HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL BLOG IN 2022
Have you always wanted to learn How to start a blog?
That is the question which runs through everyone’s head when they consider starting blogging. If you follow this easy step by step guide on how to start a blog, then you will be able to start a successful blog within less than 1 hour.
Even if you are a beginner with just basic
computer skills, by the time you complete this easy guide you will be in
position to create a wonderful blog and express all your thoughts, ideas, with
people out there.
Blogging is one of the best ways to express you
online. It is also one of the easiest ways to make money on the internet today
that’s if you do it right. And with this pandemic of Covid 19 going on in the
entire world where everything is on the stand still, people being laid off from
work then why don’t you think of a career in blogging. It can be done from
anywhere in the world and you do not need an office. You work remotely and make
money online.
Just in case you get stuck or have any
questions at any time or point, then simply contact me and I will be glad to be
of help. If you don’t want to go through the
hardships and hustle of setting up a blog yourself, I’m offering a FREE Blog Setup Service. I will design for you an effective and professional
blog that is responsive, secure and SEO optimized, all for FREE OF CHARGE. You only have to buy your own domain and hosting from
one of my affiliate partners. You can contact me on kassimmwy@gmail.com
to claim your free blog.
Okay, are you ready to
dig into blogging?
Hello there, my name is Kassim. I’ve been
blogging for more than nine years now and I am going to show you how to start a
successful blog. I got introduced to blogging the first time reason being I had
to find market for my products and services that I offer in my company way back
in 2013. With my vast experience in marketing and digital marketing to be exact
enabled me to think of blogging as a way to market and sell my products.
Eventually I started to enjoy blogging and everything that comes with it hence
creating a number of them like this one.
However, I will not say that it was a smooth
ride for me when starting because I made a lot of mistakes in the process and I
learnt out of them. It is said practice makes perfect. So I do not want to lie
that you will get results right away from the word go. You have to be patient,
persistent and consistent.
I spent a lot of time searching for helpful information
online when learning to create a blog. To save you time, I’ve created this free
step-by-step tutorial to teach beginners how to make a blog easily
and quickly. It’s not as complicated as many people think though you have to
make it right in order to succeed.
8 easy steps on how to start a blog.
Step 1:
Select a perfect niche for your blog
Step 2 : Choose a blogging platform
Step 3:
Pick a domain name
Step 4 : Get a web hosting account
Step 5 :
Set up your blog using WordPress software
Step 6 :
Select a theme and design your blog
Step 7 :
Write and publish your blog content
Step 8 :
Optimize your blog content for SEO
Now, what is a blog?
I usually come across a section of my readers
wanting to know the definition of a blog.
In short, a blog is a type of website where
stories are published and arranged in a chronological order. The content is
arranged in order with the most recent content displayed at the top.
The content is written in a chatty and
conversational manner with the comments system normally enabled mainly aimed at
encouraging lively conversations or feedback between the blogger and the
readers. This connection allows you to interact and share ideas with other like-minded
people. It also allows you to build trust with your readers. Having the trust
and loyalty of your readers also opens up the door to making money from your
blog.
The good news is that the internet is
exploding with growth right now. More people than ever are online. This
explosion in growth means more potential readers for your blog. In other words,
if you are thinking about starting a blog then there is no better time than
right now.
The stories published on a blog site are
called blog posts.
Who is a blogger?
A person who owns and manages a blog site is
called a blogger. One cannot be a blogger without a blog site. A blogger can be
any one from old to young, that is to say students, politicians, teachers,
businessmen, single moms or even the uneducated. You do not have to be an
expert in a topic or niche. One thing though…Passion has to be key. This
article covers everything on how to get started with your first blog. Keep on
reading!
Basically, there is just one requirement to
be a successful blogger and that is
Passion for your topic or niche. Writing about things that you are
passionate about makes the process of starting a successful blog so much
easier. Provided you are writing about things that you are genuinely interested
in, your passion will shine through and keep your visitors interested.
So why choose blogging? There are a few benefits of blogging:
Making money from home. Being a blogger can be quite lucrative if done
correctly. The top bloggers in the blogging industry in the world obviously
earn quite a bit, but even a part-time blogger can expect to make a nice profit
if things are done correctly. The best part is that blogging is a form of
passive income, since you can spend just a few hours a week writing a piece of
content and then continue to profit from it long after the writing is finished. I will go into much more
detail on how to monetize your blog later in this tutorial.
Bridges
the gap between the bloggers and the people. Blogging is an easy way to keep your clients with latest updates
about your services and products. For example, you can update them about the
new products. The more people visit your blog, the more they are likely to buy
your stuff.
Sharing your content. You can share your story with the entire world if you
so choose. One of the most common ways blogs are used as a diary where the
blogger writes about their daily experiences so that almost every one can all
be a part of their lives.
