How to Start a Blog - how to start a blog for beginners

How to Start a Blog

How to Start a Blog

How to Start a Blog - how to start a blog for beginners.

Looking for a general guide about how you will start a blog?

This page shows you to create a blog with only the primary computer skills in 20 minutes.

After you finish this guide you will have a great blog that is ready to share with the world.

This guide is especially made for newcomers. Using lots of pictures and videos to fully clean them I will continue to you through every step.

If you are stuck or interrogated at a moment you just send me a message and I will try my best to help you.

Ready to start? Click here to avoid intro and start creating your blog now.

How to start a blog for newcomers

My name is Scott Chow, and I'm going to show you how to start blogging today. I've been creating blogs and websites since 2002, so I started several blogs of myself and helped hundreds of others to do this.

I know that starting a blog may seem overwhelming and terrifying. This free guide is about blogging for newcomers and how you need to teach you most computer skills to be a blogger. So why not 8 or 88, you can create your own blog in 20 minutes.

I was not ashamed to admit when I was learning the first blog that I made a ton of mistake. You can benefit from more than a decade of my experience so you do not repeat these same mistakes when you make your blog. I created this free guide so that the whole apprentice can learn to blog quickly and easily.

So, how do you start a blog?

Learn how to create a blog in about 20 minutes by following these steps:

How to start a blog in 6 steps

Choose the name of a blog. Choose a descriptive name for your blog.

Get your blog online. Register your blog and get hosting.

Customize your blog. Choose a free blog design template and tweet it.

Write and publish your first post. Share with the world of your thoughts. The funny part!

Promotion of your blog. Get more people to read your blog with proper marketing.

Money is blogging. Choose from several options to make your blog cash.

Should you start a blog?

How to Start a Blog, A misconception about starting a blog is that you need to be a great author to succeed. Nothing can be from the truth. People read blog sites to get personal aspects in things, so most bloggers write in the style of very informal and conversation.

And because of the format, many successful bloggers will write about different topics on the same blog.

Furthermore, you do not need to be an expert on anything that you have a successful blog. For example, visitors do not want to read a textbook from a food scientist on a cooking blog, they want to hear someone who has actually cooked some real food, wrong and all.

The only requirement to be successful as a blogger is the only requirement: your subject is passion for the subject.

In its heart, blogging is about sharing your knowledge with the world. You are the process of starting writing a successful blog about festive topics. As long as you write about things interested will enlighten your emotions and keep your visitors interested.

So why do you enter blogging problems? There are several reasons:

Share your story. A blog gives you a voice and is heard. If you prefer you can share your story with the whole world. One of the most common ways to use blogs is as a diary where the blogger writes about their daily experience so that friends, family and others can all be part of their lives.

Earn money from home. Blogging can be quite profitable if done properly. Top bloggers in the world certainly earn some parts -a part -time bloggers can expect great profit if things are done correctly. The best part about it is blogging is a form of passive income, since you can spend a few hours a week and then you can achieve from it after the text is finished. After this guide, I go to more details on how to blog for money.

Recognition for yourself or your business. No, the paparazzi probably won't follow you because of your recent posts. But a successful blog can turn your ideas into reality and get you a ton of recognition in your respective field. Many bloggers are known as experts just because of their blogs, and some have even gotten book and movie deals based on their blogs.

Find a community. At its heart, blogging is interactive. You write a post and people comment on it. Blogging allows you to teach these people based on your experience and it gives you the opportunity to learn from your readers.

Ready to start? Click here to go to step #1 of the guide

What is a blog anyway?

In short, a blog is a type of website that focuses primarily on written content, also known as blog posts. In popular culture we often hear of news blogs or celebrity blog sites, but as you'll see in this guide, you can start a successful blog on just about any topic imaginable.

Bloggers often write from a personal perspective which allows them to connect directly with their readers. Also, most blogs have a "comments" section where visitors can interact with the blogger. Interacting with your audience in the comment section helps increase the connection between blogger and reader

This direct connection with the reader is one of the main advantages of starting a blog. This connection allows you to interact and share ideas with other like-minded people. This allows you to build trust with your readers. Having the trust and loyalty of your readers opens the door to monetizing your blog, which I'll discuss later in this guide.

