Starting a Blog – Bloggingtips.com https://bloggingtips.com Start, Grow, and Monetize a Blog Thu, 08 Sep 2022 16:56:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 How To Become A Blogger: 11 Simple Steps To Follow In 2022 https://bloggingtips.com/how-to-become-a-blogger/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-become-a-blogger https://bloggingtips.com/how-to-become-a-blogger/#respond Mon, 05 Sep 2022 10:33:39 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=95591 Read more]]> Perhaps you’re searching for an easy guide on how to start blogging.

This step-by-step tutorial will demonstrate how to become a blogger in 20 minutes, even with modest computer skills.

After reading this guide, you will know how to assemble a blog that expresses your thoughts and emotions beautifully.

Continue reading and get on your way to becoming a better blogger in no time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the answers to the commonly asked questions concerning the necessary steps to become a blogger.

vector graphic showing an illustration of the best fashion blogs

How Do Bloggers Get Paid?

How much money a blogger makes depends on several factors.

Many bloggers make a substantial living through their blogs by selling their products/services, affiliate marketing, or selling ad space.

The successful bloggers have interesting commonalities: They have done a great job building communities around their blogs with excellent content.

What Skills Does a Blogger Need?

Bloggers must be able to write first and foremost, understanding that valuable and captivating content is the first step to a successful blog once you iron out the logistics.

Additionally, boogers can benefit from these skills:

  • Marketing skills
  • The art of selling
  • Follow-up skills
  • Photo editing skills
  • Social Media networking skills
  • Networking skills
  • HTML and CSS skills

If you’re unfamiliar with these skills, there are plenty of tutorials available on YouTube to assist you with learning the basics.

What You’ll Need to Become a Blogger

Here are the “ingredients,” so to speak, of a successful could foundation:

  • Profitable Niche: If you want to become a blogger, you have to ask yourself what you are most interested in—what are you passionate about? This is where the blogging process begins. Don’t create a blog until you’re confident that you have a unique perspective on the topic.
  • Domain Name: Your domain sets the stage for your blog; it is the first impression and the name of your blog. Additionally, your domain is your URL—better known as your web address. (Yahoo’s is Yahoo.com)
  • Blogging Platform: This platform allows you to create and publish content on the internet using a blog. Try finding a platform that has customizable templates.
  • Web Hosting: Web hosting refers to companies that store all of the files for your blog and send them to your users when they type the name of your blog. Use a host that has excellent customer support, bandwidth, and uptime. If you don’t have a host, your blog won’t be available to the public.
  • Blogging Tools: Tools allow you to manage your content effectively, uncover new trends and share content on social media. You can create an excellent content strategy that engages your users, drive traffic, and track your growth as a blogger.

How To Become A Blogger: Step-By-Step Instructions

Here are the steps to take to become a successful blogger:

1. Define Your Niche

You don’t necessarily have to have a niche.

However, it does help to know what to blog about.

To be a successful blogger, you first have to discover your passion.

After identifying your passion and particular niche, you must find the people who make up your audience.

Here are three steps to help you choose the ideal blog niche that you’re passionate about and that you can grow and monetize:

  • Research your audience
  • Narrow down your interests
  • Research its profitability

2. Come Up With a Blog Name

The name of your blog will give insight into your perspective on life and your skills and expertise.

Make sure that the name embodies the emotions and feelings that you want your readers to feel when they visit your homepage.

The name should inform your audience about the kind of content that you plan to publish.

Take a look at the bloggers who are in your field specifically.

Keep in mind the things they can improve and what they do well.

Then, use their blog as a guide on building a blog that your industry’s readers want to see.

If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to come up with a blog name, you can try Wordoid, a naming tool that will give many great possible names.

3. Register a Domain Name

You’ll need to register a domain name with the web hosting company you select.

Registering the domain name gives you legal rights to that name, and no one else can use it.

You can visit a domain registrar to purchase a name, and then you’ll have to point it to your new domain on the hosting website.

There are numerous registration services at your disposal.

Check to see if the name you want is available and proceed from there.

4. Get Blog Hosting

Continuing along the path of web hosting is one of the most significant aspects of developing a successful blog site.

The best platform will be simple to set up, and usually, hosting is offered along with the platform. Companies like DreamHost and Bluehost have excellent reputations for hosting blog websites.

The host is the space where your blog site can exist on the internet.

It’ll store essential information, and anyone can access it, no matter where they are in the world.

5. Install WordPress on Your Hosting

WordPress is a popular blogging platform that is free to use, with hundreds of millions of users already finding success with their services.

You can design your blog by including numerous add-ons, plugins, and themes.

It’ll be beneficial to spend a bit of time getting familiar with the site and how it works, especially if you don’t have any previous experience.

Over time, as you desire to change your site’s functionality and appearance, you’ll learn how to use WordPress efficiently.

6. Install a WordPress Theme

After you log into your WordPress account, you’ll see the dashboard.

You can make any changes to your blog site through this tool.

One of the best features of WordPress is that they offer you plenty of themes to use for your site, and it only takes a few clicks to change the entire layout.

Blog themes are available under the tab labeled “Appearance.”

Select a clean and intriguing design that suits your blog and personality.

7. Add Plugins to WordPress

Plugins are third-party applications that can contribute to your site’s overall efficiency and efficacy.

You can optimize the functioning while reaching your audience and continuing to grow the blog.

It’s wise only to select the necessary plugins, as adding too many can make your site run slower.

Plugins can help with analytics, organization, CRM, SEO optimization, and more.

8. Write and Edit Some Blog Posts

The heartbeat of any successful blog is fantastic content.

Without an audience that’s interested in your perspective, you have nothing.

Many bloggers will tell you that they were able to get their foot in the door by writing posts that answered questions they had themselves.

If you’re curious about something, there’s a good chance that others are as well.

This step is where you can do your research to ensure that you know what you’re talking about.

Once you’ve gathered the pertinent information, it’s time to put your own spin on it.

The content has to be valuable, insightful, and worth sharing with others.

It shouldn’t be something that anyone can Google and get the same results for the first four to five links.

Once you’ve got the perfect piece, start the editing process and ensure you have the correct blog writing format.

9. Publish Your Blog Posts

You will want to start by publishing your blogs at least once weekly.

This strategy is fundamental when starting your blog, as you want to create an audience.

You’ll be able to feel it out for yourself as to whether you want to publish two to three times per week or daily.

One of the most critical factors to consider is that you’re giving your audience something to look forward to.

Don’t bombard them with fluff, but don’t deprive them of excellent content.

10. Share Your Posts With the World

When you get your posts written and published, you need to promote your blog to keep your audience growing.

Utilize the following strategies:

  • Inform family and friends
  • Social Media Promotion
  • Blogger collaborations
  • Comment on someone else’s blog
  • Engage with visitors
  • Create an email list

11. Collect Data & Refine Your Process

This step is where having analytics plugins can be beneficial.

It can help you see which posts get the most views, shares, comments, etc.

Please use this information to shape your content, SEO usage, and more.

By collecting data like this, you can refine how often you post and how specific you want to get within your niche and tailor your content to your audience.

Wrapping Up

Did you enjoy the tutorial?

Hopefully, this guide will help you to develop your own successful blog site.

The foundation you set can make or break your experience as a new blogger, so ensure that you follow these steps and have fun in the process.

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments, and share this article with your friends and family if you enjoyed it!