Forming a community. You will write a post and people comment on it. This
is a good way to connect with people who are interested in the same things as
you are. Blogging allows you to teach these people based on your experience,
and it gives you the opportunity to learn from your readers as well. So the
benefits are for both the bloggers and the readers.
Recognition for yourself or your
business. A successful blog
makes your idea into a reality, and can gain you a ton of recognition in your
respective field. Many bloggers are known as experts just because of their
blogs and some have even gotten book and movie deals based on their blogs. Have
seen some bloggers whose statuses have changed due to the recognition availed
to them by the people.
Drive
traffic. Blogging drives and
increases traffic to your website, if your content is well optimized for search
engines.
Brand
awareness. Blogging increases brand
awareness hence many companies have opted for it in a bid to market their
brands.
Let’s dive in and start your blog!
To start a blog and make it as a
blogger, you have to select the right niche for your blog.
First of all, you need to identify a niche that you are the most
interested in and the one you are passionate about. Make sure to pick an area
that you think has a gap when it comes to information and people are craving
for it.
Secondly, you need to make sure a niche has enough audience
interest—topics people searching for.
I would suggest that you pick a
niche that you have knowledge about. In case the knowledge isn’t enough then
try to do some research about the topic since you have to share information
that you understand well.
Do not mix up unrelated topics on
the same blog. One reason many bloggers fail is they try to mix up topics. This
time you write about travel and next time you write about fashion. That way you
will fail as a blogger since you will not attract a target audience. A niche is very important and you need to have it
right from the day you start your blog.
Once you select a niche, I also
suggest you validate it. You can use this 3-step formula to confirm your niche
for success.
3 steps to start your validation process:
·
Check niche size.
·
Explore competitors.
·
Analyze monetization potential.
This process will help you obtain a
clear idea of the size, competition, and monetization potential for your
proposed niche.
How to Choose a Perfect Blog Niche or
Topic and Name
In short, a niche is the topic that your
blog focuses on. If you are going to blog for business, you don’t need to
choose a topic that brings you a lot of traffic but you can’t earn any much
money out of it.
Okay, the
first step is choosing your blog topic. If you’re not sure what to blog about,
then relax as I show you a few methods to find a perfect blog niche or topic.
A
personal blog.
A personal blog is when you write basically about yourself or personal
life. This can include a variety of
topics, ranging from things you do on a daily basis, to random thoughts. This
is a great way to share your thoughts with the world without having to stick to
just one topic.
Another
method is Life Experiences. If you
are thinking of how to get a topic for your blog then life experiences will do
for you. We all go through a lot in life and learn along the journey. For
example you can decide to write about your work experiences and share it with
the world; it will help you connect with others who are in the similar
situations. It could be writing about may be family as a single mom. Sharing
credible information with other single moms will be a life changing to both you
and the readers. So generally if you can look what you have gone through in
life then I am sure you can get a topic or niche for your blog.
Hobbies. Hobbies you are passionate about are
a great place to start looking. Hobbies such as Cooking, travel, fashion, sports,
and cars are all perfect examples and can be successful, since your audience is
literally anyone in the world with the internet.
Having said
the above, you should now have a feeling of what to blog about.
Once you have a topic, now it is time
for you to pick your blog name.
When
choosing a name, you should know that a perfect name has to be descriptive. Implying a potential
reader on your blog can easily tell what your blog is about just from the name. It plays an essential role in your blog’s
branding, identity and marketing.
You can
choose to use your name as your blog’s name if you choose to start a personal
blog. There are many popular personal blogs that are named after names of the
owners, for example Neil patel. This
is good for people who intend to blog about a variety of topics. You can also
add your middle name or middle initial if you find your name is already taken.
Or you could use a variation like “Blogging with Kassim”.
If you are
going to blog about one specific topic then you will definitely want to include
that when you pick a domain name. Do not get stuck with one word though. For
example, a travel blog doesn’t necessarily have to have the word “travel” in
it. The words “adventure”, “hike”, and “backpacker” would also let people know
that your blog is about travel.
It is a hard
to find a good name that is not already registered or taken. However, there tools
that can help you find great blog name ideas. These tools are called blog name
generators. An example of these tools
are namestation, panabee, domain.com, namesmith, among others.
Step
2: Choose a blogging platform
Now that you’ve got a name picked out it’s
time to choose your blog platform. You’ll need to look at the available
blogging platforms out there and decide the type of blog management software
that you are going to use. It is up to you to choose a blogging platform on
which your blog should operate. Anyone can create a free blog at Blogger.com
and start blogging. Blogger.com is the best blog for anyone who is just
starting blogging and cannot afford self-hosted blogging platforms such as
WordPress. WordPress is the most popular blogging platform in the world,
powering over 41.1% of all the websites on the internet. In the United states
of America alone it is most popular with over 94% of all websites on the
internet according to builtwith.com.
