It can be intimidating to start a blog from scratch. The perfect name, the platform to use for design and branding, and so much more. All of the above need to be considered.
That’s before you’ve even written a single word. As such, it is understandable that you would be overwhelmed at the beginning.
Nevertheless, it does not have to be like that.
It is quite easy to get started in the early stages if you take a few simple steps. In the meantime, I created this guide to make the process of starting a blog a little less intimidating. 10 Important Tips for writing a Blog from scratch will guide you from start to a better place.
This are important Tips for writing a Blog from scratch.
1. A wonderful idea
Everything begins with A wonderful idea. Perhaps you already have an idea of what you want to write about. For those who are not, here are some Tips for writing a Blog:
Choose a niche that is smaller
What do you want to write about? There are many topics to cover, including travel, fashion, parenting, entrepreneurship, and many others.
After choosing a broad topic, it’s time to narrow your focus. In other words, you will focus on something specific within that topic.
For instance, if you wanted to start a travel blog, you could write about “budget travel in East Africa” or “backpacking in Hungary”.
In a fashion blog, you could create a “seasonal outfit” blog, a “wedding fashion” blog, or even a “holiday packing” blog, etc.
However, what is the point of narrowing things down? Isn’t it true that keeping the topic broad will allow you to reach a wider audience?
Actually, it isn’t necessary.
Niche marketing allows you to appeal to a particular group of people.
As an example, let’s look at food. People love to eat alot in large numbers. Thus, you can appeal to the masses by producing a generic food blog.
However, there are hundreds (or even thousands) of well-established, popular blogs out there. There’s a good chance you’ll end up much further down on Google’s search page, and, let’s face it, would you trust someone you’ve heard of or a total newbie?
By targeting a specific niche, you can narrow your audience and rank more specifically. Over time, a brand will be created, and so will a following. After that, you can start exploring broader topics.
Consider your audience
Once you have pinpointed your niche, you need to decide who you are writing for.
The way you speak with your audience will vary according to who they are. Therefore, you should conduct research.
Is there a particular topic or word that people in your niche often use? Which method of communication do they prefer (text, social media, videos)?
Customizing your content for your audience to get exactly what they need in an easy-to-understand way.
2. A blog name
You want people to remember your blog name, so be sure to pick something memorable.
If you are unsure of the domain name, use a domain checker.
The worst thing is to choose a great name, build an idea around it, and then find out that the domain is taken! Similarly, I do not recommend using any shortcuts here.
For example, if you want ‘facebook.com’ but that’s already taken (obviously!), then don’t try ‘facebook2021.com’. If your URL contains numbers, it looks spammy to Google, so you’ll always lose rankings to the original site.
Select a short, original and memorable phrase as your blog name.
3. An online platform
As the next step, you should acquire your own piece of virtual real estate. Essentially, this is a platform for you to post your content.
Numerous options are available. Personally, I use WordPress, which requires hosting (the server that keeps your content and displays it). The customizable nature of this platform gives you the flexibility to scale your blog according to your needs.
There are many hosting providers that offer WordPress plans. Additionally, they may provide assistance with setting up a domain name and technical support.
BlueHost was a great choice for me because it provided quick and easy setup, as well as the best customer support I have ever experienced.
WordPress theme
WordPress themes are basically templates for how your website will look and function. It is possible to choose a free theme as a beginner. However, WordPress provides you with a wide variety of themes, which you can choose from, free and payable ones.
You should choose a theme that is responsive, mobile-friendly, and loads quickly.
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4. To-do lists are my favorite
Having a to-do list keeps you organized, you don’t forget things, and the satisfaction of ticking things off provides you (or me) with great satisfaction.
There’s a good chance that you’ll have quite a bit to do if you’re starting a blog from scratch. So, make this easier for yourself by breaking it up into manageable chunks.
To accomplish this, many project management tools exist, including Asana, Trello, CoSchedule, etc.
In addition to creating lists and setting deadlines, you can also break tasks into smaller ones.
As an example, I personally use Asana to organize my projects.
5. Great branding and design
Having finished the basics, I can finally start designing the site!
Great branding and design is very crucial for the success of your business.
Your website must have an inviting Home page, as well as a Contact page where people can contact you. Almost every website has a page called About, which is often one of the most visited.
Make sure the website is simple, well-organized, and easy to navigate.
Aside from the actual webpages, Great branding and design also involve the following:
A logo
A logo can be created within minutes with software such as Canva, even if you do not have significant design experience. Canva will provide you with free and downloadable templates to design your logo.
In addition to this, you’ll also need a favicon, which is the little icon at the top of a webpage.
A brand identity
You should utilize branding as a powerful tool on your website.
An effective brand combines style, message, and design. Basically, it’s identifying what you stand for and how people can recognize you.
