Introduction to Blogging

It is said that nothing is better than being your own boss. If you are self-employed or have a business of your own then you a get a lot of advantages over those who have a day job. I am not against a day job but if you are a free mind and passionate person then following your passion can be fruitful if done with proper research and strategy. In this article, we will tell you how to start a blog, things to keep in mind before starting a blog and how to make money blogging.

 

Remember:-

“You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support…”

Most of the successful people in this world have reached the zenith just because they do what they love.  If you do what you love then you don’t feel like working.

Blogging is one such passion which is now followed by lakhs of people. Blogging has now become more than that you think! Many people take it as a hobby thing but it is much more than that. A lot of people are into full-time blogging and have transformed their lives totally. I also run my own blogs apart from this digital marketing agency and believe

 

Why Blogging is a Better Option

 

Blogging is a better option. Yes, you heard it right. It can do wonders for you ( if done consistently). I am myself generating good revenue from my blogs. Let us understand why blogging can be a better option over other professions.

 

1.Gives You The Freedom You Have Always Wanted

Blogging is one such profession that can give you the freedom that you always wanted in life. You can be your own boss, no limitations. Though blogging needs consistency you can plan your schedule according to your routine. You don’t have strict deadlines like you have in a private job.

 

2. Work From Anywhere

With blogging, you are not limited to a single place to work. You can work from the comfort of your home, from a cafe, a coworking space or from a park. In a day job, you are limited to a single place of work.

 

3. Multiple sources of Earning

The best thing about Blogging is that it opens up multiple channels of earning. If you start blogging consistently and keep doing it with the right strategies you will notice that you will start getting different monetization opportunities for your blog. In a day job, you can earn good enough but in blogging, you are not limited in terms of earning. You can make a handsome amount of money from your blog.

Well, there are many advantages of blogging but we can not discuss them at the moment as it will divert us from the main topic.

 

How To Start A Blog of Your Own

Blogging can fetch you a lot of money, fame and the freedom you have always wished for! But all this will come only if you have the right guidance, follow the right strategy and the most important, YOU ARE CONSISTENT.

This single post will give you a complete idea as how to start a blog of your own, how to setup things in your blog, how to monetize a blog etc

Are you ready?

We will discuss all the components one by one. If you have any queries, you can ask me through the comments section below.

 

Domain Name

First, of all, you need to find a good domain name for your blog. A domain name is your identity in this digital world. A blog domain name will help people to identify you and your blog.

 Things to keep in mind before buying a domain name

1. Keep it short

Don’t go for a domain name that is too long. Choose a domain name that is easy to remember and write. Lengthy domain names will not be a good option.

 

2. Choose the right extensions

If you don’t want to create a blog that is limited to a specific region or country then go for .com domains. For a specific category, you can choose specific extensions ex. for the educational specific niche you can choose .edu, for an organization you can choose .org etc.

 

Buy your Domain Name from trusted sources:-

 

 Hosting for Your Blog

 

Just like you need a space for your home, you need a space for your blog or website. There are many companies offering hosting services but you should choose quality over price. There are many things that you need to look for in hosting. Many newbie bloggers do this mistake of going for a cheap hosting service instead of researching its quality.

 

Choose a hosting that is reliable and doesn’t let you down in front of your readers and blog visitors. There is no guarantee that cheap hosting will be good in terms of quality.

 

 

Want To Check More Offers? Best Deals on Hosting [ Limited Period ]

 

 

Themes

Themes make your blog or website appealing. The more organized and appealing your blog looks, the more it will be loved by your blog visitors. They will love to stay more on your blog. There are many themes available on WordPress. Having a good theme makes your site more structured and increases the chance of conversions. If you are confused about themes then you can check our recent article, 10 best WordPress themes

 

 Plugins

Plugins are prewritten codes and save a lot of time for coding. WordPress plugins make WordPress so popular among as it is useful for those who don’t have coding knowledge. Plugins are just like you use softwares on your PC. There are multiple plugins for each task but you can not install all the plugins randomly.

 

Let us discuss some of the WordPress plugins that you must install on your WordPress blog. These plugins will make your blog more efficient. Have a look:-

 

1.Akismet Anti Spam Plugin

Nobody would love to see spam on his/her blog. As soon as you start your blog you will start getting spam comments full of cheesy lines just to get link approvals. Most of the comments will be spam. Approving spam can affect your site badly. So, it is better to remove these spam messages. It is not possible to filter out the spam comments manually so it is always better to use an anti-spam plugin.

There are many anti-spam plugins on WordPress but my favourite one is Akismet Anti Spam. I prefer this plugin because it filters out all the spam automatically and you can directly trash them in bulk at once.