The good news is that the Internet is now exploding with growth. More people are online than ever before. This burst of growth means more potential readers for your blog. In short, if you're thinking of starting a blog, there's no better time than now.

Let's start your blog!

Step 1: Choose a blog name

How to Start a Blog, Skip to the next section if you're not sure what your blog name is or what the blog is

If you already have an idea for your blog name, you can make sure that no one else has already registered it:

Check if your blog name is available:

Enter blog name and extension here…

Note: You cannot use any spaces or punctuation marks other than dashes in a domain name.

If you find that the name you want is already taken, you can do something like this:

Try a different domain extension. You may still be able to get the .net or .org version of the name if the .com version is already registered

Add abbreviations. Words like “a”, “my”, “best”, or “the”. For example, this site is called TheBlogStarter.com instead of BlogStarter.com.

Add dashes between words. For example, scott-chow.com

How to choose a blog topic and name

If you don't already have an idea for a name, the first step is to choose your blog topic.

If you're not sure what to blog about, here are a few ways to find a good blog topic:

Life Experience Everyone has to learn through life experience. Sharing this knowledge can be incredibly helpful to others in similar situations.

For example, I recently helped a woman start her blog about being a fireman's wife

Think about the things you have experienced in life. It could be related to your family (example: a blog about staying at home), work (a blog about experiences working with clients), or other life experiences (difficult times like illness or divorce, or happiness like marriage or the birth of a child (preparation ) hours).

A personal blog. A personal blog is a blog about you. This will include everything from what you do every day to random thoughts and songs. It's a great way to share your thoughts with the world without sticking to just one topic

Hobbies and Passions Hobbies or other interests that interest you are a great place to start. Cooking, travel, fashion, sports and cars are all classic examples. But blogs about more obscure hobbies can be successful, since your audience is literally anyone in the world with an Internet connection

Once you have a topic, choose your blog name, also known as your domain name

A good blog name should be descriptive so that potential visitors can immediately tell what your blog is about from the name.

If you're blogging about a specific topic, you'll definitely want to include that when choosing a domain name, don't try to stop at just one word. For example, a cooking blog does not have to contain the word "cooking". The words "food", "recipes" and "food" will also let people know that your blog is about cooking.

If you plan to create a personal blog where you discuss various topics, I recommend using your name, or some variation of it, since your blog is about you. For example, I own the blog scottchow.com. If you see that your name is already taken, you can add your middle name or middle initial. Or you can use a variation like "Scott Chow Blog" or "Blogging with Scott".

Can't decide on a good name for your blog? Contact me and I will help you personally (for free)!

Once you have some name ideas you need to choose a domain extension.

A .com domain extension is preferred, but .net or .org also work. It is also important to note that for a blog domain purpose you cannot put any spaces between words. So "Blogging with Scott" becomes bloggingwithscott.com

Step 2: Get your blog online

How to Start a Blog, Now that you've chosen a name it's time to get your blog online. It may seem difficult or technical, but the steps below will guide you in the right direction and make the process easy

Simple Steps to Help You Create a Blog Easily To get your blog up and running you need two things: blog hosting (also known as web hosting) and blogging software. The good news is that these are usually packaged together.

A blog host is a company that stores all the files for your blog and delivers them to users when they type in your blog name. To have a blog you must have a blog host.

You must have software to create your blog. In this guide I will show you how to create a blog using WordPress blogging software, as it is the most popular, customizable and easiest to use.

The web host I recommend, and the one I show you to use in this guide, is BlueHost. I personally use BlueHost and I recommend them to all new bloggers because:

They will register your custom domain name for free, ensuring that no one else can take it.

They have a 30 day money back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason.

They offer a free, automatic installation of WordPress blogging software (which I show you how to use in this guide).

They offer reliable web hosting powered by WordPress since 2005 and they currently host over 2 million blogs and websites.

They have 24/7 helpful customer service via phone or web chat.

Use any BlueHost link on this site by November 11th to get the special Veterans Day sale price of $1.99 per month.

Disclosure: BlueHost compensates the blog starter if you buy through this link, so my services are free for you! In fact, if you have any trouble setting up the blog with this tutorial, just contact me and I'll do it for you (for free!).

1. Click here to get the special Veterans Day sale price of $1.99 per month on Bluehost until November 11th and then click "Get Started Now".

