How to Start a Blog (And earn money from it) in 2022 -
Blogs are just like opinions: Everyone has one. And for good reason!
A blog that is well-designed and filled with informative content is among the most effective advertising instruments available. This shows prospective customers that you're a subject matter expert and builds your online reputation. It also shows potential customers that you're a media Centric SaaS Companies like Hubspot that maintain useful, active blogs even end up with greater traffic than major media outlets in their respective industries. That's massive.
In this article, we'll break down why blogs are such an important brand-building strategy, before diving into the specifics of how to start your own blog. We'll then go over the most effective strategies that bloggers employ to monetize their blogs to give you the steps to transform your blog into a major source of passive income. (Because there's no one who doesn't want to think about it!)
We'll dive right in to take you from being a novice to blogging hero. These are some tips for those who want to skip ahead to a specific area:
Benefits of blogging
From getting your website to be more prominent on search engines, to establishing your brand's connection with audiences -- there are a few key motives why each creator and company needs a blog.
Boosting your website traffic
It's not necessary to go through jargon, but this strategy is known as "inbound marketing. It's when you write about something people are actually searching for, and, along your journey, visitors will discover your company's name. It also means that you don't have to pay for ads in order to get seen. (That's outsidebound marketing!)
Conway later says that by making a statement on controversial issues within his field, he got a "huge uptick in traffic" and increased his audience to 20,000 monthly readers. Now, he works with a network of freelancers to create great content. This is a model that you could copy, regardless of your industry.
Getting discovered via social media
Content from blogs isn't only useful to bring users to your site- it can also be repurposed to be used on social media. This will help you increase the reach of your brand and connect with leads that you would not find in other ways. It's easier to illustrate as opposed to explained. So we'll take a look at the details of an illustration.
Imagine you're selling lint-rollers, and you write an article on your blog about the best strategies to get rid of cat hair off couches. Then, you go into detail and write about every possible way to take the feline off of your recliner. (Meow.) That post and the research you put into it are the basis of your research.
If you want to take things a more step, you could start an Twitter thread in which you break down your hair removal strategies in less than 280 characters. It's shorter, more digestible as well as allowing you to reach out to an entirely new audience. Equally, you could build an Instagram-based video that shows your top five tricks to keep the hair of cats off your couches. If you're looking for something more adventurous You could also create a TikTok tutorial on how to make a professional lint roll.
Suddenly, that blog post isn't simply a single piece of text. It's a complete mini-content marketing strategy, with components you can spin off to promote your brand across various social media channels. The blog post itself is the place you'll need to spend longest. But once it's written there's a chance you'd miss out if you didn't spend an hour or two spinning it out for the social media.
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Building your online reputation
Blogging is also an effective method to establish your reputation online and make yourself known as a subject matter expert. A good online brand can be beneficial for entrepreneurs who are solo as well as large corporations, and the content you write today will influence customers for long time to come.
Simply put, people prefer to buy from businesses that help them than from corporations that aren't transparent. Businesses would prefer to hire consultants who give away some worth upfront rather than hiring consultants with no proof they'll deliver on their say they will.
A consistent, top-quality blog can help you share this value, and show that you are worth it.
Generating long-term business
One of the biggest benefits that blogging has is its capacity to create long-term revenue for your business. When you've published a blog article, it's yours alone (and it's up and running for a long time). You can update and republish important articles every year so that they remain highly ranked, and people will continue finding your company through your blog, all on their own.
Best of all, your blog posts will form the first impressions of you. If a client or customer reaches out to you for the first time they'll already have a perception of you formed by reading your blog posts. It's not necessary to introduce yourself -- and you'll be able concentrate on solving their issues and establishing relations with them.
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How do you start a successful blog in 2022
Now that you understand what makes blogs so famous, let's dig to the essentials regarding how to create a successful blog. Because blogging has changed a lot since the early days of LiveJournal and TypePad and is expected to be successful in 2022, you need to develop a sound approach and strategy to your blog at the beginning.
