After you have decided to start a blog, next thing is to plan your blog launch. While you can always start quietly without letting anyone know, there is little point in doing that. If you launch it properly, you push your blog to higher level.

Select launch date

Its important to select a date for launch. Date is important because you would be announcing the launch of your blog to your friends,contact and media. Date can be any particular date that you decide on. Preferably keep it on weekdays as activity on the web is more on weekdays.

Announce

Let everybody know that you are going to launch your blog on a particular date. Email your contacts, email your list if you have any, send a press release, put a blog post if you have a blog running, post in forums etc. Cretae a  buzz and enthusiasm if possible.

Create Content

You need to have content on your blog the day it launches. It is your choice to have one or more posts but there should be at least one post.

Posting your articles also gives you an opportunity to check functionality of your blog. Title font, image alignment, link colors and other things can be seen and modified if required. You can actully know how does your blog look?

Type of content should be decided beforehand too. If you are thinking of publishing audio or video, check whether your blog possesses the required plugins or not.

Ads

Would you be accepting sponsors on your blog? You might be planning to invite advertisers or you already may have the offers. Put the required codes in place and check if advertising bannners or text does not hamper with look and are well placed.

Permalinks, Pings & Other Settings

WordPress is the most commonly used blogging plaform for hosted blogs. It gives you options of selecting your permalink structures. Select the option you woould like to exercise.

Check if your ping order is correct or needs to be checked. It is beter if you change the default ping settings.

There are other minor things that you might want to look at.

I have cited example of WordPress as I use that. See your blog platform documentation to know the requisite changes you should be making.

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