Just ten – of what could be a list hundreds of pages long.

The process of launching a website can be a daunting endeavor. There are many things you want to do, but not enough time and resources to do them. However, even though it might seem like a herculean task, as long as you keep some fundamental things in mind, you can ensure a hassle-free website launch.

Read the Full Article at SixRevisions.

Blogs are pretty cool. A blog that is easy to navigate is even cooler. Readers appreciate a blogger that thinks through the navigation of his or her site and makes it easy to get around.

Smashing Magazine, a great resource for design tips, trends and techniques, says horizontal navigation is mainstream and the best way to go.

The horizontal navigation menu has become a mainstay in Web design. It is safe to say that nowadays most websites use some form of horizontal navigation to facilitate content browsing. The dominance of horizontal navigation over vertical (i.e. down a sidebar) is obviously due to the design and content limitations of the latter.

If you’re interested in more, be sure to check out the article at Smashing. There are some great ideas in there for navigation that undoubtedly apply to blog navigation.

If I can’t find what I’m looking for on a site, I’m quick to check out – and that’s definitely not what you want if you’re a blogger. Creating a simple, easy-to-use site with practical navigation menus and links makes for a happy reader.

In a blog design, there can be a lot of wasted space. It’s easy to lose track of what can be some valuable parts of your blog, like your “sidebar” and your “footer.”

Don’t forget about these areas. Usually, they’re dedicated to advertising and/or navigation. They can be more valuable than that though. There was a great post at ProBlogDesign last February about re-thinking the “sidebar.” Wordpress design expert Justin Tadlock has been discussing the “sidebar” even longer than that.

The point is, don’t waste that space. Every pixel of your design is important.

Why The Italic “Sidebar?”

You may be wondering why I keep using the term “sidebar” in quotes and italics. It’s for good reason. The term sidebar or for the part of the blog that’s not where the “real” content goes, is very vague and subjective.

For one blogger, the “sidebar” could be on the left and for the other it could be on the right. For some, it could be below or on top or in the middle or anywhere in between. Really, a “sidebar” is just a different area of your blog that can be utilized for a different purpose other than blogging content.

I call them widget-areas, thanks to Justin Tadlock. For the purposes of this discussion, we’ll continue to call them “sidebars.” Really though, the term should be changed because these areas shouldn’t just be used for what’s leftover or what’s extra.

Conventional Wisdom

Conventional Wisdom in terms of “sidebars” says that this is a secondary area of your blog. It’s for features like search, category and tag navigation, and advertising. Maybe, if your site has a lot of dynamic content, you can use it for most commented posts and the like.

This is great. When blogging was in its infancy, this was probably a great use of that “other space” leftover after the content makes its bed. But there is more that can be done with these areas.

My Suggestions

The way I think in regards to “sidebars” is really a combination of the philosophies I linked to earlier. The “sidebar” of your blog can be used to push content and keep readers moving in the direction you want them to go.

For example, I create my top picks to push readers toward those posts. It will keep them on the site longer and hopefully, inspire them to come back.

I offer tag navigation and ad space secondary to my content. Because that’s the way it should be.

Also, if you scroll down (don’t forget to scroll back up and finish reading) and look at my footer, you’ll see that I utilize this area of my blog for content too. I put recent posts here so when readers are done reading and at the bottom of the page, they are directed to more relevant content.

Don’t waste your space. Use everything you have to help keep your readers on the site longer. The “sidebar” and “footer” areas can be utility blocks to promote your content.

There are always the essentials. The must-do’s. The absolutes. The things you must do or see before you do or see something else. Blogging is no different.

When you start a blog, there are some things you must know and do before you actually START the blog. Buying a domain, finding a platform and topic aside, I’ve compiled what I think is a list of 7 articles you must read before you start your blog.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging

Before you know what you should do, you should definitely know what you should not do. This is a comprehensive list of blogging no-no’s. Memorize them now.

Blogging Tips for Beginners

Darren Rowse at ProBlogger shares this newbie guide. Don’t be embarrassed, no, don’t be stupid — read this post if you’re new to blogging. For that matter, read it even if you’re not. In here is a great list of tips and how-to’s for beginning bloggers.

