How To Start A Blog (And Make Money From It)
A Beginner’s Guide To Blogging
So, you also want to own a portion of the internet and you’d like to do that by blogging?
Why not? At this time and age, there is so much that you can do online. Plus the fact that the basic things that you’ll need to start what you love to do is just a laptop and an internet connection, make it even more inviting. If you have something interesting to share with the world and are willing to spend time regularly to blog, you can start right away.
You can also start blogging for free and that makes it one of the best things that you can do to make your and other’s life meaningful. If you love the idea of blogging but do not know how and where to start, then this simple and easy guide will show you just how to start a blog.
If you are already familiar with the basic facts about blogs, you can head over to the steps identified below. Just click on the step # to head straight to that particular step to start learning how to start a blog:
Nine Steps On How To Start A Blog
- Decide what you want to blog about (your niche)
- Choose a blogging platform (CMS)
- Choose a great host for your blog
- Pick a blog name and a domain name
- Setup your blog
- Customize your blog
- Write and publish your first few posts
- Get traffic to your blog
- Make money from your blog
Is there any difference between a blog and other forms of online content?
Blogging started way back in the late ‘90s. Blogs were first introduced as web logs, and provided an opportunity for visitors and readers to react or voice out their opinions on a particular page or website. What started as a series of single-sentence commentaries, evolved into pages of personal takes on just about anything and everything under the sun a few years later.
Blogging saturated the virtual community and made the internet a viable source of greater information eventually.
Unlike a website, a blog’s content needs to be updated regularly. It is more dynamic, more interactive, but less formal than a website. An e-commerce site is a good example of a website, while an affiliate blog or blog about pets, hobbies, travel guide, and similar pages, are good examples of a blog.
A blog is a primary tool to earn passive forms of income online. Bloggers make some good money by blogging in many different ways, including, selling ad space, selling digital products as an affiliate or by selling their own products, selling exclusive access to content by requiring membership to the site, and using the blog as a gateway or tool to build a list for an online business, and so on.
Why do we love blogs?
Blogging has become an excellent advertising platform where businesses can advertise products. This is such a refreshing development from the traditional advertising outlets since a blog can drive traffic to a website or a business with just a few clicks of a button.
It’s also cheaper but as effective as other forms of advertising. With blogs, entrepreneurs are able to establish a name in the virtual market. This method helps build credibility and extends products’ reach.
Whether you just want to share your opinion on just about anything, connect with other like-minded individuals, market your products and services online, or want to earn passive streams of income, blogging could be of great help.
Is there any special format to follow when blogging?
When blogging, your goal should be to provide contents that will engage readers. This not only means eyeballs to your blog, but also more feedback, people filling out the contact form and subscribing to your blog or whatever free content you have to offer to ensure an increase in your readership.
To do this, you would want to make visitors feel that everything that you post on your blog affects them. It makes sense that more than the information that you provide is the manner of how you present those information and your thoughts to your readers.
Make whatever content you provide to look and sound more personal. You need to make them want to read more and comment on what you’re sharing with them. Of course, there are other factors that will cause a site visitor to stay longer on your page, such as the design of your page, ease of readability of the information provided, and so on, but the main thing that will cause them to actually read your post is the value of the information that you provide for them.
There are other means of getting traffic to your site (like SEO and backlinks). However, the moment your readers land on your page, what will make them want to stay longer and want to read more is how you engage them in your manner of writing and the problems that your blog aims to provide solutions for your readers.
How To Start A Blog
Starting a blog may be a challenge for most people. Things like choosing the topic to blog about, getting traffic to your site, even monetizing your site may cause one to procrastinate. Well, nothing is really easy the first time. We all know that. But EVERYTHING MUST START with something.
Things won’t move forward if you won’t decide to overcome that struggle. You can go on and on searching for information related to blogging, compile ideas from one influencer to another, but if you keep on delaying, NOTHING is really going to happen.
It’s difficult to start with nothing, but you will never know what you are capable of doing if you keep on worrying instead of start doing something.
For now you just have to focus on setting your goal, which is to have your blog set up online. And it really is a lot easier than you think it will be.
Tell yourself to get ready. Head on to the next step and know how to start a blog today.
Easy Step-By-Step Guide On Starting a Blog
Step 1: Decide what you want to blog about (your niche)
The first thing that you’ll need is topic for your blog. To come up with a list of possible blog topics, consider these things:
a. The things that you care about. These topics will drive you to write convincingly and effortlessly. If you know exactly what you want to talk about in your blog, you can easily plan your approach. Remember NOT TO consider a topic just because it’s trending. That does not mean that you should NOT consider them at all.
Experienced bloggers consider trending topics since a lot of people are already talking about these topics. That means it will be easier for such a post to attract as much eyeballs if that will be the case. But if you are not at all interested with such a topic, you will soon lose your interest in it. It is better that you consider a topic that you are quite passionate about that also addresses the next consideration.
b. The things that readers care about. Unless you just want to air out your sentiments or let others know what happened to you during the last 30 days, you will need to consider the things that people in general will most likely be talking or reading about. It will help if you will list down what could be considered the most profitable blogging niches.
