Have you been thinking about starting your blog this year?
One of the misconceptions about starting a blog is that you must be a good writer to succeed. While it is true that you should have a good command of the language you are writing in, many successful bloggers write in an informal, conversational style. Not all bloggers use rich, big vocabularies to blow their readers away.
For instance, if you are looking at starting a cooking blog, your visitors or readers are not interested in reading a textbook from a food scientist. Rather, they want to read a step-by-step guide on how to cook a meal from someone who has cooked that meal.
Got it?
The most important thing you should keep in mind when starting a blog is having a rich knowledge of your niche. This would determine the value of your blog posts. The process is easy when you focus your blog on what you are passionate about.
What is a blog?
A blog is a website that focuses mostly on written content, often known as “blog posts.” Most blogs are designed with comment sections where readers can ask questions or state their impressions of the blog.
The comment section allows you to engage with your readers, get constructive feedback and tailor your post to satisfying your readers’ needs.
Without further ado, let’s consider the necessary steps to own a blog. We have 7 Steps listed and explained below.
Step 1: Select a niche for your blog
When choosing a niche, it is easy to want to go for some of the thriving niches; however, choosing something in line with your passion is better than focusing on what is growing and trending. Keep in mind that there was once a time when nothing like cooking blogs existed. Someone came up with the idea, and today, the narration has changed. Whether or not your niche is popular, when you stay true to your passion, it starts growing in no time. Also, when you choose a niche, validate it.
To validate your niche, use this 3-step blog formula.
- Check the niche size;
- Explore competitors;
- Take time to analyze the monetization potential.
Step 2: Pick a domain name
Now that you’ve sorted out your niche, the next step is to pick a domain name. Your domain name is your blog’s unique address on the internet, and anyone searching for you online would be directed here. Your domain name may be the popular dot com. It can also be country or niche-specific. However, you want to ensure it is not complicated. The domain name should be simple and focused.
A simple trick to choosing a domain name is to make it personal. You can craft your domain name from your experience and insight.
If, after choosing a name, you find out it is already taken, try tweaking it with dashes and small words like my, the, and best before changing it into something else.
A good domain name should be descriptive.
Note: you cannot use spaces or punctuations on domain names.
Step 3: Get a hosting web account
After you choose a domain name, the next step is to select a reliable hosting service. This is important as the performance and functionality of your site will depend on your hosting. Your web hosting platform stores all your blog files and delivers them to your users when they search for information in your niche.
There are different web hosting platforms, among which are Bluehost and WordPress.
Step 4: Design and customize your blog
Everyone has a picture of what they want their blog to look like; choose the blog theme, appearance, pictures, and display you want. Unless you have a design in mind, I suggest you choose from the available ones on WordPress.
Also, your blog design and theme should reflect your niche and complement the blog’s functionality. After this is done, you should launch.
Step 5: Write and publish your first blog post
Now that the blog is running, let’s create your first blog post.
To do this, go to the blog menu. Most times, new blogs on WordPress come with dummy posts. You don’t need them. Simply trash and create your first blog post.
Research the topic you are writing about thoroughly, write in a conversational style just like this post, edit and share.
Also, update static content like the Contact me, About Us, Disclaimer Page, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy.
Step 6: Optimize your blog content for SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is key to helping your website rank on the Google search engine. According to research, 53% of website traffic comes from organic search.
Optimize your blog with on-page and off-page SEO. Off-page SEO optimization is the technical SEO optimization for searchability. Here, you will install SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math for easy on-page optimization.
Optimization is also key in the content itself. This is often referred to as “on-page optimization,” where the keyword you want your post to rank for is optimized. The headlines and the overall performance of the content are also optimized.
Good optimization improves the visibility of your content and your blog.
Step 7: Promote your blog post
Writing and publishing content on your blog is not enough to attract readers to the blog. If you bank on this, building a community of active readers and followers will take a while.
To increase your readability and visibility, promote your post on social media platforms for engagement. Share links to your website on professional platforms like LinkedIn and Kominiti.
To get started on Kominiti, go to www.kominiti.com
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