So, you have decided to start a blog. Chances are you are hoping to turn it into a money-making venture, whether you plan to get ad revenue or use it as a platform to sell your products and services. Blogs are awesome tools for building income online because they are a great way to connect with your target audience, and establish trust, authority and credibility.
It is easy to look at successful bloggers and forget that at one point, there was just one lonely post on their site, and they were just where you are now. Success in this arena is available to anyone who really wants it, but it takes some effort. Here are just a few core tips for success.
What to Do about a Website?
The first thing you are going to need to do is get a website. Now, you have a few options here. There are free platforms such as Blogger from Google ,and you can get up and running without having to pay a cent. But, to be honest, unless you are blogging purely as hobby, it would be smart to pay for hosting and establish a blog on WordPress or another platform, even if you don’t think you will be monetizing right in the beginning. First impressions mean a lot and while not everyone will feel this way, many will not take your site as seriously.
If you do pay for a site, you can totally do everything yourself with either free or paid themes that you can customize in various ways, or by using website builder services. Then there is the option to pay someone to build your whole website.
If you don’t have the funds to get a fully customized site, it’s okay. Just make sure your site looks clean and professional.
Creating Content that Catches Eyes
No matter your niche, there is a good chance that anything you talk about on your blog has been discussed before in some form. There are only so many marketing techniques, personal development topics and what have you.
But, there are countless ways in which this information is presented. Different bloggers have different writing styles, philosophies,etc.. So, you can totally make your content stand out if you put a little effort into it.
One of the best ways to leave your unique mark is infusing your own experience and story into your posts. Don’t just make everything a dry run-down of tips or strategies. Let your unique voice shine through. Don’t be afraid to be creative. Don’t pay too much attention to what everyone else is doing, or your content will just be like everyone else’s. Pay attention to what people are talking about in forums, blog comments and the like to get an idea of problems people have and the questions they want answered.
Be Patient and Consistent
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were successful bloggers with thriving streams of income. Most people fail in blogging because they have unrealistic expectations about the nature of this work. They confuse the convenience of a home-based enterprise with it being easy, and this isn’t the case. So, you need to be patient and be willing to put in the work of building up an audience, promoting and other tasks required to increase your visibility and readership.
Determine why you are blogging and always keep that reason at the forefront of your mind, whether it is to be free to spend more time with your family, become a digital nomad or engage in your passion.