The key is finding is the right keyword. Keywords are search queries or the words or terms that users enter in search engines. You may go and check Google Trends, look out for global or country specific trends on Twitter or by using free tools like Hastagify. You may also find trending topics on other social media platforms like on Reddit’s homepage. Once you’ve figured out which of these topics you would like to focus on, you can proceed to step #2.
Sooner or later, you will develop that passion to learn more about the topic that you are blogging about. Then, you will exert more effort to find ways how to make your blog more engaging even if the topic may be a bit boring. To do so, you will also need to consider the next consideration.
c. A topic or niche that is not too broad or too narrow. Choose a blog topic that is specific enough that you won’t find difficulty writing about it. This will also make it quite easy for you to establish your credibility and be considered an authority on the topic.
A broad niche, on the other hand, is greater in scope, like fitness, healthy living, making money online, finance, and so on. Breaking these broad topics into smaller chunks of information will make it easier for you to focus on it, and later on be considered an authority on the topic.
Think of a blog topic that you know much about or have experienced, as these will make it easier for you to plan, create, and manage your content.
In essence, when deciding what would be the topic of your blog is, you need to think of a blog topic that you are extremely passionate about. Your priority is to think of a topic that you know much about or have experienced, as this will make it easier for you to plan, create, and manage your content.
Step 2: Choose a blogging platform (CMS)
Before you plan how your blog will look, you will need a virtual space where you’ll want to store all your contents, images, videos, and all other things that will make your blog stand out and be read by others online.
You will need a blogging platform to do that. The technical term used to refer to a blogging platform is called Content Management System (or CMS). This is the online space where you’ll be creating and customizing the content of your blog, as well as your means of putting your blog online.
WordPress is noted to be the most popular and has been powering about 34% of all websites (both small and large sites) since 2009, among many other website building software. Some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Microsoft, the Skype Blog, TechCrunch, SONY, Time.com, TED Blog, NASA, Harvard University, Forbes, IFC, and many others are using WordPress. These big brands, including the 76.5M WordPress blogs, prove that WordPress is one CMS that will be a great help to you should you decide to use this platform for your blog.
There are several other CMS, including Drupal, Joomla, Radiant CMS, TextPattern, Silverstripe, Alfresco, and so on. Still, WordPress remains to be a top choice because of its functionality and the ease of use that it provides.
Hosted or Self Hosted Blog
Your blog can also be hosted or a self-hosted.
What differentiates these two?
A host is a service provider that stores (hosts) a website or a blog and makes it available online. It is a server where all the files and folders that make up a website are located and make them accessible to anyone who visits a specific website. You have the option whether to keep your website files hosted on the servers of the blogging platform (like WordPress, Blogger, Wix, etc.) or have it self-hosted by a server of your choice.
Hosted Blogs
With hosted websites or blogs, the blogging platform and hosting is provided by the hosting site. You can easily spot a hosted site as the name of the blog is an extension of the service provider, such as this simple site. That means the ownership of the blog basically remains with the blogging platform or the hosting site.
In addition to this limitation, you cannot fully customize the site as there would be limited themes, plugins, and so on. In the end, monetization of the site will also be limited.
Self Hosted Blogs
With self hosted websites or blogs, you pay a service provider (like SiteGround, BlueHost, or InterServer) to host your software, such as WordPress, but you need to install and run your website.
With a self hosted blog, you can do just about anything that has to do with the website design. And as website creation today is as easy as point, drag, drop, and click, you can build your own website easily. Web hosting companies provide a WYSWYG (what you see is what you get) platform that are very user-friendly. You won’t need to learn coding or HTML to create a beautiful website or blog.
Step 3: Choose a great host for your blog
There are several hosting providers that you may choose from. When choosing a host for your blog or website, you also consider a number of factors, including the pricing, uptime, loading time, quality of support, storage space, and so on.
One of the well-respected hosting companies today is Siteground.com.
For a great WP Start, you can opt to secure a StartUp plan that comes with free SSL and HTTPS, site migration, CDN, free email accounts, and daily backups if you plan to have only one website. However, if you decide to have more than one website, the GrowBig Plan will just be right for you. This is actually what I signed up for with SiteGround.com.
How much does hosting cost? Well, it depends on the plan that you will secure for your blog. Most hosting sites offer a monthly hosting service for less than $5. Siteground, for instance offers its monthly hosting at $3.95 at the moment. You can grab the opportunity now by checking the hosting plans that they offer here.
However, if you decide to have more than 1 website, the GrowBig Plan will just be right for you. The GoGeek plan is also available under their managed WordPress hosting service. There are also other hosting options which you can check through Siteground’s homepage.