Web hosting special discount

2. Select your plan. I recommend that beginner bloggers get the basic plan. Click "Select" to choose your plan.

All BlueHost plans include everything you need to get your blog up and running, including a free custom domain name, easy WordPress installation, web hosting, and custom email address (yourname@yourdomain.com).

Choose a hosting plan from Bluehost

3. Type your domain name in the box and then click "Search for Domain" to start the registration process.

When you register a domain name, your contact information is placed in a database of domain name owners. If you want to keep your information private, be sure to check the box labeled "Add Personal Registration" in the top right.

If you already own a domain name and want to use it for your blog, check the box on the top left.

Select a domain name

4. Now you will also choose your hosting package options.

How to Start a Blog, You will get the best price if you choose 1 year package. The discount price is automatically applied when you click on any BlueHost link on this page.

I recommend deleting the "Professional Email" free trial. You will still be able to create custom email addresses (yourname@yourblog.com) without this feature

Select your settings and packages

5. Fill in your billing details and create your account password on the registration page

Create an account

Once you do this you will be taken to an installation helper. You can click "Skip this step" on the next few pages to take you directly to the dashboard as you follow this tutorial.

How to use the WordPress installation wizard

6. Install WordPress blogging platform.

Now the system will automatically install WordPress. When the installation is complete, click the "Log in WordPress" button on the top right to log in to your blog's admin area.

WordPress blog installation on Bluehost is complete

Having trouble installing your blog? Get help here.

Step 3: Customize your blog

How do I start a blog? You can watch me create and customize a beautiful blog from scratch here:

The video above should answer many of your questions about how to set up a blog and customize it. Here's a step-by-step break-down of some of the things I show in the video.

Log in

If you haven't logged in from the previous step, go to Bluehost.com and click "Login" in the top right to bring up the login screen. You can then login using your domain name and password set in the previous step. If you have misplaced your password, you can reset it by clicking the "Forgot Password" link.

Login to your account and start creating your blog

Once you log in you will be taken to your BlueHost portal. From the portal you can click the blue "WordPress" button to automatically log in to your WordPress blog.

Change your blog design

Once you login you will be in the WordPress dashboard. This is where you can make any changes to your blog.

Everyone has a different idea of ​​how they want their blog to look. One of the great things about WordPress is that you can change your entire layout and design with just a few clicks.

In WordPress, blog layouts are known as "themes". What is a blog theme? Themes control the entire design of your WordPress blog. To change your theme you are going to click on the "Appearance" tab on the left menu.

How to choose a theme

You will find that your blog already has several free WordPress themes installed: Twenty Seventeen, Twenty Sixteen, etc. These are well-designed, clean-looking themes that can work for almost any type of blog. In fact, many of the world's top bloggers use one of these themes.

If you don't have a very specific design in mind for your blog, I recommend using one of these themes to get you started. For our example, let's use the "Twenty Sixteen" WordPress theme. To activate the theme on your blog, hover over the theme and click the "Activate" button! You have changed the entire design of your blog with just one click!

How to activate the theme

If you don't like one of the already installed themes, you can easily choose from thousands of other free WordPress themes. To install a new WordPress theme, click the "Appearance" tab in the left menu and then click "Add New Theme."

How to install a new theme

This is the WordPress theme search screen. There are thousands of themes to choose from. You can change your entire design at any time by activating a new WordPress theme. To find a theme you like, I suggest you click on the "Popular" tab and when you find one you like, click the blue "Install" button to start browsing.

How to change your theme

Once the theme is installed click on "Activate" to activate the theme on your blog. To see your new theme in action, visit your blog and take a look!

Changing your theme is the easiest way to customize your WordPress blog, but there are many other customizations you can make. Check out my full post on customizing your WordPress blog for an in-depth step-by-step guide. You can watch the video above to fully customize a WordPress blog from scratch.

Step 4: How to write and publish a new blog post

Now your blog is up and running and it's time to actually do some blogging! Let's create your first content.

Go to the left menu and click on "Post".

Write your first blog post

You will see there is already a post there. This is a default post on every new WordPress blog, and we don't need it. Just click "Trash" below the post to delete it

Delete the Hello World default post

To start writing a new post, click the "Add New" link.

Add a new post to your blog

You are now in the post editor screen. Enter your post title in the box above and then start writing your post in the box below.

