How to Blog For Free

So you want to know how to blog for free? Well, this means that you are under the impression that blogging will cost you - which is true - if you plan on hosting your own blog (which really isn't that expensive). However, if you are just starting out, and would like to learn about blogging - it is not only possible to blog for free, it is easy, simple, and entirely probable that you could have your own blog up and running before this day is over! So read on...

Blogging for free can actually be done in 3 easy steps (seriously, they really are pretty simple!):

1. Decide which free blogging host you would like to use.

2. Set up your blog.

3. Write up your first post.

Let's go through these a little more in detail:

1. Decide which free blogging host you would like to use. You will probably want to go with one of the following:

Blogger.com WordPress.com TypePad.com LiveJournal.com

2. Set up your blog. This is fairly simple to do if you go with one of the above sites. They offer step by step instructions to get you started. First you will have to answer give some basic information and then you will go through and actually set up your blog!

3. Write up your first post! This can be the most difficult part for a lot of people. Don't make too big of a deal out of it. Yes, it is your very first post ever, but it doesn't have to be earth shattering or even newsworthy. Make it about something you feel comfortable with - like how your day went, or what you want your site to be about, or just use it as an opportunity to say "hello!". The important thing is to just DO IT.

How to Get Traffic to Your Blog For Free 

You are bursting with great information and you want the world to know. You have posted a blog and you are waiting for the traffic to roll in. Do you know how to get traffic to your blog for free?

1. Ping Your Blog

Sites like Technorati are a good place to start. All you need to enter is your blog name and link and hit enter. Your information will be stored in a database and then ranked as people find it interesting. Pinging will also let the search engines know that you have updated your content and this will help to get your blog indexed faster.

2. Visit Forums Related to Your Niche

This can be a very effective way of how to get traffic to your blog for free. Forums are full of people with questions, and if you can intelligently answer those questions, you will instantly build credibility. The way you can get traffic out of this is by putting a link to your blog in your signature. You have to "give" first before you can "take". In other words, spend some time in the forum and answer questions. Don't ask for anything in return. If you help people in an intelligent way, they are more likely to look at your profile and click on your signature link.

3. Use an Easy to Read Font

This may sound basic, but visitors to your blog will leave right away if they encounter content that is difficult to read. Annoying colors and tiny fonts will discourage people from staying and reading what you have to say.