How to create blogging in six steps (Platforms, SEO and much other) |
Do you want to understand how to start with a blog? This article is designed for those of you. From hosting to SEO, follow these six steps to get your blog online and operating.
It's obvious that blogging must make up a portion of your strategy for marketing. This is a proven method of attract new customers and share your expertise to the world.
But every time you get up and attempt to start your quest to blogging excellence, you find yourself filled with questions:
What is the best platform to use?
What is the cost?
What topic should I write about?
How can I convince people to read my posts?
What exactly what exactly is SEO?
It's enough to make your head spin. That's why we put together this step-by-step guide for starting a blog.
The process of creating a blog that is successful can be hard work, but the benefits both for your business and customers are worth the effort. And with the right analysis and the proper tools on your side, you can build a blog that readers and you enjoy.
Let's get started The question is: What do you want to write about?
One of the best methods to make money from your blog is through digital products. Get started selling your products for no cost with today!
Step 1: Select your blog topic
One of the great things about blogging is the ability to start a blog about virtually any subject around the world.
People loveblogs. 77% of internet users read blogs, and internet users within the U.S. spend 3X more time reading blogs than email. If you're passionate about a subject, chances are there's an crowd who is the same and is eager to learn about it.
Here are a few instances of blog sites that are successful, as well as their respective niches:
Daniel Bogan's blog for web developers, Uses This , is dedicated to conducting interviews with creators of every kind about the equipment and methods they employ in their creation.
In her blog, Kaleigh Moore offers her insights as a writer-in-residence on behalf of eCommerce & SaaS companies.
The neuroscientist Stefanie Faye Frank uses this blog as a way to "translate difficult concepts in science into a language that is used in everyday life".
One thing all of these blogs share one thing in common? Specificity.
Instead of blogging about general freelancing, Kaleigh talks about writing on her own subject. Instead of focusing on travel tips for parties of all sizes, Queenie focuses on advice on solo travel for those who are like her.
To find your own specific area of expertise, you can use this Passion/Profit Matrix.
The Passion What are your feelings about getting to get started on this? If you hate doing something, the profitability isn't a factor since you're likely to leave prior to reaching your goal.
Possibilities for Profit:Do people already spend on this issue? You can also think of "profit" in this context as an interest or search traffic. Do people already spend time researching this topic?
( Download your own copy of the matrix for Passion/Profit .)
The ideal product concept -or a niche to your blog, falls in the upper right quadrant. It is the nexus between great passion and high potential profit.
Once you find that perfect place, the content marketing expert Ryan Robinson recommends asking these questions to verify your concept:
Are you interested enough about this blog niche? Don't pick a topic you feel lukewarm about just because it's a attractive.
Does there exist a market in this area? Also Are there any goods or services targeted at this audience? If you are looking to earn cash blogging, you'll require an income-generating audience.
Is this niche likely to remain in the years to come? It isn't easy to make a blog that is popular and so, choose a subject that will keep you writing over a long period of time, rather than a passing fad.
After you've decided what your blog will be about, now it's time to figure out where you'll host it.
Step 2: Pick a blogging platform
Beginning with Tumblr and Blogger to Medium and Wix There are many blogging platforms available.
With about 70 million blog posts published through the platform each month, WordPress is by far the most popular option. Over 28 million websites make use of WordPress in comparison to four million users on Squarespace.
However, Squarespace can be more user-friendly for beginners, especially when you do not have programming experience.
This is how these two platforms stack up when it comes to features, customization as well as cost.
(A quick reminder Note: The rates listed in this post are correct at the time of the writing.)
Squarespace
For first-time website builders, Squarespace is an easy-to-use platform that does not require any programming knowledge. Its drag-and-drop interface has a less of a training curve as compared to WordPress.
But, the simple block interface is at the expense of customization and flexibility. Squarespace provides fewer styles of themes, plugins, and themes that WordPress and doesn't offer nearly as much dedicated blogging functionality.
In general, Squarespace is a website builder with basic blogging features, rather than a platform that was designed around bloggers in mind.
How much does Squarespace cost?
In addition to the 14-day trial for free, Squarespace offers four different pricing plans . Pricing ranges from $23 up to $65 per month, paid monthly and $16-$49 per month paid annually.
