Blogging from the Beginning
Do you have an overwhelming feeling you’ve got something to say? Why not blog? You can increase your knowledge while helping others, and maybe even make some cash through affiliate marketing! You can become an affiliate to products you believe in and earn some income. It’s hard work and takes some time, but if you have perseverance and passion, and a little know-how; then you can blog!
Blog Types
There are many different types of blogs out there and you can choose the one that best fits who you are and what you want to say.
-Hobbies and Interests
What do you like doing in your spare time? Are you a glassblower? Have you seen the new show on Netflix called Blown Away? Creative, fascinating stuff, but I digress. What is your passion? Mexican food. Hobbies, interests, and passions are a popular way to connect with others from all around the world. For example, you can share ideas and new ways to make a delicious taco. I told you I am passionate about Mexican food 🙂
-Life Experience
How about life experiences? All of us have had lessons learned through life experience. Are you battling a disease and want to share your insight, hard days, and highs with others? Have you recently lost some weight or started weightlifting with your strongman son and want to share your plan? He swears he can fix my aches and pains by lifting a barbell. 🙂
-Personal
You can also create a blog all about you and share it with the world. Experiences you have daily with a unique outlook can be engaging, informative, and fun! Maybe you’re a stay-at-home dad with a different way of cleaning the house or taking care of children. I am sure there are many dads out there who would like some inspiration!
Find Your Niche
You should begin with a brainstorm session. Create lists of interests, hobbies, accomplishments, and difficulties you have faced. Narrow it down to a few, specific topics and research those subjects. Do you have new insights or different opinions than what is out there? Will it provide you with sub-topics or closely related issues you can eventually address? This process is called “finding your niche”. Once you find your niche, you can demonstrate your point of view and differentiate your personal blog from the other bloggers that are out there.
Now it’s time to pick your blog name. A perfect blog name should tell your visitors what they can expect to find. A simple yet original name should do it. You will need one for your domain name, which we will talk about later.
Getting things going on your blog is difficult without help, Blogging Mile has a great step by step guide to kickstart you blog.
Pick your Platform
Ok, you are now ready to pick your blogging “platform”. A blogging platform is a service that enables you to publish your blog content on the internet. I would say the best option out there is WordPress.org. It is the biggest, best, and least challenging platform for blogging. You will be able to design your blog effortlessly and efficiently, and they offer all kinds of support when needed.
With WordPress.org you need to pick a third-party host, like WP Engine. If you choose WP Engine as your host along with WordPress.org, you will have a “self-hosting” blog, which, I believe, is your best option. “What does self-hosting mean?” you ask. Well, you will own your blog. You will have full control over what it looks like, what it’s called, and have unlimited bandwidth to put whatever images or videos you prefer. Wp Engine will always have the latest WordPress core and over 100 WordPress experts to help you succeed in your blogging adventure.
Remember your blog name? Now, you can use this to pick your domain name. Head on over to godaddy.com, and you can purchase your domain name. You can choose .com, .net, or even .co. .com would probably be the most ideal because it is the most common. If there is someone who already has a similar domain name, you can add dashes or small words, like “a” or “my” to the name you have chosen to create an original domain name. It is important to keep your name short and concise.
How Does it Look?
How do you want your website to look? A theme is what you will choose next. There are so many tried and true themes you can choose from and are included in your WP Engine plan. Themes provide you with many design options. You can choose different color schemes, a variety of fonts, and an array of layouts. Here are some suggestions to help you choose the right theme for your blog.
First, decide what features you want for your blog ahead of time. For example, do you want one column or three? How about multiple page styles? Do you want your readers to be able to share on social websites? All of these are important decisions to make before settling on a theme.
Second, check out the theme description. The write up will include an explanation of the features and how it functions. Don’t choose anything that will make your site look cluttered and don’t select every feature you think is cool. Stick to your plan and only choose the features you need.
Third, determine whether the theme has a responsive design. You need to make sure the theme will work on a desktop browser and on a mobile device without any glitches.
Lastly, you are ready to preview the theme. See if it is visually appealing. Color is important. Statistics have shown that readers prefer lighter color sites. Is it hard to read? Choose a font that is clear and legible. Your website should be simple, sophisticated, and, most importantly, easy for your reader to navigate.
Plug-ins
I would also consider using “plug-ins”. They are software components that you can add to your website that have specific and useful features that will help your site run more smoothly. For example, there are plug-ins to increase the speed of your website, like WP Rocket. Plug-ins for spam control. Plug-ins to help with search engine optimization (SEO). SEO makes sure you get traffic to your site. You definitely need SEOPress. They will help with all of your SEO needs. Check out “Content is King”.
Main Pages
Whew! You are just about ready to get your website up and running! Let’s set up your main pages. Let’s say you have chosen a multiple page theme. You will want to create a “home” page where your readers will land. A “blog” page where your posts will live. An “about me” page where you will share your story, and, of course, a “contact” page. You want to provide an email address and social media links here. To be successful, you want your readers to be able to connect with you.
Conclusion
You’re all set! If you follow the steps above, you should be ready to create your first post. The sky’s the limit! How about “My first time in a barbell club!”? Forge ahead! It could be the beginning of a lucrative affiliate marketing journey! Be sure to check out my next post “Blogging For Success”.
For more information check out “Content is King”
How did you get started as a blogger? Let us know. We would love to hear from you!