1. Pick your niche
When you begin your blog, it's important to pick the core subject you'll be focusing the content you write about. That's your niche.
However, if you choose a narrow subject, it's unlikely that anyone will find your name. It's possible that you're the most powerful fish in a small water body, however, if there's no one else fishing in the pond, then you shouldn't expect to see much business impact.
Imagine you're a tailor that loves making quilted replicas of album covers in the 1960s and 1970s. It's possible that there's some people that want to view your Trout Mask Replica quilt. But if you're trying to attract new customers for your company, you might be interested in writing about making. This is a broad topic with more potential customers searching for this type of information.
There are couple of steps to take to discover a niche that is profitable which isn't very crowded or that people are searching for. Here's how you do it:
Imagine your favorite hobbies or skills as well as business
Searching for a blog niche should start with some serious self-reflection. Ask yourself the following three questions--and jot down some bullet notes, while you're at it:
- What is it that you enjoy to do? And what can you discuss all day?
- What knowledge or knowledge could you share or share with other people?
- In the field you're interested in, which aspects haven't been explored until death?
Most likely the real world or your work hobbies will be the subject that you'd like your blog to concentrate on. They are the areas in which you're an expert in the field.
Caring about your niche is absolutely crucial, because it'll take time to build the readership of your blog. If you're not interested in the subject matter of your blog, you'll run into an existential crisis and abandon it prior to reaching the year-mark. (And it won't be a pleasant experience -- believe me. )
Go to Google Trends to determine how well-known your niche is
Once you've identified your own niche, it's time to conduct some basic study to find out what people are searching for within the area you've chosen to focus on. This is a much simpler task, and won't take any soul-searching.
Begin by visiting Google Trends -- the best free way to measure the volume of searches (a.k.a. how many times people search for a phrase in Google each month). Think of important keywords for your area of expertise. If you're in the field of photography, think of phrases such as "learning photography,"" "best cameras for beginners," and even just "photography." Input these phrases into Google Trends, and you'll be able to see how search volume has changed as they change over the course of.
It's that simple, actually. What Google's Trends study process is doing is reveal the routes people are using to get into your market. It will reveal trends within your field, as well as reveal whether your field is growing or shrinking.
This phase can assist you determine if your area of expertise is the right one. If you're concerned that your field is competitive to make a mark, stick around -- that's an issue you'll be able to solve.
Explore further to discover an area of the web that you could be the owner of
Your blog niche might be one that is already well-known, such as photographs, finance, or healthy eating. If you think about which areas within the niche still haven't been saturated, you can carve out an untapped niche that you can be a part of.
If, for instance, you're a photographer, you can narrow your focus from the over-crowded field of photography to the sub-niche that is studio photography. Let someone else write about landscapes with long exposures. You can concentrate on lighting, staging indoor photography sessions, and acquiring equipment for studios.
This way it will appear that you are an expert at a certain area of expertise. (Which can help make your company be noticed, as well. And isn't that the whole purpose?)
2. Pick a name for the blog
Once you've picked your niche (or sub-niche! ) It's now time to select the right name for your blog. It's the name users will look for and will remember, therefore it's important to choose something simple, memorable, and true to the brand you've created.
When picking your name You'll need to consider your intended audience, the subjects that you'll write about and what your voice is like.
With that background in mind it's time to select names. Below are some possible ways to name strategies to name your blog
Make use of your name
Creative director Nathan Allebach uses his last name to name his blog and communications firm. This method has helped those who've read about his work with Steak-Umm discover his company and eventually become customers.
However the other hand, this strategy of naming may not be suitable for teams or blogs that are focused on industry. If you're using a common name like John Smith, you may be unable to rank on Google. (But it's the reason middle names are, right? )
Take a look at a thesaurus
If your blog is geared towards a particular field or industry Your name could make it difficult to identify you. You may want to use a broader title which reflects the type of content you're blogging about.
It's not easy, however, so make sure you grab your nearest Thesaurus (or Thesaurus.com). The plan is to select certain industry terms you thought of earlier, plug them in, then look up keywords that are similar to them that you could be able to use as the starting point for your blog title.
