How to Start a Blog: Easy Guide to Start Blogging Today

Do you hesitate to start a blog or not? Of course, start! Currently, blogging is a powerful tool to boost your business, promote your product, establish expertise, and earn money. Yes, there are dozens of purposes for keeping a blog.

So, if your dream is to be a blogger, it can come true TODAY! We are here to help you on your way, providing this easy guide on building a blog. Following the tutorial, even a newbie can succeed. We’re going to prove that it’s easier than you think. Keep on reading to make sure of it yourself.

Before proceeding, learn what a blog is and its purpose.

Start a Blog Today in 10 Easy Steps

It’s always a little bit frightful to be a beginner. There are a lot of things to learn, understand, and do before you develop a reputation. Yet, remember that every influencer and famous blogger used to be a newbie one day. Besides, we prepared step-by-step instructions covering all the aspects to mind when launching a blog that will clear the process. Only ten easy steps are between you and your dream. Let’s move on!

How to start a blog
Image credit: Depositphotos

1. Define a blog niche and name

Before we go to launching a website, here are two more things to define first:

  1. The main topic of your future blog;
  2. The name or it’s better to say, think over the URL.

Everything depends on your goals. So, if it’s a personal blog, then pick your bailiwick or theme you’re a true expert in. It’s the only way to bring value to the readers. When you aim to boost the business, then it’s obvious that the blog must be relevant and demonstrate what you do/offer. Otherwise, what’s the point? You confuse people, and they’ll leave.

However, the blog must be entirely unique and useful. Don’t just follow anybody or mime somebody; share your expert commentary, experience, vision, knowledge, etc., to capture and retain the customers.

Once the niche is determined, it’s time to give the blog a name. It’s a domain that the visitor sees first. That’s why it should represent:

  • Either the main topics you’ll be writing about;
  • The trading name or your first/last name, or a mix of both;
  • A quirky and/or amusive word combination, etc.

It should be unique, eye-catching, easy to remember, type, and pronounce. Also, you should better opt for a short domain name. By doing that, you’ll simplify the process of building a brand, promoting the blog, and, as a result, monetizing it.

2. Pick the CMS and get your blog online

The platform plays a key role. Thus, the suitable CMS chosen affects all aspects of your project, from its smooth creation to its maintenance. Currently, WordPress.org is the unquestionable leader among the platforms used for blogs. In addition, though, Blogger, Ghost, Tumblr, and some other CMSs offer many tools for building unique and well-working blogs.

Today, there are two main kinds of CMSs available to choose from:

  1. Free ones are tempting for newbies. They offer a wide range of tools and features that are easy to use. Yet, keep in mind that you won’t be the blog owner but the service. What’s more, you inherently agree to abide by the rules and restrictions of the platform. Besides, you’re not allowed to use your domain. All that isn’t the best variant if you’re going to profit from it.
  2. Self-hosted platforms allow using your own domain. Plus, here you’re a boss, and it’s you who rules everything. You’re fully in charge of the site and the content you add there. And that’s all in addition to the wide range of features and tools to build the best blog ever. It’s a better variant for a blog as a business.

If you select the latter, then it’s critical to utilize trust-and-true hosting. Remember that all the blog files (images, videos, text, etc.) will be hosted there. Besides, the server keeps the website reachable for the users 24/7. That’s why it’s important to select a stable server.

As a blogger, you aren’t likely to afford a dedicated server anytime soon, if ever. However, you can still get excellent website performance with the right host. You need to study professional reviews and other relevant opinions that will help you determine the top web hosting. You’ll also need to measure the performance of your own website using tools like Pingdom or GTmetrix.

To understand how important website loading speed and overall performance are, consider that 40% of people will abandon a page if it takes 3+ seconds to load. With a good hosting service and optimization, your pages can load in under 2 seconds.

Note that content optimization is as important as the hosting itself. Those same performance measuring tools will point out the issues with your website and suggest fixes.

Kinsta is a widely used service for blog sites. However, you can pick any that suits your budget, demands, and purposes. Just compare several hosting services before making a final decision.

