I was so excited at last, I knew enough to start my blog. I knew how to post and thought what else is there? Then I decided to put up google ads, widgets, and a host of other things. However, my chosen theme was not going to work.
“Shucks, I should have gotten three columns instead of just two”, I said to myself. Then there was the matter of my site tagline and description. Should it say more than just the name of the site?
Regarding links, I knew that I wanted to put my static website as a link but what others should go in the blogroll? What other links were relevant to the site I had put up?
And what about the name. I should have spent more time making sure the name was keyword rich and workable for my target market. What were my keywords? What will go in the footer? Am I using audio and or video? Did I know what categories I wanted besides uncategorized?
All of these simple questions needed answers before the launch of the site. I lost hours and probably some brain cells trying to pull it all together with rapid emotional decisions.
Therefore, I asked my husband, Ray Horner Jr, (http://www.hornerartworkshop.com) an artist who was passionate with Adobe Illustrator to create a template. A planning form that would help me to map out visually what my future sites should look like.
I tested this form with a group of folks planning a blog with selected health messages. The committee is responsible for the posting and comment approvals for a new blog. I used the template to solicit feedback from each member.
We actually spent close to 45 min. just on the description of the site. However, it was worth the time invested. We listed potential links, pages, and decided on the number of columns. This information was invaluable for the wordpress expert, Cathy Perkins who would install our blog.
All the information was uploaded to a private wordpress.com blog restricted to just the members of the team. The template can be used again when we want to make changes or start another blog.
I encourage you to make the time and plan your blog just like you planned your static website. Just because it is easy to post and update do not be fooled and neglect to visually plan the layout of your blog.
If you would like a FREE copy of this planning form just go to the link below and grab it off my blog. Just promise me that you will let me know how it works for you. We are working on a more comprehensive format, let’s call it a plugin?(smile)