How to set up a commercial blog without compromising usability

Posted at December 9, 2009

They say write about what you know. So, having just setup UX-Press I can share a few tips on what made it really easy and cheap without having to rely on a high level of expert knowledge.

The focus of this article is on the technical/business steps that you’ll need to take, but here are 5 questions you should always ask yourself when embarking on a web build:

1) What am I trying to achieve?

2) Who am I talking to?

3) How are they going to find me?

4) Why should they be interested in what I’ve got to say?

5) What makes me different to my competitors?

Assuming these questions have been given due consideration, let’s get into the steps you’ll need to take to get your blog going.

Step 1 – Find a Platform

Hopefully you’ve seen a few blogs out there that you like, some you hate, and some you’re desperate to emulate. It’s quite easy to deduce what platform they’ve used by checking the footer notes or by looking at the huge logo at the top.

The industry leader by far is WordPress, a comprehensive solution that provides feature-rich, customisable sites supported by a massive network of enthusiastic developers, each adding their own plugins and helpful tips. For maximum control over your WordPress site you’ll want to host it yourself, which costs a small amount of money per month. If that’s off the table, you can still setup a free WordPress blog or use another solution such as Blogger or Moveable Type.

Step 2 – Find a Host

This step is not necessary if you’ve opted for a free solution hosted by the platform provider. If you’ve opted to host your own WordPress blog then this is actually the first active step you need to take. There are thousands of hosting solutions out there each with their own benefits and associated costs. For the humble blogger, who just wants to get setup quickly and at low cost, I can’t recommend BlueHost enough.

One of the main advantages of choosing BlueHost is that they offer 1-click WordPress setup that really is as simple as it sounds and will save you quite a bit of time and fiddlin’. At $6.95/month, BlueHost are a very attractive solution.

Your hosting solution will probably include domain registration so choose wisely. There’s an SEO benefit to including keywords in your domain, hence why I was keen to include “UX” in mine. That said, there are countless examples to the contrary (see “smashingmag.com” and “boxesandarrows.com“) but if you’re starting off without a brand and without a loyal following, a bit of keyword research will help you make the right choice of domain name.

Step 3 – Choose a Theme

The remainder of this article assumes you’ve chosen WordPress, but there’s no harm in going with another solution and they’ll provide you with the applicable setup instructions. The WordPress theme library, a list of UI designs and feature sets, includes a vast array of free themes. Smashing Magazine have made it even easier by compiling an editorial list of their top 100 themes and it’s well worth checking their selection.

You can easily change your theme at any point without losing data so there’s no real committment required. I went for “WP Premium theme” as it’s simple, accommodates advertising space, and is preset to integrate with Twitter, which helps answer the “How are they going to find me?” question.

Step 4 – Publish, Publish, Publish

Your content, so often overlooked while you’re in your technical mindset, is key to the setup and helps answer all 5 of the initial questions. Without content you’ve got no proposition, no incentive for brands to advertise with you, and no reason for people to visit. Check out the competition, write about what you know, provide original insight, but also reference others and include commentary on what others are saying. After all, links are crucial to increasing your findability.

Step 5 – Get Commercial

You probably won’t get rich blogging, and if that’s your primary goal the quality of your content is bound to suffer. However, there’s nothing wrong with making a few $s while you establish yourself as an authority in your field.

Here’s where you can really kill the user experience.

Just take a look at Brand Republic. BR, I love you guys, but could you please tone down the advertising? Your articles are great but it’s hard to read them with such obtrusive ads taking up most of the space!

Google Adsense is easy to setup and if you install a plugin like AdSense Now! you can configure the way the ads are displayed so that, instead of sticking a massive box in the middle of your article, you can add a more discrete panel at the top or bottom of the article.

There are various ways of monetising your blog, but another popular one is to display affiliate links. You can set up your personalised links by registering with an affiliate network such as Commission Junction. Take a look around, find some products that your viewers might be attracted to and apply. Often, brands will want to take a look at your blog before letting you advertise their products, hence you should publish a few articles before going after sponsors.

That’s it. I’ve tried and failed to keep it short, but it could have been a whole lot longer. For more information it’s worth checking out Steve York’s articles on making money online.

For a checklist of some of the more commonly overlooked general usability issues Shay Howe`s article on The Weaker Side of Usability Guidelines is a worthy read.