share some of my lessons. Most of which I wish I had known prior to switching I’m Blogging That from personal blogging to niche blogging.

Create a Map

Once you have decided which niche best suites your interest and knowledge, you’ll need to create an idea map of things you want from your blog. If your goals are monetization, plan out how you’ll achieve that. Where will your banners go? What affiliate programs are best for your niche? What kind of topics will you cover that can be monetized?

Lay out some ideas with your pen and paper. Like a family tree you can layout a blogging tree that will help you reach your start-up and long term goals.

Even those who choose to hit the personal diary niche can monetize, create an idea map, and gain a ton of interest with their blogs. Knowing your direction from the beginning will help you stay focused on your long-term goals.

Choose a Layout

The worst thing to see is clutter on a blog. Every blog should be clean, easy to navigate, and contain all key elements. Consider the following:

• Where’s your navigation?
• How many posts will you show on the index page?
• Will you use excerpts for your post?
• How will you encourage RSS subscriptions?
• Where will you place banners, if any?
• What goals do you have your blog that need to be considered?

For me, it took time for me to realize (even as a web designer setting up blogs for others), that each of these were key for me. Sure, I placed things properly for my clients and took the above into consideration but I didn’t do it for myself.

Navigation should be reached from 2 points on a single page. If navigation is at the top of your site, consider placing it in your footer as well. If navigation in your footer isn’t something that interests you, think about a “Back to Top” link in your footer to take your visitors right back up to the top to navigate without scrolling.

Posts on your index page shouldn’t extend forever. Few people will take the time to scroll through 10 full posts on your index page. Better to show a few and have that “Previous Posts” obvious enough for visitors to click back instead of scroll down too much. If you notice around here, my posts tend to stop at the same length of my sidebar. This is because I don’t want visitors scrolling forever. On the flip side, you’ll see that the majority of your visitors will just click through the posts on your index page. The average page views for a visitor here is 3.6 pages. And just how many posts do I show on the index page? Three.

Excerpts or full posts on your index page is a matter of personal preference. For someone like me who tends to write lengthy posts, it’s too much for me to display a full post on the index page. If I did, keeping with my rule not to scroll too far past where my sidebar ends, I’d only be showing one post on the index page. I think most bloggers will find that visitors will click to read more if you can capture their attention with your opening statements that will display on your index page.

RSS subscribers is something that we all push for. There’s been heavy emphasis throughout the blogosphere that the more RSS subscribers you have, the better you’re doing at blogging and that somehow the number of subscribers you have will or will not influence others to subscribe. I’m not sure I buy into all of it but I do believe that subscribing to RSS should be easy. Offer both traditional RSS feed and EMail subscriptions so that your visitors have options in their delivery methods.When possible, place your RSS information as close to the top of your site as you can. Even better when placed above the fold. This simple concept pushed my subscribers further than I had ever been.

Banner advertising, especially 125×125 banners (shown on my sidebar) are popular. And if your blog is doing well these banners can generate a great income for you. Whether you choose to sell advertising privately or to place affiliate banners is your choice. But most bloggers certainly have them and most visitors have come to see banners as a standard, not being offended by the push to sell on any blog.

Placing your banners close to the top is also a key factor for success – for your advertisers or your affiliate programs. They should be obvious without interrupting the flow of your site.

Goals for your blog may define where the rest of your content gets displayed and how. For example you may need to consider that you’ll be selling text links on your site and will need to place those. Will you display your archives on your sidebar or is that something you can move to a page?

Mapping out this information ahead of time will ensure that you’re not constantly taking yourself through the redesign process (oh how I’m obsessed with redesigning this site). It makes your work in the end a lot easier and helps boost your branding when your blog is consistent.

Create an Arsenal

I talked about a post arsenal in my post, Make Blogger’s Block a Non-Issue. There’s something to be said for a blog that comes onto the scene ready to publish content at a moment’s notice. It’ll show your visitors in those beginning days that you’re ready to make the commitment to your blog. Being ready with your post arsenal will also allow you to spend more time promoting your blog and getting the word out rather than turning every post into a labor of love.

I’d be my suggestion to have your arsenal stuffed with at least 2 weeks worth of posts. This doesn’t mean that you must or will use all those posts within the first two weeks. You may find during that time that you want to create a time sensitive post or you’d like to create a post about what you’ve learned in those first few weeks.

Your post arsenal should contain timeless content that will be valid weeks, months, maybe years from the date you first wrote the post. Be prepared with your arsenal and fill in where you wish. Doing this ahead of time allows you to spend valuable time marketing your blog while ensuring that your content is king.

Final Thoughts

Blogging doesn’t have to start off as a huge challenge. While working to build your blog in those early days, patience will be your best friend. And while I have given you some food for thought to starting up a blog (or redirecting your current blog’s niche), there’s plenty more.

When you started your blog, what did you consider ahead of time? If you’re thinking of starting a blog now, what has been your primary focus?