
Are you aspiring to be a blogger and want your blogs to pay as well? Let’s learn How to Start a Blog.
I have been helping out business as well as individuals to start a blog and be your own boss. You have definitely made the right decision to visit this page.
The motivation behind starting your own blog could be:
- Social Impact
- Money
- Penning down your thoughts
- Popularity
- Knowledge sharing
- Any other reason
There are a lot of doubts and questions present in the minds of people thinking about stepping into the world of blogging and they are keen to learn how to start a blog by sitting at home. This blogging guide will not only answer all your questions, but by the time you finish reading it, you will be capable enough to start your own blog. So sit back, relax and read patiently.
Table of Contents
How to Start a Blog from Beginning without any Prior Experience
This is a perfect guide for beginners who have little or no information regarding blogging. Here is how to start a blog without prior experience.
Hold on tight, in the following few minutes you can have your blog in running condition and trust me, it’s going to be way better than most blogs present on the web. One day this learning can make you a millionaire.
Step 1: Choose a Blogging Platform
To get started, first you need to select a blogging platform. Where will you create your blog?
There are a variety of blogging platforms available. Each platform entails distinct opinions, Like Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, Blogspot, Tumblr and many more.
Usually, many bloggers start their career on a WordPress platform.
WordPress is a famous platform due to its simple usability. 35% of the websites around the globe are running on WordPress.
For learning you can test WordPress.com by creating a simple blog there and learn how to use that tool. Once you get through with the testing period, time has arrived to do something worthwhile. Acquire a WordPress blog, and please don’t mix up self-hosted WordPress blog and WordPress.com.
You need a self-hosted WordPress blog, also known as WordPress.org. All you have to do is install WordPress on your hosting and obtain a domain. This method is extremely easy and I will teach you how to do that in the next section. I’ve also made a video tutorial for you.
Step 2: What is the Niche of your blog (Topic)?
The next step after choosing the platform is to select the niche (topic) of your blog.
You should refrain from blogging about every other topic to make money. This would not bring you success; as in this modern era, the best way to go is to blog on a single niche.
You may have knowledge about a number of topics, but it’s more suitable to stick to a single one. Once people start following the blog regularly, they like to read content regarding the topic you first started your blog with.
Google, the largest search engine also gives priority to the website which revolves around a single topic.
How should one decide on the topic of the blog?
In subject of how to start a blog, you must have a mindset on which topic you are going to write a blog.
I’ve shared a few helpful pointers below, let’s see what they are:
- Think about the topic which you know the best. It’s should not necessarily be related to your job, but it could be any topic you’re passionate about. The topic should be diverse enough to blog about it for a considerate time.
- The next tip is to choose a topic you have read a lot. This means that you will have enough information on it, and it is something you’re fascinated by.
- You should be interested in the topic, and with your own comprehension you can always add content on your blog.
- For beginners, it is best to pen down the topics you like in different columns. The topics could be about Science, Fashion, Photography, Health etc. Now write 20 ideas for those columns. This way you’ll know what topic you can write about without any help. When you reach the end, you’ll know which topic you should select.
This step is very important before getting started; as it will guide you in choosing the topic you love the most. It will also ensure that you’re not exhausted at the time your blog goes live.
Verdict: Picking the correct niche is the most crucial part in beginning a blog.
Step 3: Choose a hosting and domain name for your blog
Domain Name:
There are four important steps to remember when you are choosing a domain name for your blog.
- It should be easy to say
- You should able to type it quickly
- It should be easy to recall
- Must have TLDs (Top Level Domains, preferably .com or .org)
Blog’s name is the most vital for blog’s success. The domain name is basically the URL of a blog, which the user will open to read your blog.
When you create a blog on WordPress or blogspot, they will provide you with an address like yourblogname.wordpress.com and yourblogname.blogspot.com
You need to pay $12 a year for a custom domain name. On the other hand I have disclosed a tip below which will prevent you from spending $12 on a domain name.
You have to follow a few set of rules, which will assist you in selecting the perfect name for your blog. The rules are:
- Give priority to .com domain name
- Domain name should be easy to type and say
- The domain name should not be confusing
Domain name suggestion feature is to see if your domain name is taken by any other person. Just write any word you have selected and it will display the available domain names.
Be original, be inventive and stick to the rules above. There are some things you should avoid when you pick a domain name.
- Don’t pick an extremely lengthy domain name. It should be less than 12 characters.
- Refrain from using domain name extensions e.g. .net, .info etc. They usually have a low ranking on search engines. My suggestion is to pick .com and .org domain names.
Domain and Web hosting to begin a blog
The next step is to create a blog on hosting.
WordPress would be installed on your own web hosting (which you can buy from any hosting providers).
This will ensure that your blog will be live 24/7.
Another plus point, hosting is inexpensive.
