Contemplating starting a blog but not sure where to start? Then you’re in the right place. Here I will cover, step by step, all the steps to starting a successful blog.
One of the best decisions I ever made was starting this blog. Having a space of your own where you can share what you know, your experiences, and your way of seeing the world is deeply rewarding.
You might want to start a blog for different reasons because you have a passion that you want to share with the world because you want to quit your job and start working as a freelancer because you are unemployed and want to invest in a blog.
Anyway, the reasons are more than any and all of them are valid. Do you want to make your dream come true? So let’s learn how to launch a successful blog.
1. Choose blog topic and niche
The first step, before anything else, is to choose the theme of your blog. Will it be a blog about recipes, music, or photography? Fashion, art, or finance? The possibilities are endless.
At the outset, if you have the idea of starting a blog, you know more or less the topics you would like to address.
But at this stage, it is important to question these ideas and outline a strategy.
For example, you know you want to launch a food blog. This is the general theme of your blog. But what is your specific niche? A niche, in this case, would be, for example, vegan and gluten-free desserts.
Strategically defining a niche will be highly important to the success of your blog. The more specific the topic, the more defined your audience will be the easier it will be to relate to them, and the easier it will be, in the medium/long term, to monitor your space.
2. Choose the name of your blog
This is one of the most challenging stages. And I advise you to spend several days thinking about this part of creating your new blog.
A good name is something unique that doesn’t yet exist in the blogosphere or any other area of activity and that represents the topic and style of your blog well.
Make a long list of names and different keyword combinations that best represent the topic and niche you want to cover.
Choose the name that you feel best represents what you want to build.
In a second phase, to make sure it’s the perfect name, ask some people around you what that name conveys and if they think it represents what you want for your blog.
3. Register your domain
Why do I suggest registering your name and domain right away, instead of using the free versions of WordPress or Blogger?
Because if you want to create a successful blog it is important that you have your own domain it creates more trust with readers and gives an image of more professionalism.
Just think, which version of these two sites would you rather visit: lawyerandinsurance.com or lawyerandinsurance.blogspot.com?
This part looks like a seven-headed beast and sounds like a very technical stage but in reality, it’s not that complicated.
There are several sites where you can register your domain. I registered raptorkit.com on Ambition Host.
Just go to the website, search for the domain you would like to register, and see if it is available or not. If available, you have several options in terms of pricing, depending on the extension (.com or .net).
When you register the domain you can buy it for 1 year, 2 years, or even 10 years. This means that the domain is not yours forever, but only for as long as you decide to pay for it.
You can choose to pay for 1 year and then renew annually. Or decide to pay the first 5 years right away, for example.
4. Create the blog
There are several free platforms that you can use to create your blog (WordPress, Blogger, etc.). I used Blogger for many years but in the last year I switched to WordPress and I highly recommend it.
It’s easy to use, has great plugins, easy to install like Yoast SEO for example and there’s a very large community around WordPress (which means you’ll find plenty of content and tips about the platform).
To use WordPress there are two possibilities:
i) Use WordPress hosting (which has an associated cost, starting at $2.99 per month). You can consult more information about the plans available at this link.
In this first possibility, you don’t need to have any technical knowledge related to servers and hosting, because all the installation and configuration of the servers are on the WordPress side.
ii) The second option is to use your own accommodation. For this option, you need to have some technical knowledge or someone to help you.
If you want to use your own accommodation there are several sites with this service and you can arrange it, for example, for $4 per month.
The positive part of this option is that you have full control over the server, which may allow you to optimize some configurations in the future.
However, this option will only be useful if your blog is already established and receives a lot of visits.
If it’s your first blog, you don’t have the technical knowledge, or anyone who can help you with the installation and configuration, I recommend the first option.
5. Choose your blog theme/layout
You can initially choose one of the many free themes available on WordPress or Blogger, but again, I suggest investing a little more and choosing a more visually interesting theme that exactly responds to the specific needs of your blog and aligns with the vision you have. you had for the same.
There’s nothing more frustrating than having an exact vision of the type of blog you want – with this and that component – and then ending up having to work with a super basic version.
Here I think it’s really worth investing in a theme that you love and that represents you.
In my case, I chose a theme on this site Neve by ThemeIsle.
My other favorite themes:
Now that you have a defined topic and niche, a name, a registered domain, and a theme, you are ready to start writing and creating content for your new blog.
Congratulations! It’s the beginning of an incredible adventure.
Also, If you want to boost your blog/website’s ranking on search engines then don’t forget to check my SEO Checklist
With these 5 simple steps you have just created a very important foundation to launch a successful blog, but most of the work is yet to come and it relates first to the creation of content and then, in a second phase, to the monetization of your blog.