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Launching A New Blog: A Checklist For Successful Setup & Launch https://bloggingtips.com/launching-a-new-blog/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=launching-a-new-blog https://bloggingtips.com/launching-a-new-blog/#respond Fri, 02 Sep 2022 16:23:57 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=95550 Read more]]> From sharing your unique ideas to promoting a brand or generating an additional source of income with high-paying affiliate marketing programs, a new blog opens up a wide range of exciting possibilities.

As any blogger knows, bringing enough traffic to your blog and turning readers into customers can be challenging.

You can increase your chances of being successful with your blog by considering how important factors like hosting, security, or SEO will support your long-term goals.

The following guide will walk you through the process of launching a new blog and ensure that you don’t leave anything up to chance.

How Do You Launch a Blog?

vector graphic showing an illustration of somebody launching a new blog

Launching a new blog is easier than ever thanks to the many blogging platforms available.

Platforms like WordPress, Wix, Blogger, or Squarespace let you launch a blog within minutes of signing up.

WordPress alone accounts for 43% of all websites.

Once you’ve selected the platform you want to use, you can start by creating an account.

You’ll typically find publishing tools designed to help you write your first blog posts and customize the appearance of your blog.

You will also have to register a domain name for your blog and explore ways to promote your content to start bringing visitors to your site.

Did you know? There are even a handful of free blog sites out there, allowing you to start a blog for free!

Where Can I Launch a Blog?

Several blogging platforms offer plans that include hosting and publishing tools.

You can also personalize your blog with widgets or APIs that add eCommerce functionalities.

Before launching your blog, take the time to review the pros and cons of different platforms:

  • WordPress is a popular option with millions of users.
  • It’s not the most intuitive platform, but the selection of themes, widgets, and mobile-ready designs set this platform apart.
  • Wix features an excellent site builder tool as well as flexible plans. It’s ideal for beginners, but experienced bloggers will find that Wix has some limitations when it comes to SEO or integration.
  • Squarespace offers quality templates as well as advanced eCommerce and marketing features. The platform falls short when it comes to GDPR compliance and offers a limited number of apps.
  • Web.com is a versatile platform for blogs and online stores. The site-building tools can feel outdated compared to what other platforms offer, but Web.com remains easy to use and offers an interesting selection of templates.

These four platforms are only a few examples of what’s available.

Before you continue with our blog checklist, take the time to learn more about different platforms and compare the plans they offer to find an option that corresponds to your needs and budget.

What Makes a Blog Successful?

A successful blog needs two things:

  • Quality content that delivers value to the audience and that will keep readers coming back for more. It’s one of the primary purposes of blogging with 68% of brands using this channel to share content.
  • Your blog also needs a strong SEO strategy to attract search engine crawlers, get your pages indexed in search results, and earn high rankings in search results. A successful SEO strategy means a steady stream of organic traffic for your blog.

Is Blogging Still Worth It in 2022?

Blogging is not dead!

On the contrary, blogging is at the core of any successful content marketing strategy.

The buyer’s journey is happening increasingly online, a trend that has accelerated since the pandemic.

Blogging is a great way to deliver the kind of educational content that supports purchase decisions.

Social media and email marketing are gaining in popularity, but blogging provides you with content to share on these platforms as well as links to funnel traffic to pages where you can engage your audience and generate conversions.

The end of third-party cookies is another important factor to consider.

With all the major browsers no longer supporting third-party cookies, paid ads and retargeting practices will become less efficient and make organic traffic more valuable than ever.

1. Define and Set Goals

screenshot of a man sitting in front of computer screens looking at a bunch of productivity tools on the screens

Before you go any further with your blogging project, you should set your sights on some concrete goals.

These goals will act as a foundation for your project and help you make tough decisions regarding how to best spend the time and resources available to you.

Your goals will also become a benchmark you can use to measure your progress and adjust your strategy if needed.

Define Your Goals

What do you want to accomplish with your blog?

Is it a personal project or a commercial venture?

While some bloggers create content to promote a brand, others want to primarily use blogging to express themselves and use affiliate marketing programs to occasionally monetize their online presence.

This video is a great introduction to monetization via affiliate marketing if you’re not familiar with this practice.

Establish Your Goals

Make a list of concrete goals for your blog.

If possible, use numbers or measurable results.

Here are a few examples of goals for a new blog:

  • Design and launch a blog over the next 45 days. Write a new blog post every five days and incorporate one affiliate link per blog post.
  • Launch a blog and write at least three blog posts over the next 30 days. Get at least 15 unique organic visitors per blog post over the 20 days that follow.
  • Create your blog, craft a compelling About Us page to present your business venture, and write two blog posts to promote your crowdfunding project over the next 20 days.
  • Launch your blog and get into the habit of writing a weekly blog post over the next 30 days. Grow your email list by at least 10 subscribers by offering a free printable.

Create a Task List for Yourself

Once you have established your goals, break them down into smaller tasks that you can accomplish on a daily or weekly basis.

Block some time in your schedule to focus on these tasks!

If you run into issues staying focused, check out our favorite task management software to make it easy to stay productive.

2. Build Your Blog

vector graphic showing an illustration of blogging tools on a computer screen

For a more comprehensive guide on building your blog, take a look at our guide on launching a new blog in 2022.

This guide is a great starting point, but there are additional steps you can take.

Double-Check That You Chose the Right Blogging Platform

Take the time to explore the different features available and play with the site-building tool.

Does your blogging platform come with everything you’ll need?

Since most platforms offer a free trial, it’s best to test all the features early on to decide if you want to stick with this platform.

Make Sure Your Hosting Is Good Enough

Blogging platforms offer hosting as well as site-building tools.

Assess the quality of the hosting offered by trying to load your blog with different devices.

Loading speed matters since a page that takes three seconds to load has a bounce rate that is 32% higher compared to a page that loads in one second.

You’ll also want to pay attention to your uptime rate.

If your blog returns error messages and isn’t accessible at times, look for an alternative.

Our Recommendation: If you aren’t already, make sure to use a managed WordPress host. You won’t regret it.

This type of hosting makes it easy to spin up a WordPress environment and get off the ground quickly.

From there, they take care of all the technical stuff like updates and speed optimization so that you can do what you do best: build your blog.

Change Permalink Structure to Simple URLs

Getting the structure of your WordPress permalinks right will impact quite a few factors in the long-run.

Using simple URLs will make your content easier to index.

Here’s how you can simplify your URL structure:

  • Keep your URLs short and use a logical way of organizing your pages and subpages.
  • Use descriptive words in your URLs to indicate what your pages are about.
  • Use hyphens to separate these words and help readers and search engine crawlers identify keywords.

Ensure That Categories Make Enough Sense

Navigation can increase engagement on your blog and help readers discover more content relevant to their journey.

Most modern websites use five or six main categories.

You can also have a secondary navigation scheme within each category and use a search box to help readers locate specific information.  

Consider the typical visitor’s journey and the information they’re most likely to seek to select the main categories that make the most sense for your niche.

Remove Bloat: Unnecessary Widgets, Themes & Plugins

Blogging platforms put several add-ons at your disposal to customize your website.

Some themes might even come with widgets and plugins by default.

Streamline your blog as much as possible.

It will facilitate navigation and improve loading times, especially on mobile.

Plus, it will be easier for visitors to focus on your content if there are fewer visual distractions.

Ensure You’ve Created Core Pages

Your blog needs a few core pages so users can find out more about who you are.

Skipping these core pages will make your blog appear untrustworthy.

