The following is a list of tips for how to position yourself for blogging success this decade and beyond, starting right now.
1. Determine Your Niche
Once you’ve chosen a topic, the next step is to determine your niche. A niche is simply a specific area of interest that you want to write about. For example, if your blog is about fitness and running, you could focus on topics such as how to train for 5Ks or how running has helped with mental health issues. Once you’ve found a topic and decided on an angle within that topic (e.g., “How To…”), it’s time to test out this idea and see whether or not people are interested in reading about it from your perspective! One way to do this is by creating an online survey; another option would be asking friends and family members directly what they’d like to see more content from you on as well as searching Google Trends for related keywords. This ensures that there’s already some demand for additional information around those terms before you invest too much time into writing about them (which can be frustrating if no one wants what you’re offering). Finally, look into whether or not there are competitors already blogging about these topics—are they getting traffic? If so, why aren’t they seeing success yet? Are their posts poorly written/designed? Is their site poorly optimized? Is the content worth reading at all?
2. Choose a Platform
You should choose a platform that is easy to use, customize and monetize. You don’t want to spend time figuring out how to use the platform or trying to figure out how to make it work for you.
Choose a blogging platform that is easy to use. There are several free blog platforms available, but they may not be as powerful or user-friendly as those that cost money. The more difficult it is for you to start blogging, the more likely it is that you’ll give up before getting started at all. Choose a blogging platform that’s customizable. This ensures that you can make your website look professional and match your personal style. It’s also important to pick one with plenty of features like widgets (which let you add things like eCommerce options) and themes (so that you can change elements like fonts). Otherwise, those expensive websites may not be worth their cost.
3. Pick a Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is one of the most important things you can do. It will be the core of your website and should be something that people remember and want to share with others. Make sure it’s easy to remember, spell, say, type and brand. If it’s too long or complicated then people won’t be able to find you! Here are some simple rules for choosing a domain name:
Keep it short (3-4 words) Use a .com extension at least for now Use keywords in your name (make sure you understand how keywords work)
4. Get Web Hosting
If you want to start blogging, the first thing that you’ll need is web hosting. Web hosting is the service that allows your blog to be online. It’s important because, without it, no one can see your ideas and thoughts on the internet. You might think that this step sounds expensive or even complicated but it’s actually not. You can get web hosting for less than $10 per month and there are plenty of companies out there who will walk you through everything from getting started to setting up your blog on your own website (like we did).
5. Set Up Your Blog
You can’t have a blog if you don’t have one. Fortunately, setting up your blog is simple. You just need to create an account and get started. The design of the site is important because the appearance of your website will affect its marketing success. Your readers will judge whether they like it or not within seconds, so make sure that they’re impressed by what they see on the first impression! The content is also very important as it determines who will visit your site and how long they’ll stay there. The more high-quality content you provide, the more likely people will be willing to subscribe to receive updates from you regularly through email newsletters, RSS feeds, etc. Layout refers not only to how nice it looks but also to how easy it is for visitors to navigate through the pages, as well as checking them out laterally (left/right). This doesn’t mean we should forget about aesthetics though. Design and visual aesthetics have always been an integral part of communication in our lives since back when cavemen were still roaming around.
6. Customize Your Blog
You’ve probably heard the advice to “customize your blog” before, but what does it really mean? Customizing your theme is a great way to make your blog look unique and professional. You should also customize your header image, footer design, and social media buttons using customization tools that come with WordPress themes (WordPress is the easiest content management system, or CMS, to use). You can add additional elements like a blogroll (a list of links at the bottom of each post), sidebars (sidebar content on either side of web pages), background images for individual posts or pages, and more. The possibilities are endless!
7. Write Compelling Content
Your blog is a reflection of you, so writing compelling content is a crucial step in starting a blog. You want to write about topics that are relevant to your audience and also reflect who you are as a person. To do this successfully, try the following:
Write about topics that interest you. Write about topics that are relevant to your audience. Write about current events or issues affecting your industry/field/etc. if possible (this can be hard for some industries). Be sure to write something useful for people who visit the site (not just entertainment or fluff—real value).
8. Promote Your Blog
The following are the best ways to promote your blog:
Social media (obviously) Email marketing Paid advertising (you can run paid ads on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms) Guest blogging (will help you reach a new audience, build relationships with influencers in your niche and generate traffic back to your site from their readership base, which can lead them directly back to reading more content from you in the future) Influencer marketing (ideally, influencers can promote your work to like-minded readers and possibly even connect it with upcoming events or topical news subjects)
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2022 Ayush Chudasama
