Hello! It’s Sophia here, your blogging bud. I’m glad you’re here.
Blogging as a whole has evolved greatly through the years. Blogging used to be more of a personal diary of sorts and it still can be.
You can make a blog about anything, but there are a few things to consider when deciding your blog topic.
What are your goals with your blog?
Is this just a passion project for you or are you hoping to make it into a career that makes an income?
Get clear on your goals and why you are doing this.
1. Choosing Your Topic
If you want to start a blog that makes money, it’s best to narrow down one topic, rather than talking about multiple subjects.
First of all, having multiple topics would be overwhelming, and second, you want to be a go-to person for that topic. it’s easier to master one thing than to master many at one time.
Pick something you can see yourself talking about for years. Something you enjoy but also something that would have an audience and the potential to grow into something bigger.
2. Selecting the Right Blogging Platform
Everyone and their mom says to choose Bluehost WordPress to start your blog. Ok, maybe not their mom but… anyway…
You don’t need to go through Bluehost WordPress if you don’t want to, it honestly doesn’t make much of a difference. BUT, keep in mind that I have heard that once their blog gets bigger people who chose Wix or Squarespace, etc want to switch to Bluehost because they offer better abilities to add plug-ins to your site and things like that.
Plus, Bluehost is cheap. That’s what you want when you’re just starting out.
If you choose a different blog hosting I just suggest you at least buy your own domain to look as professional as possible. That brings me to the next step…
3. Domain Name
I suggest that you pick a name that would allow you to change topics if you decide yours isn’t working at some point in your journey.
So, try not to add words about your topic in the name unless you are absolutely sure what you want to talk about. My domain is thestayathomeblogger.com because I know for sure that this is what I want to be talking about.
You’re building a brand and you want your domain to be flexible. You don’t want to have to buy several domain names before you figure out your name… like I did (oops).
4. Setting Up Your Blog
No matter which hosting you choose, setting up your blog will absolutely be a learning curve for you. It is for everyone who first starts off. Now, some hosting platforms make the designing WAY easier than others.
I will say that Bluehost is a bit more difficult to learn how to navigate but it is extremely customizable and a breeze once you get the hang of it.
When I first started, I bought a WordPress theme from Etsy. I do not suggest… It was overwhelming for me to learn how to install it on my website and it didn’t even look that great.
I suggest using a free template that already comes with your hosting. It will be so much easier and it’s free (which is most important as a newbie)
Then later down the line, you can buy something if you choose. Up to you. Just make sure your site is simple and easy to navigate. Watch as many YouTube videos on how to customize your website as you need, and you will need to because this shizz can get confusing as hell and make you want to rip your hair out. Don’t do that…
5. Designing Your Blog
I already touched a little on designing your blog but here I am, touching it again…
You want an easy-to-navigate blog.
Keep it simple- don’t have 20 different menu options.
Create a simple about me page, you don’t have to tell your whole life story because, frankly, no one wants to read all that. Try just sharing three fun facts about yourself and why you’re into the topic of your blog. Maybe give any credentials if you have any to build trust with your readers.
Make a contact page so people can get in touch. This can create trust within your readers and down the line maybe brands will want to contact you wanting to work with you :).
Don’t forget to make a privacy policy. You can find a free privacy policy online and just link it on your site to protect your content amongst either things.
6. Creating Quality Content
Your content is the meat and potatoes of your blog, the good stuff. You won’t have a blog without it.
Be prepared to always be making blog posts, a lot of them.
As a blogger, we are always thinking and planning our next blog post.
I suggest writing 3 blog posts a week, at least in your first couple of months to build the foundation of your site.
The key to a great blog post is to answer a question that your audience may have. Eventually, your whole blog will be an informational hub for that topic.
Make a list of content within your topic that you can think of and make every single one into a blog post. You can create an outline to make it simpler and you can place it into each new post to help guide you.
7. Basic SEO for Your Blog
Search Engine Optimization basically is just content that has highly searched keywords within the post.
Does it really matter as much as people say? Well, yes…
You want your posts to rank on Google and other search engines like Pinterest so it is important BUT try not to get so caught up in it that it’s taking too much time away from you getting your content out there.
Please don’t think that you need the most expensive SEO tools out there to be successful. You don’t. Try using a website called Answer The Public to find popular searches within your topic. When you sign up you can have 3 free searches per day and honestly, that is all you need. You’ll find enough ideas from one search to plan all of your content for a whole month or two.
8. Promoting Your Blog & Driving Traffic
You do not want to drive traffic from only Google, trust me, with all of the latest updates to the search engine going on, it wouldn’t serve your blog very well to do so.
Google has been favoring AI and websites like Reddit to answer questions and that doesn’t work well for informational blogs… We get pushed down. No one is going to scroll down to find a website when they get an answer immediately.
anyway… that’s for another post.
Pinterest is my go-to for blog traffic… (I have two blogs if you didn’t know, this is my new one)
Pinterest is basically like a search engine with pictures. It’s very visual. So you want to create visually appealing pins that link back to your posts.
I use Canva Premium to create my pins. It’s a must for me. They have Pinterest pin templates making it easy for you.
You can also use other social media sites such as TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit, lemon 8 (very similar to Pinterest), and so many more to get your blog out there.
Lastly, I suggest creating an email list to build a loyal audience that comes back to your blog.
9. Monetizing Your Blog
In the first 6 months, make it your goal to drive as much traffic to your blog as possible and THEN look into monetizing your blog. You can do everything out there to monetize your blog but if you do not have a big enough audience, your efforts won’t pay off. You need eyes on your site first.
Ways you can monetize your blog:
- Ads (google adsense, mediavine, etc,)
- Affiliate marketing
- selling your own digital products
- brand partnerships
- etc.
Starting a blog can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Make a plan and stick with it. Show up and make it work. You are creating something great and great things take time.
As long as you have a willingness to learn and consistently write blog posts, you are doing more than most. You will eventually get there. Are you willing to put in the time and effort for this?
Feel free to leave a comment below!
Thank you for reading!
Happy blogging!
-The stay at Home Blogger
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