Make sure to include:

  • A descriptive homepage where visitors can immediately identify who you are and what your blog is about.
  • An About Me page where you present yourself and tell users why they should listen to your advice or product recommendations. Make sure to mention any relevant professional and personal experiences and use images as proof.
  • A Contact page with up-to-date information to get in touch with you. A business will need a phone number, physical address, and email address, but a personal blog will only need an email address.
  • Don’t forget to add some legal pages. You’ll need a page with your privacy policy and a page with your terms and conditions. Add an FAQ page with details about payment, shipping, and return if you sell products on your blog.

Ensure You Have a Proper Affiliate Disclosure

If you use your blog to share affiliate links, you need to disclose it to your readers.

Affiliate marketing falls under FTC regulations regarding online disclosures, and making these disclosures easy to find will also help you build trust with your audience.

We have some examples of great affiliate disclosures if you need help.

3. Ensure Security Best Practices

vector illustration showing elements related to wordpress security plugins

Cyber attacks are on the rise, and experts believe that criminals hack as many as 30,000 websites per day.

Using a popular blogging platform has several advantages, but it can also make your blog vulnerable since some attackers target specific vulnerabilities that exist on these platforms.

You can protect your blog by making security a top priority right away.

Add Your Domain to CloudFlare and Configure Settings

Cloudflare is a content delivery network.

It’s a service that hosts cached versions of webpages on a network of servers with locations around the globe.

One of the benefits is that visitors can access a cached version of your blog hosted on a nearby server, which should improve your site’s loading speed.

Cloudflare can also filter traffic requests and protect your site from malicious agents, including those who launch DDoS attacks, a type of attack where a large number of requests cause a site to crash.

You can also make your blog safer by adjusting your site settings to enable SSL and HTTPS.

Add a firewall if your blogging platform offers one and consider using additional security plugins if available.

Strong Password

Criminals can take over your blog if they have access to your credentials.

They can erase your content or even modify some of your links to redirect visitors to malicious pages.

You can prevent this type of attack by choosing a strong password for your blog admin account.

The FBI recommends using long passphrases with a random selection of words rather than a long string of single characters and numbers that will be difficult to remember.

Extra Admin Accounts Have Been Deleted

Did you create additional admin accounts when you were working on your blog?

Visit your dashboard to review the different admin accounts in existence and delete the ones you don’t need.

An SSL Certificate Has Been Installed

An SSL certificate serves two purposes:

  • It authenticates the identity of your website.
  • It allows the server to establish an encrypted connection when users access your site.

Installing an SSL certificate on your blog will ensure that the information shared by visitors is safe, including the details they share when making a purchase or filling out an online form.

It also prevents attackers from modifying the content displayed to visitors via an interception attack.

Akismet Has Been Set Up

Akismet is one of the default plug-ins available with WordPress sites.

There is also an Akismet API that you can use with other blogging platforms with integration features.

Akismet is a spam filter that blocks unwanted comments or malicious messages sent via contact forms.

A growing number of bloggers are also opting to disable comments to protect their sites from comment injection attacks.

We’ve written a guide to how to secure WordPress, but we suggest you also add a WordPress security plugin to make yourself even more secure.

4. Set Up SEO Best Practices

vector graphic showing an illustration of organic SEO optimization

Optimizing your new blog will help you target the right audience, attract organic traffic to your site, and continuously reach out to new potential readers.

Making SEO a priority right from the beginning will help you get good results in the long term.

Install an On-Page SEO Plugin Like Rank Math

Rank Math is a free WordPress plug-in that you can add to your site to measure several SEO criteria and get recommendations for optimizing your content.

It’s a great tool for beginners, and it helps you save time on optimizing your content by automatically recommending best practices that yield results.

Yoast is another SEO plugin that you’ll likely hear about, but we think that Rank Math is far superior (we wrote about that in a recent Rank Math vs Yoast comparison), and we suggest going with that between the two.

Make Sure You Have Proper E-A-T Signals Throughout Your Blog

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness.

It’s one of the factors Google uses when ranking websites.

You can improve your E-A-T with the following practices:

  • Write an engaging About Us page to tell people who you are. Be as detailed as possible.
  • Explain why you’re an expert in the topics you discuss.
  • If you’re not an expert, you can outsource blog writing to experts.
  • Keep your content up to date and post regularly.
  • Use quality sources to add outbound links and support your claims.
  • Keep an eye on your online reputation, especially if your blog is an online store.

Verify All Posts and Pages Meet Proper SEO Standards

Before launching a new blog, the following checklist will help you make sure you have properly optimized your content.

You can also use this list when adding new posts:

Your titles should grab the reader’s attention without going over 60 characters.

Visitors might skip your blog if Google cuts your titles off.

You need a meta description with strong keywords to let users know what they’ll find on your blog.

Use these same focus keywords throughout your copy and headings.

There are plug-ins you can use to get an on-page SEO score.

These plug-ins are helpful tools for optimizing your copy, headings, links, and other elements.

Create a Sitemap and Submit the Link to Search Console

You can think of your sitemap as a directory of everything your site contains.

It’s not something visitors will use, but search engine crawlers will refer to your sitemap to find all your pages and files and understand the relationship between them.

Use a sitemap tool to generate this file and submit it to the Google Search Console so the search engine can start indexing your content.

5. Ensure Proper Speed Optimization

vector illustration of elements of how to increase page speed

Your page loading speed is an important factor.

Google looks at your loading speed when ranking results and visitors will click away if your content takes too long to load.

Set Up and Configure the WP Rocket Plugin

If you have a WordPress site, you can use the WP Rocket Plugin to improve loading speed with caching and compression.

The plugin can also clean up CSS files and delay loading some objects until a user needs them.

Set Up and Configure the ShortPixel Image Optimizer Plugin

Images can make your blog more engaging, but they can also result in slow loading times.

The ShortPixel Image Optimizer Plugin compresses, resizes, and optimizes your image files to help your site load faster.

6. Create Great Content

vector graphic showing an illustration of how to write a blog post

The next step on your journey to launching a new blog is to get started with content creation.

When writing content, it’s important to keep your audience and their goals in mind so you can develop content that is valuable to your readers.

You should also work on your branding and determine what you want your style and tone to sound like.

The right tone can make your content more relatable and engaging besides helping you stand out from the competition.

Create a Long-Term Content Plan and Content Calendar

Adding more content regularly will help you grow your readership as well as increase your ranking in search results.

Commit to a publication schedule by creating a content calendar.

You’ll find that it’s easier to create content if you research and identify topics in advance.

How Many Posts Should a New Blog Have Initially?

How do you know if you have enough blog posts to launch?

It’s not an easy question since the ideal number of blog posts you need at launch can vary depending on your niche and goals.

You can launch a blog with anywhere from three to 15 posts depending on how much information visitors need before deciding to subscribe to your email list or come back to reach more posts.

Quick Checklist Every Blog Post Should Meet

Before publishing a new post, use this list to make sure it’s ready for publication:

  • Did you format your blog post correctly? Your content will be easier to read if you use short paragraphs, h2, h3, and h4 headers, bullet points, and proper spacing. Make sure your formatting is consistent from one blog post to another.
  • Did you include internal and external links? Use strong keywords to anchor these links. Internal links should help users explore more content related to their journey while external links can support claims and help build trustworthiness for your blog.
  • Did you add compelling Calls to Action? Use strong action verbs and show the value of performing the action. Make sure your Calls to Action are easy to notice by using white space or buttons to draw attention to these elements.
  • Did you optimize your content? Before publishing your new post, check your Rank Math or Yoast score and optimize your copy to increase your score as much as possible while making sure the content remains engaging and easy to read.

7. Lay the Foundation for Launch

vector illustration showing how to build an email list

There are a few additional steps to complete before you can officially launch your blog.

