A website that focuses on written content is known as a blog. You might have come across many such sites, for example, to read news, stories, or any other written material. A blog can contain content on any topic you can imagine. Considering the number of entertainment blogs, it’s no surprise that they have become quite popular.
However, whenever people think of starting a blog, they become discouraged since they are not aware of how to start one. But don’t worry, I’ll show you how to start a blog without being intimidated. It’s always worth giving a try.
1. Pick a Niche
Before starting a blog, you’ll have to choose what to write around. A blog can contain written posts on any subject you can think to imagine. Some of the most popular niches are health, fashion, lifestyle, and beauty.
While you can write on many different topics simultaneously, you should keep it focused on your selected niche. Pick a specific niche that you genuinely are interested in.
If you try to copy blog topics from on the internet, there’s no doubt that it’ll be less time-consuming to start your blog. However, eventually, you will have a tough time trying to keep your blog engaging, as people do not like to read repetitive content.
Therefore, the best decision is to spend some time finding your niche, which is unique to you. Being passionate about your niche is vital to make your blog flourish in the future and attract the most traffic.
2. Choose the Blog Name
Before creating a blog, it’s essential to think of a name for it. If the name you select is creative, it’ll make your blog stand out from the crowd and give it a unique identity. The name of your blog should fit your content that you will be posting, as that will help viewers know what your blog is. An informative name is as essential as an original name.
It is also necessary to buy a domain name. Find a domain name that matches your blog name if possible, and register it with a hosting provider.
3. Select the CMS and Hosting Provider
A CMS stands for Content Management System. It is a software that helps you modify and create digital content.
Popular CMS are WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace. You can choose the one which is the most suitable and comfortable for you to learn. A CMS will help you give your blog a look that you can customize according to your needs.
After you’ve chosen a CMS, it’s time for you to choose a hosting provider. A blog is mostly a website, which requires hosting to be accessible from the internet. Popular hosting providers are GoDaddy, HostGator, and Namecheap.
4. Go live
Making your website go live means uploading it to the internet and making it accessible to billions of people worldwide. Ensure that you’ve bought a domain name and have successfully started hosting your blog with the help of a hosting provider. Only then will you be able to get your blog to your viewers.
5. Customize Your Blog with Beautiful Themes
There’s no doubt that blog content matters a lot; however, it’s not the only factor determining traffic to your website. As mentioned earlier, people are attracted to blogs that look great. Take the time to customize your blog with beautiful, creative, and unique themes. You can use the CMS software for this purpose. The content you write should work to marry up to the design of your blog.
There are many online tools such as Canva to empower you to create beautiful infographics and charts for your blog. People are more attracted to blogs that look professional and easy to read. Be creative!
With your unique name and content, your blog is ready to take its place on the internet.
6. Time to Publish Your First Blog Post
After you’ve made your blog website go live, congrats, you now have a blog.
Now it’s time for you to get started on publishing your first blog post. The first step is choosing a topic to write on, which can be anything but should fall under your selected niche. After this, you’ll need to do some research on the topic that you’ve chosen to write on. The study will help you provide a good insight into the subject.
Next, you’ll need to create an outline for your blog post, which, for example, includes a heading, intro, and a conclusion. An overview will help you write the blog post more easily. The next step is to add images and graphics to support your post. As mentioned earlier, check out Canva and the many free stock image libraries out there. Adding images is essential for social sharing, google rankings, and better user engagement! Using a blog post worksheet can help you get your thought in order.
Before posting the blog, you should always optimize it for SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization. This includes setting the keyword density, using keywords, setting the word count, writing a meta description, and other similar things. This will help your blog post to rank higher on a search engine. The higher it ranks, the possibility of more people finding you. I strongly recommend you do a little googling on this topic. A little bit of knowledge on this goes a long way!
7. Promote Your Blog Post
To give your newly created blog post a boost, remember to promote it. This will help your blog attract a higher number of readers. Set up those social media accounts. You can do this by promoting it on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. You can also refer it to your friends who can refer it to their friends.
8. Monetize it
Making money from your blog generally takes a bit more time. You do not start earning money from a blog as soon as you create it. There must be more than 100 blog posts, customer engagement, and traffic to start monetizing. However, don’t be discouraged by this and be patient. If you enjoy what you write, this is the most important monetary reward.
Once you have the necessary traffic to your blog, the best way to monetize is by putting ads. You can utilize the empty space on your blog for this and use AdSense to display ads that match your website’s content.
Conclusion
Starting a blog, it’s fun and a lot of work. Hopefully, you have a better understanding of starting and maintaining it. All that is required is some creativity, effort, and patience. In the end, you will have a flourishing blog of your own.
Happy blogging!
Lisa
“My first template used in Microsoft Word! Super simple, and easy to print at home. I can also use the trim marks to create other cards too!” – Robyn L