Blogging wasn’t born yesterday. It’s been around for decades. But many of us who prefer to write choose to blog over YouTubing. Have you ever wanted to start a blog but didn’t know where to begin? If so, this guide is for you! In this post, we will cover everything you need to know about starting a successful blog. We will go over topics such as choosing a niche, building an audience, creating content, and promoting your blog. By the end of this guide, you will have all the tools you need to start a successful blog of your own.
Why Do People Blog?
Some people blog to share their thoughts and opinions on current affairs, to document their daily lives or hobbies, to connect with like-minded people, or to build up a following for their business or personal brand. Others simply enjoy writing and see blogging as a creative outlet.
Whatever the reason, blogging can be a very rewarding experience. It’s a great way to connect with others, share your passions and ideas, and potentially make a difference in the world.
What Are The Benefits of Blogging?
Some of the most popular reasons people start a blog are to:
Share their stories and experiences with others
This can be achieved on social media to some extent. But with your own blog site, you can do whatever you want. As long as your site is SEO-optimized, you can post as many images as you wish, and place whatever links you wish, and moreover, it’s a platform that you own. Nobody can take away the unique credibility that you are building.
Connect with like-minded people
This can also be achieved on social media, but connecting with your audience through your own blog site is different. You are the owner, you can be confident in giving others advice. And your shared content will never be buried by other posts as it happens on social media.
Build a community
Because you have a blog site, you can build a community with those like-minded people.
Become an expert in their field
Blog motivates you to learn even more about your niche as you keep posting new articles. You will become someone that your visitors want the information from and an expert that they can rely on and look up to.
Make Money
You are not running your blog site for free, that would be such a waste. Whether big or small, depending on how you sell and what to sell, you can monetize your platform and make it as a good passive income source.
What To Write About On Your Blog
What To Write About On Your Blog
Deciding the theme of your blog is important because you cannot change it at a later date. For example, if you start writing about pets and decide on your domain name accordingly (e.g. pet-lovers.org) you cannot change your mind a few months later and start writing about your other hobbies.
Define Your Passion
First, think about what you're passionate about. What topics do you enjoy discussing? Write about something you have personal experience with or knowledge of - this will make your content more relatable and engaging for your readers.
Your Writing Style
Also to consider is what kind of tone you want to set with your blog. Are you aiming for a professional, formal tone? Or a more relaxed, conversational one? Keep your target audience in mind when deciding on the style of your blog posts.
Topic-Searching
Once you have an idea of the general direction you want to take your blog in, brainstorm some specific post ideas. A good way to do this is by considering common questions people have in relation to your topic. You can also look at other blogs in your niche and see what kinds of content they typically post. Use these as inspiration for creating unique content for your own blog. This can be anything from your niche to current events happening in your industry.
Start brainstorming ideas again for individual blog posts. Write down any and everything that comes to mind, then narrow down your list to the best topics.
How To Start A Blog
There are many different blogging platforms out there, but I recommend WordPress. It's easy to use and there are plenty of themes and plugins available to customize your blog.
Usually, you’ll have to buy a domain name first, choose a web hosting company, configure the settings, etc. But if you join Wealthy Affiliate for free, everything is pre-installed, and you can start writing within minutes of signing up for free. The training is included there, so this is a perfect place for any beginner to start blogging (and learning how to make money from it.)
Join FREE from the link below.
Did You Know You Already Have A LOT To Sell?
So What's Your Problem?
How Can You Make Money From Blogging?
There are a number of ways that you can make money from blogging.
Sell advertising space on your blog.
Google AdSense is a typical one. You display ads that are generated by Google, get paid every time someone visits your page (pay-per-impression), and get paid more every time someone clicks the ad (pay-per-click). Each ad will automatically be something that’s relevant to your blog article.
There are many other similar advertising networks, but Google AdSense is by far the most popular one among beginners.
Affiliate marketing
Perhaps the most powerful way to make money from blogging is to sell products through your blog. This could involve setting up an online store or simply providing links to products that you recommend.
If you have your own products to sell, your blog site will be a perfect platform to develop your brand. But if you don’t, affiliate marketing is a billion-dollar industry, this is the way to go. More about it later.