There are a multiple of hosting service providers available for the blog. The popular hosting providers are:
- Hostgator
- Bluehost
Hosting come with following
- Simple to use cPanel
- Free of cost SSL
- Free of cost domain name
- No limit on storage
- No limit on bandwidth
Step 4: Setting up the blog
If you choose Bluehost (which I will recommend) give you option to install your blog automatically, amazing right? Still, you are required to complete some things before getting started with your first blog post.
To make your blog perfect, I have shared a few tips for you
Step 5: Design of the blog
The first impression of the blog should be impressive enough to attract the readers.
The most vital feature in your blog is its design. Design is the first thing a visitor will see and remember it by, when he visits your blog.
There are a number of ready-made designs present in WordPress. They are available by the name of WordPress themes. The themes are designed for all kinds of blogs.
Free WordPress themes are also available. You can type on google search “free wp themes” or “Free WordPress Themes” you will see plenty of websites offering free wordpress themes. However, I would suggest you for a premium theme because you will be provided a starter guide and support that you need to begin. In addition, the designs of premium themes are of high quality.
I would advise you to start with the following themes because they are extremely simple to use:
Genesis:
This theme is a bit expensive, but contains one of the finest theme frameworks available. Pro-package should be availed as it gives you the liberty to use all of the skins present. Furthermore, all upcoming updates are free of cost.
Astra theme:
This theme is lightweight and provides templates for all types of blogs. After installing this theme, a ready-made template can be chosen. After 30-45 minutes your blog design will be completely ready. This theme is the best for any newbie starting a WordPress blog.
Divi theme:
Divi is an amazingly versatile WordPress Theme with a Drag & Drop Page Builder that makes it easier than ever to build professional websites.
These three themes are not the only ones available in WordPress premium theme, but they are recommended for a successful start.
WordPress plugins
There are an abundance of WordPress plugins on the web. There are some plugins which you should install when getting started. These are:
- W3 total cache
- Akismet
- Jetpack by WordPress.com
- WordPress SEO by Yoast
- ShortPixels
Other plugins are also available, but these are the basic plugins that each blogger should install when he/she starts creating a blog.
After following all of the steps above, your blog is now ready to use!
The basics are now done and dusted; the next step is to add new and fresh content with passing time.
Step 6: Content planning
Don’t get too excited yet, take a deep breath and plan your content.
This should be done before you start writing your first post in wordpress post editor. It is best to complete content planning in a single sitting.
Writing the first Blog post
Are you ready to write your first ever blog post?
I have shared some helpful tips and tricks below to get you started.
- The most important tip, write as if you’re conversing with someone present right next to you. It is best to use a first person tone, try to include “I” and “You” to make the content more engaging.
- To make your content interesting you can always insert some YouTube videos.
- Your written piece should have all the aspects of the topic covered. Don’t worry if your word count is surpassing 1000 words.
- Refrain from copying images present on Google. Find website where you can download photos for free.
Insert important pages
There should be some significant pages which should be uploaded on the first day.
- Contact Page: This page should have a contact form. Jetpack contact form or free contact form 7 features can be availed from WordPress.
- About Page: Have details regarding you and your blog.
Step 7: Blog traffic
At this point you have ticked all the boxes to make your blog post live. The first problem you will face is driving traffic. If you are aware and well read about SEO, then there isn’t much of a problem. The first thing you should do is to get your website indexed in a day.
Be social
After creating your blog, make it social. This will result in readers joining your community.
What I mean by making your blog social is create a Twitter account, Facebook page and an Instagram account. Voila! You are now social.
Step 8: Generate Money from blogging
There are quite a lot of methods that can help you earn passive income for the blog. The most famous ones:
- Direct ad sales
- Media.net Ads
- Personal digital products e.g. Online course
- Google AdSense (Google Partner Program)
- Amazon affiliate program
- Sponsored content
- Affiliate marketing
What can you do to reach the next level?
For more traffic learn SEO.
The biggest mistake newcomers make is to ignore Search Engine Optimization(SEO). It is a complicated topic, it’s difficult to discuss SEO in a single article.
SEO helps to drive traffic via organic search. This results in making additional money for the blog. There are three main components of SEO.
- On-Site SEO
- On page SEO
- Off-Site SEO
I would also like to mention two more ways that can drive more traffic.
- User experience: Latest SEO is in favor of proving a great user experience. To give an outstanding user experience you should have some aspects on your blog like website design, navigation, responsiveness(mobile friendly), readability and site loading.
- Social signal: Social media has a very important role in making your blog ranking go higher. The best networking site for a higher ranking is Google plus.
Audience
The main difference in an exceptional and an average blog is its detailing.
Every person wishes to have proper guidance when they first decide to blog. This can be made possible through the right kinds of resources. You can always join forums or groups that are related to blogging as there are plenty of people available to assist you.
Welcome to Blogging!
That’s it folks, I have shared whatever knowledge I had about blogging for a beginner . If you have any questions remaining at the back of your mind, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comment section below.
This article was super helpful and on point, thank you so much. I’m reading all the other articles as well, you’re very insightful and encouraging. Bless you. Thanks!!!
Thanks, Tanvir for the encouraging words. I will try to keep posting more helpful stuff.