100+ Lists To Help You Become a Better Blogger

You think this list is helpful? Try this one. This post covers profit making, traffic, SEO, design and more. You’ll get lost – which is a good thing. Knowledge is Power.

7 Elements to Make Your Blog Look Great

An important part of a blog is its presentation. If your blog looks great and offers great content, then readers will come back. The people at ProBlogDesign can fill you in on the fundamentals of good blog design.

30 Ways to Increase Readability

Oops, wait. If you have a blog and you have good content, your readers better be able to read it and navigate it. Check this post to make sure your blog is fundamentaly readable.

9 Tips to Start Blogging

Another ProBlogger post that will help you get started. This post covers everything from crafting your URL’s to content to emotional advice when you start a blog.

15 Essential Checks Before Launching Your Website

Don’t miss this one. If you’re going to make your site live, check off this list before you get started – you won’t regret it.

19 Strategies for Finding Readers

Once you gte the blog and once you’ve made it live – let’s make sure you can get some readers, right? Here’s a hint: Content is King.

You’re looking for a good wordpress theme, but maybe you don’t want to spend money on a premium theme. Don’t.

There are plenty of high quality, free wordpress themes available for download. I’ve compiled a list of some of the best resources for good themes.

• 100 Excellent Free Wordpress Themes
• 13 Wordpress Magazine-Themes
• 83 Beautiful Wordpress Themes You Probably Haven’t Seen
• 25 Beautiful free wordpress themes -cool wordpress templates
• 60+ Unusual WP Blog Designs
• ThemeHybrid

When you’re blogging, it’s important to have the right resources at hand. You wouldn’t try to build a house without a hammer and nails, right?

Here is what you’ll need to start and run your blog, no matter your level of experience.

• Topic/Information
• Platform
• Design
• Monetization Tools

Using these four items above, you will be able to build and run your blog all from the comfort of your sofa.

Topic/Information

Well, you need something to write about, right? Content is king. What you write about it the most important aspect of your blog. You can have all the SEO experts, tips and tricks at your disposal, the best design and the best domain and you will not get anywhere without good content.

Pick carefully your topic and make sure it’s broad, but not too broad. Be specific, but not too specific. Be vague, but not too vague. Wait, I’m kind of being vague now.

What I’m trying to say is – make sure your topic includes enough information, but make sure it’s specific enough to target an audience. This blog, for example, is about blogging. Within that topic, there are sub niches – like design, monetization, advertising and well, blogging.

Platform

A platform to blog from is also very important. In order to blog, you’ll need a blog. Personally, I run a self-hosted version of Wordpress. That cost me some money though. You’ll need a domain and hosting to do this. You can get a free version of Wordpress too. You can also get a free version of blogger.

When picking your platform, take into account your topic. Also consider the depth of your blogging and how much you might want to customize on your blog. Free platforms come with limitations. But, if you’re just looking to throw up some ads and write for fun, that might be for you.

Design

Your blog design is very important. Everyone says “don’t judge a book by its cover” but everyone does. Your blog needs to look reputable. It also needs to present your personality.

Make your blog real and trustable. If you want people to return, then you will want to have a professional and presentable blog.

That doesn’t mean simple though. You can have a blog with lots of flare and spice – if that fits your topic. Take into account what you’re blogging about, who your audience is and what you want to say to people when picking a design.

Monetization Tools

Perhaps, this is the most important part. That is, if you’re looking to make money with your blog. There are several different ways to make money blogging.

These include Ads and Affiliate Programs. Both are effective and both are good to use. This blog uses both.

Ads like banner ads and text ads are usually paid per click. A visitor clicks on the link and goes through to another website. These ads are minimal in margin, but people make thousands of dollars a month from them. The best ad program to use is Google Adsense, but you can also try Text Link Ads.

Affiliate programs usually pay more, but also usually require a result on the other end of the link. For example, a visitor clicks on an affiliate ad and goes through to another site, but before you get paid – the visitor has to sign up or buy something. For affiliate programs, I use Clickbank and Commission Junction.