Set Up a Branded Email Address

When you register your domain name with your blogging platform or third-party service, you’ll have the option to add a branded email address to your plan.

It’s a good idea to use an email address that uses the same domain name as your blog since it looks more professional.

Set Up an Email List

Create an email list and add subscribe buttons to your blog.

Your email list will quickly become a valuable tool for staying in touch with readers and sharing your latest blog posts with them to generate traffic.

Integrate Google Analytics and Google Search Console

Sign up for Google Analytics, obtain an Analytics Property ID, and add it to your blog.

This ID will help you track your traffic volume, average session duration, the average number of pages per session, and much more.

You should also add your site to your Google Search Console account to monitor issues regarding security or loading times among other features.

Create Social Media Profiles

Social media can be a great way to promote your blog and interact with your readers.

If you don’t have a presence on social media, create official pages for your blog.

There are social media management tools you can use to schedule posts and track engagement.

It’s also important to select the right social media platforms based on the niche you’re targeting.

Join Facebook Groups in Your Niche

With 1.8 billion monthly users, Facebook Groups is a valuable tool for finding potential readers.

Look for Facebook Groups for your niche and use them to share your blog posts.

Keep an eye on conversations to identify content creation opportunities for trending topics.

8. Publish Your Blog to the World

vector illustration showing social media engagement

It’s time to take the plunge and officially put your blog online.

Before you hit ‘publish,’ you might want to proofread your blog posts one last time, test your blog loading time, and review the list of the plugins you’ve decided to install.

Congratulations! Now that your blog is online, you can start working on promoting it.

How to Announce a New Blog on Social Media

If you have an existing social media presence, let your followers know about your new project.

You can keep them engaged by sharing regular updates about your new blog before you launch it.

If you’re launching social media profiles along with your new blog, here are a few tips:

  • Take the time to optimize your social media profiles with links to your blog and description of who you are and what you do.
  • Make your profiles engaging with profile pictures and banners. Use colors and graphics that match the design of your blog for consistent branding.
  • Write a post to introduce yourself and present your blog. Since you won’t have many followers, make your post easy to find by using hashtags relevant to your niche.

How to Promote a New Blog Without Social Media

Social media is a valuable tool for finding readers, but there are many other channels you can use:

  • Consider writing content as a guest blogger on sites that are relevant to your niche or general sites like Medium.com.
  • Are there any popular podcasts for your niche? Reach out and ask if they would be interested in having you as a guest. Blog outreach is actually quite a bit easier than most people think it is.
  • Contact other bloggers with a similar audience. You could publish a guest post on their site or even exchange links.
  • Consider paid ads to promote your content for specific searches.
  • Answer questions on Quora and other Q&A sites. It’s a good way to show your expertise while sharing a link to your blog.

Wrapping Up

Launching a new blog is an exciting project.

You can ensure that your venture will be a success by establishing some clear goals first.

Next, you should research different blogging platforms to choose the right one for your needs.

You can then start working on creating core pages for your blog, before focusing on security and SEO.

Writing content will come next, and you’ll be able to publish your new blog once you have enough posts to generate interest among your readers.

The process of launching a new blog can seem daunting, but it’s a project that’s easier to manage if you break it down into smaller daily or weekly goals.

You can use the steps outlined in this guide as a checklist, but don’t hesitate to customize it.

Leave a comment below to tell us more about your blogging journey or ask a question!

Creating a new blog is a lot of work, but it’s worth it since it remains one of the best ways to engage with your audience and reach out to new users.

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Blogging Process: How to Launch & Grow a Successful Blog https://bloggingtips.com/blogging-process/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=blogging-process https://bloggingtips.com/blogging-process/#respond Mon, 29 Aug 2022 18:00:56 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=94731 Read more]]> Before launching a blog, you should decide on a blogging process to follow.

Sticking with a clear outline of steps helps you stay on track and avoid overlooking anything.

For the first blog that I created, I rushed the process and soon abandoned the project.

I later developed a series of steps to keep from repeating the same mistakes.

Use the following guide to explore the steps needed for a successful blogging process.

Basics of a Successful Blogging Process

The blogging process includes two main stages—creating a blog and creating blog posts.

Here’s a quick look at both aspects of blogging.

vector illustrations showing an illustration of the blogging process that people must go through to launch a blog

Blog Process: Starting a Blog

The first step in the blogging process is creating and launching your blog.

At the most basic level, a blog is a webpage that provides access to your blog posts.

The steps involved in creating the blog include:

  1. Research
  2. Pick a niche
  3. Understand your target audience
  4. Register a domain
  5. Pick a blogging platform
  6. Get website hosting
  7. Build your blog
  8. Write content
  9. Optimize your content
  10. Publish your content
  11. Share your content

The work does not stop after sharing your content.

You also need to continue to produce new content, interact with your audience, and follow trends.

Blogging Process: Creating Blog Posts

After creating a blog, you can start writing and publishing blog posts that you will host on your blog.

There are three main steps in creating blog posts:

  1. Pre-Writing
  2. Drafting
  3. Revising

Following these steps helps you optimize your content before sharing it with the public.

Repeatable Blogging Process: Using an Editorial Calendar

Growing a successful blog requires you to continually repeat the blogging process.

Using an editorial calendar helps you consistently create new content.

What Are the 11 Steps in Creating a Blog?

Here is a breakdown of each of the 11 steps needed to create a successful blog.

header image for why start a blog post on bloggingtips.com

1. Research All Your Options

Research the market or industry that you plan on targeting with your blog.

Make sure that there is enough interest and demand for a new blog.

Some of the details that you need to research include:

  • Your niche category
  • Your target audience
  • Your domain name
  • Your blogging platform
  • Your web hosting
  • Skipping any of these steps may severely limit your chances of success.

2. Select a Niche Category

One of the most important decisions is selecting the niche category that you want to write about.

A niche category allows you to focus on a smaller audience with more targeted content.

You can create a stronger connection and a more loyal fanbase.

A niche market also makes it easier to compete with larger, more established brands.

These niche areas are sub-categories of other industries.

For example, backyard vegetable gardening is a niche category within the gardening market.

Muscle building is a niche portion of the fitness industry.

3. Understand Your Target Audience

After choosing a niche, start researching your target audience.

Consider creating a persona of your ideal reader.

A persona includes a summary of key information related to the demographic that you want to target.

Some of the details to consider include:

  • Age range
  • Gender
  • Hobbies and interests
  • Geographic area
  • Education level
  • Income level

You should also find out which platforms they use and the websites they visit.

This information can help you find ideas for future blog posts and keep up with the latest trends in your niche market.

4. Register a Domain Name

Choose a domain name that makes sense for your niche market but still allows room for growth.

For example, you may not want to call a blog about backyard gardening “backyard gardening,” as you may eventually want to write about indoor gardening or greenhouse gardening.

You should also search for the domain name to make sure that it is available.

5. Pick a Blogging Platform

Unless you plan to hire a web design agency to handle your website, you will need to pick a blogging platform for building your site and posting your blogs.

WordPress stands out as the top choice for most entrepreneurs and bloggers, as it is user-friendly and free.

You can install WordPress on any website hosting account and start building a website within minutes.

6. Get Website Hosting

Most bloggers start with a shared hosting plan, which is the most affordable way to rent server space for hosting a website.

A shared hosting plan can handle up to 3,000 visitors daily.

If you expect more traffic, you may want to switch to dedicated server hosting.

7. Design and Build Your Blog

After signing up with a hosting account, you can install WordPress and start building your blog.

WordPress is also a great choice due to the variety of tutorials you can find online that walk you through building a blog.