I recommend creating your blog using the self-hosted WordPress blog setup that I share in this guide.
What are the main types of blogging platforms?
Well, there are 3 main types of blogging platforms as seen below and these
include:
Hosted blog platforms or Free
platforms.
To all those who are new to blogging, it’s
tempting to start a blog using free hosted platforms such as Tumblr.com or Blogger.com. They are completely free platforms since you don’t
need to pay anything to use them. That’s the biggest advantage which comes with
them. However these platforms are not recommended for anyone who wants to do
serious and professional blogging. It’s
important to note that “free” always comes with limitations. For example
they may place their own ads on your blog which may interrupt your visitors
while accessing your blog, you will be subject to their rules and restrictions,
your domain name being set as a subdomain. Those are some of the examples of
their restrictions.
If you’re serious about starting a blog,
you’ll have to start paying for full services and a custom domain name later.
Self-hosted platforms
With these kinds
of platforms you don’t have many choices when it comes to self-hosted blogging
systems (Content Management System or CMS). The most popular is the free and
open-source system WordPress.org. These allow you to setup and run a blog
on your own domain and web hosting. An example is blog.yourdomain.com or yourdomain.com.
You’re fully
in charge of your blog and its contents. It will cost just a
few dollars per month for the
webspace (hosting account), and around ten dollars per year for a domain. The
actual blogging software is free.
If you want
total control of your blog, or plan to run ads, sell products and services via
your blog, then this is the best way to go.
So how much does it cost to start a
blog?
If you’re planning to start up anything
usually getting to know the prices of whatever project is an important factor.
This will enable you to plan accordingly and weigh your options. Therefore, below are the costs of a 1 & 3
year basic hosting plan with a custom domain name to install WordPress.org. For
hosting services, I will show the BluehostCompany’s pricing plans. If you decide to use another service, prices will
vary but I believe this is affordable and worth everything for a blog or
website.
WordPress.org
and BlueHost
|
Blog hosting service |
$2.75 per month (billed for 3 years) $4.95 per month
(billed for 1 year) |
|
Domain registration |
First-year free
(after $17.99 per year) |
|
SSL Certificate |
Free SSL
certificates |
|
Storage space |
50 GB |
|
Custom email |
Free Web-Based
E-mails/ Forwarding |
|
Bandwidth |
Unlimited |
|
Total price |
$99.00 (for a 3-year plan) $59.40 (for a 1-year
plan) |
*
Storage space shows you how much space you can use for your blog and media
files. Bandwidth is the amount of data your blog can transfer to visitors.
These two parameters are important when your blog starts to grow and get more
traffic.
Pro Tip:
Host plans for a longer contract of 36 months or 3 years are discounted per
month compared to the plan for 12 months or 1 year. So if you can always buy
the 3 years Bluehost hosting plan to enjoy that discounted price.
Step
3: Pick a domain name
In order for you to create your blog using
WordPress.org, you will need to decide on the domain name to use.
Domain name (Blog name)
Now your domain name will be the name by
which you will be known online, no matter what niche you choose. It’s your
blog’s unique address on the Internet.
what you should consider when
choosing a blog name (domain)
·
You can use
different combinations of your first and last names (e.g. fionakass.com or
fiona.blog).
·
It should also be
short, catchy, easy to pronounce and memorable.
One general rule for you to take home is to
get a “.com” domain, but some of the other extensions such as “.net” or “.blog”
are also popularly used.
If it so happens that you can’t find a
perfect domain name that you like, Bluehost
will let you choose one at a later stage. This will give you time to do some
research and thinking before you start your blog.
I
recommend using the Bluehost’s search tool to get a perfect domain for you.
The functionality and performance of your
site will depend on your blog hosting. The host makes sure that your
blog is available 24/7 to potential readers. A blog host is a company
that stores all of the files for your blog and delivers them to the user when
they type in your blog name. You must have a blog host in order to have
a blog.
The web host I recommend, and the one I show
you how to use in this guide, is Bluehost.
I personally use Bluehost and I recommend them for all new bloggers.
These
are the reasons why I find Bluehost to be the perfect host for you:
·
They have a 30
day money back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason.
·
They will register
your custom domain name for free, making sure no one else can take it.
·
They offer a
reliable web hosting that has been recommended by WordPress since 2005 and they currently host over 2 million blogs
and websites.
·
They offer a
free, automatic installation of the WordPress blogging software (which I show
you how to use in this guide).
·
They have helpful
24/7 customer service via phone or web chat.
Use any Bluehost
link on this site to get the special discount price of $2.75 per month.
Disclosure: I may be compensated by BlueHost when you purchase
through this link, so my services
are free of charge to you! In fact, if you have any trouble at all setting up a
blog with this tutorial, just contact me and I will do it for you
(free!).
