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There are many advantages of starting a blog. You can use it for affiliate marketing, sell eBooks, marketing your products/services, or even generate revenue through digital ads. Besides, launching a blog has become very simple and easy today.
The following are the 7 main things that you will need to start a blog:
1. Niche
One of the most important decisions that you need to make right when you start, is the niche. This is the because the blogosphere is already replete with countless blogs in all kinds of categories and if your blog isn’t special in any manner, it will lose its significance rather quickly.
If you already have a business and you want a blog for that, then making this decision is easy. However, if you are starting with a clean slate, then there are a variety of factors you need to consider to ensure the blog’s success.
The following are some questions that you can ask yourself to identify the perfect topic/subject for your blog:
- Am I passionate about this niche? Can I continue writing about it for many years without losing interest?
- Is there a market for this niche? How big is it?
- What’s the existing competition in this space (other popular blogs on the Internet)?
- Can it be monetized?
2. Hosting Service Provider
To create a blog, you have to arrange a place for it first. This is where a web hosting provider comes in.
Due to the huge demand, there are a number of hosting service providers in the market today. However, you can easily compare the latest web hosting services to find the one that meets your requirements without hurting the budget.
The provider you choose should be based on the following:
- After-sales service
- Features or add-ons like SEO service, web security, backup service, etc.
- Quality of hardware used (servers)
- Market reputation
- User interface/control panel (user-friendliness and features)
- Scalability support
Must Read: RenderForest Website Maker Review
3. Domain Name
Now that you have found a place for your blog, it’s time to give it a name. Believe it or not, the blog name can alone have a huge impact on its popularity and success.
The name of your blog should be unique, creative, and of course, related to the content/niche you want to focus on. It should also be easy to remember which is why it’s best to keep it short and to the point.
Once you have found the perfect name for your blog, you have to make sure it’s available too. There are millions of blogs on the Internet, and if yours is already taken, you may need to tweak it a little. For instance, if www.crunchbyte.com is already taken, you can try www.bitsandbytes.com.
The majority of web hosting service providers offer a simple tool for domain name search to check the available domains. So, you can simply enter your blog’s name to see if it’s available. Once you have found one that’s free, you can register it with the service provider itself. It’s quite cheap and should set by you back by only $10 to $25.
4. CMS
A CMS i.e. Content Management System is the foundation of your blog. It’s a software framework that allows you to create and manage content on your blog in a simple and efficient manner. The following are some of the most popular CMS that you can use:
- WordPress: Most popular CMS used worldwide. Offers a massive selection of free and paid themes. Recommended for users that aren’t tech savvy.
- Magnolia: Mainly designed for businesses. Largely Java-based. Offers some of the best security measures.
- Wix: Highly flexible especially for mobile-friendly websites. Drag and drop feature allows you to easily customize your website. Wide range of plugins for email marketing, social media marketing, etc.
5. Logo
You are almost set now. However, you don’t want to create just a generic blog, you want to create a brand. For that, you need a blog logo that’s appealing and one-of-a-kind. However, you don’t have to spend a fortune by hiring a professional graphics designer.
You can easily design a blog logo yourself by using any of the advanced logo makers on the Internet. All you have to do is enter the details of the logo you want such as preferred font, icons, colors, etc. and the program will create one for you in a matter of minutes!
6. Blog Theme
All the popular CMS offer a variety of themes or templates for different types of blogs. So, instead of spending days creating the perfect website design for your blog, you can just pick a theme that fits your needs and transforms a basic blog into a beautiful masterpiece instantly.
Besides, you will get a variety of options for customization even after you have applied the theme to tweak the design slightly if you like.
7. Content
Now that your blog is ready, all that remains now is to fill it up with quality content. There are various ways to go about it. You need to pick a schedule for the blog posts (daily or at least 3-times a week is recommended), the overall tone for the content, media-type included (videos, images, gifs), blog style (listicle, long post, short post, product reviews, etc.), landing pages, etc.
Although you are free to promote your blog organically, for faster results, you want to also invest in digital marketing, guest blogging, email marketing, social media marketing, etc.
Conclusion
Of all the ways of making a living online, blogging is easily one of the simplest. However, there is a lot of competition out there as all the major niches are already saturated with blogs of all kinds.
Thus, you must ensure that your blog stands out through creative content and strong branding. You may not get the desired results for a long time. However, if you persist, then eventually your blog will gain traction. Good luck!
