Blogging appears to be a simple task — simply compose a few lines, publish it, and voila! You've completed your task. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things to think about if you want to take blogging seriously. Here, we'll look at how you can use a blog to add value to your life. So, if you want to learn how to start a blog for free and make money with it, keep reading!
How to Start a Blog in 9 Easy Steps
- Choose a niche - identify your passion and write about it.
- Choose a blog name that reflects your niche and intended audience.
- Obtain web hosting for your website – Your blog will load swiftly and securely if you use a decent hosting service.
- Sign up for a free account with WordPress
- Choose a theme and personalize your blog.
- Create social media pages to help you promote your blog.
- Look for engaging material and worthwhile themes to write about.
- Establish a blogging schedule.
- Write your stuff and then publish it.
Why Should You Start a Blog?
What good is a blog if you don't have a clear aim in mind? That is, how would blogging assist you? Although blogs are simple to start up, this does not imply that they will be simple to maintain. Blogging's goal is to provide helpful material to your viewers so they may learn something new or be inspired. Aside from that, there are numerous reasons to start a blog:
Making Money on the Side is a great way to supplement your income.
Blogging may be a good source of passive income, whether you want to use it to promote your own eCommerce business or to sell other people's items as an affiliate. Bloggers make roughly $37k per year on average. Even if you don't expect to rely only on your blog's income, this is a very respectable sum that may save you a lot of money.
Keep in mind, though, that your blog's success will ultimately be determined by how you manage it. That covers everything you do from the start. Don't worry, this blog will teach you all you need to know about launching a successful blog.
Enhancing Your Writing Ability
It's critical to practice your skills as a writer at all times. There's no such thing as hitting the limit of your potential since there's always opportunity to improve as long as you keep learning. Because you get a lot of feedback through comments, emails, and social media shares, blogging is a great place to practice.
Writing a blog is comparable to writing an essay in that you must organize your thoughts, develop material, and write properly. It's a useful ability to have for your resume, portfolio, or email applications.
Sharing and Receiving Feedback
Blogging is about sharing your information, experiences, and ideas with others so that they can benefit from them. You'll know what people are seeking for and how to help them if you have a specialty. Depending on your purpose, you may always give useful information or even self-help tips.
As a blogger, you'll receive a flood of comments and emails from readers who want additional information on the subject you're covering. People will also openly express their ideas and opinions on what you've been writing about in order to have a better grasp of the subject.
Developing Your Brand
Running a blog for your brand will only assist you in the long term, no matter what area of company you're in or what you do. You may use your blog to demonstrate your knowledge, goods, and services to the rest of the world. Even if you're not employed by a large corporation, you have a brand.
If you have a blog that adds value to people's lives, they will start talking about it and telling their friends about it. This provides you visibility, which leads to brand recognition, trust, and loyalty. This expansion may greatly aid in the development of your brand.
Taking Advantage Of Community
The internet community is vast and far-reaching. Regardless matter whether you're a writer, photographer, web designer, or blogger, everyone is reading your blog articles and following your social media accounts. They're paying attention to what you're saying and adding their own opinions to the conversation.
If you want to take advantage of this community of bloggers, you'll need to make yourself personable so that people can readily connect with you. This is where social media helps. For people to discover what they're looking for in you, you'll need to develop an engaging and fascinating personality for your blog.
Making Friends
Blogging is the way to go if you've been looking for a platform where individuals from all over the world can come together and share their views, problems, pain spots, and habits. There are many various sorts of individuals ready to connect with you on your blog, from company owners to mothers. All they want to do is join your community.
The comments and encouragement you receive from others who follow you will be beneficial to you. If you're just getting started, this will assist you in growing your blog and honing your writing talents by allowing you to interact with actual people and their perspectives.
What Are the Requirements for Starting a Blog?
If you're wondering what tools you'll need to start a blog, you'll be relieved to hear that there aren't many. I know successful bloggers who began with nothing and with the minimal essentials. The fundamental concept is that you must have access to the internet and a device on which to compose and distribute your material.
That's it. Indeed, with today's technological advancements, you can even establish, manage, and earn money from a blog all from your phone. I'd wager you already have all you need in your hands.
Internet accessibility
Your primary necessity is access to the internet. You'll need a fast internet connection so that you can run editing and publishing software without it being slow, sluggish, or annoying. This is critical because the more often you update your blog and post new information, the faster your server will become clogged and it will become more difficult for people to browse through all of your content.
