Do you have skills in SEO, content writing, and digital marketing? If you have these skills, then a personal blog is the best way to share your thoughts with others and earn money. I’ve been running blogs on different niches for more than one decade.
Before talking about further steps, it is important to keep in mind that it is time-consuming, but consistency and hard work help you to be successful. However, you need to choose a niche first that fits your interests and expertise so that you can work efficiently. In this guide, I will share how to start a personal blog and run it successfully.
An Overview to Personal Blog
A personal blog is a platform where you can share your stories, thoughts and things in which you are interested. Whether traveling, fashion, technology, or business, you can pick any niche in which you are dedicated and want to share your personal experience and stories.
However, it is important to note that a personal blog is different from traditional blogging because you will have to create every post for your users, and most of the readers will like you to share your personal experience and expertise.
For example, if you start a travel blog, then your users expect to share real-time pictures and stories that you have experienced yourself. In this way, you can build a loyal and trusted audience, which increases the bounce rate of the blog.
Why to Start a Personal Blog
I must say if you have a little bit of expertise in writing and story sharing, then a personal blog is the best way to engage a large audience from around the world. So, here are some reasons why you need to start a blog:
- Flexible Way to Earn Money: A blog is not only about sharing information with others, but you can also earn passive income from home. You can get rid of a 9-5 job, although you can make an office in your home. In this way, you are free to work whenever you want to do.
- Makes You More Creative: When you start blogging, new ideas will burn in your mind. This is because you have to cover trending and updated topics to engage your target audience. In your blog you will have to share your knowledge, experience, skills, and creative things from your mind.
- Showcase Your Brand: If you have a business, then a blog is your best marketing platform to interact with customers online and keep them updated about your business and products.
How to Start a Personal Blog
In the undersection, I have mentioned the steps to start a personal blog. Read in detail below:
Chose Your Niche
First and foremost, it is important to go with a specific niche that is best to build a trusted and loyal audience. Your blog niche is about specific topics and blog content that you will publish on the blog. For example, travel, food, cooking, fashion, technology, business, entertainment, fitness, sports, lifestyle, designing tips, party ideas, digital marketing, affiliate marketing, and many more. However, I must say pick a niche according to your expertise and skills and targeted audience.
Pick Name and Buy Domain
Now, when you have decided on your niche, the next step is to pick a catchy name for your blog. You can choose the name with your own name, business name, or any other. For example, if you are starting a travel blog, then you can choose a name like Travelguidebook, travel with Me, Budget Travel Tips, and many more. Further, you can choose a unique name that is not used for any blog because it is the web address that people search for to find blogs.
Keep it simple and short because a long blog is hard to remember. Finally, I will recommend a domain with “.Com” because the (.Com) domain offers more credibility compared to other domain extensions like .net, Org, etc.
Where to buy domain Name:
It is not a difficult task to buy a domain. There are various platforms where you can check the domain availability and buy the domain. NameCheap and Godaddy are two popular platforms where you can buy the domain. Further, Hostinger also has domain registrar authority to buy your name.
For example, I have used the GoDaddy to check domain availability. I searched for Travelguidebook, and it has suggested a (.Co) availability because .com is also taken by any other user. In this way, you can search for your name and check availability if the name is available then you can Purchase it by clicking on “Make It Yours”.
Buy Hosting For Online Presence
Online presence is important to appear in search results that people search on Google. However, web hosting is a service that provides security and stores your data online. It stores your data on a server that your audience can search online.
Although you can find thousands of hosting providers, but is recommended to choose a reliable and secure server that protects your data and personal information. Siteground and Bluehost are two popular platforms for web hosting, but I will recommend Bluehost because of its safety features and reliability.
Here are steps to know how to purchase hosting for your blog;
- First of all, visit the “Bluehost “official website and click on “Web Hosting “on the taskbar, and it will suggest some hosting plans.
- You will have “Four pricing Options“ to choose one according to your need and budget. But I will recommend “Choice Plus” which will Provide you with backup, security, and sufficient storage.
- Now Click on “Select” and then “Start Now”
- Now, You will have two Options whether to buy a new domain or go with your own already purchased Name. If you have purchased the domain then enter into the” right Box” and click “Next.”
- Create your “account” for further Process.
- Read the Plan information and Choose From three options like, 1month, 12month, 36month.
- Add Your “Credentials” for payments and confirm Your Hosting by clicking on” Submit.”