Step 5: Set up your blog using WordPress software
A detailed information to help you sign up
for your web hosting account and install WordPress.org software as your content
management system (CMS) is all provided in this section. Follow this example as
I show you how to create a blog with Bluehost.
1.
Visit the Bluehost home page
Visit Bluehost.com
and then go to bluehost home page. Then click the green “Get Started
Now” button.
2.
Select your hosting plan
Now that you’re
started, next will be picking a hosting
plan. You can go with the Basic plan if this is your first blog. Later, you can
easily upgrade to a Plus or Choice Plus plan once your blog starts growing. You
can as well explore what each plan has to offer, e.g Choice Plus plan comes
with Domain Privacy and some extras. Also Plus comes with free office 365 for
30days and some extras. Therefore depending on your budget, you can choose a
plan that you feel like fits well. If you are not sure then you can even
enquire with the bluehost team via phone or chat to be guided on what to
choose. Oh…I am also available to guide you as well. Just reach out.
3. Set up your domain name
This will be your blog’s address which will
be only unique to you. So you should make sure to take your time and come up
with something fancy, unique and memorable. Just type your desired name in this
“new domain” box and Bluehost will show you whether it’s available or already
taken. If not, it will provide you with a list of similar names to choose
from.
If you can’t find a good name right away, you
can skip this step and pick a domain name some other time when you have made
more research.
If you have already purchased a domain name
from somewhere else then you can use that name. Just type it into the “Use a
domain you own” box.
4. Fill out your billing details on
the registration page.
After choosing your domain name, Bluehost
will take you to the registration page where you can fill in your personal
details manually, or you can sign in with your Google account to make the
process even easier. Whatever way you find appropriate to use.
Add your account information
Start by filling out your personal
information.
5. You will also need to choose your
hosting package and options.
Next, will
be to choose your hosting plan from the available options. The available hosting
plans from bluehost are 12, 24, and 36-month packages. The 36 month package
gets you the lowest monthly rate, while the 12 month package has a lower
up-front cost. Therefore you will get a better deal if you are ready to commit
for a longer period of time. What I can assure you is that Bluehost account plan has
everything you need to get your blog up and functioning, including a free custom
domain name, easy WordPress installation, web hosting, and custom email
addresses.
Payment information
Now, you will have to enter your payment
information. Check the box that you have read and agree to the Terms of Service,
and then click on the green “Submit” button.
Bluehost will then send you a confirmation
email when the payment goes through. You will receive an email to verify your
email address to activate your domain name.
Next, you will set up the Bluehost account. You
are not far away from starting a blog!
6. You will then need to create your
BlueHost account and password.
Now, it’s time to create your
account with Bluehost.
·
Click the “Create your account”
button.
·
Enter your password and complete the
account set up.
·
Your account is ready to go. Click
the “Go to login” button.
·
Fill in the fields “Email or Domain
Name” and “Password”.
Next, you will start working on
creating your blog.
7. Create your WordPress blogging
platform with Bluehost
Now that you are logged in to the
account, Bluehost offers a 4 step process to help you create a blog. If this is
your first time starting a blog, i suggest you go with this procedure.
You can click the “Skip this step” button
and work on blog creation from scratch on your own inside the Bluehost hosting
account.
The 4 steps to assist you in blog
set up process:
- Step 1. You will start the process by answering 3 questions: What kind of site? What type is it? And who is it for? For this case I selected: Blog, Personal, Myself in my example. So, you can select the same choices as well or pick something else according to your situation.
- Step 2.
Next, you can pick what else would you like to add on your site. Bluehost
gives you a few options to choose from.
- Step 3.
Now you need to answer a few questions such as the name of your blog,
tagline, and how comfortable you are with creating websites. Do not forget,
you can always change this at a later stage.
- Step 4.
Finally in this step, you have to check out the chosen themes by Bluehost.
See if you like any of them but in case you don’t see a theme you like, just
skip this step. You can always change it and use a different theme later
on. More information on this further on.
Once you complete setting up your
blog with these 4 steps you will be taken to your Bluehost account page. The
WordPress software is installed and your blog structure is now in existence.
7. Launch your blog
Inside your Bluehost account, you will find
options to further customize your WordPress blog site based on Bluehost’s
recommendations. The options are made available for you to do some pre-launch
customization to your blog.
When you click the “Launch My Site” button,
your blog will go live! How is that? Yes… I guess it’s exciting.
When you open your website in a web browser
don’t get disappointed to see a blog different from what you expect to see. I
don’t want to use the word ugly but it will be something like that. Anyway, this is just the first draft. So you
don’t have to worry yourself. Inside the WordPress dashboard, you will have to
make a few changes. Add content to make it look polished and complete. Don’t move
a muscle, to see how.
Now, go to your Bluehost account and click
the blue “WordPress” button in the top right corner of your screen to access
the WordPress blog dashboard.