As an example, a name like The Camera Blog feels generic therefore, you should take the phrase "camera" and type it into your online thesaurus. You'll find related terms like "lens," "mirror" and "35mm" -which suddenly sounds much more exciting.
It is easy to flip them into a new title suitable for your blogsuch as Lens Tracker or 35mm Mayhem, or Mirrorless Magic. Any person searching for photos will be able to identify the blog's theme about, and it aren't going to disappear into the vast void of blogs with names that aren't appropriate.
Make use of a blog's name generator
Another option for naming your blog is by plugging certain keywords into a blog naming generator. Choose a couple of terms relevant to your industry, and allow a name generator like BlogTyrant's complete the work. (This tool can also check the availability of domain names. )
There's no greater evidence of the effectiveness names generators have than the future EGOT winner Childish Gambino. The name he chose for his stage debut via a Wu-Tang Clan name generator in the early 2000s as well as still working with it a decade later. (It's in existence. Plug in "Donald Glover" here, if interested. )
The point is: there's nothing wrong with letting an automated system help you think of ideas. So long as you get an original, good name, it doesn't be a problem no matter what you did to get it.
3. Create your blog's hosting
In order to start your website, you'll have to establish hosting. In layman's terms, this means buying your domain name or the URL that your readers will use for your blog's content.
Be sure to select the most reliable hosting service. If you go with a bottom-of-the-barrel, extra-cheap hosting provider, your blog may see performance issues, such as lag time while loading. You might not notice this however Google's algorithm for searching is sure to notice it, so you're at risk of being left out of search results.
Hosting isn't expensive at all. In fact, many hosting companies will cost you a couple coffees per month, and they'll maintain your blog operating 24/7.
Our 5 top hosting recommendations from our hosting providers include (in not in any particular order):
4. Create your blog using the CMS. CMS
Once you have the domain you want to use You're all set to create your own blog using the form of a Content Management System, also called CMS. CMS.
CMS platforms allow you to build your own site without needing to write code. The CMS is the place you'll use to build new pages, publish articles, and update old content in the future. If you're a blogger picking an CMS is like picking a significant other -- make sure you pick it carefully.
The most common CMS platform is WordPress which is an open source classic used by brands of every size. There are a variety of great CMS systems out there, though. These are our top choices to get you started:
5. Make and distribute the content
When you've achieved having your CMS installed, the next step will be creating and publishing your content. Content creation is a topic by itself and you could write us an entire book (or make you cry) on the process that goes into choosing the content to create.
Always you should consider these questions:
- My target market is who?
- What is it that they are interested in -What are the problems they face?
- What can I teach them?
This method will prevent from going outside of your area of expertise, from creating non-branded articles, or even creating content on topics that someone else has already covered. It will also help you discover interesting, hidden stories to bring to life for your viewers. I wish you all the best in your writing!
6. Advertise your blog
Once you've put your content out there, the next step is promoting it.
One of the first strategies we'd suggest is repurposing blog content for your social media platforms. Turn a long-form article into the form of a carousel-style post on Instagram or even a deep dive thread on Twitter. Start your iPhone and film a TikTok that breaks down the key points in the article. Then, redirect people to your website for the full story.
This kills two birds by one stone. This eliminates the "what should I do on Instagram" dilemma, as well as it brings people to return to the original blog article.
Besides content repurposing We also suggest creating your blog searchable. This involves a little amount of SEO research however it's a rabbit hole that's really worth the effort. All you need to do is conduct the necessary keyword research, discover important terms that rank high, and then incorporate the terms into your post.
It tells Google that your article solves problems that people are searching for. This will take your organic traffic to the next level.
How to make money blogging using 4 strategies
By this point, you've created your blog and are running. Congrats! The people are finding your blog and it appears that they're really enjoying the articles you're putting up.
How do you make money from all this content?
It's important to understand how content creators earn money:
- When you sell your content, you earn money directly from users. In the case of content that is behind a paywall, or incorporated to be an online course you're selling your product.
