So you want to create your own blog on the web, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here to read this article!
Undoubtedly, a wonderful idea, and if you implement it well and invest it, it will bring you many positive results.
Creating a successful blog may be your way to getting rich and making a profit from the Internet.
But now you may be wondering:
How do I create a successful blog? How do I start? The Internet is teeming with different information, and each site you consult tells you something different from the one before it.
Here, you may start to think that it is difficult and impossible, and you may eventually change your mind and back off from taking this step.
You do not have to miss this golden opportunity, nor give up on this dream because we will put in your hands in today's article the comprehensive guide on how to create a blog and profit from it online.
First: Why should you enter the field of blogging and create your own blog?
You've no doubt heard a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of online blogging, but if all of that didn't motivate you enough to take this step, the following reasons might push you to do so:
- Online or Blogging has become one of the most popular ways to communicate and spread information and news. There are literally millions of popular websites and bloggers as well as independent blogs as well (we will know the difference between them later in the article).
- Blogging online is a great way to express yourself and share your knowledge and experience with others.
- By creating your own blog, you will undoubtedly become a better writer, and perhaps even a better photographer and broadcaster as well!
- The most important reason of all is that you will be able to make a profit from your blog.
You probably know all these reasons, otherwise, you wouldn't have made the decision to start your own blog and came here to find out how to do it. But it is always useful to remember these advantages and advantages.
Second: Steps to create a blog and profit from it
Well, let's move on to talk about the most important topic, which is how to create a blog and start making a real financial profit from it.
Here are 6 main steps to do this:
1- Choose the right blogging platform for you
Choosing the place/platform where you will build your blog is undoubtedly the first step you need to take.
Many platforms allow you to create a blog on them, and the following image shows these platforms with their percentages of use:
As you can see, the majority of bloggers online use WordPress to create their blogs, whether it is through a hosted website or through self-hosted, with 48% of the total bloggers.
It is the platform that we also encourage you to choose to create your blog, due to its ability to add plugins, designs, and other tools that help you develop and customize your blog as you wish.
Don't know much about WordPress? How about taking a look at the following video tutorial about this platform and how to use it?
In addition to WordPress, there are other platforms such as:
- Blogger: It is a special platform from Google and is considered the best after WordPress.
- Tumblr: It is a social and blogging platform as well, fun, and easy to use as well.
Let us know through the comments if you would like us to publish a special article that includes a comprehensive guide on how to create a Blogger blog.
2- Decide if you want to create a free or paid blog
Deciding whether your blog is free or paid is one of the most important decisions you will make during this journey.
Where platforms such as Tumblr, Blogger, and even WordPress provide the ability to create a free blog that is hosted on these platforms and is known as a "hosted blog".
This option is very great for people who want to start a blog as a hobby only (not as a job or real source of income).
There are some downsides to using this option in creating your blog:
The impossibility of having your own domain name
When you create a free blog on WordPress, Tumblr, or Blogger, your domain name will be kinda ugly, and it probably won't be quite what you want it to be. Try creating a free blog on one of these sites and you'll see your blog address appear like this:
- yourblog.wordpress.com
- yourblog.blogspot.com
- yourblog.tumblr.com
It's an ugly title, and it will always make you feel that you don't really own your blog, and I'm affiliated with another site or platform, especially if you want to build yourself a strong presence on the Internet.
Lots of limitations and limitations
There are many limitations associated with creating a free blog. At first, you will not be able to turn it into the main source of profit from the Internet.
You won't be able to add all those photos and videos that you want to share with the world, and what's more, you won't even be able to use the free WordPress designs!
Blog ownership is not yours!
As silly and illogical as it may sound, your free blog isn't actually your blog!
In the end, it is a blog that is hosted on another platform, and this platform can delete it whenever it wants.
It has happened before in the past, and it will happen in the future as well. This means that all those hours spent writing your blogs and all that effort coordinating and designing them could be wasted in just a few minutes. but…
If you choose to create a paid blog or what is known as a "self-hosted blog", in this case, you will get a domain name of your own, and the address of your blog will appear in the address bar on Google as follows:
“YourName.com”
Isn't that cool?!
Not only that, but you can also end the address with any addition you want, that could be "com." or "uk." or "net." Or any other default addition.
Without forgetting, of course, the freedom to add as many videos, images, and content as you like, as well as the ability to use all the free WordPress designs available to you.
And here you may be wondering: How much does a paid or “self-hosted” blog cost?
In fact, it is not as expensive as you think, and you can get it for only 5 to 10 dollars per month depending on the site that provides the service.
3- Start setting up your blog (in case you choose the paid or self-hosted blog)
This step is specifically for those who chose to create their own WordPress blog and it was a paid blog.
In this case, you have to find your own domain name, as well as a hosting company that will host your blog.