Did you start a blog yet? ClickHere to Get Started
Step
6: Select a theme and customize your blog
Now, as promised, I am going to show you how
to select a theme and customize your blog. Without wasting time, your blog will
now need a face or it will need a layout and design. People have different
ideas of how they want their blogs to look like. The good thing about WordPress
is that you can change your entire layout and design with just a few clicks.
In WordPress, blog layouts are known as
“Themes”. Themes control the entire design of your WordPress blog. If you want
to change your theme you are going to click on the “Appearance” tab on the left
menu. You will see some popular options. You can click on the WordPress.org
Themes button to search for free themes. You will find thousands of themes
available on WordPress.org to choose from.
Honestly, the appearance of your new blog
relies on the theme you choose. Select a theme that looks great, but also works
for your specific needs. If not, then settle on one that you like, and you can
always change it in the future.
But still don’t be surprised if it doesn’t
look fine. It is just a skeleton of a blog. To make it appealing, you’ll have
to fill it in with content. Add some text, videos, photos and much more to make
it look attractive.
You can easily start things off with either Twenty
Twelve, Twenty Sixteen, Twenty Seventeen, or Twenty Twenty themes. These are
well-designed, good looking themes that can work for just about any type of
blog or topic. In fact, these themes are already popular with many creators.
Unless you have a very specific design in
mind for your blog, I suggest you use one of these themes to start with.
By the way, you can always choose another theme later on just in case you feel
like you do not like the current one that you have.
If you fail to find or get pleased with the
free themes then you can check out the ones of premium. These premium themes
are designed and sold by third party companies on the different wordpress.org
theme sites. The price range for a single theme starts from 30$ to 500$
depending on the premium theme that you get to choose.
Customize
your blog with a theme
You shouldn’t forget that your WordPress
dashboard will act as your back end office where you will manage your new blog.
WordPress dashboard provides you with quick access to the tools you need to add
content and tune up your blog performance for the outstanding user experience.
Therefore, knowing everything concerning the WordPress dashboard is your number
one priority to learning WordPress.
It will be so hard for me to cover everything
in this “How to start a blog” tutorial since WordPress has a lot of
options when it comes to customization. But, I will be able to cover the first
most changes that you need to apply to your new blog. As an example, I will use
the Twenty Twenty Theme.
Make your blog’s logo
It is now time for you to make your logo for
your blog if at all you didn’t do it when launching your blog. You can find the “Make your logo” tool when
you are inside your Bluehost account. The moment you click the checkbox, you
will be taken to an AI-powered logo maker. You can use it to create a beautiful
logo for your blog in just seconds. You
have to start by entering a name and slogan then the tool will automatically
generate different types of logos to choose from.
Pick a logo you like the most, and
further customize it according to the way you feel contented.
After you are done with your logo
design, click the Download button and a new page will show up with your logo files
ready to be saved to your computer.
Now you can customize your blog
Basically, this is what you are going to see
in general when it comes to the customization of your blog and these include:
editing blog tagline and title, change of colors, uploading background images,
uploading your log, and making homepage setting changes.
Now, I’ll be showing you how to apply these
changes to the Twenty Twenty Theme. In case you selected a different theme the
process could be some how different. But still, in most cases, all themes have
similar customization options.
Go to the WordPress admin dashboard and locate
the Appearance tab on the left-hand side and choose the Customize option.
Just like I hinted on earlier, every
WordPress theme has a different way of customization but in the case of Twenty
Twenty theme that I am using as an example, I will show you it’s customize
options.
You will check out the following customization menu options on the left hand side:
- Site
identity – Upload your logo,
change site title and tagline, and upload site icon.
- Theme
options – Choose if you want to
show a search icon in the header of your blog and show an author bio for your
posts.
- Colors – Change your blog’s background color, footer colors,
header and customize the primary color.
- Background image
– Upload any custom background image you want to use on your blog.
- Widgets – Customize your footer, add a description, and how
to find you if you have a physical address or location.
- Menus – Customize your blog’s menu, social media menu
links, and change locations where they are displayed.
- Homepage
settings – Choose what’s
displayed on the homepage of a blog. It can be the latest blog posts or a
static page.
- Additional
CSS – Add your own CSS code to
customize the appearance and structure of your site.
I suggest
you try out your blog on
different devices to see how it looks like. You can carry out the test by using
the menu at the bottom with three icons: Mobile, tablet, desktop devices.
Most themes come with the new editor called
Gutenberg that revolutionizes the way creators build pages and write posts
inside WordPress.
Gutenberg is a visual editor that works on a
blocks principle. So, when you decide to add a new heading, paragraph, video,
image, and anything you may need. There are blocks you can quickly add to new
pages or blog posts.
