Blogging is a great way to share your passion and possibly make some money while you’re at it. You can give advice, promote your business, share experiences, write stories, and the list goes on and on.
Anyone can start a blog and here’s how:
The Basics: Domains, Platform, and Hosting
What is Hosting?
A host is a company that houses your website for you. They will keep your site on a server so people are able to search for you.
StudioPress offers hassle free hosting that is fast and secure. If you’re not sure about which host to choose based on your needs, you could start with WordPress as they can choose a host for you.
What is a Domain?
A domain is the address for a website on the internet. Your domain should be something that pertains to what you will be blogging about or the name of your blog.
For example, a food blog could be something like foodisawesome.com but you wouldn’t want to use that address for a fashion blog.
What Platform Should I Use for Blogging?
A platform is the tool you use to create your website. For blogging, my favorite platform would be WordPress.com. They are very user-friendly, allow you to monetize your website (make money, place ads, etc.), and make it super easy to modify the look and feel of your website without having to learn to code.
You can also sign-up for WordPress for free to get started with no obligation. The nice thing about WordPress is they provide a free domain (or you can purchase an upgraded domain) and can provide a host for you as well. This way, you can see what they have to offer before committing.
Choosing A Theme
Once you’ve set up your website, the fun can begin! A theme is basically a template that designs your website with colors, menus, features, and the overall flow of your content.
Most platforms offer plenty of free theme options to choose from. There are also options to purchase additional themes through your platform or other toolkit sites. In addition, you can obtain themes from StudioPress that are tailored to the type of blog you’re writing.
Start Writing Your Blog
You may be ready to start blogging like crazy, but take the time to set up your website with the basics first.
About
Your blog will need to have an about page. This is where people can discover why you’re blogging, what experience you offer, and why they should listen to you.
Contact
Make sure you set up your contact page with your preferred contact information. If you want to stay anonymous, you can certainly skip this step.
If you have multiple people working on the blog, you can also list multiple contacts.
Start Writing
You may already know what you want to write about – that’s great! But it’s important to select a niche for whatever topic you’re writing about.
For instance, if you decide you want to write about food, be specific about what types of recipes you’ll be offering. Is it comfort food? Slow cooker recipes? Healthy options? Budget recipes? You need to make sure you don’t over generalize – you want to attract the correct audience for your blog. This is what will set you apart from all the other blogs in the same category.
Post Often and Update Blog Posts As Needed
It’s important that you stay relevant by posting as often as possible. This could mean once a week, or once a day – this may rely on how much time you have to dedicate to blogging.
Find that happy medium in the length of your posts – not too short but not too long. Most people don’t want to read a novel but everyone wants to read a blog that has complete information (and doesn’t direct them to a myriad of sites just to get the whole story).
Don’t forget to update your posts when information changes. This will ensure that your posts don’t disappear from search engines.
Make Your Blog Posts Sparkle
Once you’ve completed writing a post, really take the time to look at the format and presentation of your post. Is it easy to read? Does it resemble a boring novel? Is it interesting?
Create spaces between short paragraphs to give the eye a break and to make the entire post easier to digest. This makes readers feel as if they are reading less information but are still receiving the main points of your post.
Include graphics or pictures but be careful not to overdo it. A few professional looking pictures sprinkled throughout a blog post can make a huge difference in how long a reader stays interested. Pictures give the eye a break and also help the reader feel and see your message more clearly.
Important: Make sure you only use photos that you have the rights to or find some stock photos, either for free or to purchase.
Now that you’ve started your blog, put in some time to make your content the best it can be. Have friends and family read your posts and give you constructive criticism.
Don’t worry so much about getting traffic right away as you want to ensure your blog is set up for success first. Test every link, visit every page, read every post multiple times, and test out different themes. Every detail counts so don’t rush it!
If you’re looking to make money with your blog, check out this article for a quick way to get started: How To Make Money With Your Blog
Special Notes For Small Businesses:
Looking to get some help with your online business immediately? Learn how you can increase your sales, develop your brand, and generate interest in your site and drive more traffic to your online store using performance based marketing. It’s also important that you understand how site speed affects your business. Not sure if you have a site speed issue? You can Test your website with the WP Engine WordPress Speed Test.
If you’re looking to take your business to the next level and gain some awesome tools and insights, you can get 2 months free hosting with WP Engine on any shared annual plan.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to comment below or contact me.
Happy Blogging!
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Disclaimer: This post is the opinion of the author. The information provided in this post is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended to provide medical, legal, or other professional advice. Read and/or use any of the information from this post at your own risk. Some or all of the links displayed on this site may be affiliate links.
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