If you want to add an image to your post, click the "Add Image" icon and click "Upload" to upload an image from your computer. You can adjust the image size on the next screen. When you're ready, click "Insert to Post" to add the image.

Insert images into blog posts

Once you've finished your post, click the "Publish" button at the top right of the screen to publish a new post

Content should be on your blog

There are two main types of content you need to provide on your blog: static and dynamic content

Static content: Your blog should have a few essential pages that are clearly designed to provide visitors with the tools they need. The content of these pages is static, meaning – the content does not change, or at least not often. These are mainly top-level pages that can be accessed through a menu on your blog

These static content pages should be in place well before you launch your blog into the world

To include important static pages:

About Me (Us) – This page should include a biographical summary of the author as well as a mission statement. Think about the answers to these questions: How did your passion for the subject develop? What do you mean to the world? What is your ultimate goal?

Contact Me (us) – A contact page provides a place for visitors to contact the author which, in turn, reassures the visitor that you are a genuine and approachable author. You can add your physical address, phone number and custom email address. Or you can use a simple contact form to keep your personally identifiable information private. You should link all your social media profiles here.

With your blog, which usually launches on the home/main page, these two all-important pages should be visible in your top (header) menu and easy to access. You can take a look at the top of this page to see how I've included these pages in the header menu If you need help, check out this detailed guide to customizing your blog menu.

Other static pages that are equally important but less commonly thought of are:

Disclaimer page: If you want to monetize your blog, you need to describe the ways you want to earn. According to FTC guidelines this is an absolutely necessary page that should not be ignored. For example, if you discuss and endorse a product and stand to profit by linking to the product, this relationship must be disclosed.

Privacy Policy: If you collect data from your visitors in any way, you should add a privacy policy page that tells visitors exactly how you're collecting data, how you're using it, and if you're sharing that data. If you implement a Google Adsense or Google Analytics account on your blog, a privacy policy must be used.

This page is required by the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and is included by default on your WordPress blog.

Terms of Service: If your blog also runs a store or sells services, it's a good idea to have a Terms of Service page to minimize your potential liability.

These required static pages are usually linked in the footer menu of a blog. They should, at least, be visible and accessible from the home page. Again, look at the bottom of this page to see how this looks in practice.

There are other static pages you can choose to include depending on what suits your blog and business. Examples of common static pages are an ad page to request paid advertising, a donation page, a resource page to direct visitors to your favorite links within your field, and a page to submit ideas and content.

Dynamic Content: Your dynamic content is your blog and the most important content you provide. This is where you, as the creator, influence the blog with your brand of informative content that provides your audience with insightful tips, information, opinions and stories. This is how you engage your visitors and keep them coming back for more.

Your blog content should be submitted at regular intervals. Waiting months to create content will never build a following. Posting weekly content and driving traffic to these posts will help build your brand

How to write great blog content

Each post should be long, informative and engaging. It's not always easy to come up with new blog post ideas on a regular basis, and you can mix up tone and even content to keep things lively and interesting. After all, it's your space. But there are certain elements that every piece of content should try to include.

Define Content: Create an enticing post title that sparks curiosity and encourages clicks

The longer the better – but break it down: the more information and details you include, the better. But if the content contains a paragraph a mile long, visitors will start skimming and pop out faster than they came in. Viewers enjoy the news. Keep your paragraphs short with spaces between them, use lists and standout quotes, use images and always include headings and sub-headings so visitors can find what they're looking for.

Engage the Reader: At the end of each post, a common technique used to engage the audience is to pose a meaningful question to your audience and ask them to answer it in the comments. This simple measure can increase engagement tenfold.

Original Content: Your content should always be original. Never steal - eventually you will be called out for it and may even face consequences. Your content should come from your heart, your brain, your knowledge base and your experience. You can get topic ideas from others in your field, but make sure the content comes from you.

Original Images: While it's easy to include stock images from free image sites, it's even better to include your own photos and graphic work. Another idea is to take free photos and manipulate them with a free photo editor

Edit Your Work: You should edit your blog content extensively. Some typographical and grammatical errors do not appear to be unprofessional. If you need a few refresher courses in grammar, consider using a writing app.

Publish your blog

Even after you write a post, your blog can display a placeholder page

When you're ready to make your blog public for the first time, click "Home" on the top left of the menu in your WordPress dashboard, and then click "Launch with Confidence." Click the blue "Launch Your Site" button to remove the placeholder page and launch your blog.