This way, creating blog content is much
easier for beginners. Blocks can be rearranged into a layout you want, and
they’re here to make your life easier.
It is time to add plugins to your
blog
So what are plugins?
These are bundled pieces of code which affect
the way your site looks and functions. They add new changes to your WordPress
blog such as its functionality, extend its theme’s capabilities, and personalize
a blog as a whole. While the majority of plugins are free, there are many that
are offered for a fee, based on their unique functionality.
When you set up your blog, it is by default
that Bluehost will automatically add some plugins they think are important for
any website. You can see which plugins to add from inside the WordPress
dashboard by clicking the Plugins tab on the left-hand side.
I’ll
show you some of the recommended free plugins for bloggers that you should be
using for your blog as seen below:
·
Yoast Seo – A
comprehensive SEO plugin for your blog, to optimize your content for search
engines.
·
Akismet– Protects
your comments and contact form from spam and prevents your site from publishing
malicious content.
·
WP Super Cache –
Helps with the load time of your WordPress blog and delivers content to your
readers faster.
·
Monsterinsights–
Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, to monitor and analyze your website
traffic.
·
Yarppy – Creates
a related blog posts list at the end of each piece of content automatically to
encourage people to continue browsing your site.
·
Contact Form 7 –
A contact form with flexible email options. It supports CAPTCHA and Akismet
spam filtering.
·
Disqus – An
alternative to the basic WordPress comment system with advanced administrative
and comment capabilities.
·
Thirsty
Affiliates – Manage your affiliate links
·
TablePress – for
creating tables
Okay!! I want to congratulate you for learning how to make design changes and
customize your blog.
Step
7: Write and publish your blog content
With all that we have covered, am happy to
say that your blog is up and in shape. It is now time for you to actually do
some blogging! Let’s create your first piece of content. You need to
learn how to write your first blog post. Any useful information that you share
on the internet with readers is called “content.” This content has to be valuable that people
will want to interact with and come back for more.
As you begin writing and publishing posts on
your blog make sure you fill in all the important static pages with content
(such as About us, Contact Us, Home page etc.). Let’s look at those types of
pages.
The
following are the most common pages bloggers use:
·
About us: The most traditional page on any blog is the “About
us” page. This page tells new visitors what it is all about, who you are and
why you run a blog about your niche topic.
·
Homepage:
This depends on what type of
layout you choose. As I described above, when customizing your blog you can
choose to display the homepage as a static page. In that case, you will have to
prepare content for it.
·
Contact
Us: This page allows visitors to
your blog to communicate with you. It can be a straightforward page with your
email address plus your social network links, or you can use a simple contact
form that visitors can use to communicate with you.
·
Products
and Services: Static landing
pages with any additional information that you want to include on your blog.
·
Privacy policy:
If you collect data from your visitors in any way, you are required to add a
privacy policy page that tells visitors exactly how you are collecting data,
how you are using it, and if you are sharing that data. This page is mostly needed by those who are
using Google Adsence and Google analytics.
·
Terms of
Service: If your blog is also
running a store or selling services, it is a good idea to have a Terms of
Service page to lessen your potential liability.
·
Disclaimer
Page: If you intend to monetize
your blog, you must describe the ways you intend to generate income. This is an
absolute must-have page that should not be overlooked, as per FTC guidelines.
For example, if you are discussing and endorsing a product, and stand to profit
by linking to the product, this relationship must be disclosed and known to the
readers.
The
guidelines to publishing a WordPress page:
A page is a cornerstone content with
information that continues to be relevant to its readers. For example, this
very guide you are reading now.
- Creating a
blog page in WordPress, you will
have to log in to your dash board using your login details (username and
password).
- Hover your cursor over the “Pages” menu item on
the navigation menu located on the left-hand side of the Dashboard and
then Click “Add
New”.
Write your first blog post
To create a blog post inside WordPress is
nearly the same as creating a page. But, for a blog post WordPress lets you
select categories and tags while pages don’t.
Would
you write a blog post? Don’t
worry. I have your back all the way.
These are the 3 simple steps to making great content of any type:
·
State your main
blog topic idea that you are covering.
·
Give an example
of the idea you are covering.
·
Give a simple way
to execute the idea.
The guidelines to publish a new WordPress
post:
Now remember this is your first blog in life
may be, you can take a moment and introduce yourself. Tell your readers who you
are, what motivated you to blog, and what you will write. The title of the post
could be “Welcome to my blog”.
- Inside the WordPress dashboard on the left side,
you will see Posts menu item.
- Hover the mouse cursor on the Post item and then
select “Add New”.
Step
8: Optimize your blog content for Search engine optimization (SEO)
I know you want your blog to appear in search
results as soon as possible. This should be on your mind otherwise your blog
will not rank later still not appear in the search engines on the web.
Google: Sign up for a Google Webmaster account and open the
Search Console. To add your blog, click “Add Property” and follow the steps to
add your blog.