If you don't have an internet connection, you may always hire a hosting provider and have one installed for you.
Your Blog Posts and Editing Software
To edit your blog entries, you may use a variety of technologies, including most good word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. These are completely free, simple to use, and excellent for polishing your work before releasing it to the public.
If you prefer a one-and-done approach, you may compose your blog material directly on your blog hosting service, such as WordPress or Wix — both of which are entirely free.
Blog Posting Software
You'll want to publish your blog article for everyone to read after it's in excellent form. Again, you may use any quality word processing program for this, but it's probable that you'll want something particularly designed for maintaining a blog because some functions are just unavailable in normal packages.
You may plan your posts in advance using blogging software so that they are automatically sent out at a specified time and day. Headers, footers, images, and social network connections may all be included. Of course, this applies only if you publish your blogs outside of WordPress, Wix, or whatever blogging platform you're using.
Commitment and Time
If you've never blogged before and want to start now, you should expect a lot more than just producing a blog post. It will take time to promote your content on social media and drive traffic to your website. It may be preferable to begin with a hobby blog where you are not attempting to make money or get followers.
There is no getting around the fact that blogging requires time and dedication. It is not a company that you can enter and exit at your leisure. You must commit to maintaining your blog on a regular basis, providing fresh content, and engaging with your followers. It will necessitate some work.
Tutorial on How to Make a Blog for Free
Now that we've covered the fundamentals, it's time to start working on your blog! Here's how:
1. Choose a niche - When starting a blog, the first step is to choose a niche. This is something you should look into before you start writing so you don't end up writing a blog on something you find boring or uninteresting. Fashion is a popular area to begin with, especially if it is the current style for ladies or men. It's also a good idea to research other popular themes such as cleaning, vacation, home management, and life hacking. Some people stick to niches they know they're enthusiastic about and perform really well in them. If you run a LEGO toy blog and post images of your favorite toys, those are likely to be warmly received by your intended audience. Another possibility is to start a blog on something absolutely random, such as bizarre facts or strange news items. The main reason you should choose a niche is so that you may concentrate on giving value to that specific audience. Many aspiring bloggers make the mistake of believing that if they start with a broad topic that appeals to everyone, they will have time to cover more specific issues as the blog grows in popularity. The unfortunate fact is that unless you provide something of value to your readers, you will not be able to exist. Having said that, here are a few things to think about while picking a niche for your blog:
Is this a well-known topic?
It's critical that you choose a niche that's easy for others to identify; otherwise, no one will read your site and you'll be left with nothing. You should make certain that your topic can be found on Google and other search engines. If you can't find what you're looking for on Google, chances are that no one else will either. Your specialty should also be accessible via free or paid websites.
Is this a profitable niche?
Bloggers frequently ask themselves, "What's the point of blogging if no one ever reads it?" This isn't the only option. If you choose a niche that does provide a commercial opportunity, you will be able to generate content that appeals to an audience that would profit from reading about it.
Relationship Building with the Niche
It is also critical that you select a specialty with which you have a relationship. It's not unusual for bloggers to pursue a subject they don't particularly care about in the hopes of increasing traffic from search engines. What's the point of creating content for SEO purposes that focuses on a topic that you're not interested in? It's akin to someone starting a blog on how to earn money in traffic rather than how to make money through affiliate marketing or selling items online.
As a general rule, if you don't find your specialty intriguing, neither will your audience. Most people will not be able to relate to or find value in what you're saying, You'll entirely lose their attention if you make an offer.
2. Choose a blog name - This is where the majority of folks appear to get stuck. You should choose a name that is both relevant and unique. You don't have to have a catchphrase or anything, but you should choose something that reflects your personality.
A prevalent trend among novice bloggers is to seek for topics that are relevant to their personal lives or experiences. If you already have a business and want to start a blog, this stage may be much easier for you.
However, if you're beginning from scratch, you'll need to consider the format of your blog. If it's going to be an instructional blog, it may be called something like connected to education or to the subject.
Here are some ideas for blog names:
Make the obvious statement.
Consider the topic of the blog and come up with anything that anyone can predict. Make an effort to make the name memorable. You want people to be able to swiftly locate your site so they can acquire the information they want.
Take a look at the website Copyblogger for an illustration of this. If you're unfamiliar, it's a blog that provides copywriting and marketing advice. The name is self-explanatory, but it also conveys to potential readers that they will discover useful material on their site.