Launch your blog

Congratulations! You now know how to start your own blog and publish content!

Step 5: Promote your blog

Creating a well-designed blog and writing great content is just the beginning. To get visitors to your blog you need to spend some time promoting it, especially when you first start.

The strategies below will help you get your blog in front of more readers. You don't have to use every strategy - try a few and see which one works best for you.

Alert your inner circle

The first people who should be aware of your blog are your inner circle which includes family, friends and colleagues in your field. Encourage them to become followers, ask them to mention your new blog, and - most importantly - thank them

Use social media

Social media promotion

While you don't want to overdo it, you still want to create accounts with the "big guys" like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. You should post a link to your new content on your account, but you can also post links to relevant news and other sources that your readers might find interesting. Don't forget to use hashtags and engage with your followers!

One of my favorite ways to get visitors to my blog is to post links on my social accounts like Facebook and Twitter. This is great, because not only do your friends see the link, but if your friends share the link with their friends, it automatically multiplies your audience. If you create high-quality content on your blog, social media is a way for your blog to go viral

Comment on other blogs

Find and engage with other blogs in your community. Using the comments section, introduce yourself and leave engaging and constructive comments. Many will allow you to leave a link on your blog. After building relationships with prominent bloggers in your community, you'll quickly find yourself on their list.

Engage with your audience

When your readers comment on your posts, always engage with them. Respond to their comments and questions, give them "likes" and affirmations. When it's clear that the author cares about his community and readers, visitors are naturally encouraged to come back.

Collaborate with other bloggers

Become embedded in your blogging community by collaborating with respected members of your field. Collaboration includes guest posting, promoting each other's blogs and products, and communicating regularly through comments and social media.

Post regularly

Post content regularly. Create an editorial calendar and stick to it. A good blogger posts at least once per week to begin with. If there are long gaps between your posts, your followers will drop off and your growth will be severely hampered. Posting on a schedule isn't easy, but it's something you must stick to.

Create an email list

Promote your blog using an email list

In addition to getting new visitors to your blog, you'll want to make sure your current visitors keep coming back. This is where email marketing plays a big role. By collecting your visitors' email addresses (with their permission, of course), you can notify them when you post new content on your blog. This keeps people coming back to your blog, which not only gives you more readers over time, but also allows you to build a closer relationship with your audience.

Email marketing is too big a topic to cover well here, so I've created a separate guide to email marketing for those interested (hint: every blogger who wants more readers should read this guide).

Optimize your blog for search engines

You want your blog to appear in search results as soon as possible.

Google: Sign up for a Google Webmaster account and open the Search Console. To add your blog, click on "Add Property" and follow the steps to add your blog

Bing: Sign up for a Bing webmaster account and add your blog.

Submitting your blog is the first step in the process known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Remember that your traffic will be minimal to start with a new blog. However, this will change over time as long as you keep adding informative and relevant content regularly.

To optimize this process, each page of your blog should include these basic elements:

Header Tag: Section headings and subheadings should be wrapped in header tags. To do this, click on the left item of the block you are writing in and change it to "Title". Then you can choose from H1, H2, H3, etc. Add titles and subtitles

Categorization: Your content should be clearly categorized into specific and relevant categories. On the post editor screen, click on "Document" in the right menu and then go to "Sections" and "Add New Section". Assign a category to your new post.

Permalinks: The last part of every blog post is the "slug" URL. You want to make sure that each post has a defined slug and doesn't end with an article number. You can easily change this by going to “Settings” -> “Permalinks” in your WordPress dashboard. Select the “Post Name” option and click “Save Changes”.

There are many other things to consider, such as installing the Yoast WordPress plugin, but these are the big ones that will help improve your search rankings sooner rather than later.

Check out my in-depth guide to blog promotion for more tips on promoting your blog.

Step 6: Make money from your blog

Once you put in the effort to create great blog content and promote your blog, making money from your blog is actually the easy part.

Blogs have the potential to be extremely profitable, but don't assume that you're going to start making money in the first week or even the first month. It can take six months to a year to start seeing a steady stream of income. Blogging takes work and dedication, but once you develop a large audience, there are several methods you can employ to monetize your blog.

