How to Start a Blog: Blogging Essentials for Beginners!

Have you ever wanted to start your own blog and share your thoughts, opinions, or experiences with the world? If so, you are not alone. Blogging is a popular and rewarding hobby that can also become a source of income for some people. But how do you start a blog from scratch? What are the steps and tools you need to create a successful blog? In this blog, we will guide you through the basics of blogging and show you how to start a blog in 2023.

Did you know: Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information! [Source: Optinmonster]

What is a Blog?

A blog is a type of website which is centred on written content. These can be read and written as well. Often, blogs are written from a personal perspective which allows readers and writers to communicate directly. Blogging itself has various forms like vlogging, social media blogs, podcasts, etc. The internet has undoubtedly given millions of people a platform to voice their thoughts and lives. Whether you have got a knack for writing or want to spread your amazing ideas, a blog is a perfect way, to begin with! 

Why Should You Start a Blog?

Before we get into how to start a blog, whatever your motivation is, blogging can be a fun and fulfilling activity that can also bring you many benefits. There are many reasons why people start blogs. Some of the most common ones are:

• To express yourself and share your passion with others
• To connect with like-minded people and build a community
• To learn new skills and improve your writing
• To showcase your work or portfolio
• To make money online by monetizing your blog

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Start a Blog

Starting a blog is not as hard as it may seem. You can create your own blog in about 20 minutes by following these 6 simple steps:

Step 1: Pick A Blog Name

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” — Brian Clark

This is the first and most important decision you have to make when starting a blog. Your blog name should reflect your topic, personality, or brand. It should also be catchy, memorable, and easy to spell and pronounce. You can use your own name, a word or phrase related to your niche, or a combination of both. For example, some popular blog names are The Minimalists, Nomadic Matt, The Spruce Eats, and Smart Blogger.

Following are some of the ideas which can be used when selecting the niche of your blogs:

1. Life Experiences
2. Personal Journaling
3. Hobbies 
4. Passions
5. Art and Poetry

(Fact: Emotional headlines get shared more. -OkDork)

Step 2: Select a Blogging Platform

“Blogging is just writing — writing using a particularly efficient type of publishing technology.” — Simon Dumenco 

Get your blog online. To get your blog online, you need two things: a domain name and a web hosting service. A domain name is the address of your blog on the internet, such as www.yourblogname.com. A web hosting service is a company that stores your blog files and makes them accessible to web browsers. You can get both of these from various providers, such as Bluehost, HostGator, or SiteGround. These providers also offer one-click installation of WordPress, which is the most popular blogging platform in the world.

Step 3: Customize Your Blog

Once you have installed WordPress on your web host, you can log in to your WordPress dashboard and start customizing your blog. WordPress allows you to choose from thousands of free and premium themes that determine the look and feel of your blog. You can also install plugins that add extra functionality to your blog, such as contact forms, social media buttons, SEO tools, and more. You can also change the settings of your blog, such as the title, tagline, permalink structure, and comment options.

(Color Psychology helps people understand the links between a certain concept and the colours associated with it. According to your topic, browse a few colours that match them. Often companies create logos based on colours for efficient marketing. For e.g: the colour red means ‘Active, Passionate, Exciting’ and a few brands that use the colour red are Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, RedBull, etc. to indicate the same)

Step 4: Write and Publish Your First Post

“There are tons of different factors that go into ranking well, but the biggest is high-quality content.” — David Sinick

Now that you have set up your blog, it’s time to write and publish your first post. To do this, go to Posts > Add New in your WordPress dashboard. You will see an editor where you can type your content, and add images, videos, links, headings, lists, and more. You can also use categories and tags to organize your posts by topic. When you are happy with your post, click Publish to make it live on your blog.

Step 5: Promote Your Blog

Writing great content is not enough if you want to grow your blog audience. You also need to promote your blog and reach out to potential readers. There are many ways to do this, such as:

• Sharing your posts on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
• Joining online communities and forums related to your niche and engaging with other bloggers and readers.
• Guest posting on other blogs in your niche and linking back to your own blog.
• Creating an email list and sending newsletters to your subscribers.
• Using SEO techniques to optimize your blog for search engines like Google.

“Our brand started as a blog. It was really challenging at the beginning because when you start a brand all you have is a belief and passion and passion for something – you don’t actually know if that ‘something’ will materialise into anything.” Huda Kattan (American makeup artist, beauty blogger, and entrepreneur.)

Step 6: Make Money Blogging

If you want to turn your blog into a source of income, there are several options to monetize your blog. Some of the most common ones are:

• Displaying ads on your blog using services like Google Adsense or Mediavine
• Selling your own products or services, such as ebooks, courses, coaching, etc.
• Joining affiliate programs and earning commissions by promoting other people’s products or services
• Creating sponsored posts or reviews for brands that pay you to write about them
• Accepting donations or tips from your readers

Of course, making money blogging requires time, effort, and patience. You need to build trust and credibility with your audience and provide value to them. You also need to track your blog performance and analyze your results to stay relevant and ahead of your competitors.

“Successful blogging is not about one time hits. It’s about building a loyal following over time.” — David Aston

Blogging is a wonderful way to express yourself, connect with others, learn new things, and make money online. Starting a blog is not difficult if you follow the steps outlined in this post. However, blogging is also a long-term commitment that requires dedication, passion, and consistency.

If you are ready to start your own blog, we hope this guide has helped you and inspired you. For more informative content like this, keep following Leverage Edu. Happy blogging!