They come with unlimited storage as well as a free domain name for the first year. Unless you require e-commerce capabilities, the lower two tiers will be sufficient for managing your blog.
WordPress
WordPress is a CMS for content. (CMS) designed specifically for bloggers. This means that it has the built-in templates as well as tools for blogging. This includes:
Post scheduling
Editing
Managing comments
Multi-author advantage and Multi-lingual setting
Technical SEO
WordPress provides a vast collection of free and paid plugins for bloggers and hundreds of completely free WordPress themes that are specifically made for blog sites.
So, what's the caveat?
When it comes to building a customized website and blog, WordPress has a steeper process of learning over Squarespace and makes it difficult to grasp the platform for novice bloggers. There's no drag-and-drop interface, and you'll require some basic HTML knowledge to fully modify your WordPress site.
Do not let this scare your away. Setting up a basic WordPress blog isn't a requirement for hackers with tech skills. In fact, because WordPress is so well-known, there are tons of free resources out there that can help you master how to use it.
What is the cost of WordPress cost?
WordPress is free in and of itself However, you will need to pay for website hosting, a customized domain name, themes and plugins.
According to blogger professional Ryan Robinson , the cost to launch a WordPress website is between $140 and $200. But, the recurring expenses for a website using WordPress is likely to be lower than those with Squarespace.
Squarespace Vs. WordPress: Which should you choose?
Here's an full overview of the main differences between the two platforms:
The learning curve for WordPress is more difficult however, the options for creating a blog that is customized are limitless. Squarespace is a site builder; WordPress is a CMS created for bloggers.
With all of the above keeping in mind the above, WordPress is the better blog hosting choice for creators as well as bloggers who want to build as well as grow and ultimately monetize their blogs.
The next step is to talk about how to start your blog with WordPress.
Step 3: Set up your blog.
To get your WordPress blog running You'll need two items:
A domain name
Web hosting plans
The domain name you choose is the address where your website and blog live. If your website serves as your website's home base the domain name you choose is the address you use online.
Make your new domain name your blog's title If it's accessible. Do not create confusion for your visitors with a URL that isn't related to your blog.
However, what happens if you don't have a website orblog with a name?
Take business mindset coach Becky Mollenkamp as an example. Becky's blog and her digital offerings focus on sharing her personal experience with others in order to assist her clients succeed.
Becky has become her brand, so it's logical to use beckymollenkamp.com for her business as well as domain name.
If you're not sure with a domain name, you might want to consider a name generator, such as Lean Domain Search or Nameboy . Input keywords, and the name generators provide you with a variety of names to choose from.
Once you finally find the right name for your business then you must sign it up with a hosting service.
We suggest Bluehost . One of the most renowned web hosting providers around the globe, Bluehost offers free domain registration in the initial year for each hosting plan. Their most basic plan starts at $2.95/month.
If you're looking to invest some more money, Bluehost also offers managed hosting accounts for WordPress sites.
The managed hosting plans begin with $19.95/mo.
In addition in place of Bluehost, Siteground has more than 2 million domains and is known as having the best customer service that you can find. From $4.99/mo, Siteground is slightly more costly than Bluehost's base plans. But if think you might have to call tech support on a regular basis, they might be the best choice for you.
Once you've chosen a hosting provider, set up your blog in WordPress. This means setting up WordPress on your blog selecting and setting up plugins, and finding and installing the perfect theme.
If the cost of hiring a developer seems not within your budget I suggest these comprehensive instructions from WPBeginner , the largest Free WordPress source:
It is a must-have WordPress plugins
What exactly is the definition of a WordPress plugin?
How do I install an WordPress theme
Keep in mind you're WordPress blog doesn't need to be the most elegant premium themes or the shiniest plugins to produce great blog content. It just has to work, so you can start making your content and then publishing it.
Step 4: Start writing
Open a new doc, start making notes on surface of your mind, and then hope that it will be the greatest results.
A few people do really work most effectively this way.
It's not me. individuals. If you aren't either, let me introduce you to my blogging BFF: outlining.
Outlining saves you time, allows you to stay organised, and can help you plan your content in a way that makes the most sense to the reader. The outline can be written on paper, or use Google Docs, Dropbox Paper and Microsoft Word.
Here's the way that the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) recommends writers write their outline:
Brainstorm:List all the ideas that you'd like to put in your article.