Maintain brevity.
If you're planning to make a website for your company or group, keep the name simple and straightforward. You are not need to have a corporate-sounding name, such as "Our Awesome Company." That is something best left to large corporations. You'll want to choose something that appeals to the target demographic.
HubSpot is one of my favorite names since it's descriptive and to-the-point. The blog is about online marketing, namely inbound marketing. Many experts will tell you that inbound marketing is superior to outbound marketing, and HubSpot has a wealth of information on how to accomplish just that.
Make use of clever names.
If you've ever wondered why so many people have a blog called "The Manly Man," you'll be relieved to know that there is a method to their madness. Some individuals believe that blogs with a more macho tone receive more visitors. This is because men want to brag about how masculine they are, and when their buddies read it, they'll want to check out that type of site.
The irony is that I cannot personally support this. It's difficult to suppose anything like that would be important, but if we look at the statistics, we can see that this strategy has some validity.
Make It Stick in Your Mind
If you're stuck for ideas, consider a snappy phrase that connects to the topic of your blog. It may be anything, but it should be memorable and simple to say. The greatest option is to go with something short and simple to speak or spell.
The name should not be too lengthy or contain too many special characters. You want people to remember and, as a result, spread it.
Put Your Name Here
If you're seeking to establish your professional identity, you should think about naming your blog after yourself. This does not, however, necessitate the use of the same name. Something like "The Chris Keagle Blog" may work. I can discover Chris Keagle on YouTube and tell she's a blogger just by looking at her name.
If you're attempting to develop a brand for other purposes, you may use something like "My Blog" or something like. You don't have to use your actual name or anything like that, but you should have some individuality.
Before we proceed, keep in mind that you should double-check to see if the domain name for the blog name you select is still available. If not, you should make some changes.
3. Obtain web hosting for your website - If you're serious about starting a blog, be sure it's properly hosted. Most individuals do not consider this until it is too late. After all, who wants to waste money when they might be promoting their own website?
I won't get into the nitty gritty of hosting because there are plenty of publications on the internet that do so. Even if I had time in this guide, I'd probably just link to another page on the subject.
For the sake of this article, I'll assume you have a budget that you're willing to spend and that you're attempting to develop a blog with a significant level of traffic. This is not something that can be accomplished immediately, but it must begin with a strong foundation.
I propose that you host your material on WordPress to get things started right. It has a lot of clout and is really well-liked. Not to mention that it only costs $20 each month.
If you've never used WordPress before, you should start by visiting their website.
4. Sign up for a free account with WordPress - As previously said, it's critical to get your blog off to a good start. That entails signing up for a free WordPress account.
The first step is to go to the sign-up website and fill out all of the required information. This includes your email address, so make sure it's something you're comfortable using for the rest of this instruction. After that, choose one of the plans they provide and proceed by clicking next.
By the way, selecting the free plan is absolutely OK! In fact, if you're just starting off with your blog, that's a terrific idea. Paid plans start at $4.95 per month and go up from there, There isn't anything wrong with the free plan. That's how the majority of folks begin!
After selecting the free plan, you must validate your email address. Go ahead and click the link they provide you so they can email you your password. After that, please click "Log In" so that we may continue this procedure.
5. Choose a theme and personalize your blog - On WordPress and Wix, you may select from a plethora of customisable themes. The only thing you really need to know is that you can design your own menus and connections. It's simple and won't consume much of your time.
You should select a WordPress free theme. I know it's tempting because you've undoubtedly heard that there are many paid themes available, but I'd recommend picking one with a layout that emphasizes precisely how you want your readers to feel when they visit your site.
There are other themes that accomplish this, but I like the "blank canvas" option. This allows you to tailor your blog to your specific needs.
The whole point of using a free theme is to make it easier to build on something that already exists. You may tweak things as much as you like, but you won't have to invest money or learn how to develop your own website.
6. Create social media pages to help you promote your blog
Social media is huge, and if you don't have a social presence, you're not going to get very far as a blogger. The idea here is to make it as simple as possible for people to find your blog, follow you on other websites, and share your work with the rest of the world.
Create an account on Google+. This will allow you to share links on that website in the future, which is crucial.
Set up your Twitter account after that. There are several methods to increase your following in the future, but this is a fantastic place to start.
Now, if you haven't already done so, go to Facebook and establish an account. You should proceed in the same manner as you did with Google+. While you're creating your Facebook profile, connect it to your other social media accounts so that others may quickly discover you.