Selling advertising space

Once you have a popular blog, advertisers will seek you out for advertising opportunities. The best way to take advantage of this situation is to use Google Adsense. Google finds advertisers for you and all you have to do is put the Google Adsense code on your blog to start running ads. Google takes all the hard work out of the Adsense process and cuts you a check.

I go into full detail on how to set up Google Adsense for your WordPress blog here.

Selling affiliate products

An affiliate program is a commission-based way to advertise. When one of your readers clicks on a link on your blog, they are sent to an advertiser's site and you get a commission if they buy. Affiliate links are an excellent way to earn income using product reviews. However, you must disclose that you are an affiliate for the product.

Selling products and services

Selling your own products and services directly on your blog is a great way to increase your income. As your blog grows and you begin to see a wider audience, your products and services will begin to sell themselves.

Use your blog's sidebar to increase the visibility of what you sell by using visual images and a link to your storefront page.

Sell ​​digital downloads

Ebooks, video tutorials, and e-courses are the most commonly used digital materials sold by bloggers. With little to no overhead and no shipping costs, you can keep prices low and invite.

If you are extremely knowledgeable in your field, an ebook can practically write itself. Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!

Selling memberships

Another way to monetize is to create a membership option on your blog. This allows you to offer members more exclusive content that is only available with a paid subscription. For example, you could offer unlimited downloads of digital products, free consultations, a private network or forum where community members can mix and mingle, and private content available only to members.

There are many ways a blog can capitalize on popularity and traffic Choosing ways to monetize your blog depends on your goals and the purpose of your blog For example, those who sell services, physical products, and digital goods may not want to participate in an affiliate program where traffic to other sites may be lost.

Check out my complete guide to making money blogging here for more information

Need more help?

I hope this guide has answered any questions you may have about how to start your blog, but if any steps are unclear to you, you can find a more detailed version of each step using the menu at the top right of this page (or if you're on a smartphone are but at the bottom of this page).

More specific tutorials can be found on my blog page. Here are some of the most popular tutorials from my blog:

Bluehost coupon code

How to add custom logo or image

How to see how many people are visiting your blog

How to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

How to make a website with wordpress

How to Automatically Share Your New Content on Facebook and Twitter

How to choose the best website builder

How to link to other sites from your blog

How to change text size and color

How to make your blog personal

Contact me if you have any problem and I will answer your email personally.

The step-by-step guide on this site should give you everything you need to get started, but if you run into any problems, or just want some personal advice, please don't hesitate to contact me anytime. Blogging is my passion, and I want to talk to you about it!

Blogging FAQ

Still have some unanswered questions about blogging? Below are the most common questions I get about starting a new blog If you can't find the answer to your question here, feel free to send me an email through my contact page or leave a comment below.

What makes a successful blog?

It's your passion, your creativity, your knowledge and skills, and what you bring to the community that makes a blog successful.

Unless you're providing interesting, informative, and engaging content to the readers you're trying to connect with, your success is only limited by the number of posts you're able to create.

Keep writing, interacting, engaging and your blog will quickly become a success story as long as you are passionate about the subject, the sky is the limit.

What do you need to start a blog?

Time, passion, and a clear goal.

Blogging is almost a full-time operation. A successful blogger commits to posting long and detailed content at least weekly. Blogs should be promoted regularly across social accounts and through peer interaction.

Equally important is the passion behind your blog. Your blog should revolve around a topic you're passionate about in order to come up with great content on a regular basis. You don't have to be the leading authority on the subject. You just need to have passion, excitement, dedication and deeply held opinions.

You also need a clear goal in mind. What is the main purpose of your blog? Is it to inform the public? Finally retain paying customers? With a clear end goal you can create a blog that satisfies these goals in the long run.

What should my blog be about?

Answer this question: What are you passionate about? What do you think about every day? What do you regularly annoy all your friends, family and colleagues about? What do you dream about? What do you find yourself constantly researching? What have you read about?

If your answers to these questions have a common thread - that's what your blog should look like

Your blog should be about something you're interested in - something you're passionate about and once you start building your blog, no matter the topic, you'll find a community that's interested in what you have to say.

How can I find a profitable niche for my blog?

If you know the general topic for your blog, an easy way to make your niche more profitable is to narrow the niche to eliminate competition.

