Blogging is one of the most interesting careers in recent times. It is a path explored by many and is gradually rising to become an option paved by professionals in the creative space. If you are someone who is passionate about a certain project or have a topic in mind that you dearly want to express and talk about, starting a blog about it would be a great idea!
However, becoming a blogger requires grit, perseverance and hard work. So, before choosing it as a full-time career, here are important prerequisites on how to become a blogger:
1. Being A ‘Jack Of All Trades’
Understanding how to start a blog will require you to play multiple roles in the project, especially in the beginning. From creating content to executing it well and from managing your blog website to handling its promotion and social media strategy, you’ll be donning many hats at one go. It is fascinating to think of yourself as the boss, but always remember you’ll have to engage in the daily basics as well.
2. Hard Work Always Pays Off
If you work hard, success will be in line with you! Every project or startup takes a lot of planning, hard work and the right implementation to set things right. There is never an easier way to success and that’s why you must never give up. Keep working towards your goal and you’ll surely make it big one day.
3. Patience & Persistence Is The Key
The key to success is ‘patience & persistence’! While it is easier said than done, it is important to understand that things fall in place at the right time. There may be many occasions where you are working hard and doing everything in your capacity but are still not happy with the results. That’s when you need to be patient and continue to work hard every single day. Never give up on the dream you dreamt on how to start a blog.
4. Keeping Up With Success
It is important to have a head above your shoulders. Achieving success can be comparatively easier than keeping up with it. Success can come soon and go away sooner. Thus, it is crucial to be honest, stay humble and continue to work hard and grow bigger. Enjoy your success and flaunt it too but never let it get to your head.
How To Create A Blog?
Once you have decided how to create a blog for your passion project, it is time to understand the various aspects and step-by-step process that goes behind producing it. Here are important steps to keep in mind when you are starting off:
1. Choose A Niche For Your Blog
It is imperative that you figure out a niche for your blog in order to have a successful blogging journey. Also, it should be something that you are passionate about so that you and your audience remain interested. Also, in the process – it is a good idea to map out your competitors, understand your niche size and analyse the potential of monetisation.
2. Choose A Blogging Platform
There are two types of platforms available while thinking about how to start a blog. You can either choose a hosted blog or a self-hosted one. A hosted blog will start for free but will charge later once you use all their services and you’ll also be subject to their rules & regulations. While self-hosted ones will charge you a minimal amount with you having full control over the platform. Both options include some amount of money but the latter is definitely cheaper on the pocket. It just depends on what kind of domain name, storage space, bandwidth and blog hosting services you require for your blog type.
3. Pick A Domain Name
A domain name is primarily the name that your blog will be known by on the internet. It is your blog’s unique address & one of the most important steps in how to create a blog. Thus you need to choose an interesting but niche name to stand out! It is always recommended that you choose dot com since it is popular and easy to remember. However, if you are unable to get through – you could choose another extension or your country’s niche.
4. Get A Web Hosting Account
Choosing a reliable web hosting account is crucial for the future of your blog. It is best advised to map out a couple of hosting companies and compare their prices and reliability before choosing one. The hosting company essentially guarantees the functioning of your website and the permanent availability of it online. So, if you are looking at how to make money blogging, the primary step is to have a smooth-running website all year round.
5. Starting A Blog On WordPress
WordPress will be your best friend when you are looking at how to become a blogger. It serves as a great starting point and is a popular web hosting platform too. Setting up your blog and making an account is not that difficult. There are simple steps like selecting a hosting plan, setting up your domain name, registering with your host, syncing your WordPress blog with the host and finally launching your blog. It is a good idea to stick to the steps & follow them to the tee and you’ll definitely have a great looking & functioning website to go!
6. Choose A Theme & Design For Your Blog
Having an attractive blog will definitely create a positive image of your brand and will attract more audience too. One of the most important steps at learning how to earn from blogging stems from the fact of having a well-designed website in the first place. Once you’ve installed and set-up your blog, you can spend time in choosing a theme by reading the ratings and reading the description. Make sure to design a great logo, customise your plug-ins and finalise on the look of your blog that impersonates you!
7. Focus On Writing Engaging Content & Backing It With The Right Promotion
Now onto the main part of how to become a blogger? Focus on producing great content for your audience. Understand that your content should be accessible, it should speak to your target audience and should have a commercial value to it. Once you are through with your content, work on promoting it smartly! You can start with a pre-launch of an ‘introduction’ page and ‘about us’ page where you are introducing your brand to the audience and then the launch where you regularly upload all your content. The post-launch will then include word-of-mouth among your family & friends, putting yourself out there on a search engine, being active on social media, indulging in guest blogging and paid advertising if you have the funds for it! These step-by-step processes will define your thought behind the project and will set you apart from the rest of the brands.
8. Focus On Monetising Your Blog
Monetising from your blog activity or understanding how to earn from blogging is the final step in your blog journey. However, it is important that you aren’t only looking at earning but also generating interesting content for your audience. The crux of a returning audience highly depends on the type of content you put up. Some interesting ways to monetise is by joining an affiliate program, selling your services, writing an ebook, sponsored posts or running ads on your website. Always remember that patience is the key to give your project ample of time and you’ll definitely see results.
5 Key Takeaways
- Start your own blog only if you are seriously passionate about the project. You should have a strong reason behind it and an urge that lasts permanently
- Once you have made up your mind, know and weigh your prerequisites before diving deep into the processes
- There are various ways on how to create a blog, however, you need to identify the processes that resonate with your goals and final output
- Content is the key! So, when the processes are in place and your blog is ready, try to make the magic happen. Work at churning out the best content ever
- The last and key takeaway is to aid your blog into making money but not losing out on your passion to create content because that is why you started a blog in the first place
Aspiring to create a career in the blogging industry is an interesting choice and will take you a long way if you are a great writer or a person bubbling with creativity. The crux of blogging lies in turning your passion into your job! And while that sounds like fun, it is a journey of hard work, passion, creativity, excellent writing skills and the ability to execute your project to the right target audience. More so, if you’ve got the pulse of your blog, you are ready for the roller-coaster ride!
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What can I blog about?
A. Blogging about something you are passionate about makes your job easy. It is also beneficial to make your blog stand out since you already have the knowledge, research and skill to talk about it. Make sure to always start a blog revolving around your area of interest so that you never double-guess your venture.
Q. How to start a blog?
A. When you look forward to starting a blog, make sure that you have a great idea or cause to start with, funds to support your idea and buy a domain name and the processes that follow and lots of time to spare because it is a full-time job in itself.
Q. How to create a blog?
A. Blogs could be created in various ways. You can appoint a professional web-designer if you have the funds. If not, you can invest in a web-hosting platform and work your way at designing your own website. And though it may be time-consuming, you’ll at least learn the processes and will be owning it your way.
Q. How to create a blog for free?
A. There are various platforms that could help you host a free blog. And while the hosting company might charge you a nominal fee at a later stage, the initial rounds will help you with a dip-stick experience of the market and your target audience.
Q. How to ensure my blog is successful?
A. While there is never a guarantee in any business, you should definitely work towards that goal or figure out how to create a blog for free. Ensure that all your stepping stones are in the right direction and your background checks should be in place. Know your audience, understand your cause, ensure you have a back-up idea and indulge in a strong implementation. Hard work always pays off.
Q. How to earn from my blog?
A. Earning from a blog is possible once you’ve set foot in all the directions towards the end goal. Monetising your blog comes at a later stage of your content journey and with an increased audience base and interesting content, generating money becomes possible.