Offer a professional service
Consultants, teachers, and any kind of professionals build blog sites. If you are one of them, definitely blogging is a good way to offer your service related to your blog topic. This could involve offering advice, how-to tutorials, or making some of your articles “premium access only” to make money.
Tips For Planning Your Blog Content
If you have a few potential topics but just cannot seem to start fleshing out your ideas, here’s what you can do.
- For each post, take some time to write a brief outline of what you want to cover. This doesn't need to be overly detailed, but having a general idea of what points you want to hit will help keep your post focused.
- If you're stuck on what to write about next, consider reaching out to other bloggers in your industry or field for guest post ideas. You can also look through popular industry websites and blogs for inspiration.
- When it comes time to actually sit down and write your post, make sure you give yourself enough time. Rushing through a post will likely result in lower-quality content that won't be as engaging for your readers.
- Plan out when you'll write each week or month so you can block off enough time in your schedule, and then stick to that schedule as best as you can. Writing quality blog content takes time and effort, but following these tips should help make the process a bit easier.
How Often Should You Update Your Blog?
Assuming you are talking about a business blog, the answer is: it depends on your industry. A good rule of thumb, however, is to aim for at least once a week. This gives you enough time to curate or create quality content, without bombarding your readers with too much information at once.
Of course, if you have something important to share more frequently, by all means, do so! The key is to strike a balance between maintaining a consistent presence and ensuring that each individual post is interesting and valuable.
How Long Should Your Blog Posts Be?
Shorter posts used to be considered better than longer ones because people have shorter attention spans. But those days are over. The blogging industry has become insanely competitive, some say that you should write at least 2,000 words.
If your blog post is too long, it will be difficult for anyone to read, unless the content is so shockingly interesting. So to make your article easy for the eyes, you add more images, which could slow down the page loading speed. Balancing is important.
Help the Environment with GreenGeeks Web Hosting:
What Kind Of Tone Should You Use In Your Blog Posts?
The tone of your blog posts should be friendly and conversational. You want to sound like you're talking to a friend, not like you're giving a lecture. Keep your language simple and easy to understand, and avoid using jargon.
People read blogs because they're looking for information or entertainment, so make sure that your posts are interesting and informative. Write in a way that engages your readers and encourages them to comment on your posts.
Be yourself - don't try to sound like someone else. Readers will appreciate your unique perspective and voice. And lastly, have fun! Blogging should be enjoyable, so don't take yourself too seriously.
Some Ideas For Blog Post Topics
Assuming you are starting a blog from scratch, here are some ideas for blog post topics:
1. Personal Stories:
Sharing personal stories related to your niche can be a great way to connect with your readers and build an emotional connection with them.
However, it’s important to strike the right balance – too much personal information can be off-putting. While you are nobody with no fans, nobody cares about your personal life. So make sure you focus on stories that will resonate with your audience and that have a point or moral.
2. Paranormal Investigations
Not everybody, but many people love spooky stories, and they will be interested in hearing them. What happened, and what do you think it was?
3. Your Successes and Failures
Share your life journey – the highs and lows, the successes and challenges. This will give your readers insight into your life ethos and what it’s like to be a positive person inside and outside.
4. Tips for New Bloggers:
If you’re an experienced blogger, share your tips with newbies! This can be anything from technical tips (e.g. how to set up a blog) to content tips (e.g. how to come up with blog post ideas).
5. Round-Up Posts:
These are posts where you compile information from other sources on a specific topic. For example, you could do a round-up of the best blog posts on XYZ Topic that you’ve read recently, or the most popular articles on your niche in the past month. These types of posts are great because they provide value to your readers by curating information from other sources – plus, they’re quick and easy to write!
6. How-To Guides:
These are posts that teach your readers how to do something related to your niche. For example, if you have a cooking blog, you could write a post on “How to Make the Perfect Chocolate Cheesecake” or “5 Easy Tips for Triathlon.”
7. Product Reviews:
If you use products related to your niche, you can write reviews of them on your blog. This is a great way to share your honest opinion about a product and help your readers make informed purchase decisions.
8. Interviews with Experts:
Interviewing experts in your niche is a great way to add unique content to your blog, and it’s also a great way to build relationships with other bloggers and influencers. When you interview someone, make sure to promote the post on social media and tag the person you interviewed – they’ll likely share it with their own followers, which can help increase traffic to your blog.