For example, let's say you are passionate about food and you want to start a recipe blog. You'll be competing with a million recipe blogs. So let's narrow it down to something that's more manageable but still important to a lot of people. Making your blog topic more specific will help eliminate a lot of competition and improve your blog's results in search engines for more specific queries.

How do I name my blog?

This can ultimately be a fun exercise.

As an example, let's say your blog is about custom pet gift baskets. In this example, let's list all the keywords for this blog.

Now start combining words, introduce new words and keep playing until you come up with a name you like!

If you're still struggling, you can always try using a blog name generator for additional ideas.

What do you do if your domain name is taken?

If the domain name you want is taken and the full web address is your trademarked business name, you can claim your trademark rights and privileges and eventually have the domain transferred to you. It's a long process that will involve lawyers and hefty fees, but as long as the name is trademarked by you, you'll likely win the domain name.

If your name is not trademarked, do not attempt to purchase the .info or .biz variations of the domain. Instead, try making slight changes to the domain name, such as adding a dash between the words, or inserting "the" or other nominal words.

In some cases, the domain is owned but not being used. Trying to search it in browser. If the URL points to a different domain, it is not being used, just redirected You may be able to buy the domain from the current owner at the right price. You can also try to buy the domain if the domain is parked.

Where is the best place to create a blog?

In the tutorial on this page I will show you how to create your blog using BlueHost and WordPress.org. It's known as a self-hosted WordPress blog, and it's what I personally use for this blog and what I recommend to all my readers.

When you sign up with BlueHost you get a free domain name, they will automatically install WordPress (WordPress.org) on ​​your BlueHost account. You can start blogging as soon as your account is set up. You can easily customize your self-hosted WordPress blog by following the tutorial steps on this page.

How much does it cost to start a blog?

You can make a blog for absolutely nothing. It doesn't cost a red cent.

But let's be realistic. If you want your blog to be taken seriously, you can't get a subdomain from one of the free blogging sites like Blogspot. You may want to choose a custom domain name and register it instead The average cost of a domain name is about $15 per year. So now you're a whole $15 in the hole.

But the best way to start your blog is through many web hosting companies. The best web hosting choice is a WordPress hosting account with Bluehost for $2.75 per month and includes free domain name registration, so your total cost for 1 year is only $33.

This is your main cost associated with starting a successful blog. Of course, you may incur other costs with additional services such as email marketing. As with any business, the biggest expense is often advertising, but if you choose that route, it will pay off later down the road.

Do bloggers make money?

Bloggers have the ability to earn a full time income from blogging alone. Some bloggers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars. Although becoming a high paying blogger is not easy, it is quite possible. Like any business, it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of time.

Many bloggers give up on their projects after just a few months. They get discouraged if the money doesn't come immediately, and that almost never happens without a quick and immediate follow-up from a high-profile figure. Therefore, reaching "influencer" status requires time and patience. People who make money online stick with it.

There are several ways a blogger can earn money:

Advertising: As your blog gains traction and brings in a large number of daily visitors, advertisers can pay well for a well-placed ad on your blog.

Relevant Ads: With Google AdSense a small code can be placed on your blog that dynamically shows ads related to your content. When one of your readers clicks on an ad, the advertiser pays Google and Google sends you a percentage

Affiliate Program: Affiliate ads are a very popular way to monetize a blog. These ads direct visitors to a product or service on another website. When a click on your blog leads to a sale, you earn a commission, and some commissions can be very high. Affiliate programs can be found at individual stores or on larger platforms like Amazon.

Sponsored Posts: Advertisers can pay a small fee to sponsor individual posts instead of advertising on the entire blog. This is a great way to make money on a new blog.

How do bloggers get paid?

Bloggers are usually paid by advertisers. How the blogger is paid depends on the type of advertisement used.

CPC: CPC or “cost per click” ads earn only through clicks. CPC ads are usually highly targeted and rotating. Ads appear on specific blog posts and are related to the content of that post. The number of clicks you generate, the upward trend as your traffic grows, will ultimately determine the amount you pay.

Flat Fee: If a blog has high traffic, advertisers can pay a monthly flat fee for ad space on the blog's website. That ad space can appear across the website, in a section or on multiple pages. The money comes directly from the advertiser.

Commission: Affiliate network advertising using affiliate links. These links track visitors from your blog to the advertiser's site If a visitor from your blog makes a purchase, you will receive a commission.