 

2. Contact Form 7

The next plugin that you must install on your WordPress blog is the Contact Form 7 plugin. It helps you to integrate contact us forms on your WordPress blog or website. It is quite easy to integrate a form using the contact form 7 plugin. Just install the Contact Form 7 plugin, activate it. Create a new contact form, choose the form fields you wish to display.

 

3. Yoast SEO 

SEO is the backbone of organic ranking. Social media rankings are temporary and will not bring consistent traffic to your blog or website. What you really need is ORGANIC TRAFFIC!  Everyone craves for organic traffic but only few are able to drive some good organic traffic to their blog. SEO is the key! 

You need to optimize your blog posts in such a way that they rank in Google search. If you are not an SEO expert yourself and haven’t hired one of your blogs then you can use Yoast SEO. If your keywords are right, then it can help you to do the on-page SEO for your blog pages in the right way. It shows what all things need to optimize, how to optimize the title, meta description, body, etc. It is free to use. Though the free version is quite sufficient but if you wish to achieve much better organic ranking then you can try the PRO version of Yoast SEO.

 

4. AddThis Social Sharing 

Add This is another must-have WordPress plugin. People love to share your content with others if they like it. You just need to install the social sharing buttons on your blog or website. There are many social media sharing button plugins on WordPress but my personal favourite one is AddThis Plugin. I have been using it since 2016 on all my blogs.

 

It makes it easy for my website visitors to share the content on different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc The plugin is free to use and content can be shared on multiple platforms like Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Mix, Flipboard, and WhatsApp.

So what are you waiting for just install and activate the plugin on your blog?

 

5. Insert Headers and Footers

How many of you are not good at coding? Well, nothing to worry! Not everyone is into coding. Many times it happens that we need to add some codes in the header and footer of the website. For ex. the AdSense code for auto ads, the webmaster code, and other codes for various integrations. If you have no idea about programming then you must not play with the theme.

 

It is better to use a plugin for this and no plugin works better than Insert Headers and footers. This plugin has been designed by Wpbeginner. With this plugin, you can easily integrate all the codes in the headers and footer area. Cool! Right?

So, we shared the 5 must have plugins for WordPress, if you want to check more about plugins you can read that from the link shared below:-

After you install plugins, you need to update them on regular basis just like you update your phone’s apps.

 

Check out this video to learn how to update WordPress plugins quickly

 

How to Update WordPress Plugins: Learn Digital Marketing With Deepak Kumar

 

Types of blog

Tech Blog

A tech blog is quite a in demand. The Tech niche has been competitive since a long time. If you are a tech geek, loves to read about the latest tech news and updates then you must start your own tech blog. Some of the popular tech topics are cryptocurrency, cloud hosting, Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Data analytics, Gadgets, tutorials, etc

 

Recipe/Food Blog

A food blog is the best thing for you if cooking is your unending passion. If you love to impress people with your mouth-watering food then you must start your food blog without delaying it. A lot of food bloggers share their food recipes on their blog which is read by their followers. Food blogging is the next big thing as you get to enjoy a lot apart from writing about food recipes. you get to travel to different food fests, cities, restaurants, etc.

A lot of restaurants invite food bloggers, they offer you their best dishes, and in return, you just need to write short reviews about their restaurant and food items.

 

Travel Blog

If you are fond of traveling to mesmerizing destinations then you can start your own travel blog. Initially start it as a hobby and if things go well take a professional move for your travel blog. You can plan out your vacations with your family or friends. Just make a note of all your travel experience and journey and share it with travel lovers in the form of a blog post.

 

News Blog

News blogs are quite in demand and a lot of bloggers are successfully running their news blog. A news blog needs to remain active only then you can rank it and gain good traffic. You can write about the latest news, state news, national news, international news, Bollywood and Hollywood movie gossips.

 

Entertainment Blog

Who doesn’t love to read about entertainment? Entertainment is a part of our life and life would have become boring without movies and web series. You can start an entertainment blog and can share your movie and web series reviews. People love to read movie reviews before they watch it.

You can also write about Btown gossips and news, the lifestyle of actors.

 

Fashion and Lifestyle blog

Who does not love to stand out in the crowd! Taking care of ourselves and our appearance is a sign that we love ourselves. Loving ourselves is more important than loving people in the outer world. If you are fond of knowing about beauty products, fashion, and lifestyle then you can begin your blogging journey with your own fashion and lifestyle blog. I have personally helped a lot of fashion and lifestyle bloggers and today they are running their blog successfully.

They charge a very good amount of money for promoting fashion and lifestyle brands on their blogs and Instagram handles.

 

 

Health blog

Health is wealth and it is absolutely a true statement. We don’t realize the importance of our health unless we fall ill. We take our health for granted. To be successful in your career goals you need to possess a healthy body and mind. If either of them lags then you may lose the whole game of winning.

