How to Add a Blog You Follow on WordPress Website

I have a blog that I’ve been running for about a year, and at this point, I try to publish one new article every two weeks on average. With so much content published daily, it can be difficult to keep up with all the news that’s important to you. That’s why I love having a blog within my blog network. A blog within a blog is a great way to stay informed while also being able to dive into an in-depth analysis of a topic that interests you.

Having a blog within your blog is extremely useful for any blogger who wants to grow their audience. Having the opportunity to write about what you know and love, and potentially draw in some new readers who might not have stumbled across your blog otherwise, is invaluable. Having a separate blog also gives you the flexibility to write more advanced articles that you might not have the space for within your primary blog. You can also use the separate blog to experiment with topics that you’re curious about and that you know will be of interest to your audience. You should not underestimate the value of a blog within a blog—it can be the key to gaining exposure and driving in serious traffic.

Step one: Choose a niche

When deciding on the name of your blog and the topics you’ll cover, it’s important to choose a niche. A niche is a “small market or segment” within the large market for your product or service. For example, “gym wear for women” is a niche within the general category of “fitness”. When you choose a niche, you’re narrowing your target audience and tailoring your content to appeal to a smaller group of people. When picking your blog’s niche, think about the type of content that will be valuable to your target audience. For example, if your target audience is mostly composed of business owners, you might want to choose a niche that’s related to business—like marketing or productivity. Using this strategy, you can establish trust and credibility with your audience because you’re speaking from experience—you are a business owner who is also trying to better their business through growth and innovation. Additionally, picking a niche that’s already well-established (like productivity or marketing) makes it easier for you to garner interest from potential sponsors and high-quality partners.

Step two: Find a high-quality, authoritative blog in your niche

An authoritative blog is a blog that’s highly regarded in its niche. When you come across an authoritative blog in your niche, it usually means that the blog is either extremely well-written or that it covers a topic that’s extremely valuable and authoritative in its niche. The idea is to find a high-quality blog that covers your niche, and then find reasons to connect with the author. Reasons could include:

• They cover a topic that you’re passionate about
• They have a large audience that’s interested in your niche
• They have a proven track record of getting high-quality, in-depth content regularly
• They are likely to be considered an expert in their niche
• It’s a good fit with your target audience
• You can add value to their audience by showing how you solve problems or improve people’s lives

You don’t need to be limited by the blogs that are available on WordPress.com. You can use a tool like Google’s Search Partner Program to find blogs that are independent and not hosted by a larger network.

Step three: Find a way to give the blog some instant credibility

When you choose a blog within your blog network, you’re making a statement about the kind of content you’ll be producing and how seriously you plan on taking your blog. When writing your description for the blog, make sure to include details about the type of content you’ll be producing, as well as some statistics about the level of expertise within your niche. For example, if you’re writing about business productivity, you might want to mention that you’re a business owner who is also trying to be more efficient—this shows that you’re speaking from experience, which gives your audience some instant credibility.

Step four: Customize the design of your blog

There’s no limit to the customization you can do with the WordPress CMS (control panel). Not only can you change the overall design of your blog—from the theme that’s installed to the colors you’ve chosen for your site—but you can also add and remove sections at will. The most common type of blog customization is adding a logo, which you can do by clicking the gear icon in the panel’s upper right corner, selecting “Settings” from the menu, and then searching for “logo” in the box that pops up. Another common customization is changing the background image of your site. You can do this by clicking the gear icon in the panel’s upper right corner, selecting “Settings” from the menu, and then typing in the URL to the image you’d like to use as your site’s background.

Step five: Decide on the direction of your blog

With so much competition, it’s important to establish early on in your blog’s life what you’re going for. Are you trying to be a lifestyle blog, dedicated to fashion and beauty? Or do you want to go the extra mile and become an authority in your niche? The answer to this question will largely determine the direction your blog takes. Once you’ve determined this, you can start to build your audience and decide what type of content you’ll be producing.