With your purchase of any of the plans that the company offers, come impressive WordPress features, an intuitive cPanel, and also a highly knowledgeable support team.
They also have data centers across US, Europe and Asia, a strong reputation in the marketplace, and a host of other features to offer their clients.
The company has been providing top-notch service for 15 years. More than 2M sites depend on them to store, protect, and run data for their websites. It is really a great feat only one of the best can provide.
Ready to sign up for a SiteGround account? Head over this page to start today.
Step 4: Pick a blog name and a domain name
When you sign up for a hosting account with SiteGround (or other hosting provider that you may have in mind), you will need to have a domain name to start with. Most hosting providers offer a free domain with each purchase of a hosting plan. However, you will then just have to rely on the quality of service and or course, all other features that come with the plan that you purchase from the hosting provider.
You will also need to register the domain name that you purchase. Domain name registration is necessary as this ensures that no one else can claim ownership of your web site’s address. It also makes it easier to find your website on the web. Your hosting provider can easily do this for you, but, of course you will have to pay for the service provided. Or you can just head over to namecheap.com.
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3. Choose a domain registrar. If you decide to have namecheap do everything for you, all you need to do is to click on the image below to see the available TLD (top level domain names, e.g., com, .net, .org, etc.) that you may consider for your domain name.
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Step 5: Set up your blog
It will be easy if you have both your domain and hosting from one service provider. But if you are working on a tight budget and opted to have the domain name and registration done by another service provider, such as namecheap.com, you will need to direct the nameserver from namecheap to your host.
Assuming that you are still logged in on your namecheap account, you will just need to click on the “manage” button which is located on your dashboard where your domain name/s is/are listed:
It will take a few minutes for the changes to take effect. Login to your service provider to check whether the domain name already appears on your dashboard. Once you are done with this, you can proceed with the next step.
Step 6: Customize your blog
While on your Customer’s Area (on SiteGround) for the first time, a pop-up window will provide you with three choices: start a new website, transfer a website, or don’t need help now. Click the start a new website option and click on the WordPress button.
A new section will appear where you need to enter the login information for your new WordPress application. Once you are ready, click on the Confirm button.
Next, choose the specific enhancements that you would like to add to your account (if you want to add any). When you are done, click on the Complete Setup button.
That’s it! You can now go to the front page of your site and check out the newly installed WordPress application.
To customize your blog, you can either access your WP-admin page or the Cpanel. Links to these options are both available on your Customer Page on SiteGround.
You will need the basic pages for your blog, such as the About page, Contact Us page, Privacy Policy, Home page, which can also be the page that will contain your blog. In my case, I added a page for my recommended Resources, Classifieds page where anyone may search or post any available job anywhere, as well as a business directory page that can be a good resource for anyone trying to locate a business near his or her location.
Step 7: Write and publish your first few posts
Once you are all set with the design of your blog or your website, you can start writing and publishing your first few posts.
Go to the left menu and click on “Posts.”
You will see there is already a post there. This is the default post on every new WordPress blog, and you don’t need it. To delete, it click Trash just under the post.
To begin writing a new post, click the Add New link.
You are now on the post editor screen. Enter the title of your post in the top box and then begin writing your post in the lower box.
If you would like to add an image to your post, click on the Add Media button, then Select Files to upload a image from your computer. You can adjust the image size on the next screen. When you are ready, click Insert into post to add the image.
Once you have finished your post, just click the Publish button on the right side of the screen to publish your post.
Step 8: Get traffic to your blog
Customizing the design of your blog or website and writing great content is just the beginning. You will need traffic to your blog to make it useful. To get eyeballs to your blog, you need to promote it.
There are many ways to getting traffic to your website or blog. One way is sharing links to your posts through social media. You can also use the images on your posts (with a link to your post or your blog) to create a following on Pinterest and other similar sites. You can also create a Facebook page for your website and those who get to see your page may also check your blog or your website.
You may also offer a free e-book on how to start a blog or guide on your website that will require a visitor’s email address to download the free offer. Those who signup are automatically subscribed and will get notifications whenever there is a new post published on your blog. This method not only adds to your list, but is also a way to connect and build a relationship with your readers.
There are several more options on how to promote your blog. For the moment we will just stick to this first. Later on, I will be providing a blog or two just for this purpose.
Step 9: Make money from your blog
There are several ways you can make money from your blog. You can get paid promoting other sellers or product creator’s products or services. You may be paid to write reviews of the products that you are already promoting on your website or blog. Selling advertising space on your blog is another way, but you will need to have built a huge volume of regular readers before company may actually require such service from you.
Watch out for a good list of affiliate sites that you may check and promote as well if ever you think this would be a great opportunity for you to earn money online.
You should have a basic understanding of how to start a blog and how to earn from blogging. If you still need help on anything related to blogging, contact us or leave a feedback below so that we can explore the possibilities and help each other out on your blogging journey.
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