Organise:Group related ideas together in sections.
The Order:Arrange your ideas into subsections.
label:Add headings and subheadings in your article.
Our content team uses this template to outline every section of our blog articles:
[Header title]
Main Point:
Stats:
Case Study:
Examples:
Once you create an outline, you're prepared to begin writing, even if you may not feel ready.
Write down your thoughts and start now.
Do not try to locate exactly the right words or avoid typos at all costs. You can always go back and edit your writing later. But the most important thing is to continue writing. In no time you'll be writing a post which is ready to be edited to create a stunning blog article.
It's not that writing is the fastest method, but.
Blog posts typically take about 4 hours to write.
Amanda Nielsen of New Breed Marketing told Databox , "You can reap a wealth of SEO benefits by transcribing videos. If you've got the bandwidth you can create a transcription written and blog post for the purpose of promoting the video."
Do you not have the time or energy to transcribe the videos you make? Try an on-demand service like REV or an automatic software for transcription such as Sonix .
When you've written your blog post (whether made from scratch or recycled- it's time to edit.
Returning to your work after a little bit or time off helps to keep your mind fresh, and you're more likely to catch minor errors.
You can also use tools similar to Grammarly however, it must never replace an actual person-to-person editor -- even when you're self-editing.
Grammarly identifies spelling and grammar mistakes, provides synonyms for commonly used words and offers a wealth of useful tips to help you learn for free.
Grammarly's AI occasionally misses mistakes (or detects errors when there's none) So, make sure that you read your documents in depth. Better yet, ask someone else to read it for you.
Finally, you're ready to publish your very first blog entry -- as well as plan a timetable for the rest.
The creation of a schedule for publishing helps you hold yourself accountable. It's hard to count how many times I've attempted to establish a personal blog and written one article, but never published another.
There's a good thing that you don't have to post new blog articles every all day (or maybe even each week) for a successful blog. If it's about blog posts, it's about quality over quantity. More in-depth, longer and well-researched posts perform better.
HubSpot states that the best length for a blog post to rank for SEO is between 2100 to 2,400 words. A study conducted by Orbit Media found that the majority of bloggers who write more than 3000 words report "strong outcomes".
As Jay Baer of Convince and Convert stated to Orbit Media , "Blogging used to be a type of online newspaper: lots of short articles, published frequently. It's now an online magazine with a couple of longer articles published less often."
5. Optimize your website to increase search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization can mean the difference between a decent blog with just a few readers and a stellar blog that attracts visitors in hundreds of hundreds of thousands.
Optimized content shows up higher in the search results for pertinent keywords and phrases. The more optimized your content, the easier for people who are new to discover it on search.
As Google's organic search accounts of the majority of the internet traffic so grabbing one of the highest positions in the search results is important. The top five results on any Google search account for 67.6% of all clicks .
Plus, SEO can play a significant role in the success your blog grows. Bloggers who earn over $50,000 annually have a tendency to rate organic and unpaid Google visitors as being the top marketing channel for their blog.
SEO is also less expensive than traditional advertising -- and also more efficient. It was found that a Databox study found that a majority of marketers say that SEO is better than pay-per-click ads in generating sales. This is the reason over 64 percent of marketers actively invest time in SEO.
The best part is that starting a blog already can help you stay ahead of the SEO game. Websites with blogs are able to have an 434% higher chance of performing well on the search engine results page (SERP).
Even better news: If you run an WordPress blog, the Yoast SEO plugin assists you in optimizing your blog's content directly from the WordPress site editor.
This is how it will work:
Input the keyword or phrase that you want your blog post to rank for.
Yoast analyzes your content and tells you whether you're using the keywords correctly and at the appropriate places for example, headers.
Yoast allows you to preview how your post will look when it appears on a Google search result page.
On the front-end, Yoast generates and applies schema.org structures as well as structured data that "helps search engines determine what each part of your site is about as well as who it belongs to and what the connections between everything".
Additionally, you can make use of keywords research tools, such as Ahrefs' word generator to find out what sort of content your reader wants. They also tell you the difficulty of getting content to rank for a certain keyword and how often keywords are searched for in a month.
This will help you find the perfect key word .
What does all of the search engine optimization appear as in real-time?
