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Yes, we’re so close to reaching the end of the year already, but…there is absolutely no reason why you should not start your dream blog RIGHT NOW!
Living a life similar to the ones held by bloggers and social media influencers the world over, is the dream of many. The best part of this dream is that it isn’t as unachievable as becoming an A-list Hollywood actress, for example. It’s actually a lot more achievable than people think, and that is why I decided to put this piece together for you today.
We will be going through some of the best ways to start a blog, where to host your website/blog, what you should think about and ultimately, how to get people to read it…traffic is important!
So, without any further explanation, let’s get stuck in.
First, off...before you even start with your blog, there's a few things you need to ask yourself:
- Why is it you're wanting to blog?
I can not stress it enough about how important it is to think about WHY you want to go this route. Let me tell you...there will be many times when you just want to pack it all in and say you're done with it! Make sure you have a perfect reason to keep you pushing forward to reach your goals. Think about it long and hard...dig deep and don't just think $$$.
- What are your Goals?
Before you start...write down all your goals, what your plans are and what you want to achieve from all this. Understand that while you're busy, your goals and plans may change...and you know what...that's absolutely fine! But you need direction in order to make the right decisions.
Don't complicate it all! Just jot down simple, yet reasonable goals on a notepad or sticky notes. If you feel you'd prefer to create an in-depth business plan, then you go ahead and do that too...;)
- What is your financial timeline?
I feel this is probably the most important to consider because a lot of people don't seem to understand this part...
Blogging is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes an immense amount of time, effort, hard work...and a whole lot of patience to grow your blog before you start seeing any bit of financial reward.
Most bloggers won't see any financial gain for a good few months, and it can take a few years to make a steady income that could eventually replace your current day job (wouldn't that be nice).
Try setting timelines...for instance, your first goal could be to make $100 in your first month...and then go from there. Just work out whatever best suits you and your current situation. If you want to turn your blog into a full-time income, pack in your day job and have more freedom, you might want to sit down and work out how much you'll need to start making from your first month, and how much you'll need to grow each month in order to bring a full-time income.
A little bit of advice:
Try not to go all in if you don't have any backup money to cover you over the slow months. Trust me...it can be awfully stressful and you really don't want that!
OK...So, Starting Your Blog...
WARNING: The setting up part of a blog, I have to say is mind-numbingly boring! But it has to be done...so bear with me...;)
You'll be happy once you know what to do and it's all ready for you to add to it and make it beautiful.
Pro Tip: Make sure you understand the process properly before you start setting up your blog.
By now you probably already know what niche your blog will be, so that’s one box ticked. If not, don’t panic…you just need to decide what you’re passionate about. What is it that you really love and you won’t find it a struggle to write about?
Then you’re going to have to decide on a name for your blog.
And then, of course…get it online…
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this over the years…But I’m not actually a writer, so what do I do…?
Let’s get this elephant right out of the way at the very beginning, you don’t need to have won the Pulitzer Prize to begin a blog – it doesn’t hurt, but it isn’t an essential requirement. People want to hear your voice, they want to engage with your stories, with YOU…the REAL YOU…and they want to receive the value that only you can bring to the table, so put that pen to paper and let’s get the ball rolling.
If you are ever worried about the authenticity of your writing or whether you have infringed on any copyrights, you can simply download the Best Plagiarism Checker & Proofreader to verify your work as your own before posting it anywhere online and sharing it with the world. This will give you invaluable peace of mind and help to ensure that your work is of high quality.
Who Are You, Anyway?
Your very first thought, after you’ve decided you want to start a blog, will no doubt be; what do you want your blog, and therefore, your website to be called. Choosing a name can be especially tricky, even worse, they can be incredibly expensive. Luckily, the affordable prices and stellar solutions at NameCheap have made naming your blog a breeze. NameCheap offers website hosting, domain name registration and integration with popular tools such as WordPress to further assist you with your blog building efforts.
Getting A Website
The very next question you’re going to ask is; where can I get an affordable website that will produce a high-quality user experience?
I wondered about this for a long time as well and honestly, I can highly recommend Weebly. Weebly offers many customizable webpage designs that you can tailor to your specific needs and has different pricing packages, as well as an SEO guide. The best part of all is that you can start completely free.
There are other options too, like:
WIX…with WIX you have the option to start free or go straight with Premium. WIX is very easy to use. There are many different templates to choose from and everything is “Drag and Drop”, so there is absolutely no need for any techy skills.
WordPress is another one. You can either go for .com or .org and again, you have the option to start off Free or Paid. I personally find WordPress a little more complicated to use because of all the different widgets/plugins. However, in saying that…there are so many more options within the WordPress platform.
How Do I Get In Touch With My Readers?
Whether you simply want to capture their email addresses and begin to build your own email list (absolutely crucial in the age of internet marketing), or if you want to ask some questions, so as to get to know your readers, you need to build a form. However, here comes the challenging bit, you skipped coding camp. Well, don’t you worry about a thing, the credible service offered out of 123ContactForm S.R.L has helped me and many other bloggers to build vast databases of crucial information. You can easily build any form or survey, and have it integrated into your blog via a WordPress plugin.
Isn’t The Blogging Space Too Crowded?
There is a ton of bloggers out there, but just like there are a ton of blogs, there are also hairdressers, grocery stores and schools popping up everywhere. The trick here is to pick a niche that is really specific so you can make sure to stand out and be found by your ideal audience. In addition, another way is to ensure that your website has an amazing presence about it. This particular piece of advice can be extremely hard to fulfill without a professional graphic designer or competent front-end web developer, however, there is an affordable and much more user-friendly solution.
Simply make use of custom made themes, such as the ones on Vertigo Studio. There are themes tailor-made for specific use cases, such as starting up a blog or building an online fashion business. Alternatively, you can simply pick an aesthetic that appeals to you and customize it to your exact vision. It truly couldn’t get any easier.
How Do I Make Money On My Blog?
There are many ways to do this from promoting advertisements through signing up for Google AdSense to creating online courses and content that can be purchased by your readers – just make sure that all of your content adds value and is delivering what it promises to deliver. Overall the best-known way to make money through a blog today is through affiliate marketing, however, many new bloggers don’t know where to start, this is when a guiding hand could assist. If you are a blogger who is eager to implement affiliate marketing strategies into their website, then you should definitely head on over to shareasale.com and see how this strategy will help you today.
How Do I Collect Payments On My Blog?
Perhaps, you want to combine your blog with an eCommerce website or a dropshipping business strategy, the question is; how will you collect payments? Custom building your own solution is time-consuming and costly, but there are many easily editable plugins available on the internet today. One such example is WPForms LLC. These can be placed into your blog through a simple integration that is orchestrated through a matter of clicks, and can serve a variety of payment methods including debit or credit cards and, in some cases, even PayPal. You can also use this payment form submission for donations if you are operating a blog for a non-profit organization.
An Ending To Remember
In parting words, the most important tip I can ever give to any budding blogger out there is to simply start, you never know where the road might take you and it really is worth a shot. I know, that it may seem like an incredibly daunting task and that you may not feel as if you are supposed to be doing it (a little bit of imposter syndrome get’s to us all, I’m afraid) but you can do this. Hence, the most important step to starting a blog in 2019, is to actually start one.