SharePoint Online has been functioning since 2013 and provides many features. Still, many of its users are unaware of Blog Creation in Sharepoint. If you are also having questions like how to create a blog in SharePoint Online. Don’t worry! In this guide, we are explaining all the concepts and steps that are necessary for creating a blog in SharePoint online.
Overview: The SharePoint Online blog functionality enables administrators and users to write, manage, and distribute blog content. It is an excellent tool for making announcements, sharing updates, and even providing educational information to a team.
If you are ready to improve your SharePoint experience by creating a blog, this tutorial will guide you through every detailed step. You can learn more about what is SharePoint.
Why Use SharePoint for Blogging?
SharePoint blogs offer a centralized location where team members can access important information. This functionality lets organizations keep their teams updated on the latest announcements, document changes, and more.
Additionally, SharePoint blogs are integrated into the SharePoint ecosystem, meaning you can leverage document management, version control, and collaboration features for your blog content.
6 Easy Steps to Create a Blog in SharePoint Online
Let’s dive into a detailed step-by-step process to create a blog.
#1. Create a Site for Your Blog
Firstly, you need to create a new site that will store your blog content. This ensures that your blog posts are organized and separated from other content on your SharePoint platform. Therefore, you should create a Communication site first. You can learn about the steps by clicking on the given link if you are unaware of how to create a SharePoint site.
Why Communication Site? A communication site in SharePoint Online offers a visually rich experience which makes it perfect for blog layouts. It is used to share information across the organization therefore it is best for blogging purposes.
#2. Add the News Web Part
Now after creating a site, you need to add the News Web Part to create a Blog in SharePoint online. This component allows you to create and display blog posts directly on the site. However, there are pre-added templates you can use or if you want to add another then you can add it. Here are the steps through which you can easily add news web parts:
- Once your site is created, click on Edit at the top of your page.
- Scroll down and click on the “+” button to add a new web part.
- From the list, choose News.
#3. Define and Finalize Blog Categories
Categories are important for organizing your blog posts. Which makes it easier for readers to navigate and find relevant content. Additionally, setting up categories helps you to structure your blog efficiently.
- Navigate to your site settings placed in the upper-right corner.
- Go to Site Content Types.
- Create a new Content type.
- In this content type, you can add columns that represent different categories.
Why Categories? Blog categories improve discoverability, making it easier for users to filter and find posts based on their interests or needs. Therefore, to create a blog in SharePoint Online you have to define categories.
#4. Set Up Enterprise Keywords
Enterprise keywords are an important feature that makes your blog posts easier to search within SharePoint. By adding it you can efficiently leverage SharePoint’s search functionality.
- Go to Site Settings > List Settings.
- Under General Settings, click on Enterprise Metadata and Keywords Settings.
- Check the box next to “Add an Enterprise Keywords column to this list and enable keyword synchronization”.
- Save your changes.
Tip: Adding relevant keywords can significantly improve the user experience by enhancing the searchability of blog posts.
#5. Create and Save a Blog Page as a Template
Before you start writing blog posts, it is beneficial to create a reusable blog page template. By following these steps you can easily save a blog page template:
- On your SharePoint site, click on the New button and choose Page.
- Select a template from the options provided or create your custom layout by dragging and dropping web parts (such as text, images, and video).
- Click Create Post and fill in the necessary blog content (e.g., title, main text).
- Once the layout and content are finalized, click on Save as Page Template.
Why Templates? A blog template saves time and ensures that every post follows a consistent structure, making your blog more professional and easier to read.
#6. Create a Blog in SharePoint Online
Now that you have your site set up with a News Web Part, categories, keywords, and a template. Follow these steps to start publishing your blog posts. here are steps for publishing a blog in SharePoint Online.
- Go to your SharePoint site.
- Click on New and choose News Post.
- Fill in the blog content, and add relevant images, videos, and other media.
- Use the category and keyword options to organize your post.
- Once you’re satisfied with the content, click Publish to make it live.
Your post will now appear on your site, and users can navigate to it through the News Web Part or by searching with keywords.
What are the Benefits of Using Blogs in SharePoint Online?
Till now we have shown how to create a blog in SharePoint Online. Now let’s understand the benefits of creating it.
- Team Updates – It keeps everyone in the loop as a result users are notified of announcements and updates from a single location by utilizing the advantages of a SharePoint blog.
- Document Management – SharePoint blogs can include files, photos, and videos to give comprehensive information, even if managing big lists and libraries in SharePoint is simpler.
- Better Data Retrieval – Thanks to keywords and tags, users can quickly locate pertinent content on SharePoint blogs.
- Version Control – SharePoint maintains track of the blogs’ versions as well. This makes it simpler to determine what modifications have been made and by whom.
- Anywhere Access – With the aid of an Internet connection, SharePoint blogs can be accessed from any location.
Hopefully, you have learned blog creation and the benefits of creating a blog.
Conclusion
Creating a blog in SharePoint Online is a powerful way to share information, updates, and insights with your organization or team. In this write-up, we have explained how to create a blog in SharePoint Online and why it is necessary. However, we have also shown 5 easy steps to create blogs and the Benefits of creating them in Sharepoint. Additionally, we have shown the steps for adding news and how to create a template for a blog in SharePoint Online.