7. Look for engaging material and worthwhile themes to write about - If you want to acquire any substantial traffic from your blog, this is a must-do step. Once you've established your blog and social media accounts, you can begin looking at trending material on the internet. Keep an eye out for blog entries that are getting a lot of attention on the internet. Most crucial, make sure you're providing valuable information to your audience.
When you're attempting to grow an audience, remember that quality is more essential than quantity. People will lose interest in what you're doing if they begin to question why their articles aren't receiving any views from Google.
8. Establish a blogging schedule - You won't be able to post every day, of course. You'll need some time to create great material on your own, and you won't always have the chance to submit fresh articles or podcasts. That is why, before you begin, you must establish a publishing schedule.
Make sure that this timetable corresponds to the amount of time you'll need to create content. If you're going to spend 30 minutes a day writing, attempt to space these out. The last thing you want is for folks to see your newest blog article from December 30th!
Some bloggers like to compose their posts and schedule them ahead of time so that they may promote them on social media afterwards. This is a good idea if you want others to become acquainted with what you're doing, but it's also OK if you don't have the time for this phase.
9. Write your stuff and then publish it - It's finally time to start creating your content now that you've established your timetable! Start writing a blog entry now.
When it comes to creating a blog article, keep in mind that you are communicating to a group of people. If you can't think of anything to write about in the first place, try brainstorming for 10-15 minutes and scribbling some thoughts down on paper. You may also do this for future blog entries if you discover that creating something amazing takes too long, or if you have some other significant material that will surprise your readers.
When you've decided on a concept, it's time to grab your video camera and start filming.
How to Make Money by Creating a Blog for Free
If you're just getting started, you should keep your blogging expenses as minimal as possible. You don't need to spend a lot of money on this step, and I'll teach you precisely how to generate money from a site you developed for free!
1. Displaying Ads
When it comes to generating money from a blog, Google will be your best buddy for the most part. In fact, you may already have an AdSense account. If not, you should absolutely join up for one and start earning money from adverts.
Google will allow you to place adverts on your site and will pay you from their advertising accounts based on how many people click on those links.
2. Affiliate Link Exchange
Sharing affiliate links is another method to earn money from your site. This is possible with almost any link, although it is a little more difficult than it appears.
The Amazon Associates program is a great illustration of how this works in practice. Amazon allows you to include unique links on your website that allow visitors to discover the things they desire and have them delivered straight to their door. The fantastic part about this service is that you'll earn a certain percentage of the money that someone purchases.
3. Products for Sale
People want to buy things and will visit your site to do so. You may generate income simply by selling things on your site. Affiliate links and connections to products you manage are the two most common.
4. Book Writing and Publication
You may sell e-books and paper books straight via your blog. This is extremely effective if you have a significant following! Even if you're just starting out, selling e-books is a terrific method to generate money.
5. Digital Product Distribution
If you want to attract people's attention, you might consider developing a one-of-a-kind digital product that they can use and enjoy. Digital music, digital photographs, and digital artwork are examples of digital goods.
6. Sell Your Own Goods and/or Services
If you want to market your own products or services, this is a terrific method to earn money. You'll be able to reuse a lot of the content your audience is already familiar with, and you'll be able to sell directly from your blog.
7. Business Promotion
If your site generates genuine traffic, you may begin exploring for firms willing to pay you to market their products.
This is how I generate some additional money, and it's a terrific way to help people find and promote a company or product.
8. Locate Potential Sponsors
If you want to go really ambitious and plan out a year of writing, finding sponsors for your site is the finest thing you can do. You may sign a contract with them promising to provide excellent material on a regular basis in exchange for the money they are ready to pay you. And now your blog may earn you money!
9. Make a Membership Website.
Setting up an exclusive-access website is one method to generate money as a blogger. Viewers will have to pay for or subscribe to your blog material in this manner before they can access it.
10. Market Your Products and Services
If you know what you're doing, you might be able to generate money from your blog by marketing your company or service. People will be able to contact you for particular outcomes, and your services will also be able to generate revenue for you.
Conclusion: How to Easily Create a Blog
I hope this post has helped you understand how to build and monetize your own blog. I also hope you found these suggestions beneficial and will put them to use when you first start off. Please share this content on social media with your friends if you find it useful! Also, if you want to know how to start a blog and make money from it, write a comment below.