If I'm a mom with a full schedule who's struggling to maintain my family's budget, then I might Google a phrase like "budgeting for moms who are busy".
The featured snippet for the phrase "budgeting for moms who are busy" shows this post of Simplified motherhood. It's a blog designed to help busy mothers keep their lives organized.
When you optimize your blog with a keyword search, you have a better chance of showing up on the first page or two of search results. Your audience will be more likely to discover your content, visit your website, and when they are confident in your knowledge and trust your expertise, purchase your digital goods.
For additional SEO strategies and tips Check out these sources:
All in all SEO is an essential tool for bloggers. But it's far from the only way to grow your readership.
Step 6: Grow your audience
Blogs are a multi-directional process The first step is to start a blog. It will help you increase your reach, and advertising to your audience will help grow your blog. Companies with blogs produce around 67% more leads as compared to those that do not have one.
Three of our top strategies for bringing in new email subscribers as well as blog readers.
1. Get emails by opting-in forms
A trainer and developer, Reuven Lerner makes use of his blog to expand his list of email subscribers by adding an opt-in form on his website.
Make sure you have a clear call-to-action (CTA). Offer a motive to sign up to your list of email subscribers -such as "Teach me more Python!" from Reuven's example.
Set expectations. Let your customers know what you'll send them and when they'll get updates from you.
One of the best ways to turn blog visitors into customers is by offering the visitors something worth their time in exchange for their contact information.
2. Encourage subscribers to take advantage of lead magnets
They give you your email address and in return, they send you useful material. This is a win-win for everyone.
Lead magnets show potential customers why they should trust them. The best lead magnets are actionable, informative and engaging content specifically targeted at your customers and the issues they face.
To create a content upgrade:
Identify the content on your website that results in the most traffic.
Add that content to the appropriate page.
Turn more readers into subscribers.
If you're looking for a location to store your digital downloads -- whether they're digital goods for sale or free lead magnets, take the time to look into . Try it out at no cost right now.
Forms for opt-ins and lead magnets are great ways to turn blog readers into subscribers. However, if you don't share your blog's content on social networks, how do you get those blog readers to begin with? Our third and final tip will help you get there.
3. Guest blog post guest on different blogs
Guest posting is a great opportunity to get your message out to a larger audience, especially when you post on a more known blog.
Here are a few of the best benefits of blog guest posts :
Increase backlinks.
Increase the authority of your domain (a rank score for search engines).
Drive traffic to your own web site.
Boost your brand awareness.
This is probably the reason 60% of bloggers publish anything from one to five guest posts per month.
Before you can publish a guest article, you need to pitch it. And before you can pitch it, you need to locate blogs within the area you are interested in that will accept guest blog posts.
Here are some websites for you to start:
List of 200+ websites and blogs that are currently accepting guest post submissions
The list includes 150+ sites to guest post
The most well-established blogs accepting guest post submissions usually provide pitching and writing guidelines that you must follow such as these at Practical Wanderlust's site. .
Once your pitch is accepted You write the post after which the blog posts your guest post. You can then post the link on your social media fans as well as your email list, to give your post more exposure as well as referral traffic.
After you've increased your readership and you have a larger audience, you are able to monetize your blog. Take a look at these guides on commercialization to begin turning into a profit
Now is the time to start blogging'
Starting a blog isn't always easy. But when you put in the work and use the appropriate instruments and sources, blogging can assist you in reaching new audiences and share your knowledge and increase your profit.
In case you're wondering, here's the steps for starting your blog:
Choose a topic and niche for your blog. Choose something both you and your readers are passionate about.
Pick a blogging platform. Squarespace or WordPress are the top two options, and when it comes to blog features and customization, WordPress is a clear winner.
Start your blog. Select and sign up for your domain name. You can also purchase a hosting plan.
Start writing your first post. Utilize an outline to begin, and develop a publication calendar to hold yourself to a certain standard.
Optimize your blog for search. SEO is the primary way successful blogs get traffic as well as assists the targeted audience to find your blog as well as your posts.
Expand your reach with opt-in forms, lead magnets, and guest posts. When you have built up your email subscriber list and readership, you can monetize your blog.
Now that you have all this blog knowledge under your belt now, you're on your way to becoming a successful blogger. Now get out there and start writing.