How To Make A Good How To Blog Entry

So you’re the one everybody goes to when they want to know how to do something. That’s how you know you’re good but you do get tired of answering everybody’s questions all the time. That’s where a nifty blog comes in handy. You can make brilliant how-to blog entries about the hobbies, activities and work-related skills you’re good at. With a really good one, you can just direct people to your nice page that will answer all their questions.

The Preliminaries

If you haven’t already, get your preferred web hosting company in gear (I use WebHostingPad) and use CPanel to install WordPress. If you prefer to have your blog on your own server, check out the WordPress website, where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about it.

Step One: Find Videos

Some people are visual learners who like to see how stuff works. Videos are awesome for demonstrating a point or a step-by-step process. Because Youtube embedding doesn’t natively work on WordPress, be sure to find a good plug-in; I use one called “kk Youtube Video.” Here’s a couple of videos to show you how to install WordPress using Cpanel or through the WordPress website.

Step Two: Make A List Of The Stuff They’ll Need

You don’t really need much to create a blog post. Just a computer, a good Internet connection, and a good topic. If you can make a list of the supplies they’ll need for a project, recipe, hobby or whatever the topic of your how-to is, you can also join a few relevant affiliate programs that happen to sell items and make a commission every time something sells through your website. Just to demonstrate, I picked a few items at random to feature from various companies that I work with as an affiliate. And yes, I do make a commission every time somebody buys something through links like these.

Step Three: Provide Concise Step By Step Instructions.

I’ve seen instruction manuals written by people with bad English. They were riddled with grammar and spelling errors that only confused the people who read them. You can do better than that with a little effort. Here’s a few tips:

Write down the exact steps you would take to complete the activity. By taking it from start to finish in your mind, you can build a better how-to article. That way, you won’t forget something that might be obvious to you but won’t be quite so obvious to people visiting your blog.
Choose the plug-ins you need. I have plug-ins for quizzes and polls, along with one that prevents copy-and-pasting my blog entries to another site.
Proofread. Remember what I said about spelling and grammar? Go over it a few times, catch your mistakes and get a buddy to take a look at it before you hit the Publish button.
Don’t be afraid to go back and add detail. You can and should add details and new observations to your blog entries as you think of them. I hate to push the SEO thing, but Google likes frequently updated blogs better than ones that look abandoned.
Add pictures. Take pictures of yourself going through the process of your How-To topic. Upload them to your computer and then to your blog entry, and don’t forget to tell everybody that they were taken by you.

Use HTML to highlight important points! Don’t overdo it, but a short blurb with a border can highlight points like safety warnings and information you want to make sure your audience doesn’t miss.

Step Four: Close It Out With A Good Conclusion

A good conclusion is an art form. It’s like putting the finishing touches on that nifty DIY project or closing the lid on that new laptop you just built. You sum up everything that you said before. You’re almost ready to hit the “Publish” button and show your work to the world. Will it get seen, shared and liked by the world? It depends on you, so be sure to do a good job and share your work on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

Step Five: Invite Questions

If people are genuinely interested in your topic, they might ask you a question. These questions can help you improve your How-To blog in future updates. If you have any questions about making a how-to blog entry, you can post them in this guestbook.