You can start with a free theme or spend money on a premium theme.

Either way, take the time to edit the layout and colors to make your design original and match the image that you want to present.

8. Write Engaging Content

With your blog setup, you can now start creating content.

Take the time to perform research and write drafts instead of rushing to publish new posts as quickly as possible.

When it comes to growing a successful blog, quality is much more important compared to quantity.

9. Optimize Your Content

Always optimize your content to make sure that it follows the current best practices for search engine optimization (SEO).

You should focus your content on a specific keyword without stuffing the phrase into the content too much.

You can also use a wide range of variations of the keyword.

10. Publish Your Content

Consider scheduling the publication of your content using an editorial calendar.

You can stick to a consistent release schedule, which helps your audience know when to expect new content.

11. Share Your Content

You cannot build your audience if they cannot find your content.

Share your content using social media profiles created for your blog.

Unless you plan on building a personal brand for your blog, you should create separate social media accounts for your new blogging business.

The 3 Steps of the Writing Process

Bloggers publish over 7.5 million new blog posts each day.

Getting people to enjoy your blog requires quality content, which involves multiple steps.

vector illustration of how to write anonymously

1. Pre-Writing

Pre-writing includes the research and planning for your blog post.

Search for the topic that you plan to write about.

Create an outline of the post using an online tool, such as Google Docs or Frase.io.

You should create a clear outline before you write the initial draft of your blog post.

An outline helps keep the blog post on point.

It is especially helpful if you plan to outsource the writing.

2. Drafting

Drafting involves creating an initial draft of your blog post based on the outline created in the previous step.

Focus on providing helpful, accurate information with no filler content.

You should also consider reaching a specific word count.

Individual blog posts range in length from 300 to 5,000 or more words.

A word count of 2,000 words is considered a good median length for most topics.

3. Revising

Use Grammarly and Hemingway Editor to revise your content and correct any grammatical mistakes.

You should also proofread your content to make sure that it flows well.

A Repeatable Blogging Process Proven to Work

You cannot sporadically release blog posts and hope to grow the size of your audience.

You need to repeat the process by releasing new blog posts consistently.

Use the following proven strategy to repeatedly write, optimize, and publish quality content.

vector illustration showing many different types of generic blog post examples on computer screens

1. Plan and Research Your Blog Post

Use Google Sheets, Google Keyword Planner, and Google Trends to plan and research your blog posts.

You can use the Keyword Planner and Google Trends to find out what people in your niche market are searching for online.

Use trending topics and search terms to create a list of potential topics for your blog posts.

You can use Google Sheets to create your lists and share them with others.

After choosing a topic for a blog post, research it.

Read the top posts on the topic while creating a list of potential sub-headers and questions to ask in your blog post.

2. Create an Outline for the Post Using Frase.io

You can now outline your blog post using Frase.io, which is an AI content optimization tool that makes it easier to develop optimized content.

You can use Frase.io whether you work alone or with a team.

However, Frase is great for sharing content outlines with others, such as when assigning a blog post to a writer.

3. Write the Initial Draft

Write the initial draft of your blog post in Google Docs.

As with Frase, Google Docs makes it easy to share content.

You can let others view and edit your Google documents.

You can also access your files from any internet-connected computer without needing to install software, such as Microsoft Word.

4. Optimize the Post

Use Surfer SEO, Clearscope, or MarketMuse to optimize your post.

These online tools help ensure that your content includes relevant keyword phrases and complies with the best SEO practices.

5. Edit the Post

Use the Hemingway Editor and Grammarly apps to proofread and edit your post.

Grammarly helps catch grammar mistakes that Google Docs and other word processors may not catch.

Hemingway Editor is useful for making your content more readable.

You can avoid creating sentences that are too long or complex.

6. Import the Post to WordPress

Use the Wordable WordPress Plugin to import your post to WordPress.

You can import your draft from Google Docs directly into a new blog post through your WordPress dashboard.

7. Publish the Post for the World to See

After importing and formatting the post, publish it.

WordPress allows you to publish the post instantly or set a publication date.

You may want to set a publication date if you intend on releasing content on a set schedule.

8. Share the Post Using Online Tools

Use online tools such as Buffer to share the post.

You need to ensure that your post reaches as many people as possible if you hope to grow your readership.

Buffer allows you to schedule social media posts.

You can time the release of promotional posts to coincide with the publication of your blog posts.

9. Track the Post’s Progress

Use Google Analytics to track the post’s progress.

Pay attention to the number of visitors and bounce rates.

After you have released multiple blog posts, start tracking which type of content performs best.

Try to determine what makes some of your blog posts more successful compared to others and start emulating what you uncover.

For example, you may find that posts related to a specific topic receive the most visitors and shares.

Creating more content related to the same topic may help you grow your audience.

What Makes a Blog Successful?

vector graphic showing a trendline up and to the right to demonstrate how to increase website traffic

Successful blogs provide readers with consistently engaging content.

They offer helpful information and release new posts on a predictable schedule.

Some of the most successful blogs are lifestyle blogs.

Lifestyle blogs cover a wide range of niche categories, from fashion and travel to fitness and hobbies.

For example, Lifehacker receives millions of visitors each month due to the blog’s helpful articles on a variety of topics.

However, Lifehacker and other top blogs receive help from a long list of contributors.

Personal blogs run by an individual entrepreneur or small team typically succeed by cultivating a brand that connects with a niche audience.

For example, Mr. Money Mustache is one of the most popular blogs devoted to personal finance.

A former software engineer launched the blog in 2011 to help people retire early.

Why Do Most Blogs Fail?

Not all blogs succeed.

Here are some of the most common reasons why blogs fail:

  • No clear strategy
  • A lack of quality content
  • Not focusing on a niche audience
  • Inaccessible web design
  • No search engine optimization

Blogs tend to fail when the creators fail to provide readers with something of value.

You also need to ensure that people can find your content, which involves sharing and SEO.

Related: More website mistakes to avoid while building a blog

Wrapping Up

Creating a successful blog does not typically happen overnight.

You need to put thought into your process and take the time to choose the right niche market.

After building a website, start researching the topics that your audience wants to know more about.

Create original content aimed at your niche audience.

Always review, revise, and optimize your content before publishing it.

In the end, launching and growing a successful blog requires a commitment.

You need to continue creating new content and continue paying attention to what works and what doesn’t.

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How To Start A Blog For Free In 2022 https://bloggingtips.com/how-to-start-a-blog-for-free/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-start-a-blog-for-free https://bloggingtips.com/how-to-start-a-blog-for-free/#respond Fri, 12 Aug 2022 13:06:06 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=93483 Read more]]> Blogging is a way to share your thoughts, ideas, and passions with the world.

It can also become the bedrock around how to make money online.

So, how do you start a blog for free?

This article will teach you the basics of blogging and how to get started without a single cost.

We will also help you choose the right platform and give you tips on what to look for when you want to know how to start a blog for free.

Blogging Basics To Understand

Before starting your blogging journey, it’s a good idea to understand a few basics.

vector illustration showing how to blog

What Exactly Does a Blogger Do?

In short, bloggers write content for their blogs.

You can create articles, how-to guides, listicles, or personal thoughts and musings.

Bloggers usually write about topics they’re knowledgeable about to better connect with their audience.

Do People Read Blogs Anymore?

So, do people even read blogs?

The answer is a resounding yes.

Although you may worry about people’s attention spans in the age of social media, Statista reports that more than 50 million visits occur on Blogger.com each month.

That’s one blogging platform out of dozens of options.