3. Design your blog

“The first impressions are most lasting.” If your blog looks like an amateur’s or it’s not nice enough, no one will trust you and close the site before reading. The competition is tough. Herewith, it’s critical to create a pro-looking website. The blog design must be recognizable. It’s to appeal to your users and grab their attention. But how do we manage that?

Platforms commonly have a library of free and paid themes/templates. Hence, for instance, WordPress provides several ready-made themes. You can use any template and make a pro-looking site even if you’re not a designer or can’t afford to hire one. Yes, such templates simplify and hasten the process.

Make the following 4 steps, and you’re ready to go:

  1. Select the theme/template that suits your idea most of all;
  2. Add your content;
  3. Preview and test the site — visit every page, tap on each link, menu, etc.;
  4. If everything is okay, then launch the blog.

Anyway, designing the website takes into consideration its usability. The navigation must be intuitive and have a user-friendly interface. Thus, the users can find information without sweat, even on the first visit. Yes, it must be beautiful but practical at the same time.

Besides that, check the responsiveness of the theme chosen to ensure that your blog looks good on mobile devices. An adaptive site is not a recommendation but a MUST-HAVE. It’s a well-known fact that mobile users are prevailing nowadays. If your blog doesn’t adapt to smartphones or tablets, customers will leave it. So, test your blog on various mobile gadgets before launching and implementing any changes.

You can get royalty and attractive stock photos and illustrations at Depositphotos.com. In addition, we provide a very special “Depositphotos coupon code techprevue15″ to get an extra 15% discount.

4. WordPress plugins

In addition to needing a blog theme, you should consider getting plugins to help you get your blog up and running.

  • SEO plugin: Yoast SEO, for example, can help ensure your posts are well-optimized and discoverable in search engines.
  • Performance plugin: Perfmatters is a performance plugin that will speed up your blog in a few clicks. Get it now!
  • Social media scheduler: You should know Hootsuite, a tool that could help you pre-schedule social media content you use to promote your blog.

Additionally, consider buying or finding free plugins that will help you keep your blog secure and improve visibility.

5. Build a content strategy and create your first blog post

Content strategy for blogging
Image source: Depositphotos

A good content strategy is required to succeed. Hence, before writing a word, you’re to plan out the content pipeline for the coming weeks/months. Do the following things:

  • Define your goals and set business objectives;
  • Research the niche — determine your leading competitors, learn their strategy, and do better;
  • Learn your users and their needs, and reveal their pain points to create appealing and competitive content that will work.

After gathering and analyzing the data, sit and create a list of topics to observe. You can use Trello, Google Docs, Airtable, and other tools to map out the content and don’t miss a thing. All the static content and pages? Including but not limited to About Us, Contacts, Footer, Market Kit, Sidebar, etc., must be added to your plan. Such content is significant, too.

Only after that should you turn to your first post. When deciding on the topic for the article, keep in mind that it’s an introduction. Thus, the post will cover a few crucial facts about you/your company, your idea, and your blog.

Write for and to people, not bots. Blog — is a long conversation with your users. Each piece of content added to your blog is to reflect that. Talk to the visitor as if they are sitting next to you.

Some tools can help you develop titles and generate ideas or follow your creative drive with your content. You’re good to go as long as it’s interesting and original!

6. Use visuals and videos of the premium quality

Just imagine our brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Yes, plain text doesn’t work anymore. People will leave your blog without reading a line if no single illustration is added. Adding some infographics, images, charts, GIFs, animations, videos, and other visual content to the posts is a weighty argument. Yet, the quality DOES matter — it must be premium.

Don’t panic! Presently, many solutions and services exist to create eye-catching and captivating blogs. We recommend using VistaCreate. It’s an online editor with 25,000+ ready templates in 45 design formats, 500,000 premium images, 100,000,000 HD stock photos, 8,000+ animated designs, etc., on offer. Alternatively, you can go for Canva, Adobe Express, etc.

