There are many reasons to start a blog; the number one reason being a passion. What are you interested in and passionate about? Notice, I didn’t ask what you are an expert in. When you blog, you are a learner too. Blogging will involve not only sharing what you know, but learning more also.
A successful blog connects with others, shares ideas and content, and builds community. Many people find that blog writing can lead to an income as well.
So how can you get started?
Here are six simple steps to start your blog!
- “Know your niche.”
- Target your audience.
- Get online.
- Create Content.
- Consider SEO.
- Promote your blog.
- Go For It!
What does “Know Your Niche” even mean?
Great question! If you are a well-rounded person, you have multiple interests. None of us is just a cook, just a runner, just a tech expert, just a gamer,or just a teacher.
So here is an activity to help you find your blog area, or “niche.” Get a big piece of paper, a black pen, and several highlighters or crayons. Then start brainstorming!
Using the whole paper, brainstorm ALL your interests—be specific. For example, I garden, but that also means I preserve produce through canning, dehydrating, and freezing. I collect and devise seasonal recipes. I read books about gardening, I save seeds, I have favorite seed companies…you get the idea!
I have other branching interests as well, including parenting and grandparenting, teaching, theology, and freelancing. I even dabble in essential oils! I am guessing that, like mine, your paper could get pretty crowded!
Grab your highlighter and color code related topics. I used green for all my interests related to gardening. Some interests, like reading, got marked with several colors.
Those colors represent your passions and your generalized options for a niche.
Just look at all your potential blog topics!
Know Your Audience: Who will want to read my blog?
Think about problems people may have and how you could address them and help them out. The best way to get an audience is by offering them something not only interesting, but something they need!
This isn’t as complicated as it sounds. Once you have some options for your niche, test the waters for interest. Who will be interested in your blog articles?
Your groups on Facebook and other social media platforms might give you a hint. In what areas are you connecting with others? Getting the most comments? Is there already a community out there that is interested in your topic?
Get Online: but don’t panic!
If you aren’t choosing the tech field for your niche, you may feel a bit daunted by the idea of getting your blog online. It can seem overwhelming!
But there are lots of experts in this field ready to guide you! Let me give you at least some starting pointers.
The first thing you need to do is get your web hosting set up and a domain. If you do not know what these are, don’t panic!
Web hosting is simply your location on the internet; your webhost stores and protects your files and delivers them to your readers. There are a number of web hosts out there, but Bluehost makes it very easy and affordable to get online and gives you what you need to blog safely and effectively.
To understand exactly why Bluehost is recommended in more detail, and to get a deal on both your web hosting and your domain name, check out ytváříme blog: Jak si založit blog v roce 2021 (průvodce pro začátečníky).
Your Domain name is crucial because it is your address where people can find you. It needs to point people to your website in a clear and creative way and still be simple enough to remember. If you follow the link above, you can get your domain name free with the hosting.
Maybe you have heard that there are free ways to get started. Yes, there are. But on all free website building platforms, your domain name will be under the owners of the site. Here’s an example: myspecialblog@blogger.com. Technically, you would not even own this blog! You wouldn’t be able to make money either, nor would you have full control over your content. Most importantly, this wouldn’t help promote you with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Getting your own domain name is your first step to getting found in searches and building your reader base.
Then the fun part—design your website! There are many web builders out there, and some make it as easy as choosing a template and drag-and-dropping to customize it to your liking. Two easy website builders to consider are Webnode and Wix, both of which are easy, inexpensive, and give your flexibility to use multiple languages.
However, the most popular web builder for setting up a blog is WordPress.org. If you have started with Bluehost, installing WordPress is a one-click action! While WordPress is not as easy for beginners to use, it will give you a website with the ultimate flexibility and functionality. Again, here are the steps to setting up with WordPress.org from an expert. In fact, if you get stuck, Filip can help you!
Start Writing!
This is what you have been waiting for! This is your chance to get your thoughts, brand, or advice out there! This is where you meet your community of readers!
Combine Story and Information
Your overall goal is to help your readers with a problem. You have information or a service or product that can help your audience, and that is your goal.
However, if you can “storify” your content, it will be more compelling. Of course, your readers want to learn, but humans are social! We really want to connect. As you share a bit about your experience and background, you not only build connections but credibility as well. Afterall, why should they listen to you?
Let them know why! Be a real person that has struggled with real problems and found solutions!
Sharing a bit about yourself along the way will help you connect and build a reader base into a community!
How much and how often should you publish content?
Your number one concern should always be putting out top-quality content. What makes it top-quality? Your content speaks to a need in your target audience! It is honest and unique. It is well-edited.
If you are an experienced writer, writing 1000-2000 words won’t be a bother, but all posts should be over 300 words to ensure there is enough content to boost your SEO ranking. Make sure you have some anchor content on your site that is longform.
That said, long posts need to be engaging and organized.
Your top focus should be quality, but let’s consider quantity! Experts at Hubspot say to shoot for 1-4 posts a week. Another expert recommends the magic number of 11 posts per month. Both of these are in the same ballpark, so a good starting goal would be in this range.
Consider SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization for bloggers, is the ease with which you are found when people search. Let’s say you are searching for a topic on Google. Do you look at page 12 or do you usually grab an article from the first page that comes up? That’s SEO ranking! You want to be easy to find!
SEO can be affected by so many factors. Again, Bluehost can help you with this; they have videos, articles, and specialists available. Word count, key words, and frequency of new material are only the tip of the iceberg.
Promote Your Blog
There are a number of ways to build your reader base. One great way is to connect social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Share in groups you are already in. And realize that you can share the same article more than once; simply highlight a different advantage or aspect of the article.
Creating an email newsletter and giving your readers the opportunity to sign up or receive notifications from you gives you an extra contact. Consider including various forms or surveys that could further inform you and engage your readers.
Don’t overlook Pinterest. Can you include a pin-able graphic that might get pinned to a board and direct more people to your site? Stay active on your Pinterest too and gain followers.
Be responsive to your readers comments and emails. While this takes time, it builds your credibility and connection!
And, of course, there are a number of ways to pay for advertising. Do not rule this out. Considering the time and effort you spend on creating content, it may be a great way to boost your reader base initially.
Should you consider platforms like Webnode?
If you are not so tech savy, it might not be a terrible idea to use a premade platform. Things like WordPress are amazing, however if its not your thing we suggest you see this article Webnode recenze 2021 Měli byste s tímto nástrojem tvořit web?
Go For It!
The only way to get a blog going is to BEGIN!
While this might not seem to be a worthy step, the truth is, it is the step many people never take!
But all bloggers do! You won’t ever succeed at your blog if you don’t dig in and get started!
This article has sought to connect you with the tools and the people you need to get you on your way. Now it’s up to you!
