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Blogging for Beginners: A Guide to Monetizing Your Content
Starting a successful blog may seem intimidating, but this guide for beginners will show you how to create a beautiful blog in just 20 minutes with basic computer skills. We’ll guide you through the process of launching and monetizing your blog, with step-by-step instructions and plenty of visuals to help make it easy. By following our advice, you can create a profitable blog that reaches new audiences and builds connections.
The Benefits of Starting a Blog
Writing about something that you’re passionate about can help you become more confident, develop skills, and gain knowledge. Writing about your hobbies or interests – whether they be sports, music, history, food, or movies — allows you to put your voice out there and connect with people who have similar interests. This type of interaction could result in meeting other bloggers or fans of your particular topic. You can also use blogging as an opportunity to write articles related to topics you want to learn more about (like SEO).
Another benefit of blogging is that by putting yourself out there, you can expand your network beyond just those in your immediate area. If you live near a college campus where there’s a large number of students interested in video games or food blogs, you may find them online searching for information on these subjects. By creating a presence on the web using your personal website or blog, you can create opportunities to reach out to readers and establish yourself as an expert within your field. As you grow your following, you’ll be able to charge money for speaking engagements and workshops based on interest in your niche.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
Before diving into any project, it pays to gather all of the necessary supplies and equipment. These items include:
– A computer running Windows 7 or later Operating System
– Internet connection via cable modem/DSL router
– Storage space for files and images
– Software such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop
– Hosting service
In addition to these basics, you’ll need access to some free tools. The best option here would be Google Apps which includes Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites, and Translate. However, not everyone has access to Google Apps due to subscription fees. An alternative tool is WordPress which offers many of these services at no cost. Some websites offer these services for free if you sign up for their paid hosting plans, however, most sites require a monthly fee.
Hosting Your Website
When hosting a website, it’s crucial to choose a provider that supports multiple languages. Namecheap and Hostinger are two recommended options for purchasing a domain and using a hosting service. If your host doesn’t offer the necessary languages, consider buying additional domains for each language. You can manage multiple domains separately under separate accounts, allowing you to switch between sites without affecting your main website’s appearance.
Once you’ve decided upon a domain name and host, click “Create New Account” to begin uploading your files. When you upload your first file, select the default template that comes with your account and modify only the colors and text. Once everything looks good, save changes and continue adding your files until it looks right. Don’t worry too much about formatting because once your design is complete, you won’t have to change anything.
Domain Name
Most people opt for their company name when choosing a domain name, however, that isn’t always possible. Domain names can be difficult to remember, especially if you plan to keep changing them often. Therefore, it makes sense to purchase a domain name that reflects your personality. Consider your likes, dislikes, and career goals when choosing a domain name. Here are some tips:
Avoid numbers and symbols. Numbers and special characters are harder to read and spell than alphabets.
Use keywords that relate to your industry or hobby. For example, try using recipes in your URL if you love cooking. If you prefer gardening, try using flowers instead of “gardening.”
Don’t limit yourself to words. Use acronyms, short phrases, abbreviations, or other unique ways to describe your business, product, or idea.
Make your URLs easy to pronounce and memorable. Try using hyphens (-), underscores (_) or spaces ( ). Also avoid spaces in front of numbers.
You can search for available domain names via Google Domains or GoDaddy. After registering your desired domain name, set it up with your preferred host. You can then add contact info, social links, and other elements to your pages.
There are several different types of hosting options, ranging from shared servers to dedicated servers depending upon how much processing power, storage space, bandwidth, and security features you desire. Shared server plans typically come with limited resources while custom-built servers can be expensive. Most users decide on shared hosting after testing various packages.
Creating Content & Posting Updates
Now that you know how to set up your website properly, it’s time to start posting updates. Before doing so, take a look at your analytics report to see how your visitors interact with your posts. You should aim for around 500 daily visits per month before considering increasing traffic. Although there are a variety of methods to drive traffic to your site, the two most popular ones are social media marketing and backlinks from quality sources. Both involve working closely with your community members and engaging with potential customers.
Social Media Marketing
One of the easiest ways to increase traffic to your site is through social networking platforms. Social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube attract millions of active users every day. If you aren’t already connected with these sites, now is the perfect time to join and begin sharing your content. Not only will you be able to engage with existing followers, but you can also develop new contacts and potentially earn revenue from selling advertisements alongside your posts.
Backlink Building
It takes time to rank high on search engines. To improve rankings, you can generate backlinks with the help of guest authors, forum posters, press releases, directories, social bookmarking, and blogs. Backlinking is an effective method of driving targeted traffic to your website. The ideal ratio of incoming backlinks is 4 to 1. Ideally, you should target a minimum of 100 high-quality backlinks.
To post updates on your website, open your favorite word processor program and create a new document. Select “Insert” and browse among the templates provided by your website builder. Choose one of the blank styles and customize it according to your taste. Upload images and adjust the font size and color. Finally, insert text and publish.
Making Changes on the Site
As you begin to publish content on your website, you should revisit the content regularly to ensure it stays fresh. Remember that your viewers visit your website during certain times of the day – early mornings, evenings, weekends – depending on their location. Adjust your schedule accordingly and consider publishing new material during non-peak hours.
When making changes to your website, focus on improving your overall user experience rather than tweaking individual elements. Visitors don’t care about how pretty your graphics are; they want relevant content that helps them solve problems or achieve a greater understanding.
To further enhance your reader base, develop a relationship with influencers in your niche. Share valuable insights and ask questions in order to encourage engagement. Ask about their opinions, ideas, struggles, and successes. Then respond to comments and messages to show that you value their input.
Be patient. It can take months or years to rank highly on Google. While you wait, check out our guides on how to rank higher on Bing and Yahoo! Search Engines. Also, follow us on Google+ for helpful tips and tricks.
Finally, never stop learning. Keep reading, listening, watching tutorials, and participating in forums. Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge available on the internet today and apply it to your professional development.
Once you’ve started a blog and made it successful, you can turn your passion into profit. While there are many ways to go about growing a business online, blogging is certainly one of the simplest yet most powerful methods. So why not give it a shot?
What’s your story? Have you ever used a blog? What was your biggest obstacle? Do you think it’s worth the effort? Let us hear your thoughts below!