Bing: Sign up for a Bing Webmaster account and add your
blog.
Submitting your blog is the first step in
process known as search engine optimization (SEO).
Keep in mind that with a brand new blog your
traffic will be minimal to start with. But, this will change over time as long
as you continue to add informative and relevant content on a regular basis.
In order to optimize this process, each page
of your blog should include these fundamental elements:
1.
Header
Tags: Section headings and
subheadings should be wrapped in header tags. To do this, click on the
left item of the block you are writing in and change it to “Heading”. You
can then choose from H1, H2, H3, etc.
2.
Categorization: Your content should be clearly categorized into
specific and relevant categories. In the post editor screen, click on
“Document” on the right menu, and then go down to “Categories” and “Add New Category”.
3.
Permalinks: Each blog post “slug” is the end portion of the URL.
You want to make sure each post has a defined slug and doesn’t end with an
article number. You can easily change this in your WordPress dashboard by going
to “Settings” -> “Permalinks”. Select the “Post Name” option and click “Save
Changes”
There are many more factors to consider, such
as installing something like the Yoast WordPress plugin. However, these are the
big ones that will help improve your search rankings sooner rather than later.
How to promote, market, and grow your
blog
By now, you should’ve learned how to start a
blog, how to create blog content, and how to get it discovered by search
engines.
It is important to note that you can write
the most beautiful content in the world and design a blog interface that would
sell people their own plates and cups. But, if no one sees or knows about it,
then all of your hard work is in vain. So, you need to know how to promote your
blog.
The strategies below will help get your blog
in front of more readers. You don’t need to use every strategy. Try out a few and see what will work well for
you.
Inform everyone about your blog
The very
first people who should become aware of your blog are your inner circle. This
includes family, friends, and colleagues within your field. Encourage them to
become followers, ask them to mention your new blog, and – most importantly –
thank them in a way to appreciate their efforts.
Comment on other blogs
Look out for
other blogs in your community and engage with them. Using the comment section,
introduce yourself and leave engaging and constructive comments. Many will
allow you to leave a link to your blog. After creating relationships with
prominent bloggers in your community, you will find yourself within their ranks
quickly.
Use Social Media
Even if you don’t want to overdo it, you
still need to create accounts with the “biggies” like Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, Pinterest, Linkedin and Instagram. You should post a link to
your newest content on your accounts, but you can also post relevant news and
links to other sources that your readers may find interesting. Don’t
forget to use hashtags and engage with your followers!
One of my favorite ways to get visitors to my
blog is to post links on my social accounts, like Facebook and Twitter. This is
great, because not only do your friends see the link, but if your friends share
the link with their friends it automatically multiplies your visitors. If you
have created high-quality content on your blog then social media is a way for
your blog to go viral.
Engage with Your Visitors
When your readers leave comments on your
posts, always make sure to engage with them. Reply to their comments and
questions, give them “likes” and affirmations. When it is obvious that the
author cares about his/her community and readership, visitors are naturally
encouraged to return.
Collaborate with other bloggers
Become involved in your blogging community by
collaborating with respected members of your field. Collaborating includes
guest posting, promoting each other’s blogs and products, and regularly interacting
through comments and social media.
Post Regularly
Post content regularly. Create an editorial
calendar and follow it up. A good blogger posts at least once per week to start
with. If you have long lapses between posts, your followers will drop off and
your growth will be severely hampered. It’s not easy to post on a schedule, but
it’s something you absolutely must stick to.
Create an Email List
In addition to getting new visitors to your
blog, you will also want to make sure your current visitors are coming back.
This is where email marketing plays a vital role. If you collect the email
addresses of your visitors (with permission of course), you can then notify
them when you post new content on your blog. This keeps people coming back to
your blog, which not only gives you more readers over the time, it also allows
you to build a closer relationship with your visitors. People will come to know
and trust you, they will respond better to your promotional efforts. The best all in one email marketing tool i recommend for this task is Getresponse. You can try out with the free trial and i believe you will like it.
You can as well promote your blog by use of other platforms or means
Remember the intension is to have your blog
be popular and get traffic. Therefore you will have to use other platforms as
well just to make sure that many people see your content. Here is how you can
do that:
Content republishing. You can publish the same or slightly repurposed
content on platforms such as Tumblr, LinkedIn and Medium. It’s best to publish
content on your blog first, wait a few days while it gets indexed by search
engines such as Google, Bing and then you can start posting it on other
platforms. Also, make sure to link back to your original article as a source.
Bookmarking sites. Submit your blog content to bookmarking sites that
can offer your content to a lot of potential viewers who are searching for
information within your niche. Every time
you publish a new blog make sure to submit it to these sites to spread the
word. Here are some popular social bookmarking and content curation sites: Reddit, Flipboard, Scoop.it etc.