Below is an explanation of what is meant by each:
- Domain: It means the link or URL of your blog. For example, google.com is a domain name, so is facebook.com ...etc.
- Hosting: The company that takes care of publishing your website/blog on the internet for users to see. It is where your blog content is stored on the web.
There are many hosting companies where you can save your blog and buy a suitable domain name from them for a reasonable amount of money, such as Bluehost and Hostgator.
Whether you choose one of these two sites or others, you can easily and with one click add WordPress to the hosting site and start working on your own blog….Yes, so simple, you will have your own blog on the Internet!
4- Choose the right design for your blog
Here the fun begins... Now you can start by choosing the appropriate design that you want. In this case, you have two options:
Either choose one of the free themes available on WordPress.
Or you can buy a ready-made design from a specialized site like ThemeForest.net for a reasonable price of around $40.
Always try to choose a simple and professional look for your blog while making sure that it is easy to customize.
Also, remember that this blog expresses you and your personality but also the content you provide, so if your blog is about tennis,
for example, it doesn't make sense to choose a design related to football, just because you love the sport!
Another tip to keep in mind is to choose a layout that makes it easy to navigate between pages and sections of your blog. If your site is complex and difficult to navigate, readers will be alienated from it.
Design and art are indeed relative, meaning that everyone may prefer something different, but there is no doubt that no one likes ugly sites, and everyone without exception hates sites and blogs that need a university degree to understand them
5- Add the appropriate plugins to your blog
The next step in creating a successful blog on the Internet is to add extensions or plugins that help you manage your blog better.
First and foremost, make sure to keep the number of extensions you use to a minimum. Because using a large number of them and resorting to unreliable extensions will slow down your blog and thus affect the number of visitors to your site.
When creating your own blog, start by adding the following plugins:
1- Yoast SEO
It is the most commonly used plugin in WordPress. It helps you write content that is suitable for search engines. It gives you tips and advice to make your blog of higher quality and more attractive to readers.
You can learn more about this addon by visiting the Yoast SEO official website.
2- Google Analytics for WordPress
This addon from MonsterInsights allows you to easily track web traffic on your blog and provides you with a lot of other useful data that you can analyze and use in writing content in the future such as:
- Total traffic on your blog.
- The web traffic sources you get.
- The number of web pages viewed per month by visitors to your site or pageviews in English.
To learn more about this plugin visit the official website of Google Analytics for WordPress
6- Start writing engaging content for your blog
Congratulations! You've finally managed to create your blog and it's time to actually start blogging...
You've passed all those technical complexities, and the time for the real fun has come...
This is where your passion will begin, and your creative skills in producing content in all its forms will begin.
Here are the most important elements of writing your blog content online:
Written content
Introduce yourself on the "Who am I" or "About Us" page, and add your contact details through the "Contact Us" page. Also, prepare the content of the home page that will be the first thing a visitor will see of your blog.
Image
Add a personal photo to your blog (You can use a suitable selfie at first, but later make sure to add a professional photo of you. Because site visitors are actually more attracted to people's photos than to the site's logo or photos that don't include a human element.
your own logo
Make sure to create your own logo using software such as InDesign, Photoshop, or other simple design software, but if you want to spend some extra cash, in this case, you can get a professional design from one of the graphic designers you know or through websites Like 99designs.
High-quality pictures
Enrich your articles and blogs with high-quality images, whether by taking them yourself, if you have the skill of photography, or by downloading them from free or paid specialized sites such as:
- Paul Jarvis
- Unsplash (Free)
- Library of Congress (Free)
- iStock (stool)
- Shutterstock (stool)
Comments section
Decide if you want to add a special comments section to your blog. Knowing that allowing your audience to interact with your content and express their opinion will greatly help you to get direct feedback, develop your content in the future, and even get new ideas for the content as well.
Presence on social networks and platforms
Your blog needs to have a presence on social media platforms, so think about the content that you provide in your blog and select the most suitable platform for you to build your presence on.
You can also choose more than one platform, but the best thing is to focus on only one platform at the beginning so as not to distract yourself and waste your efforts in vain.
Thus, your blog will be completely ready to start writing articles on it. In the beginning, make sure to maintain consistency by publishing at least one article every week, so that you can build a strong base of the loyal audience that will follow your blog constantly.
Creating your own blog on the Internet is not as impossible a task as it may seem to you.
With some design, a little will, focus, and some dedication, you will undoubtedly be able to build your own blog.
Once readers start visiting your site and reading what you write, and with the increase in the number of pages viewed by readers.
You will be able to convert these views and visits into real income and profit, whether through Google ads, network marketing, or other methods of making money online.
To learn more about this, read our article entitled: How to make money from the Internet.
And be sure to register on our site to receive all new and interesting articles.
Sources: theminimalists, bloggingbasics101
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