A blog is an excellent place to put all your thoughts and eventually make passive income opportunities. You might be wondering where you should start and what you should do. If you want to explore your creativity and express your individuality through a blog, you can start one at home. This article will talk about the many general ways that you can start creating a blog.
Here are steps on how you can start your blog in the comfort of your home:
1. Decide on the blog topics
Before buying any subscriptions or domain names, you should decide on the materials that you want to write. People from all over the world turn to the internet for any topics under the sun. You don’t have to worry about readers, as long as you write what you’re capable of doing.
Here are ways to decide what kind of topics you should cover:
- Select a niche that you’re very passionate about. For example, you can make a blog on baking or parenting. You can also write about product launches and marketing. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to having a niche; you need to know enough about it.
- Check out how many blogs comprise the same topic, and try to find a specific field that’s yours
- List down at least 52 blog topics, which equates to one blog post per week for a year
- Make sure that you’re interested in the subjects you choose
The topics will determine your blog’s identity and branding. Make sure that you select those that will not only interest you but also interest future readers.
2. Create a schedule
After choosing the type of points you want to cover, you can create a plan for the posts. The program will be your guide for researching and publishing your blog; this will make sure that you organize everything accordingly.
Here are ways to create your blog calendar:
- Set a specific event and put a relevant title. For example, during Mother’s Day, you can do a topic about mothers
- Plan to post at least once a week for the entire year
- Schedule the writing, editing and publishing process so that you won’t miss a single post
The schedule will make sure that you don’t forget what you’re planning to write. Your plan will also keep things on schedule.
3. Look for monetizing streams
After making a schedule, you need to decide on how you will make money from the blog. There are a lot of options you can try, and you can be creative about how to do them. You probably won’t get monetized in the first month, but you will get your chance with consistent posting. Also read our finance tips for those starting a career.
Here are some of the different monetizing options for your blog:
- Advertisements – there are pay-per-click ads available on your blog
- Affiliate marketing – getting a commission from ecommerce sales
- Course selling – if you’re a master at something, you can create a training module and sell them
- Email marketing – you can get income from your mailing list when you own an ecommerce site, and you promote discounts and freebies
- Ebooks selling – you can make and sell your ebooks
- SEO blogs – you can make money off of brands and companies that want to publish something in your blog
The monetization streams will help make sure that your blogging is worth your time and effort. Eventually, you will earn enough to do your blog full time, and you don’t have to work in a corporate setting.
4. Find the perfect domain name
After you decide on your blog niche, schedule, and monetization, you should look for the perfect domain name. The domain is the digital address that people will find you in, so your website’s address must be both unique and memorable.
5. Select a platform
Next, you should choose a CMS or a content management system. The CMS will be responsible for holding data and putting together your posts. There are a variety of choices online, ranging from free to premium, with subscription options. You need to know their pros and cons before publishing your post so that you can customize it to its fullest.
Here are some of the most well-known blogging platforms:
- org – free and versatile but you need to have a host to unlock its full potential
- Wix – very easy to create and manage, but it’s not flexible enough to change designs once set. Ecommerce is unlockable with a monthly subscription.
- com – easy to start and has hundreds of free templates, but you don’t have full control over your blog. There are limited options in the unpaid plan.
- Blogger – you can start for free, and it’s beginner-friendly. There’s a problem with Blogger being too generic and having an outdated design.
- Squarespace – beautiful responsive web designs, but there are no free packages. After the trial period, you need to select a subscription that starts from $12 to $40 monthly.
- TypePad – easy to set up and buy a customized domain, but some of its designs are outdated and expensive.
There are other platforms available for bloggers such as Medium and Tumblr that function as social media sites. These sites are suitable for publishing content when you’re not sure you can maintain your personal space.
6. Start publishing
After you’ve done all the steps above, you’re ready to create your first blog post! Make sure that you adequately research your posts, and stick to your schedule. You can create a test blog to see how it looks on your blog, try attaching and embedding media into your post.
Final thoughts
The great thing about having a blog is that you can create and update it anywhere. You don’t have to spend too much to get started on your blog. If you’re beginning, you can do the free plans then upgrade it when you’re feeling confident about your skills. You shouldn’t invest in a blog if you’re not planning to do it long term.