Repurpose content. You can repurpose your content by creating graphics,
slideshow presentations, audio files, or even videos and publish it all on the
platforms that support different content formats. By doing all this, your blog
will reach a milestone than u expect.
Getting organic traffic from search
engines
My guess is that you already know how
important it is to optimize your content for search engines.
However, in order to increase your organic
traffic, you will have to learn how to get your content to rank higher in
search results. One important thing though, there is no magic formula for
higher rankings, but you should focus on the following factors:
- Consistently create fresh and quality
content.
- Make sure that the user experience is
flawless.
- Create useful content for your readers, not
search engines.
- Interlink your content and work on getting
external links.
- Ensure that your blog is secured (HTTPS), mobile friendly, and loads
quickly.
Advertising on the web (paid traffic)
Appropriate and well-informed use of paid
media can help you to gain exposure and attention before your naturally derived
traffic takes hold.
Some
of the paid traffic avenues include:
- Search engine advertising via Google Ads or Bing Ads
- Social media advertising on Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Linkedin etc.
- Content discovery platforms such as Taboola or
Outbrain
How to make money blogging
Blog monetization is
basically the process of using your blog activities in to earning. Once you
have put in the effort of creating great blog content and promoting your blog, making
money from your blog is actually the easiest part. But I also want to remind you to keep in mind
that blogging isn’t just about making money. It is about creating useful
content and writing blog posts that will attract readers and make them come back
for more.
Blogs have the potential to
be lucrative, but don’t think that you’re going to start making money right
away in the first week. It could take
six months to a year to start seeing a steady stream of income. Blogging takes
work and dedication, but once you develop an audience that is big enough, there
are several methods you can employ to monetize your blog.
The following is the type of
content that you should consider writing about:
·
How-to guides
·
Tutorials and manuals
·
Listicles or top
list
·
Product
comparisons
·
Product
reviews
But can you make money while blogging? Now, let us dive in and see how different bloggers make money with their blogs.
Sell advertising space.
There are many possibilities
for you to run ads on your blog. Regardless of your niche, you can opt for ads
that are specific to what you are writing about or ads that simply better serve
your advertiser’s purposes. The most popular choices for advertising on
blogs are Google Adsense, Adthrive, and
Mediavine.
Sell affiliate products.
Enrolling in affiliate
programs is another way that you can make money. This is basically when you
team up with a retailer to promote their products and earn a commission on
every sale that you make through a link that is assigned to you.
These are some of the things
for you to note when considering enrolling in affiliate programs:
·
You need to be
credible enough for your visitors to click on your links.
·
The number of
affiliate sales will strongly rely on the number of visitors you have.
·
Also you may want
to consider placing a notice on your Terms of Use page that you do use
affiliate links.
Some examples of popular
online platforms that offer affiliate programs just in case you want to get
started are ClickBank, Amazon
Associates, CJ Affiliates and ShareASale.
Selling your products and services
Now honestly speaking, if you are an
entrepreneur, you could think of using your blog as a venue for selling your
own products and services. This is an option especially as your blog grows in
readership, authority, and popularity.
You just have to integrate WordPress plugins,
such as the WooCommerce plugin to start selling your products on line.
Sell digital downloads
Ebooks, video tutorials, and e-courses are
the most commonly used digital products sold by bloggers. With little to no
overhead and no shipping costs, you can keep the price low and inviting.
If you are extremely knowledgeable in your
field, writing an ebook can be a big deal for you. Give it a try, you might be
in for a surprise.
Sell memberships
Another way to monetize is by creating
membership options on your blog. This allows you to offer members more
exclusive content only available with a paid membership. For example, you could
offer unlimited downloads of free consultations, a private network or forum
where community members can mix and mingle, digital goods and private content
available to members only. Depending on the kind of blog and the type of
products you sell, there are many ways you can capitalize on the popularity of
your blog.
Sell sponsored posts
Advertisers are always looking for exposure
and are willing to pay you for placing a sponsored post on your
blog. Those posts usually promote advertiser products or services and are
a good way to make money from your blog. If you’re able to build a popular blog
and become an authority in your niche, the advertisers could approach you to
publish their posts and that will be income for you.
At least, you should try from the start to begin
compiling an email list of your readers through subscriptions. Then, when you
are ready to recommend products, you will have ready access to those who want
to hear what you have to say.
Need more
help?
I pray and hope that this guide has answered
any questions you had on how to start your blog, but if any of the steps were
unclear to you, you can Contact me on kassimmwy@gmail.com if you have
any issues at all and I will personally
respond to your email.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve just learned how to start a blog. You now have
your own domain name, hosting space and your blog is set up and running. Next,
you will need to get familiar with the WordPress dashboard, make some desired
changes, start content creation, and promotion to become a successful blogger.
Wish you the Best of Luck!
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