Technical Blogging, 2nd Edition

Technical Blogging, 2nd Edition

by Antonio Cangiano
Released June 2019
Publisher(s): Pragmatic Bookshelf
ISBN: 9781680506471

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Book description

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 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.

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.

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Table of contents

  1.  Acknowledgments
  2.  Introduction
    1. What Is Technical Blogging?
    2. Blogging Isn’t Dead
    3. Blogging as a Megaphone
    4. Blogging as a Conversation
    5. Bloggers with Benefits
    6. How to Get the Most Out of This Book
  3. Part I. Plan It
    1. 1. What Kind of Blog Are You Going to Run?
      1. Solo vs. Collective
      2. General vs. Niche
      3. Pundit vs. Instructional
      4. Business Blogs
      5. Take Action
      6. What’s Next
    2. 2. Rock-Solid Planning for Your Blog
      1. Define Your Blog’s Main Topic
      2. Analyze the Size of Your Niche
      3. Give Readers a Compelling Reason to Stick Around
      4. Set Goals for Your Blog
      5. Choose and Register a Domain Name
      6. Take Action
      7. What’s Next
  4. Part II. Build It
    1. 3. Setting Up Your Blog
      1. Choose Your Blogging Software and Hosting
      2. Configure Your Domain Name
      3. Install WordPress
      4. Configure WordPress
      5. Enhance WordPress with Plugins
      6. Take Action
      7. What’s Next
    2. 4. Customizing and Fine-Tuning Your Blog
      1. Pick a Professional Theme
      2. Enable Stats
      3. Customize Your Sidebar
      4. Encourage Social Media Sharing
      5. Win Over Subscribers
      6. Don’t Get in Trouble: Use Disclaimers
      7. Set Up Your Blog for On-Page SEO
      8. Enable Code Highlighting in Your Posts
      9. Take Action
      10. What’s Next
    3. 5. Creating Remarkable Content
      1. Content Is King
      2. Write for the Web
      3. Develop Your Own Voice
      4. Where to Find Ideas for Your Posts
      5. Get Readers to Discover More of Your Content
      6. Copyright Matters
      7. Back Up Your Content
      8. Take Action
      9. What’s Next
    4. 6. Producing Content Regularly
      1. What’s the Post Frequency, Kenneth?
      2. Consistency Is Queen
      3. What Days Should You Post On?
      4. Schedule Time to Blog
      5. Survive Writer’s Block
      6. Get Others to Write for You
      7. Take Action
      8. What’s Next
    5. 7. Finding Time to Blog
      1. Master Your To-Do List
      2. Figure Out Where Your Time Goes
      3. Limit Distractions
      4. Schedule Productive Time
      5. Focus with the Pomodoro Technique
      6. Take Action
      7. What’s Next
  5. Part III. Promote It
    1. 8. Promoting Your Blog
      1. Market It and They Will Come
      2. Correct a Self-Sabotaging Mindset
      3. Perform On-Page and Off-Page SEO
      4. Not All Links Are Created Equal
      5. Guest Blog on Other Blogs
      6. Other Forms of Article Marketing
      7. Add Your Blog to Planet Sites
      8. Participate in the Community
      9. Leverage Foreign Blogs
      10. The Dark Side of Link Building
      11. Promote Your Articles on Social Networks
      12. Promote on Social News Sites
      13. Case Study: ProgrammingZen.com’s Social Traffic
      14. Promoting on Quora
      15. Cross-Post to Medium and dev.to
      16. Take Action
      17. What’s Next
    2. 9. Understanding Traffic Statistics
      1. Baseline vs. Spike Traffic
      2. Key Site Usage Metrics You Need to Consider
      3. Interpret Visit Quantity and Quality
      4. Where Do They All Come From?
      5. Analyzing Traffic with Google Analytics
      6. Keep Track of Your Blog’s Growth
      7. Other Analytics Tools Worth Considering
      8. Take Action
      9. What’s Next
    3. 10. Building a Community Around Your Blog
      1. Engage Readers
      2. Supplement Your Blog with Community Tools
      3. Forms of Criticism
      4. Your Mantras When Dealing with Criticism
      5. Take Action
      6. What’s Next
  6. Part IV. Benefit from It
    1. 11. Advancing Your Career with Blogging
      1. Improve Your Skills
      2. Advance Your Career
      3. Obtain Freebies
      4. Deal with Opportunities
      5. Other Benefits for Startups
      6. Make Money from Your Blog
      7. Take Action
      8. What’s Next
    2. 12. Promoting Your Own Business
      1. A Checklist for Company Blogs
      2. Identify and Understand Your Readers
      3. Craft Your Content for Your Prospective Customers
      4. Convert Readers into Customers
      5. Take Action
      6. What’s Next
  7. Part V. Scale It
    1. 13. Scaling Your Blogging Activities
      1. Scale Your Blog Vertically
      2. Hire a Team of Bloggers
      3. Build Your Blogging Empire
      4. Take Action
      5. What’s Next
    2. 14. Beyond Blogging: Strategizing for Social Media
      1. Why Bother with Social Media?
      2. Define a Social Media Strategy
      3. Identify the Social Networks You Intend to Target
      4. Create Your Social Media Profiles
      5. Cross-Promote Your Site and Social Properties
      6. Post Frequently and Engage with People in Your Niche
      7. Take Action
      8. What’s Next
    3. 15. Final Words of Advice
      1. Try It Out
      2. Blogs to Follow
      3. Keep in Touch
  8. A1. List of Tips Within the Book
    1. Chapter 1: What Kind of Blog Are You Going to Run?
    2. Chapter 2: Rock-Solid Planning for Your Blog
    3. Chapter 3: Setting Up Your Blog
    4. Chapter 4: Customizing and Fine-Tuning Your Blog
    5. Chapter 5: Creating Remarkable Content
    6. Chapter 6: Producing Content Regularly
    7. Chapter 7: Finding Time to Blog
    8. Chapter 8: Promoting Your Blog
    9. Chapter 9: Understanding Traffic Statistics
    10. Chapter 10: Building a Community Around Your Blog
    11. Chapter 11: Advancing Your Career with Blogging
    12. Chapter 12: Promoting Your Own Business
    13. Chapter 13: Scaling Your Blogging Activities
    14. Chapter 14: Beyond Blogging: Strategizing for Social Media
  9. A2. Bibliography

Product information

  • Title: Technical Blogging, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Antonio Cangiano
  • Release date: June 2019
  • Publisher(s): Pragmatic Bookshelf
  • ISBN: 9781680506471