Another popular blogging platform, WordPress, receives more monthly visits each month than Twitter.

Does It Cost Money To Start a Blog?

You can start a blog for free.

Or, you can begin by paying nominal fees for additional features.

If you want to blog for fun or as a hobby, you can blog for free as long as you like.

Can You Have a Blog for Free?

Yes, you can start blogging for free.

As you’ll see below, continuing to blog for free depends on how you want to blog.

You can also create a blog on your domain name (ex. yourname.com) by signing up for web hosting with companies like SiteGround or Bluehost.

These services start at around $50/year and give you more control over how to design and monetize your blog.

Can I Start a Blog for Free and Make Money?

Theoretically, yes.

You can start blogging for free and make money from your blog through advertisements, affiliate marketing, or selling products/services.

How Should a Beginner Create a Blog?

You’ll need to become clear about why you’re blogging to decide on the best beginner path.

image showing an illustration of a woman teaching a blogging course to students on a screen

Decide the “Why” Behind a Free Blog

Take the time to figure out your specific reason for starting a blog.

Here are a few ways to do that.

Decide Why You’re Blogging

A free blog works well if you know for sure that you’ll never want to turn it into a business.

However, you should pay for scalable architecture if you plan to blog long-term for profit.

It’s more challenging to migrate a free blog to a paid platform than starting with the paid option.

Define Your Objectives

If you decide to blog for fun, use a free blogging platform.

On the other hand, you should plan a budget to pay for advanced search engine optimization and design features if you want to make money with a blog.

The Key Between the Two: Scalability and Monetization

Understand that making money on a blog takes planning and business understanding.

You can start simply.

Over time, you’ll need to scale your blog to earn revenue from it.

For example, you’ll need to scale out the blog’s topics, refine your navigation, use intelligent internal linking practices, and obtain links from essential websites in your niche.

Our Suggestion

We encourage you to take one of the following paths with your blog.

For Hobbyists Who Will Never Scale: Wix or Squarespace

Select Squarespace or Wix if you know you’ll never want to scale your blog into a monetization source.

We’ll explain below how to leverage these types of blogging options.

For Scalable Businesses: WordPress or Shopify

Have you decided to blog for profit?

If so, the content below isn’t going to satisfy all your needs.

However, we do have a blog post that will.

Read our advanced and granular guide about starting a blog that will bring you long-term revenue.

Things To Look For in Free Blog Platforms

As you find a free blogging platform, consider the following four factors.

vector graphic showing a graphic of the best no code platoforms with the logos of those companies next to the graphic

Hidden Fees and Costs in “Free”

Unfortunately, some “free” blog platforms aren’t free.

They’ll hit you with unexpected costs after you’ve already put in the time and effort to build your blog.

For example, WordPress.com is a popular free blogging platform.

However, it doesn’t include a custom domain name.

You’ll need to pay for one of the platform’s paid plans to get that included.

Make Sure To Understand Limitations in the Platform

The second thing you should do is make sure you understand any limitations.

Some platforms, for instance, limit the number of themes or plugins you can use.

Others restrict how much storage space you have for images and videos.

Website Builders vs. Themes

The third thing you should consider is whether you’re committing to a website builder or a theme.

A website builder is a drag-and-drop tool that allows you to create a blog without any coding knowledge.

WordPress.org is the most popular blogging platform, and it offers a website builder called Gutenberg.

You would need to pay for your domain’s hosting to access the free WordPress Gutenberg builder.

Themes, on the other hand, are pre-designed templates that you can install on your blog.

Some free blogging platforms give you free themes to use.

Others will require that you pay some money to access the best “premium” themes.

Search Engine Optimization Features

The final item to consider is search engine optimization (SEO) features.

SEO is how you make sure your blog appears in Google search results.

The better your SEO, the more likely people are to find your blog.

Some platforms have better SEO features than others.  

How To Start a Blog for Free and Make Money

If you’re ready to start blogging, here are the most crucial items to think through.

graphic illustration showing how to make money on social media

Select a Niche

The first step is to choose a niche.

A niche is a topic that you’ll write about on your blog.

There are two general types of niches.

  1. Evergreen
  2. Seasonal

Evergreen niches are topics that people continuously search for information on throughout the year.

For example, how-to guides or product reviews about blenders will remain popular all year.

Seasonal niches are topics that people only search for during specific times of the year.

For example, a blog about Christmas gifts would only remain popular during the months leading up to December 25th.

A good rule of thumb is selecting your blog’s niche from these three main areas:

  • Health
  • Wealth
  • Mindset, or personal development

If you want to write about wealth, you could create a blog on how to save money or how to make money through tax lien investing.

Inside the health industry, maybe you can blog about how to improve your sleep quality.

For the mindset niche, you could write about how to overcome social anxiety.

Validate the Niche

The second step is to validate the niche.

It means making sure people actively search for information on your chosen topic.

You can use a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner tool to do this research for free.

Or, you can use the free version of Ubersuggest.

Enter in a few potential blog post ideas; these tools will show how many people search for those topics.

For example, if we want to validate the niche “how to save money on groceries,” we would plug that phrase into the Keyword Planner tool or Ubersuggest.

We want to see at least a few thousand searches per month before moving on to the next step.

If there aren’t many searches, it likely means there’s not enough interest in the topic to sustain a successful blog.

You can also use bigger “seed” words like “real estate investing.”

Ubersuggest will show you that approximately 50,000 searches occur for this keyword monthly.

Narrow your search after seeing the related searches from the Ubersuggest tool.

For example, the keyword phrase “real estate investing strategies” gets searched about 700 times each month.

It might turn into one of your single blog posts.

Another way to validate a niche is by taking surveys on social media.

You can create a post on Twitter or Facebook and ask your friends, family, or followers what type of content they want to see from you.

You can also join relevant online communities related to your niche and see what people already talk about.

Research like this will give you an idea of the types of problems people in your niche want to solve.

Choose a Free Blogging Platform

Did you decide on a niche and validate it?

It’s now time to start your blogging journey by selecting the free blogging platform that best fits your needs.

We’ll review five of the most effective options on the market.

WordPress

WordPress.com is one of the most popular blogging platforms on the internet.

They offer a free plan that gives you a way to get started without a budget.

WordPress.com is a good platform if you’re just starting because it’s easy to use.

Although you can start on WordPress.com, you’ll find four paid plans that unlock additional features that may excite you.

Free

$0/month

The free plan includes a pre-installed SSL certificate and Jetpack features.

Jetpack protects your website from spammers, has SEO features, and helps to speed up its page-loading capabilities.

The free plan also provides dozens of free themes and one GB of storage space.

Personal

$4/month

You get everything in the free plan, a free custom domain, unlimited email support, the ability to accept payments, paid newsletters, and six GB of storage space.

You can also remove WordPress ads that appear on your website.

Premium

$8/month

The Premium plan gives you all the features of the Personal plan.

You also get basic live chat support, premium themes, advanced social media features, the ability to accept PayPal, integration with Google Analytics, advanced design customization tools, and 13 GB of storage space.

Business

$25/month

The business plan includes everything in the Premium plan.

You also get 24/7 priority live chat support, custom plugins and themes, SEO tools, the removal of all WordPress.com branding, 200 GB of storage space, and automated backups.

eCommerce

$45/month

This plan includes all Business plan features plus eCommerce tools.

Does WordPress.com Offer an Option To Upgrade or Scale?

WordPress does offer an option to upgrade.

You can upgrade to the Business plan, for example, and scale your website into a monetized blog.

Why Should Users Choose This Free Blog Platform?

