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The Step-by-step Guide to Starting a Successful Blog

Creating and managing a successful blog has the potential to improve your life. For some, blogging is a way to blow off steam after a stressful day at work, while for others, it’s a fun side hustle. One that allows them to earn extra money on top of their regular day job.

Still, for others, blogging has become a successful business—one so profitable that many are quitting their jobs, traveling the world, and living life on their own terms.

 

Why Do People Blog?

Most bloggers cite different reasons for why they do what they do. Even Twitter, Instagram, and other social networks are holding the baton once carried by the blogosphere, the most successful blogs still have a clear tone, voice, and approach.

As blogging continues to grow, there are many reasons why people blog. Here are just a few:

• Share expertise and experience
• Increase self-confidence
• Gain personal or business recognition
• Enhance writing and thinking skills
• Expand networking opportunities with professional peers
• Process your own thoughts
• Make money
• Blogging also allows you to connect with people interested in the same things as you

So, how do you start a blog? Here are several easy-to-follow steps to start a successful blog, and no technical experience is required.

 

1. Determine What You’re Going to Say

If you’re part of a company, business, or organization, your blog should relate to the service(s) or product(s) you provide or the cause you promote.

But if you’re an individual, you’re more flexible in choosing the topic(s) you want. The main things to remember are:

• Blog About Something You Enjoy– If you’re not excited about your topic, writing about it will be drudgery. And who wants that?
• Choose a Niche in Which You Can Easily Establish Yourself as an Authority– Possibly, you won’t be the first person to write about a particular topic. For your blog to stand out, come up with a unique angle, as best as you can.
• Blog About Topics with Plenty of Room for Discussion– A blog post requires lots of content to get going and remain interesting.

In your blog, you’re the expert on your niche, and you’ll need a lot of time to maintain that status. So, choose a topic you can enjoy learning about continually.

 

2. Find the Right Platform

To blog, you need a blogging platform for your site. A blogging platform is an online software service (content management system or CMS) that makes it easy to create blogs and manage your content.

Choosing the right blogging platform can be tough since there are different providers to choose from. But the best website builders for any type of site should be flexible, functional, and customizable.

Before selecting any platform, decide whether you want a free or self-hosted blog.

Anyone can sign up with a free blogging platform such as Blogger, WordPress, and Tumblr. However, if you’re serious about blogging, the free option isn’t the way to go.

There are many downsides of a free blogging service – such as limited customization, monetization, and traffic. But most importantly, you’ll not have control over your site.

However, in a self-hosted site, you’ll have no limitations related to your blog. Your blog will look more professional. Plus, you’re fully in charge of your blog and its contents.

 

3. Nail the Design

Choosing the right design or theme for your site is an important step to setting up your own online empire. Once you’ve picked your topic and decided what blogging platform to use, the only thing standing in your way f getting your blog live is figuring out how you want it to look.

As a general rule, you need to create a blog that’s both eye-catching and practical. You want your readers to find the information they’re looking for easily.

Blogging platforms offer thousands of design templates for users. There are also typical designs exclusively for particular niches. Depending on your platform, you can choose and customize any blog template and activate it on your site.

Here are a few things to consider when choosing a blog design:

• Aim for Simplicity– Look for a design that presents a clear layout and helps you support your goal. Avoid overly complicated designs.
• Give Priority to Responsiveness– Responsive themes adjust layouts across different screen sizes and devices. Test a mobile readiness of a design before activating it on your website.
• Browser Compatibility– Your visitors will be visiting your site using different browsers. Make sure you test new themes on different browsers, including Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari, to ensure consistency.

 

4. Get Started Writing

Once your blog is up and running, identify your voice, and create content for your site. Whether your website comprises graphics, words, photos, videos, audio, or other formats, the content is the bait that attracts traffic to your site.

However, you should avoid common beginner bloggers’ mistakes, such as focusing on ideas that only interest you.

It’s not always easy to come up with different, engaging topics regularly. So, mix up tone and subject matter in every post to keep things interesting.

 

Tips for Creating Best Blog Content:

• Your posts should answer readers’ questions
• Ensure the posts are as long as they need to be
• Always edit your work before publishing and remove any contents that aren’t up to standards
• Format posts the right way
• Don’t overuse images; the more photos your post has, the longer it takes to load

Creating a blog doesn’t have to be complicated. Also, it isn’t only for the tech-savvy. By focusing on your passion and using the right blogging platform, and nailing the design, you’re on your way to building a successful blog that drives traffic.