If you are someone who understands the importance of health and has good knowledge about health topics then you can start your own health blog. You can share health and fitness tips on your blog. You can also write about yogasanas, different yoga poses, day to day common problems in the lives of men and women, the sexual health of men and women, etc.

 

SSL for Blog

Having a secured website is important not just for your visitors but also in terms of SEO. Google loves to rank sites that are secure. Having an SSL on your website gives you an extra advantage over other websites.

If you are looking for an SSL for your blog then you can write to us at: priyanka@www.xpresswebsolutions.com

info@www.xpresswebsolutions.com

You can also chat with us using our live chat support.

 

Blog Images

Did we miss something important?  Yes, the  BLOG IMAGES! Images are important part of a blog post. High-quality copyright-free images are good in the long run. You can find high-quality images from these websites.

Pexels.com

Canva.com

 

Blog Monetization: How To Make Money Blogging

Now you have done everything and your blog is live, what about the monetization? If you are doing it for a hobby purpose then you can ignore this part if you want to earn a consistent amount of money from your blog then this is something you should read carefully!

 

Talking about blog monetization, there are numerous ways to monetize a blog. You can use Google Adsense, Affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, direct advertising, banner ads, selling ebooks on your blog etc.

 

You all must have heard about these methods from other fellow bloggers but each blog monetization method requires a lot of research, practical application, bit patience, and the right STRATEGY. Let me tell you this bitter but true fact:-

 

BLOGGING IS NOT A GET RICH QUICK SCHEME

 

If some so-called Guru or course seller is telling you that blogging is very easy and you will start making a 5 or 6 figure income after buying our ebook or course, then either they are fooling you for selling their ebooks/courses or they haven’t understood blogging clearly.

 

BLOG MONETIZATION METHODS

 

You must be curious to learn how to make money blogging. So, without wasting time, let us discuss some tried and tested methods to earn money from blogging. We will share a brief about each blog monetization method. If you need a detailed resource on blog monetization then you can check it out by clicking the button just after these methods.

 

Google Adsense

Google Adsense is a monetization programme that is run by Google. Google invites advertisers to advertise on partner program sites. You need to sign up for Google Adsense. When your application is approved, you are asked to place the AdSense code on the blog. When someone clicks or hovers your ad, you are paid for clicks and impressions.

The more traffic you have more will be your Adsense earning. You need to target locations and keywords that have high CPC and low competition.

 

Affiliate Marketing 

There are many brands that run their affiliate programs. If you have a good amount of traffic on your blog then you can try affiliate marketing to earn a good amount of money from your blog.

Some of the affiliate marketing programmes that can help you to earn a good amount of money are:-

1. Amazon Associates

2. Bluehost affiliate

3. Namecheap Affiliates

4. ikoumerce Affiliate ( Up to 30% Commission per sale )

 

You can also join our own affiliate marketing programme where you can earn 15-20% commission per sale.

 

Selling Ebooks

Selling Ebooks is another profitable blog monetization method. You can sell ebooks on your blog and generate good revenue from it. You can right your own ebooks for the subjects in which you have expertise. There are a lot of bloggers who already earn 2000-4000$ just by selling their own ebooks on their blog.

 

Banner Advertising

You can place banner ads on your blog. Banners ads can be added in the left and right sidebar widgets, in the post or after the end of the post. Banner ads catch viewers’ attention fast and can help you to earn more from your blog. To add the banners you must check the dimensions according to your blog theme. A lot of brands will automatically contact you for banner advertising when your blog starts getting ranking in Google.

 

Paid Guest Posts

Guest posts are done in order to gain backlinks for a website. Google loves content that has been recommended by other websites. You can accept paid guest posts on your blog. One of my main earning sources from my personal blogs are paid guest posts and sponsored posts for brands. People pay you for getting a backlink from your site. To get more guest post offers you should keep your blog active and should have atleast a DA 20 blog.

 

Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts are similar to guest posts. Sponsored posts are campaigns that are run by top brands in order to boost the authority of their business website. If you have a DA 20 blog then you can easily earn somewhere around 30-50000 per month by doing sponsored posts on your blog.

Note: Don’t overdo  Guest posts/ sponsored posts on your blog if your blog is not updated regularly with fresh content.

 

So, these were some of the tried and tested methods to make money from your blog. You can check out our detailed article on how to make money blogging in 2020.

 

So, I have shared everything that a newbie bloggers wish to know when he enters the world of blogging. Blogging can transform your life but only if you have the right guidance and strategies. I have tried my best to share everything possible in a single post. If  I have missed something or you wish to get your blogging queries solved, you can ask me through the comments section below. This was Deepak Kumar here. Happy Blogging 🙂 🙂