You should choose the free WordPress.com platform if you don’t mind using a URL tied to WordPress.

For instance, it will read as myblog.wordpress.com.

The free option works well for anyone who wants to blog for fun or as a hobby.

Wix

Wix is another blogging platform that lets you start for free.

While you can create a free website on Wix, keep in mind that it will include Wix branding (ads) on your website.

The free plan doesn’t give you access to features like Google Analytics integration, unlimited bandwidth, or storage space.

Here are the paid plan options with Wix.

Free

$0/month

You will build your website on the Wix domain and only get the most basic blogging tools.

Combo

$16/month

You’ll get a free custom domain, a free SSL certificate, two GB of storage, 24/7 customer support, 30 minutes of video, and the removal of Wix ads.

Unlimited

$22/month

You get everything in the Combo plan.

You also get one hour of video, five GB of storage, and apps to get found on Google and to view site visitor stats.

Pro

$27/month

Includes what you get in the Unlimited plan.

It adds in 50 GB of storage, two hours of video, professional logo services, an events calendar, and social media logos.

VIP

$45/month

Adds 100 GB of storage, five hours of video, and priority customer service to the Pro plan.

Does Wix Offer an Option To Upgrade or Scale?

Yes, you can upgrade to a paid plan to get more features that help you run the blog as a business.

However, if you want to scale outside of the Wix environment, you will need to migrate to something like WordPress.org to access non-Wix themes and plugins.

Why Should Users Choose This Free Blog Platform?

You should use the free Wix option if you run your blog as a hobby site.

Squarespace

With Squarespace, you get a 14-day free trial, and then you’ll need to choose from one of their paid plans. Here are the paid plans on this platform.

Personal

$16/month

You get a custom domain (ex. yourname.com), unlimited bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, 30 minutes of video, SEO features, two site contributors, multiple templates, basic blog metrics, and 24/7 customer support.

Business

$23/month

You get everything in the Personal plan plus unlimited contributors, professional Google email integration, premium integrations, advanced blog analytics, pop-ups and banners, and eCommerce features.

Basic Commerce

$27/month

This plan gives you everything in the Business plan plus transaction fees, gift cards, automatic tax calculations, checkout on your domain, products on Instagram, and product reviews.

Advanced Commerce

$49/month

The most expensive Squarespace plan gives you everything in the Basic Commerce plan plus abandoned cart recovery, sell subscriptions, advanced shipping, and advanced discounts.

Does Squarespace Offer an Option To Upgrade or Scale?

Yes. You can upgrade your Squarespace plan any time to get more features and scale into advanced monetization options.

Why Should Users Choose This Free Blog Platform?

Choose Squarespace if you don’t mind paying at least $16 per month.

The only free part of the platform is the 14-day trial.

Weebly

Using Weebly, you can create a free website, but it will include Weebly branding and ads.

You’ll also have more limited marketing, support, and eCommerce features.

Weebly’s paid plan options break down in the following manner.

Free

$0/month 

Weebly branded site with ads, free SSL security, a shopping cart, an automatic tax calculator, coupons, gift cards, SEO features, lead capture, an Instagram feed, a community forum, and chat or email support.

Personal

$6/month

You get a custom domain. You also get a digital goods feature, shipping labels, and pop-up notifications added in.

Professional

$12/month

The Professional plan gives you everything in the Personal plan plus unlimited storage, advanced site stats, removal of Weebly ads, password protection, and phone support.

Performance

$26/month

The Performance plan gives you everything in the Professional plan plus PayPal payments, item reviews, abandoned cart features, priority support, and advanced eCommerce analytics.

Does Weebly Offer an Option To Upgrade or Scale?

Weebly offers an option to upgrade to paid plans at any time.

Scaling to WordPress.org is difficult. You’ll need to migrate over manually.

Why Should Users Choose This Free Blog Platform?

If you’re looking for a free website builder with some eCommerce features, Weebly is a good option.

Just keep in mind that you’re limited in terms of storage, support, and marketing tools on the free plan.

Medium

On the Medium website, you can write articles and build an audience.

Your blog will appear as yourname.medium.com.

Medium doesn’t offer paid plans like the previous four platforms we’ve covered.

However, you can pay for membership on Medium if you’d like to read more articles from other writers.

Does Medium Offer an Option To Upgrade or Scale?

No. There is no option to upgrade or an ability scale on Medium as a writer.

Why Should Users Choose This Free Blog Platform?

Only use Medium if you’re looking for a place to write articles and build an audience.

It’s an option only for people who don’t plan to turn their blog into a business.

Let’s now discuss other elements of your blog-building journey.

Get a Domain Name

There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a domain name.

  • Make it easy to spell and pronounce
  • Keep it short (under 20 characters)
  • Choose something memorable
  • Avoid using numbers or hyphens

Domain names can cost as little as $0.99 per year, but it’s generally best to choose a more expensive”.com” domain.

Get Hosting

The above platforms host your blog for you.

If you ever choose to move away from these platforms and go with WordPress.org, you will need to buy hosting.

Hosting is where your website will live on the internet.

The most common types of hosting include shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting.

Build and Design Your Blog

The free platforms above make it easy to design your blog.

You’ll get a drag-and-drop editor that helps you add templates, headlines, images, videos, and other blog elements.

Produce Content

The bulk of your time as a blogger will go into writing content.

It’s essential to spend time developing topics you’re passionate about that will interest your target audience.

Share the Content

The final step is sharing your content with the world.

You can do it through social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, and guest posting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s review two commonly asked questions about blogging for free.

vector illustration showing facts about blogging on a computer screen

How hard is it to upgrade from a free blog platform to a paid blog platform?

It’s easy to upgrade from a free blog to a paid blog inside WordPress.com, Wix, and Weebly.

Simply pay for their paid plans.

If you want to move from the platforms reviewed above over to WordPress.org, it’s far more complex.

You’ll need to download your website first.

Then, it will require a lot of manual re-uploading to migrate to WordPress.org.

That’s why we recommend reading about how to start a blog for money, where we give you a view of starting with monetization in mind.

Why is it beneficial to start blogging?

Blogging allows you to share your voice, build an audience, and grow your business.

It also helps improve your writing skills, learn more about SEO and marketing, and connect with like-minded people.

Wrapping Up

Blogging helps you archive an interesting hobby idea.

Or, you can use it as a marketing tool to earn online revenue.

If you’re just starting, it’s important to choose the right platform and understand the basics of how blogging works.

In this article, we’ve provided everything you need to get started with your blog for free.

Do you have questions?

Ask us in the comments below.

If you’re ready to begin blogging for free, choose one of the platforms we covered above to get started.

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Blog Checklist For A Successful Blog Setup https://bloggingtips.com/blog-checklist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=blog-checklist https://bloggingtips.com/blog-checklist/#respond Tue, 21 Jun 2022 11:41:39 +0000 https://bloggingtips.com/?p=90469 Read more]]> Are you about to start a blog?

If so, there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure your blog setup is successful.

In this post, we’ll provide you with a checklist of items to consider when setting up your blog.

We’ll also share some tips for optimizing your blog for success.

Let’s get started!

What Is A Blog Checklist?

A blogging checklist is simply a list of items to consider when setting up your blog.

By having a checklist, you can ensure that you don’t forget any important details in the process.

Additionally, a checklist can help you keep track of your progress as you set up your WordPress blog.

WordPress checklist helps you remember blog post ideas and write them down on your own blog and make it a profitable blog.

Further, the WordPress dashboard will make your blogging journey joyful by giving you an idea that how many blog posts can you write on your free domain.