Should I start my blog on WordPress?

If you are new to blogging and have no HTML or coding experience, then yes – a WordPress blog self-hosting is the best choice for you! When it comes time to choose a blogging platform, professionals turn to WordPress.

And although WordPress is used by millions of small blogs, it also powers many of the largest sites on the Internet. In fact, WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System) in the world with over 75 million blogs and websites using it today. And there are many reasons why:

Ease of Use: WordPress is incredibly easy to use. Theme Customizer helps you easily design your blog, change colors and add images. Once your design is complete, all you need to do is write your content. The internal blog editor records your posts and displays them for you

Blog Anywhere: As long as you have internet access, you can edit your WordPress blog and write new posts. WordPress provides you with an administrative backend where you can log in and work on your blog from anywhere in the world using a PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone.

You don't need to know how to code: WordPress gives you easy tools to set up a blog that looks stunning without knowing a line of HTML code or hiring a web developer. This makes WordPress a great option for those who don't want to deal with technical issues.

Built-in SEO: Google favors blogs built with WordPress. Complete SEO (Search Engine Optimization) with WordPress delivers impressive results over time in search engines. This translates to more readers for your blog

Free Themes: WordPress CMS is connected to a repository where thousands of free themes (blog layouts) are available to browse and upload. You can browse many themes with different styles and functionalities directly from your blog's backend These free WordPress themes can be installed with one click and then easily customized by total beginners.

Is WordPress free?

Yes! A self-hosted WordPress blog is an open source, which is completely free. And there are two different WordPress options, both free, but completely different, that you should be aware of. Choosing between them is one of the most important decisions you will make.

WordPress.org: This option is completely, 100% free. WordPress.org is a blog platform that I show you how to use in the tutorial on this page. Although it is completely free to download, it does not run by itself. You'll need a web host (see step-by-step instructions) and you'll need to buy a new domain name.

Since you need your own web hosting plan, this option is known as a self-hosted WordPress blog. So while WordPress is technically free, there are fees involved (less than $3 per month) to get your new self-hosted WordPress blog up and running.

WordPress.com: WordPress.com is a different platform that allows the user to create a free blog on a subdomain of WordPress.com. While this technically lets you blog for free, you'll need to upgrade your account to a paid plan if you want to enable some basic options or have your own domain. For this and other reasons, I do not recommend WordPress.com.

How often should I blog?

If your goal is to eventually make money from your blog, you'll want to start blogging as often as possible - at least once per week. Blogging can be casual if your goal is just for personal enjoyment. But if you are looking for a large audience and want to be a leader in your field, weekly blogging is a must.

While frequency is important, it should not come at the expense of quality. Each piece of content doesn't have to be 2,000 words, but all of your posts should be informative and valuable to your audience. This is no easy feat. However, it becomes easier if you are able to blog on a regular schedule! As with anything else, the more you do it - the more skilled you become.

Weekly blogging helps improve your traffic from search engines, which you can track in your Google Analytics account. When you first start blogging, it will take time for your recent posts to show up in search engines As you post regularly, more blog posts will naturally appear in search results, which means more traffic to your blog.

Why do blogs fail?

Almost any blog has the potential to succeed, yet most blogs fail. And there are many reasons why. Here are the most common reasons blogs fail:

Giving up too early – The most common reason blogs fail is that content creators give up before their blogs have a chance to become known. Before you start a blog, you should realize that most blogs take months or even years to gain traction. It's quite an investment.

If you fail to earn visitors or money within a month, don't stop! Continue to focus on creating quality content and getting your name out there through social media and networking.

Intermittent Blogging - It's hard to build a solid following if there are long "quiet periods" between posts. People looking for information about you usually want a steady stream of new information to keep them interested. When a blog fails to deliver fresh and updated content people get bored and look elsewhere.

Bad content – ​​Some bloggers think they can beat the system with auto-generated content or newly written duplicate content. Readers know fluff when they read it. They know when an article has absolutely no value or when it's just clickbait. A blog with bad content will never succeed.

Excessive Ads – Blogs with dozens of ads that obscure most of the content will keep visitors coming back. People don't come to your blog to be harassed by unnecessary, eye-catching ads. They come for information. While ads are a good monetization option, don't overdo it.