Starting a blog is an excellent way to build gadgets + write for us credibility for your brand. A blog is also a great outlet for self-expression if you’re a budding writer or have a hobby you want to document and share with others.
However, there are certain strategies you need to know before you start a blog. Therefore, we’ve created this comprehensive step-by-step guide for new bloggers to kick-start their journey.
We’ll discuss everything from finding a niche and setting up a blogging platform to publishing content and promoting your blog.
How to Start a Blog – Video Guide
More of a visual learner? No problem – watch this WordPress tutorial to learn how to create a blog on WordPress.
How to Start a Blog in 10 Simple Steps
In the upcoming sections, we’ll break down each step in the journey of how to make a blog for beginners and provide more details.
1. Pick Your Blog Niche
A niche is a specific topic that your blog will focus on, and it’s key in determining your target audience. A strong blog niche can also help you pick the perfect blog name and develop a focused blogging strategy.
Examples of blog niches include books, travel, gaming, photography, and food.
When setting up your new blog, it may be tempting to cover a broad range of blog ideas or topics. However, trying to master too many subjects is difficult and often unsustainable.
You might pull off a few successful quality blog posts, but your audience will be scattered, making it hard to maintain a loyal readership.
That’s why sticking to a niche that can attract a devoted following is important. A dedicated audience will look forward to your next piece of content, giving your blog a steady stream of traffic.
To find the perfect niche for a successful blog, keep the following tips in mind:
Pick a Niche That You Like or Are Passionate About
Writing about a topic you enjoy will always be more fulfilling than forcing yourself to write about something you’re uninterested in.
Consider your hobbies and interests or topics you’d like to learn more about. Then, make them more specific. If your passion is food, try focusing on a particular cuisine like Japanese, Mexican, or Italian.
Similarly, if you want to start a book blog, consider blogging about reading on a budget or specific literary styles.
Select a Niche That Has Audience Potential
Your main topic should have a level of pre-existing interest to 2020 Youtube Rewind ensure you’ll have an audience to target. Use Google Trends to find the search volume of specific keywords related to your niche and determine whether enough people are discussing it on social media and community forums.
This way, you’ll know what’s trending in your niche and which blog post ideas have more engagement potential.
You Don’t Have to Be an Expert to Profit From a Niche
Being a topical expert gives you a certain authority that many readers look for, but it’s not a requirement. What’s more important is having a unique perspective on your niche and being eager to learn more.
For example, you might not be a professional photographer, but you can still start a photography blog as a beginner. To help build authority, feature interviews with experts on your blog.
2. Choose a Suitable Blogging Platform
Once you’ve settled on a niche, it’s time to start preparing a website for your blog. Blogging platforms are divided into two categories – hosted and self-hosted.
Hosted platforms like website builders are all-inclusive. They generally come with all the tools needed to build a blog. Plus, there’s no need to purchase hosting and a blog domain name from a third party.
On the other hand, self-hosted platforms require you to buy hosting solutions separately. These platforms are typically content management systems (CMSs) that offer extensive customization options for your blogging website.
Let’s take a look at some examples to understand these options better.
Content Management System (CMS)
CMSs are among the most common website-making solutions. They let you create and manage a website easily with a graphical user interface. CMSs are suitable blogging platforms due to their versatility and are perfect for those who want extensive control over their websites, from choosing blog hosting providers to implementing security measures.
WordPress is the most popular option among the many CMSs out there and powers almost half of all websites on the internet. Due to its popularity, users have numerous options for paid and free WordPress themes and plugins to enhance their blog pages.
This CMS also has a large and active community that shares useful knowledge and information regarding the platform. Therefore, we recommend using WordPress if you want to start a blog using a CMS.
First, it’s important to grasp the definition of web hosting because you’ll need to select a hosting service if you plan to start a self-hosted WordPress blog. Consider managed WordPress hosting to minimize technical complexities and focus more on creating content.
Here are some pros and cons of choosing a CMS like WordPress as your blogging platform:
Pros
Complete control. You’re free to adjust, manage, and switch web hosting resources and providers.
Seemingly endless customization. You can add custom code or choose from thousands of WordPress plugins and themes from the official directory or third-party sources.
Built to scale. Self-hosted platforms can sustain complex websites of any size as long as your blog hosting plan has sufficient resources.
Cons
Steeper learning curve. Even though using a self-hosted platform is significantly easier than coding a website from scratch, it still requires some technical knowledge compared to website builders.
Time to set up. Unlike the instant setup of most hosted platforms, self-hosted platforms require extra steps like purchasing web hosting, registering a domain name, and installing the platform’s software.
No dedicated support. Most self-hosted platforms don’t offer customer support. So, you’ll need to rely on your hosting provider or community support.
Independent security and maintenance. You’ll be responsible for keeping your blog secure and properly maintained. This means installing security add-ons, running regular backups, and conducting software updates.
Website Builder
If you want to start blogging but want to avoid a lengthy setup process and steep learning curve, website builders are the best option.
This type of platform gives you a straightforward way to make a website without any complicated technical requirements, making it a great solution for beginners.
Services like a blog creator by Hostinger Website Builder provide users with professionally-made templates to jumpstart the blog-building process.
You can customize the blog template easily with a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and various AI tools like the AI Writer, AI Heatmap tool, and AI Logo Generator.
See below for the pros and cons of choosing Hostinger blog maker:
Pros
Quick setup. Use the AI Website Builder option to generate a completely custom blog in just a few clicks – all you need to do is provide a short description of your ideal blog. Then, head to the visual editor to adjust all the site elements to your specifications.
Premade templates. Speed up your building process by choosing from the many Hostinger’s templates specifically designed to optimize your blog. All the designs are mobile-friendly and customizable.
Essential blogging features. Hostinger blog maker offers built-in tools that make blogging easy. These include a visual blog post editor, article groups with categories, post scheduling, and a URL customizer.
Comprehensive hosting resources. From just ₹149.00/month, your blog gets a free domain name, weekly backups, unlimited bandwidth, and robust security features.
Cons
Less flexible. Most website builders are built on a closed-source system. The templates and add-ons are usually limited to what the service officially offers. However, Hostinger blog creator is compatible with popular third-party tools to grow your blog, such as Google Analytics, Hotjar, and Google AdSense.
No phone support. Currently, you can’t reach our Customer Success team by phone. However, Hostinger Website Builder offers live chat and email support to ensure you get all the help you need.
Third-Party Blogging Websites
Many successful bloggers use websites like Medium, Blogger, or Tumblr in addition to their own platforms. Some blogging websites use a social media-like algorithm where visitors can discover trending blog posts based on their interests.
Leveraging this system can help you build a strong audience base for your blog. You can also use these platforms to build backlinks and funnel more visitors to your blogging website.
Here are some unique benefits and disadvantages of using a third-party website for your blog:
Pros
Easy to start. All you have to do is create an account, and you’re ready to make your first blog post.
No maintenance work. There’s no need to think about technical aspects like the site’s performance or security – you can focus on publishing and promoting your blog.
Existing audience base. Blogging websites already have an established user base you can leverage to build your online presence. Plus, creating unique and valuable content gives you a chance to be featured on the platform.
Budget-friendly. Many of these blogging websites are free to use. That way, you can create accounts on more than one platform to expand your reach without worrying about costs.
Cons
Limited ownership. Your blog and its content will be stored on the platform’s server, so there is a chance you may lose them if the website goes offline.
Tough competition. Since you share the platform with other bloggers, getting traction can be challenging. Most of the time, contributors with established reputations will take precedence on the home page and get most of the traffic.
Fewer monetization options. Unlike running your own blogging platform,