Design Your Personal Blog
Design is the first attraction that impresses the user at first glance. After you have purchased the web hosting, now your website has become online. You can design its layout and interface with a catchy and user-friendly design that enhances the user experience. As a beginner, you can use WordPress to customize themes for your personal blog.
But later, I will strongly recommend hiring a developer and creating your own unique theme with coding for security and a glorious interface. WordPress or any other customized theme has a slower page loading and website loading speed that causes in worse user experience.
Here is how you can install a WordPress theme as a beginner.
- Open your blog and then Open the “Dashboard”.
- Scroll down and click on Appearance> Themes.
- Here are many customized WordPress themes, and you can pick them according to your choice or “Add New.”
- Search for a theme or write “Generatepress” and then click on “Activate“
Add New Pages
Your blog pages are necessary, and these are also part of the web design. There are pages that are the most important to have on your blog so that users will know about it.
- Homepage: You can create an homage page that lets the user know what is your blog about and what type of content you are publishing on it.
- About Page: Also, you can include an about page where you can write about your passion and expertise, your journey, and what motivates you to start a blog. You can also write about your past work experience, whether freelancing or working with any company.
- Contact page: On the contact page, add an email, phone number, business address, and social media pages so that users will find you an authentic source and firm, and they can contact you if they want.
- Terms & Conditions: Terms & Conditions are an important set of guidelines about how users can use the site. Further, how your blog stores the data of users.
Write Content For Your Personal Blog
After finalizing the creation process, you can now start publishing content to engage users with your blog. Content is the key; content is the first thing you need to optimize your blog and rank on Google’s pages. It is important to write quality content according to your target audience. In the beginning, you can focus on the general topics, but as your blog grows, you focus on the trending keywords that your target audience is searching for on Google.
Only quality and expert content can make your blog rank on Google pages, which increases organic traffic. You can utilize the SEO tools and keyword explorer tools to get insights what are the keywords that your target audience is searching for.
Promote Your Blog
How to grow an organic and loyal audience? It is only possible when you promote a blog with strategies. However, you can create some essential strategies to promote your personal blog on different platforms. Social media is one of the best platforms to engage audience with your blog.
You can share the posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook pages, and other social media platforms to build an audience. Forum posting also increases traffic by participating in different questions. You can attend live events to tell people about your blog; you can also join virtual online events to engage with the community.
Monetize Your Blog
The final step is to monetize your personal blog and make money with it. When your organic audience increases, and you are working consistently, you can monetize your blog and earn money. However there are various ways to earn money with a blog, but I will share some popular ways in which you can earn a passive income.
- Google Ads: Adsense is the best way to earn money with a blog. As your blog’s visitors grow, your Adsense payment will increase. First, you have to approve Google AdSense from Google, and then you can earn through impressions and clicks from the users on the ads.
- Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is another way to make money with blogging. In affiliate marketing, you can affiliate your blog with products, and you have to promote the products. When a customer purchases the products or services through your blog link, you will earn a commission. In this way, you can earn a passive income.
- Sponsored Content: Make a sponsored partnership with brands or other companies and write promotional content for them. In this way, they will pay you direct payment for sponsoring content and promoting their products and business.
- Sell Services or Products: When your audiences increase, they become a trusted user. You can start your own business and sell products or services. Promote products in your articles, and your users will be more likely to buy from you.
Concluding Thoughts
All these details about how to start a personal blog. You must have the skills and expertise to write content, promote a blog, and engage users to start your own blog. However, it is not a difficult process, and you need some consideration.
First of all, decide on a niche and what type of content you want to publish, and then choose a name and buy the domain. For online presence, purchase a hosting plan to store your data and design your blog and its pages. When the blog is ready, you can start writing content to engage users. You can earn money with your blog by monetizing and promoting.
FAQ’S
Do Personal Bloggers Get Paid?
Yes, personal bloggers get paid through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, Google AdSense, and selling their own products.
How Do I Start A Personal Blog For Free?
If you want to start a free blog, then there are some options for third-party platforms such as Medium, WordPress, blogger, and many more. But you will have fewer chances to interact with target audience and earn money.
Should Blogging Be a Full-Time Job or a Side Hustle?
If you are just starting blogging, then it is best to blogging part time. However, when your blog grows and your start earning money then you can make it a full time job.
Is Blogging Profitable?
Yes, blogging is a passive income source and fun activity. Nowadays, everyone is searching through the internet for everything, and if you provide a solution to users, you can make money and have a trusted audience. But it is important to choose a good niche and monetization options.