Please consider the bloggers you enjoy. What distinguishes them from other people?
In addition to a font and a color palette, a brand must also have a personality. How would you describe yourself? Are you funny, witty, playful, or serious?
By understanding these factors, you will be better equipped to build your content and design around them.
6. Unique and quality content
Having set up your pages, now it is time to write your content!
Publish a blog with at least 5-10 original posts, along with informative, keyword-rich pages. Adding this to the blog gives your readers something to look forward to.
It’s important to remember that you’re blogging for your readers, not for yourself. When creating new content always ensure the content is relevant and informative. Avoid anything that sounds different or wrong with your brand, and make sure that you are speaking in a tone that matches your brand.
As soon as your blog is live, stick to a schedule for posting new content. In this way, both your audience and search engines will know what to expect.
7. Promoting your site
Even though it’s a good idea for bloggers to use social media in promoting their site, it is important also to get involved in many other platforms at once.
It’s better to have one or two relevant social accounts and post regularly on them than to have ten accounts that you update once a month if you’re starting from scratch.
Therefore, pick two social media sites that are suitable for your niche and get started with them.
8. Using other platforms to promote your content
Using other platforms to promote your content is very important. Especially if you want your blog to get popular and grow, you should consider other platforms on the web that already have a readership and audience. Here are some tips and techniques to help you get started:
Content republishing.
On platforms such as LinkedIn and Medium you can post the same content or slightly repurposed content. When you first publish content on your blog, you should wait a few days for it to be indexed by search engines (Google), then you can publish it elsewhere. As a final step, always link back to your original article as a source.
Repurpose content.
The platforms that support different types of content formats enable you to repurpose content, create graphics, slide shows, audio files, and even videos. Here’s how to make 64 pieces of content in one day (PDF).
Bookmarking sites.
You can submit your blog content to bookmarking sites where your content can be seen by a large number of potential viewers who are searching for relevant information within your niche. It’s a good idea to share your blog posts whenever you publish a new one.
Scoop.it, Reddit, Flipboard, etc. These are popular social bookmarking and content curation sites, which you can use.
9. Optimize your site for organic traffic
Search engine optimization has become an essential component of content marketing.
The trick, however, is how to get your content to rank higher in search results, thereby increasing organic traffic.
In order to achieve higher rankings, you need to consider the following factors:
- Rather than focusing on SEO, write for your readers.
- Provide quality, fresh content consistently.
- Assure a flawless user experience.
- The blog must be mobile-friendly, secured, and load quickly (HTTPS).
- Get external links and interlink your content.
Check Top 10 SEO Important Tips for Website Optimization
10. Monetize your blogs
By monetizing your blog, you convert your activity into income.
The purpose of blogging is not just to make money.
Writing appealing blog posts and generating useful content will attract readers and make them keep coming back to your blog.
Consider creating a blog with content that can generate income in the future. Throughout my blogging career, and through my work with other bloggers, I’ve learned that a specific kind of content is effective for generating money.
Now after working hard to write your articles. You can monetize them through the following ways:
Affiliation programs
Affiliate programs allow retailers to work with affiliates to market their products, benefiting from sales commissions.
Below are things to consider when enrolling on the affiliate program:
- Affiliate sales are highly dependent on visitors.
- For visitors to click on your links, you’ll have to be credible.
- Make sure that your Terms of Use page states that affiliate links are used.
Here are popular affiliate programs for you:
Amazon Associates, ShareASale, and ClickBank.
Blogging ads
Your blog can run ads seamlessly. Your niche does not have to dictate what ad you choose. You can choose ads relevant to what you are writing about or ads that are more useful to your advertiser.
There are several popular choices for blogs ads, including Google Adsense, Mediavine, and Adthrive.
Product and service online selling
Consider the possibility of selling your products and services through your blog if you are creative and entrepreneur. You may want to consider this as your blog gains in popularity, authority, and readership.
You can easily sell products online by integrating WordPress plugins into your blog, such as the WooCommerce plugin.
Advertisements for sponsors
You can earn income by placing sponsored posts on your blog. Advertisers are always looking for exposure.
You are able to earn money from blogging when you post posts promoting advertisers’ products or services. When you become an authority in your niche and have a popular blog, advertisers may contact you about publishing their posts.
In conclusion
The process of starting a blog from scratch is not easy. The road might be paved with some bumps, and some things need a lot of thought.
In the end, blogging can be extremely rewarding if you’re passionate about your subject and enjoy writing.
Congratulations! During this lesson, you learned the basics of blogging. Having your own domain name, hosting space, and blog is already setup. Once you have mastered the WordPress dashboard, you will need to start creating content, making desired changes, and spreading the word about your blog.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-start-a-blog
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