Technical Blogging, Second Edition

Amplify Your Influence

by Antonio Cangiano

Successful technical blogging is not easy but it’s also not magic. Use these techniques to attract and keep an audience of loyal, regular readers. Leverage this popularity to reach your goals and amplify your influence in your field. Get more users for your startup or open source project, or simply find an outlet to share your expertise. This book is your blueprint, with step-by-step instructions that leave no stone unturned. Plan, create, maintain, and promote a successful blog that will have remarkable effects on your career or business.

Now available as an Audiobook!

Successful people often get recognition by teaching what they know. Blogging is a reliable path to do that, while gaining influence in the process. The problem is getting it right. Far too often professionals start a blog with big hopes, only to quickly give up because they don’t get speedy results. This book will spare you that fate by outlining a careful plan of action. A plan that will bring amazing benefits to your career, new job possibilities, as well as publishing, speaking, and consulting opportunities. And if you are blogging for business, you’ll attract new customers, partners, and outstanding employees.

Understand what blogging is and how it can improve your professional (and personal) life. Devise a plan for your new or existing blog. Create remarkable content that ranks well in Google and is shared by readers. Beat procrastination by employing proven time-management techniques that make you an efficient and effective blogger. Promote your blog by mastering on-page and off-page SEO, as well as social media promotion, without compromising your ethics. Analyze your traffic to understand your audience and measure growth. Build a community around your blog and make the best of your newfound popularity by maximizing its benefits for your career, business, or simply for extra income.

Create and maintain a successful technical blog that will amplify your impact, influence, and reach by following Antonio’s step-by-step plan.

• Errata, typos, suggestions

Releases:

• P1.0 2019/06/20
• B5.0 2019/06/10
• B4.0 2019/04/12
• B3.0 2019/03/25

Introduction

• Plan It
  • What Kind of Blog Are You Going to Run?
    • Solo vs. Collective
    • General vs. Niche
    • Pundit vs. Instructional
    • Business Blogs
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Rock-Solid Planning for Your Blog excerpt
    • Define Your Blog’s Main Topic
    • Analyze the Size of Your Niche
    • Give Readers a Compelling Reason to Stick Around
    • Set Goals for Your Blog
    • Choose and Register a Domain Name
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
• Build It
  • Setting Up Your Blog
    • Choose Your Blogging Software and Hosting
    • Configure Your Domain Name
    • Install WordPress
    • Configure WordPress
    • Enhance WordPress with Plugins
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Customizing and Fine-Tuning Your Blog
    • Pick a Professional Theme
    • Enable Stats
    • Customize Your Sidebar
    • Encourage Social Media Sharing
    • Win Over Subscribers
    • Don’t Get in Trouble: Use Disclaimers
    • Set Up Your Blog for On-Page SEO
    • Enable Code Highlighting in Your Posts
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Creating Remarkable Content excerpt
    • Content Is King
    • Write for the Web
    • Develop Your Own Voice
    • Where to Find Ideas for Your Posts
    • Get Readers to Discover More of Your Content
    • Copyright Matters
    • Back Up Your Content
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Producing Content Regularly
    • What’s the Post Frequency, Kenneth?
    • Consistency Is Queen
    • What Days Should You Post On?
    • Schedule Time to Blog
    • Survive Writer’s Block
    • Get Others to Write for You
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Finding Time to Blog
    • Master Your To-Do List
    • Figure Out Where Your Time Goes
    • Limit Distractions
    • Schedule Productive Time
    • Focus with the Pomodoro Technique
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
• Promote It
  • Promoting Your Blog
    • Market It and They Will Come
    • Correct a Self-Sabotaging Mindset
    • Perform On-Page and Off-Page SEO
    • Not All Links Are Created Equal
    • Guest Blog on Other Blogs
    • Other Forms of Article Marketing
    • Add Your Blog to Planet Sites
    • Participate in the Community
    • Leverage Foreign Blogs
    • The Dark Side of Link Building
    • Promote Your Articles on Social Networks
    • Promote on Social News Sites
    • Case Study: ProgrammingZen.com’s Social Traffic
    • Promoting on Quora
    • Cross-Post to Medium and dev.to
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Understanding Traffic Statistics
    • Baseline vs. Spike Traffic
    • Key Site Usage Metrics You Need to Consider
    • Interpret Visit Quantity and Quality
    • Where Do They All Come From?
    • Analyzing Traffic with Google Analytics
    • Keep Track of Your Blog’s Growth
    • Other Analytics Tools Worth Considering
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Building a Community Around Your Blog
    • Engage Readers
    • Supplement Your Blog with Community Tools
    • Forms of Criticism
    • Your Mantras When Dealing with Criticism
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
• Benefit from It
  • Advancing Your Career with Blogging
    • Improve Your Skills
    • Advance Your Career
    • Obtain Freebies
    • Deal with Opportunities
    • Other Benefits for Startups
    • Make Money from Your Blog
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Promoting Your Own Business
    • A Checklist for Company Blogs
    • Identify and Understand Your Readers
    • Craft Your Content for Your Prospective Customers
    • Convert Readers into Customers
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
• Scale It
  • Scaling Your Blogging Activities
    • Scale Your Blog Vertically
    • Hire a Team of Bloggers
    • Build Your Blogging Empire
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Beyond Blogging: Strategizing for Social Media
    • Why Bother with Social Media?
    • Define a Social Media Strategy
    • Identify the Social Networks You Intend to Target
    • Create Your Social Media Profiles
    • Cross-Promote Your Site and Social Properties
    • Post Frequently and Engage with People in Your Niche
    • Take Action
    • What’s Next
  • Final Words of Advice
    • Try It Out
    • Blogs to Follow
    • Keep in Touch