- When you're selling attention to the public and using a third-party to meet their needs in marketing. Take as the "word that we get from sponsors" in your favourite podcast, or the links in your favorite recipe blog that lead into Amazon products. These are examples of selling your listeners.
1. Advertise on your blog
Enabling Google AdSense (Google's advertising toolkit) for your blog is a great way to turn the clicks you earn from your blog into cold, hard direct transfers to your bank account.
How do you work it? The blog you have created is accessible to Google's advertisers' network and permit ads to be displayed on your site. Ad impressions and clicks then add up to a monthly AdSense pay-out.
AdSense is completely free to join. The eligibility conditions are not too high and the amount you earn from advertising is scalable according to the blog you run also.
There are a variety of different types of AdSense adsthat include:
- Image advertisements: Graphic ads available in a range of dimensions.
- Text ads: Text-only ads which display one or multiple offers.
- Rich media advertisements: HTML, video, and flash ads.
- GIF ads: animated images advertisements.
That means that if find a certain ad type is distracting from your blog content, you can swap it out for something more discreet. And if you want to rack up the big bucks by selling lots of advertising space you can find ads that allow you to do this too.
2. Affiliate network
Affiliate marketing is an effective method to make money from your blog. You provide affiliate links to products, and every time a customer that started on your site purchases You earn a tempting commission.
It is important to promote items that your readers are really attracted to. Your readers on your blog about cooking at home probably doesn't want to buy moisturizer... But they'll certainly be intrigued by crockpot suggestions. Pick the right products, and you'll be turning advertising for cast iron cookware into gold.
From our own experience, we know that there's an abundance of misinformation available about affiliate networks. We're concerned, so we've put together a brief list of 8 reputable affiliate networks to join now:
- Instagram Affiliate
- FlexOffers
- AWIN (prev. Affiliate Window)
- Amazon Associates Program
- CJ Affiliate
- Affiliaxe
- Affiliate Program
- ShareASale
- Udemy Affiliates Program
3. Write sponsored posts
Sponsored content is another excellent method to convert the traffic on your blog into passive income and this is especially true with a committed readership. In exchange for a per-post fee, you'll blend advertising for a company's product into your blog posts.
It's a an opportunity for both sides to win. For you, the benefit is cash. For your sponsor, it's an authentic, third-party piece of content which promotes their products (without the appearance of an unfeeling advertising).
Posts sponsored by sponsors can come in a variety of formats such as:
- Blogs that are written by a sponsor that you publish
- Written by you regarding a sponsored product
- Links to a sponsor's website or product pages
- A list that includes positive coverage for a brand's product
- An announcement of a new product which gives a limited-time discount to blog users
It's important to mention that, in the majority of cases it is possible to be asked to write content that is sponsored. Don't try to attract companies, but in the end it can cause you to look desperate. Just focus on creating quality content that is distinctive within your field In time, they'll find you.
4. Online courses can be sold
Online courses are the fastest and most scalable way to earn money through your blog. Blog content is a fantastic way to introduce people to your personal or business brand however, combining your knowledge into easy-to-digest courses is even better. (And you can make it quite lucrative!)
Once you've made a course, the course is completed. You might need to update your course's content from time to the time, but it's an asset you can send your blog readers for the rest of time. When your blog grows into an authority within your field then your financial account will shoot up. (No we've witnessed many instances of this. )
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So, what's next?
If you've learned how to start your own blog, you're probably looking for ways to turn your platform into a profitable cash-flowing business. We've already said that the most quick, efficient method of monetizing your blog and build passive income is to start creating tutorials.
Here's where the power comes the role of. It is easy for us to generate revenue from your blog through repurposing material into self-guided online courses and membership websites. Our easy-to-use course design platform helps coaches, educators, and digital content creators build interactive, customized e-Learning experiences and build sustainable online business.
Take a free trial and download the course design along with marketing, sales, and marketing tools you need to take your business up a notch. (No tech skills required! )