You can find/modify and/or find visuals to meet your demands and achieve your objectives. No skills are required. Follow the instructions and enjoy the results.

7. Set a publishing schedule

It’s crucial to plan what and when you’ll write. Publish articles constantly, and your readers will be more likely to revisit your blog and stay engaged. You can better test what kind of content works and appeals to your users by scheduling various posts on different days. Constant updates of your blog are good for SEO as well.

All the tools mentioned in step 4 are useful on the stage, too. Use them to map out the content, track the tasks’ status, and measure the quantity of work.

8. Make optimized posts for social media

Promoting your content on social media is a must by default. However, if you want them to really work on boosting your blog, you need to not only click on the Share button after publishing a new article. You need to create a series of optimized posts for every social media network you are using.

For Instagram, it will be an amazing (and optimized for format) visual with a very catchy but short description and a link. For Facebook, this will be another great image (optimized for different formats and sizes) with an informative short description.

Tweets also benefit from visuals, but you’ll need to include relevant hashtags and create a message inviting users to share them. Doing this takes extra work, but it boosts the efficiency of your social media marketing tremendously.

9. Market and monetize your blog

Promoting is the starting point. Select out of a litany of ways to market the blog via social media, ads, SEO, etc. Utilize all the channels to make your site visible. Therefore, it’s a way to drive traffic to a website, tell the world about you, and gain credibility.

When you’ve managed to attract enough visitors, monetize your blog website. Here are our tips on increasing lead generation and raising money on blogging:

You’re not limited by only one way to choose. The best variant is a combination of all the ways. One more piece of advice for you: always learn, test, and verify the products and companies you will partner with. Better not risk the credibility of the readers. Reputation is everything for the blogger. Just bear in mind that.

10. Network with other bloggers

Back in 2014, Matt Cutts of Google SEO (at the time) said that “guest blogging is done.” Well, guest posting is more popular than ever, and Mr. Cutts doesn’t work for Google’s SEO division anymore, so you can see who won that round.

Inviting guest bloggers to post content on your blog and publishing quality articles on other blogs can be great. This boosts authority and expertise, which improves your SEO. It also attracts new traffic, and if you are lucky to post on popular and high-authority sites, it increases the visibility of your blog.

Overall, guest posting offers great opportunities to improve your blog’s visibility on the internet, which is any blogger’s goal. It also helps you quality content from others, so you never go out of content.

However, don’t forget that this strategy will be effective only if guest posts on your blog are high quality.

You must read the blogging ideas for starting a blog.

Workplace Setup

1. Computer

You will first need a computer to start a blog successfully. This will help you put together the content your readers will engage with. If you don’t have one, get a fast and efficient computer. If you need ideas regarding the best brand, consider the Apple iMac Pro for a desktop computer. However, seeing as it’s relatively pricey, this would only be ideal if you intend to branch into learning other things like graphic design, modeling, and animation.

If you’d rather get a laptop, some affordable ones you can try are the Macbook, HP, or Lenovo. If you want to avoid your computer slowing down and malfunctioning, remember to get anti-virus software.

2. Office station

In addition to what’s been mentioned, you’ll need an office station if you consider growing a successful blog. You’ll be working for hours, so you need to be comfortable in the process. Here are a few items that you may need.

  • Table & Desk: You should have a table and desk at your office where you’re working on a blog. This is likely where you’ll sometimes work hours, so it should be comfortable. Consider investing in an ergonomic office chair that is fully adjustable and offers lumbar support.
  • Printer: One thing you might need to help you manage your blog is a printer. This is especially true if you print and scan documents because you prefer seeing things physically instead of visually on a computer screen. You can find a range of affordable printers. You can also get quality and affordable ink from Cartridge People.

Over to you!

Blogging provides a myriad of opportunities in 2024. Besides, today, it’s much easier to get started than ever before, thanks to the wide range of tools available to simplify the process from creation to service. This step-by-step instruction covers all the aspects to consider when launching a blog. It’s created to help you succeed, motivate you, and guide you to start your professional blog today. Good luck!

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