Affiliate Marketing Through Blogging
Your blog platform is perfect to start affiliate marketing because:
- It's a relatively easy and low-cost way to get started. All you need is a domain name and hosting, and you can be up and running in just a few minutes.
- You can reach a large audience of potential customers through your blog. If you have a popular blog, you can potentially make money from affiliate sales even if only a small percentage of your readers make a purchase.
- Blogging gives you the opportunity to build trust and credibility with your audience. If they trust you and like what you're saying, they're more likely to buy products that you recommend.
- You can control the content on your blog, so you can promote only those products that you believe in and that will be relevant to your audience.
The Benefits of Affiliate Marketing?
There are many benefits to affiliate marketing, but some of the most common include:
Generating additional income:
Affiliate marketing can be a great way to generate passive income. By promoting products and services on your blog, you can earn commission on sales made.
Increasing reach and exposure:
By promoting products and services through your blog, you can increase the reach and exposure of those products and services. This can lead to more sales and more customers for the businesses you are promoting.
Building relationships with businesses:
Promoting products and services through your blog can help build relationships with the businesses you are promoting. These relationships can be beneficial in many ways, such as increasing the chances of being able to promote new products or services in the future or gaining access to exclusive deals and discounts.
How To Get Started With Affiliate Marketing Through Blogging
Here are the steps to getting started with affiliate marketing:
1. Find affiliate programs that fit your niche.
There are affiliate programs available for just about any niche, so do some research and find ones that would be a good fit for your blog. Make sure they are reputable and offer good commissions.
2. Sign up for the affiliate program(s).
Once you've found one or more affiliate programs that you're interested in, sign up for them. You'll need to provide some basic information about yourself and your blog.
Be careful about the affiliate programs/products you choose to promote. There are a lot of scams out there, so learn about the product as much as you can before promoting any program. If you’re not comfortable, pass it.
3. Add affiliate links to your blog.
Once you're approved for an affiliate program, you'll be given a special link (called an "affiliate link") that you can add to your blog. When your readers click on this link and make a purchase from the company, you'll earn a commission on the sale.
Keep in mind that you always need to make sure that your blog is high-quality and informative. Your readers will not want to read a blog full of affiliate links and advertisements. They want to read something that is interesting and useful.
4. Promote your blog and drive traffic to it.
The more people who read your blog, the more likely they are to click on your affiliate links and make purchases. Build up your blog's traffic before you start seeing any significant income from affiliate marketing.
This means writing great content and promoting your blog through social media and other channels. So promote your blog wherever you can (social media, other websites, etc.) to get as much traffic as possible. It takes time and effort to build up a following, but it will be worth it in the end.
How to promote your blog
There are many ways to promote your blog. Some of the most common methods include social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and guest blogging.
Social media is a great way to share your blog content with a wider audience. Be sure to post links to your latest blog posts on all of your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) and encourage your followers to share them with their own networks.
SEO is another effective way to get more eyes on your blog. By optimizing your blog posts for specific keywords, you can make them more likely to show up in search engine results pages (SERPs). Guest blogging is another great way to promote your blog and reach a new audience. Find popular blogs in your niche that accept guest posts and pitch them a topic that would be a good fit for their readership.
The Future of Blogging
There is no doubt that blogging has become more competitive over the years. But, the good news is that there are still opportunities for new bloggers to find success.
Keep your content fresh and relevant
This is one of the most important things you can do to stand out in a crowded market. Write about topics that are timely and interesting to your audience.
Collaborate with other bloggers
Collaboration can be a great way to get your name out there and attract new readers. Find bloggers in your niche who you can guest post for or do joint giveaways with.
Be patient
It takes time and effort to grow an audience and build a following. Don't give up if you don't see results right away - keep plugging away and eventually you'll see the fruits of your labour!
Join the blogging, vlogging, and affiliate marketing community from the link below. With a good amount of time and effort, you can start earning commission on the products you promote while enjoying writing and making a real difference in your earnings.
Thank you for useful informaiton. I can make every single one of it. One thing people have to consider is that blogging takes to much time to be successful. Nothing works over night and it takes a lot of hard work to start. It takes a log time to driving organic important. Too many people quit so easy. Don’t stop and keep carrying on.
Thanks
Hear, hear! Thanks for your comment, Adnan.