The good news about starting a blog is that you can create it in under 30 minutes, no matter what your niche or industry. The bad news? All of the steps you need to take to start your blog and begin blogging are scattered all over the internet, so it can be difficult to know where to begin if you’re new to blogging or business blogging in particular. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to start a blog, including everything from domain name selection to monetize your blog!
Finding a great domain name
First choosing a domain name is often one of the first steps in starting your website. Your choice will set your site apart from competitors, define its mission and say a lot about who you are and what you stand for. First off, if you already have an idea for your site’s topic or focus, try it out as part of your domain name.
If not, there are other things to consider when picking one: -
Is it short? This is good for branding purposes.
Is it memorable? If you can't remember it easily, people might not be able to either.
Is it relevant to your site's content?
Will people know immediately why they should visit?
Can it be related easily to social media platforms? Social media integration is becoming increasingly important these days. -
In terms of top-level domains (TLDs), go with .com. The .com TLD is by far the most popular, so chances are you'll be able to get it—and on top of that, people tend to associate .com domains with professional sites. However, some non-English languages may only allow specific TLDs; so keep that in mind before committing yourself! Also, note that some websites still use alternative TLDs; Facebook uses FB instead of .com (although Instagram uses Instagram instead), for example! Do make sure that your domain isn't being used by someone else before buying/registering it though. Registering an existing domain can be risky because while there are several ways to do so, you cannot always guarantee a successful transfer. Once you've found something available, pick your favorite registrar—this is just like shopping around for any other service provider! I recommend Namecheap, but more established options include Inspedium and GoDaddy.
Setting up your blog
Once you've decided on your domain name, and registered it with a top-level domain (TLD) host, you'll need to set up your actual site. Generally speaking, there are two ways you can go about doing that: You can either pick one of many free blogging platforms out there or hire a programmer or developer to build you an original custom solution. Which way is right for you? Well, that largely depends on your technical skills, budget, and goals for your business. The good news is that almost every web service provider offers some kind of free blogging solution; however, most platforms aren't very advanced. They don't include features like landing pages, membership management tools, or email marketing integration. Also, keep in mind that any time you use someone else's platform and resources, it comes at a cost: namely advertising space, analytics software tracking your website usage, or even just general platform fees—all of which eat into your advertising revenue potential. If those tradeoffs sound acceptable to you—and they should because they're essentially unavoidable if you want to start blogging quickly—there are plenty of services offering basic but functional solutions. On WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly are popular among bloggers starting without any coding knowledge. Still, none of these services allow you to install apps or other third-party plugins onto your site. That means they all lack more advanced functionality—like e-commerce support. To get around that problem, another option is using WooCommerce as a standalone plugin within WordPress itself. Now if budget isn't a concern and you don't mind investing upfront (which will save you costs later), you might consider hiring a freelancer or agency rather than settling for something basic and rudimentary by default. In that case, you have full control over your design and development decisions. Just be sure to consult people who know what they're doing before taking matters into your own hands. Otherwise, you risk running into countless complications further down the line when it's too late to change anytime.
Creating engaging content
There are three steps in creating engaging content: brainstorming, writing, and formatting. If you’re new to blogging, it can help to think of your first post as an experiment. Brainstorm a topic you want to cover—maybe it’s your daily routine or tips for working from home; maybe it’s an interview with someone in your industry or advice on how to run better meetings. Now that you have a topic, start writing! Be sure to format correctly, including headers and bullet points, so readers know what they’re reading (and where they are). When you finish writing your piece of content, take a moment to consider its tone. Do you want it to be lighthearted? Formal? Consider who might read it and what mood that reader might be in when reading your piece. Are they heading into work right after their morning coffee? Or sitting at home relaxing before bedtime? When your content is ready, choose a title and draft up some SEO-optimized meta tags. If you don’t feel comfortable doing all these things yourself, there are plenty of services out there that specialize in helping beginners start blogs and optimize them for search engines. Once your posts are ready to go live, remember to promote them! You should also establish an editorial calendar and post regular updates about topics relevant to your business—don’t just rely on traffic spikes for driving repeat visitors. Once you start building a following, use social media marketing tools like Facebook Ads or Twitter Promote to boost traffic throughout the week, not just once per month during your launch party. You should also establish some basic analytics tracking, like Google Analytics. It's free and lets you easily track user behavior. This information will help you improve future posts by getting an understanding of what topics resonate most with people who visit your site.
Monetizing your blog
Once you've started blogging, you'll quickly learn that creating content isn't easy. You might be able to come up with five or ten ideas in an hour, but writing and publishing a piece of content takes considerably longer. This means that it's important for bloggers to find ways to monetize their blogs so they can continue posting as often as possible. Luckily, there are many different options available that allow you to create your content while also making money through ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsored posts. For example, banner ads are displayed at intervals on most blogs; each time someone clicks on one of these banners they'll leave your site (and go straight to the company's website) and will be shown an ad; you earn money when someone clicks on an ad. The exact amount varies by the advertiser. If you use multiple ad networks—which is very common—you'll divide up your allotted impressions across those various networks. In other words, if a single post has 5 million impressions per month, with four different networks set up within WordPress, you'd give two million impressions per month to Adwords, 500K to Mediavine/Revcontent, and 1Million per month to every other network(or whatever arrangement makes sense). Using multiple ad networks increases your chances of showing relevant ads—which can help increase click-throughs—while simultaneously earning more money.
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Reference:
www.digifour.blogspot.com
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Blogging