Beginning a blog is a profitable and rewarding venture that offers exciting possibilities. By blogging, you'll make yourself a respected professional in the field you are pursuing, make full-time or part-time income and meet like-minded individuals with the same interests and passions.
We'll show you how to begin an online blog and make money, regardless of your experience level.
What Is a Blog?
At the beginning of the internet, blogging was akin to writing. Some of the first blogs were created to record an individual's thoughts and feelings.
The blogging industry has evolved into more than a simple digital recording method. Today, both companies, as well as individuals alike make blogs to provide information and also to earn commissions or sales.
12 Steps to Start a Blog
If you're eager to start your blog but need help figuring out what to do, These steps will give you the best chance of success, regardless of your goals.
1. Define Your Topic or Niche
Finding a niche might be challenging or even feel restrictive; however, it will allow you to establish a more substantial reputation in the long run. It is possible to talk about multiple subjects but ensure that your primary focus is clear and consistent enough to entice readers and entice them to continue studying your content.
2. Do Competitor Research
When you've decided on what topic to discuss in your article, conduct preliminary research to discover the other significant players in your niche. Is your field already overcrowded? Are there a few writing about your topic?
In any case, conducting your research before the event will allow you to understand the best ways to make content that is superior to or different from the existing content.
3. Define Your Audience
Alongside determining your subject matter, you should be thinking about your readers. Who will you be writing for?
The solution to the question can assist you in writing articles that are useful and interesting to readers. Take note of the following facts about your ideal audience before beginning to write:
• Are they old enough?
• Where are they located?
• What are they doing at work?
• What other media are they currently consuming?
• Have they read any other blogs?
• What are they doing in their spare time?
• What challenges or issues do they have to face regularly?
• What would they like to know that they were more knowledgeable in?
4. Plan Your First Blog Post
After you've identified your market and the audience you want to reach, You can begin creating your first blog post. This may also require some investigation to ensure that you're writing content that readers will want to read.
For a start to begin, type your topic idea into a Google search engine to determine what types of content appear among the result pages. If you notice that the results you've seen don't adequately convey the topic, that's an indication that you'll have the ability to write a better piece.
Also Read How can you identify your site niche?
5. Name Your Blog
Every blog should have a name. It is essential to ensure that your blog's name fits with your industry or niche. It is memorable, catchy, quick, and easy enough to enter.
If you already have a name in mind, look around on the web and social media to ensure nobody else has already used that name. If the name you want to use is already in use by someone else, you may either make your own or talk to the website owner to find out whether they're still employing the name you would like to use. If you need to secure your assets, you could even trademark your company name.
6. Create Branding Elements for Your Blog
In addition to choosing a name, you'll have to pick the font and colour scheme for your blog. These will include once you've constructed your site. You can make this choice yourself or hire an experienced graphic designer.
If you'd like to create custom branding for your site, create one on a free platform like Canva or consult a graphic designer.
7. Claim a Domain Name
Once you've settled on your blog's name, you're ready to pick a domain. You can determine whether a domain is available by entering the domain you want to use in your browser. You can then check whether a live website is displayed. Domain registrars typically provide a tool to aid you in finding domains available.
Suppose you've picked an available domain and can purchase the right to use it from the domain registrar. Setting up and owning the domain is a distinct procedure from choosing a web hosting site and builder, which will be done in the next step.
8. Choose a Hosting Site
The choice of a web host is a vital step in the process of creating your blog. With a hosting service, you'll be able to create a website. Hosting is the way to let you "rent" a presence on the web.
Some platforms will host your blog for free, but in exchange, they'll tack on their brand name to your web domain, e.g., thefancyblog.squarespace.com or thefancyblog.wordpress.com. For these instances, in order to eliminate from the URL ".squarespace" or ".wordpress" from the URL, you'd require a fee for hosting on your website as well as purchase the domain thefancyblog.com.
Web hosting costs can range between 50 cents and $10 per month based on the amount of storage and speed you wish to buy. Numerous hosting choices are available, and we advise you to pick the top web hosts that fit your budget and demands.
9. Build Your Website
Building your site entirely from scratch or using templates or themes is possible. It all depends upon your financial budget and what you want. A web builder that doesn't require code, such as Blogger or WordPress, can allow you to create and design stunning websites even if you have yet to gain experience in web development. Specific templates or themes are free, whereas others could cost between $10 and $200.
Certain website builders permit greater flexibility and customization than other builders. Make sure you read the terms and conditions of each web builder you're considering to know what you can do in the design of your blog.
10. Upload and Publish Your First Article
Once you've constructed your website and are pleased with the design and layout, now is the time to upload your first post. You can edit and type your blog's content at the back of your website, but creating every piece of content in a separate cloud-based editor, such as Google Docs, is more beneficial. So, you'll be able to back up the blog's content if your website encounters any technical problems.
Before publishing, review the blog article to determine whether it's precisely what you would like it to be. You'll be able to go back and revise it later, however, if you need to alter or update something.
11. Promote Your Blog
After you've posted posts on your blog, you are able to post your blog's links on social media. Social media is a wildly popular and efficient way to distribute your blog's content. Sharing your blog's content on your social networks or creating a new account to supplement your blog is possible.
12. Track Your Analytics
After you've made your blog public and published your blog, you need to keep track of metrics such as visits, views and clicks. Your hosting provider might have an analytics dashboard. However, we strongly suggest linking your blog to Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free tool that lets you monitor your website's traffic along with important information about conversions and demographics.
You'll have to utilize your analytics to gain brand sponsorships or advertising revenues.
How To Make Money With a Blog?
Bloggers can earn money by using various strategies. Specific strategies require more effort than others. The majority of blog income streams depend on a variety of risky conditions, including the algorithms of search engines as well as budgets for brands. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to diversify your revenue sources by utilizing several strategies.
Brand Partnerships
Bloggers frequently collaborate with brands to produce sponsored content. It is common for bloggers to write about a particular item or incorporate a mention in their regular content.
Brand partnerships may be one-off agreements or transform into long-term partnerships based on the quality of your content and mutual interests.
Advertising Networks
Advertising networks pay you to show advertisements on your blog or whenever someone clicks an advertisement. Specific networks, like Mediavine, require you to have a considerable amount of monthly views (50,000) before they can display ads. In contrast, other networks, like Google AdSense, are not required for a minimum view count.
Affiliate Links or Codes
Bloggers can sign up for what is called affiliate networks. Affiliate networks allow you to create unique links for products featured on your blog. This will allow you to earn a percentage of the proceeds whenever someone makes a purchase. Amazon Associates and
LTK are two examples.
Affiliate codes are similar to links in that you are paid a small commission each time you purchase. Brands might offer you an exclusive code for customers to use during checkout when they purchase on the internet, and you may advertise this code in your blog posts to
- increase sales.
- Digital Products
If you are looking to sell items without the logistics of coordinating shipping and packing, digital products could be a better choice. Digital products are an easy, cost-effective way to create items your target audience would like to purchase. Clients can download or download many digital items right after they purchase.
Bottom Line
Beginning blogs can be educational and a lucrative method of connecting with others. Maintaining a blog takes many hats. However, if you're open to taking on new challenges and learning from an ever-changing platform, you'll experience fulfilment and success.