Why Is A Successful Blog Setup Important?

A successful blog setup is important because it can help you avoid common mistakes that can lead to a less successful blog.

Additionally, a successful blog setup can help you save time and money in the long run.

By taking the time to set up your blog correctly from the start, you can avoid having to make costly repairs or changes down the road.

Advantages Of Keeping A Checklist For Your Blog

There are several advantages to keeping a checklist for your blog setup.

  1. First, it can help you save time by ensuring that you don’t forget any important details.
  2. Additionally, a checklist can help you stay organized and on track during the process.
  3. Finally, a checklist can help you identify any potential problems early on so that they can be fixed before they become bigger issues.

Now that we’ve gone over the advantages of keeping a checklist, let’s take a look at what items should be included on your blog setup checklist.

Blog Checklist For A Successful Blog Setup:

Below is the detail of the checklist which should be kept in mind while setting up a blog:

1. Choose A Domain Name

The first item on your blog checklist is to choose a domain name.

Your domain name is the address of your blog (e.g., www.example.com).

When choosing a domain name, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, try to choose a name that is short, easy to remember, and relevant to the topic of your blog.
  • Additionally, try to avoid using hyphens or numbers in your domain name.
  • Finally, make sure that the domain name you choose is available.

2. Register Your Domain Name

Once you have chosen a domain name, the next item on your blog checklist is to register your domain name.

Domain registration is simply the process of reserving your domain name so that no one else can use it.

There are a few things to keep in mind when registering your domain name.

  • First, make sure to register your domain name with a reputable company.
  • Second, be sure to renew your domain name registration on a yearly basis.
  • Third, keep your contact information up to date so that you can be reached if there are any problems with your domain name.

3. Set Up Hosting For Your Blog

The next item on your blog checklist is to set up hosting for your blog.

Hosting is simply a service that allows your blog to be accessible on the internet.

When choosing a hosting provider, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to choose a reputable and reliable company.
  • Second, be sure to select a hosting plan that meets your needs.
  • Third, make sure to set up your hosting account before you install WordPress.

4. Install WordPress

The next item on your blog checklist is to install WordPress.

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows you to easily create and manage your blog.

When installing WordPress, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to install WordPress on a reputable and reliable hosting provider.
  • Second, be sure to install the latest version of WordPress.
  • Third, make sure to choose a WordPress theme that is compatible with your version of WordPress.

5. Choose A WordPress Theme

The next item on your blog checklist is to choose a WordPress theme.

A WordPress theme is a collection of files that determines the look and feel of your blog.

When choosing a WordPress theme, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to choose a theme that is compatible with your version of WordPress.
  • Second, be sure to choose a theme that is responsive, meaning it will adjust to different screen sizes.
  • Third, be sure to choose a theme that is easy to customize.

6. Install Plugins

The next item on your blog checklist is to install plugins.

WordPress plugins are small pieces of software that add features and functionality to your blog.

When choosing WordPress plugins, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to choose plugins that are compatible with your version of WordPress.
  • Second, be sure to choose plugins that are well-rated and have good reviews.
  • Third, be sure to choose plugins that are regularly updated.

7. Configure Your Settings

The next item on your blog checklist is to configure your settings.

WordPress settings control the various options and features of your blog.

When configuring your WordPress settings, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to choose settings that are appropriate for your blog.
  • Second, be sure to choose settings that are easy to change.
  • Third, make sure to save your changes after you have made them.

8. Write Your First Blog Post

The next item on your blog checklist is to write your first blog post.

A blog post is simply a piece of content that you publish on your blog.

When writing a blog post, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to choose a topic that is interesting and relevant to your niche.
  • Second, be sure to use keyword-rich titles and descriptions.
  • Third, be sure to format your blog posts so they are easy to read.

9. Promote Your Blog

The final item on your blog checklist is to promote your blog.

There are many ways to promote your blogs, such as social media, email marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO).

When promoting your blog, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to promote your blog regularly.
  • Second, be sure to use effective marketing strategies.
  • Third, be sure to track your results so you can see what is working and what is not.

10. Measure Your Results

The final item on your blog checklist is to measure your results.

Measuring your results will allow you to see how effective your blog is and what areas need improvement.

When measuring your results, there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • First, make sure to track your traffic.
  • Second, be sure to track your conversion rate.
  • Third, be sure to track your bounce rate.

By following these 10 items on your blog checklist, you will be well on your way to setting up a successful blog.

Additional Things To Keep In Mind For A Successful Blog Setup

You learned about the necessary points above, below are the additional things to keep in mind.

image showing a blog checklist on a tablet against a plain background

1. Keep your blog’s design clean and simple.

Keeping your blog design clean and simple is a success factor on its own.

A simple design makes your blog look more professional and establishes trust with your readers.

2. Don’t neglect the about page.

Your “About’ page is one of the most important pages on your WordPress blog.

It’s the page where you introduce yourself to your readers and establish a connection with them.

Your contact page should also be given attention.

This is the page where your readers can reach you, so make sure it’s easy to find and use.

Usually, a contact page includes email addresses and cell numbers.

3. Promote your blog on social media.

Social media is a powerful tool that can help you promote your blog and reach a wider audience.

You can increase user engagement when you focus on your blog traffic, and you should keep in mind that blog traffic is the source of income for your blog post.

By the way, the motive for starting a blog is making money.

Read: What Is A Blog?

4. Use images and videos to enhance your blog posts.

Images and videos are a great way to add visual interest to your blog posts and make them more engaging.

Your website visitors like images and videos.

Starting a blog with an attractive and relevant image is good.

You might have seen that on social media platforms images are frequently used as a premium theme.

5. Don’t forget to back up your blog.

Backing up your blog is important to do on a regular basis.

There are many WordPress plugins that can help you automate the process.

6. Keep your blog updated with fresh content.

One of the most important things you can do to keep your blog successful is to regularly add new and fresh content.

This will keep your readers coming back for more and also help attract new readers.

7. Be patient and consistent.

It takes time and consistency to build a successful blog.

It’s important to be patient and not get discouraged if you don’t see results right away.

Read: Best WordPress Hosting

Some Important Terms:

For your information, below is the description of important terminologies that you will face while blogging.

So keep reading.

1. Blog Launch Checklist:

A blog launch checklist is a list of everything you need to do before, during, and after launching your blog.

This includes tasks like choosing a domain name, setting up hosting, installing WordPress, and more.

2.WordPress Dashboard:

The WordPress dashboard is the first screen you see when you log in to your WordPress site.

It gives you an overview of your website and lets you manage all of its content and settings.

3. WordPress Theme:

A WordPress theme is a collection of files that control the appearance and layout of your WordPress website.

WordPress themes can be found on many different sites, including the WordPress.org theme directory.

Related post: 60 Beauty Blog Ideas to Keep Your Blog Looking Gorgeous

4. Google Analytics:

Google Analytics is a free service that allows you to track your website’s traffic and performance.

It’s essential for understanding how your website is being used and how it can be improved.

5. Google Search Console:

Google Search Console is a free service that helps you monitor and troubleshoot your website’s appearance in Google search results.

It’s essential for keeping your website visible and accessible to potential readers.

6. Premium WordPress Theme:

A premium WordPress theme is a paid theme that has been designed by a professional WordPress developer.

Premium themes usually come with more features and options than free themes, and they can be customized to match your specific needs.

7. WordPress Plugin:

A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that you can install on your WordPress website to add new features or functionality.

There are thousands of plugins available, and you can find them on the WordPress.org plugin directory.

The blog post “How To Write A Blog Post” will help you more.

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