So, you want to start a blog! You’re ready to dive into the world of blogging, but not sure where to begin? Well the good news is it’s not that difficult.

Blogs remain an effective and inexpensive way to reach your target market, build an audience, and generate revenue online. Today, more than 409 million people read blogs regularly, while 52 percent of those readers also shop online. However, it’s not enough just to set up a URL and begin writing, a lot of thought must go into the process particularly if your goal is to start a blog which generates revenue or promotes a product or service.

More than 50 percent of blogs are abandoned within the first 90 days because of a lack of proper planning, it is critical if you start a blog to post consistently and with purpose.                                      

So, when it comes to build your own blog you need to: ‘Start right’; ‘Start smart’ and follow these 10 easy steps: 

Step 1 – Where to Begin 

It’s important to examine the reasons why you want to publish a blog. What is the purpose of your blog? And what do you hope to achieve?

Step 2 - Find Your Topic & Target Audience (News - Alert):

Your goal should be to create content around a focused topic and to excite, inspire and lead your audience. Knowing your audience is a key factor in becoming a successful blogger it allows you to meet their needs and address their concerns, challenges helping them improve their lives.

Step 3 – Perfect your Niche

Blog niches are specific topics you can write about on your blog. With this blog type it is best to choose a topic which you are knowledgeable about and one which fits your comfort zone. It’s important to perform research and to identify the volume of interest in your chosen niche. No point tackling a ‘niche’ which nobody is interested in.

Step 4 – Time Management

Determine how many times a week or month you will post on your blog, if you can’t commit to writing a lot of valuable content you are doing yourself and your readers a disservice. An editorial calendar will help you keep focused on your topic and posting on a regular basis.

Step 4 – Choose a Domain

Once you have a blog topic, you now need to give your blog a name. Upon creating a website for your business, the domain name you give it should be descriptive and detail what the blog is about. 

Step 5 – Set Up Your Blog

Your next big decision is ‘Hosting’, this will determine the speed, reliability, and professional appearance of your blog. A blog host company like ‘Bluehost’ store all your blog files, delivering them to users when they type in your blog name. The content management system is as equally important, due to this, we only recommend WordPress.

Step 6 – Create Your Content Strategy

Whatever your niche, you’ll need to focus on delivering either entertaining or educational and informative content, which can help your audience accomplish certain tasks, and make the right decision.

Step 7 – Network Through Blog Platforms

The key to blog success is based on the relationships you create, a great way to gain visibility is through blog promotional platforms. It is worthwhile joining groups with tribes of followers which share the same interest, here you are making targeted connections.

Step 8 – Promote Your Blog Content

When it comes to promotion you have a multitude of choice. However, when you are new to blogging there are some cost-effective ways; reach out to an influencer, use social media channels like Twitter (News - Alert), Instagram and Pinterest or bookmark recognised sites. 

Step 10 – Start an Email List Now