Creating your website has become super easy in the modern day. Advancements in the internet and technology now mean a few clicks can get you a complete WordPress website, ready to start your very own blog.
Blogging continues to be a popular way for people to not only express themselves on the internet but also make money online. However, when you want to do this, you need to begin with a very strong foundation to ensure you create a blog that is already set up for success. I am going to share my three-step system for creating this kind of foundation.
1. Niche, Audience, and Research
Setting up your blog can be a great way to embrace remote work, but you have to put in the effort to make it great from the start. It all starts with research. The more you put into this planning phase, the better, as that will have an impact on how strong you start when you set up your blog.
You first need to understand what niche you want to target. I always find it is most efficient to pick a niche that revolves around something you are passionate about or a topic you are good at. If you are someone who loves to cook, then a blog that shares your favorite recipes could be the perfect option for you. Many moms would set up their own parenting blog. Those who travel could document their journeys on a blog.
There are endless opportunities when it comes to picking a niche. However, it is one of the most critical parts of starting a successful blog. This is why you should take a moment to understand what you want to write about. When you have a niche, you can start to look into the audience you will target with your blog.
Taking the time to really understand your audience, who they are, and what kind of problems they face can help you set up an initial plan. It makes things much easier when you decide to set up a content plan later and during your digital marketing strategies.
2. Setting Up Your Blog
Once you have done some planning and research, you have to set up your blog. I suggest you use WordPress as it is the easiest option to get started with. Before you set things up, however, you will need to buy a domain and get some hosting. You can use a company with dedicated WordPress hosting services. That can make life easier. For the domain, choose a domain that is brandable, but also related to your niche at the same time.
At one point, people used the main keyword they wanted to focus on for their website as the domain name. However, we are living in an age where artificial intelligence is the driving force behind online searches. This means it is a better idea to optimize your domain so that it can become your brand and not just a keyword.
After you have WordPress up, head over to the themes tab and click on “Add New Theme”. There are thousands of free themes you can browse through. Choose one that matches the vision you have for the blog you are setting up. The design should be straightforward with nothing that feels too complex to navigate. I find that simple designs perform the best when it comes to user retention.
When your blog is ready, start writing. Do not feel overwhelmed and do not delay. The moment everything looks great, set aside an hour or two and write an article. When you delay, it is just going to end up as something that you push to the side at some point. Taking action immediately helps you maintain your motivation. The first 10 blog posts on your website are really important, as they give you a chance to fill up some content that visitors can explore.
There are a couple of things you can also do at this point to create a foundation for success. This includes installing JetPack to help with optimizing your site, and using Yoast SEO or RankMath for SEO purposes. Create a Google Search Console account and then add your website. The platform gives you a chance to monitor your search performance.
3. Promoting Your Blog
It is now time to start getting traffic for your blog. Make sure you have a couple of posts available and that your blog works great on any device. Promoting your website can take some time when you are just starting, but persistence and consistency are the key factors to long-term success. Begin by setting up social media profiles and pages for your blog. Every time you create a new post, promote it on your social media channels. There are different social channels to target, such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn, depending on the niche you target.
Use your social profiles to also build trust and authority. Share helpful tips related to your niche. This shows people you know what you are talking about. By establishing this authority within the niche, people will have more trust in your brand. That makes them visit your website to learn more and read through your blog posts. It is also useful to ensure you do keyword research and optimize every post you make to improve its rankings for the keywords you select.
