WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms in the world. It is a great application, but in my opinion, what makes it stand out from the rest is the amount of fan-made plug-ins that have enhanced its original toolset.

While there are literally thousands of WordPress plug-ins out there, there are seven particular ones that I wouldn’t dare starting a blog without. I know that I left out a lot of good plug-ins, but the idea here is to make a list of only 7 plug-ins for new bloggers to start out with. If you know of a particular plug-in that *should* be on this list, please add it on the comments section.

Keep reading: 7 WordPress plug-ins you shouldn’t be without

Selecting a good theme (design) for your blog can be fun, but it is also a critical factor regarding the overall success of your blog. There are a few key elements that you must keep in mind when selecting your blog’s theme.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working with WordPress, TypePad or any other blogging platform… The single most important thing you can do when selecting a theme for your new blog is to try to look at all the available options from your reader’s perspective. Why? Because in the end, it is your target audience who will visit your blog frequently to read the information you publish – and if the design you select makes your readers grow tired of it fairly quickly, then the blog will never become a popular destination.

Keep reading: How to pick a winner theme for your blog

Starting a new blog from scratch can seem like a colossal task. Watching that brand new WordPress installation with the ubiquitous “Hello World” post can make even the most prolific writer tremble in fear – as he feels a mind-numbing case of writer’s block creep slowly down his spine.

Fortunately, things don’t have to be that way. The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time… so if you follow this simple strategy, you’ll have a blog that is packed with great content a lot sooner than you had ever imagined.

Keep reading: How to give your new blog the upper hand

The Copywriting Forum members have been asking a few questions about how to start and run a successful blog… and while the tips shared have been great, I feel that some background information is missing to build a solid foundation for new bloggers to rely upon.

For that reason, I’ve decided to write a series titled “The copywriter’s guide to blogging success” – and the good news is that it all starts today. So let’s dive right in…

The very first step in having a successful blog is to find a good theme to write about. A blog that talks about everything and nothing all at once will rarely be successful, so finding a good niche or industry to focus on is essential.

Keep reading: How to find the best niche for your blog

If you’ve studied copywriting for any length of time at all, you have probably stumbled across the acronym AIDA. That stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. This formula has been used by copywriters (especially direct mail copywriters) for years and years. However, I find that it is a bit incomplete.

While I recommend that you base your copywriting process on the AIDA formula, I do want to add a few elements to it that will dramatically increase your copy’s performance by appealing to the emotions of your customers.

Keep reading: The advertising formula that always works