How to Succeed in Blogging in 2020
How to Succeed in Blogging in 2020
WordPress.org, the most popular blogging software, is free. Professionally developed WordPress themes and plugins are free. And there are millions of free tutorials to help you get started (including this one). The only cost associated with starting a blog is the money you pay for a web host and domain name.
Introduction: What's a blog?
At the beginning, a blog is usually called a "web log" before the word "blog" was invented. A web log is an online journal containing material in reverse chronological order, with first appearance of the latest posts.
As the Internet grew and technology evolved (mainly in the late 90's), people realized the benefits of a blog. Press offices began to use blogs to raise awareness and form opinions, and companies used blogs for marketing and customer services. Niche bloggers use blogs to reach more people interested in specific topics. Blogging has become commonplace.
Today, anyone with a computer connected to the Internet can become a blogger.
How to start a blog in 6 Easy Steps:
Step one. Finding the right niche
This is how beginners normally start a blog: they would write about their work on Monday, their hobbies on Tuesday, the films they watched on Wednesday and their political views at the weekend.
In short, they simply write about a wide variety of topics without being the focus of attention.
Yes, these blogs would accumulate a steady popularity among their friends and family; but that's about it.
It's very difficult to get a large number of loyal readers when you blog randomly, because people won't know if you're a film critic, food critic or book reviewer.
Advertisers are also going to be hesitant to advertise with you because they don't know what you are talking about. You need to find a niche in order to create a good blog. You choose a profitable topic that interests you or in which you specialize, and you stick with it.
So how do you find a profitable niche for blogs? Here are a few key points.
1- Fill a need
If you've ever thought, "I wish someone would blog about this," now's the time to do so. If you want to know more about a topic, it's likely that other people want to know more about it.What is your special knowledge? Why can you provide the subject with something special that nobody else can do? It could even be through an expert interview.
2- Something you're passionate about
Remember that you will be writing, reading and talking about your topic every day for the next few years. If you have no interest in the subject of your blog, then it would be very difficult to stay constantly on top of it.
Moreover, you will enjoy writing about these topics.
3- Topic that has the power to stay (evergreen content)
Even if the controversy is good, it doesn't guarantee that your topic will be here next week. For example, if you are a Vine enthusiast and you start a blog dedicated to this topic, you will run out of content. It's better to focus on a more general topic, such as "the latest trends in social media" or "image applications that are rocking". That way, if a fad goes out of fashion, your blog can always keep an eye on what's replacing it.
4- Cost-effective
Last but not least - your blog must be in a niche where you can make money.
Ask yourself if it is a subject that can attract readers and generate revenue, whether through advertising or sales. If you blog to support your existing business, does the blog bring in new customers? If you blog just because you are passionate about it, is there a way to monetize your personal blog?
I use SpyFu, a pay-per-click advertising tool, to sometimes estimate the profitability of a niche. My logic is that if advertisers are paying thousands of dollars to Google Adwords, you have to make money in this area.
Step Two. Register a domain name
If you have chosen a niche, it's time to choose and register a domain name (the name of your blog). Here are the steps to follow:
#1: You must first check if your desired domain name is available. You can check this by using the search bar at NameCheap Home Page.
#2: If the domain name you have chosen is available, you can simply register it with NameCheap by clicking on the "Add to cart" button.
GoDaddy and NameCheap are the two domain registrars I have been using since I started my Internet activities in 2008.
GoDaddy is the largest domain registrar in the world. Name Cheap on the other hand is slightly cheaper and offers, in my opinion, a better user experience.
Step Three. Select a host for your blog
My recommendation for beginners is to always start small with a shared web host.
With shared hosting, you share the resources of the server with several other users. The hosting capacity is lower than other hosting options (VPS, dedicated, etc.), but you will have to pay much less (often <$5/month at signup) and you will need less technical knowledge to get started.
How to buy a hosting provider? (quick tour)
I will use InMotion Hosting as an example in this guide. I chose InMotion Hosting mainly for the following reasons:
The company has a good track record. You don't want to host with a useless hosting operation, because everything on your blog might be compromised if the host stops working (which I've unfortunately seen quite recently).
Reliable - InMotion Hosting stays online most of the time (availability > 99.99%).
InMotion Hosting is reasonably priced.
To get started, click here to visit InMotion Shared hosting.
#1: Once on the homepage, to order InMotion Hosting, click "ADD TO CART."
# 2: You will be taken to the server setup page. " You can leave everything as configured for now for beginners and press "continue."
#3: Next, you will have to choose your domain name. Select "I'd like to buy a new domain" if you get a new domain (as mentioned, this domain is free for all new InMotion Hosting customers). Or, insert your existing domain name if you already have one.
#4: If you need domain privacy (* recommended), select "Yes" and click "Continue".
#5: You need to create an AMP user account and enter your personal information (name, address, e-mail, etc.). Be sure to provide the correct information, because InMotion Hosting will use this information to verify your identity. Once you are done, review and finalize your order.
Can I use a free blog platform instead?
One of the most frequently asked questions about blogs is: "What about these free blog platforms? Can I create a blog for free?
I know. Free platforms such as Blogger or WordPress.com (not the WordPress.org we're talking about in this post) are tempting. They are 100% free and super easy to install.
However, I don't recommend running your blog on a free platform such as WordPress.com or Blogger.com.
Hosting a blog on free sites, however, means the blog has a name like blogname.blogspot.com for "blogger" or blogname.wordpress.com for wordpress.
By keeping your blog on a free platform, you let the platform carry your name and limit your potential with its rules and restrictions.
For example, Blogger.com does not allow its users to post ads other than Google. WordPress.com does not allow illustrated ads and imposes various limitations on sponsored publications and affiliate marketing.
If you are serious about blogging, simply get your own domain and hosting.
Step four. Setting up WordPress
It's time to log in to your admin area and install your blogging platform (in our case, WordPress) as soon as your hosting account is enabled. Why are you using WordPress? Personally, I agree that WordPress is the best novice blogging platform.
Over 66% (or 7.7 million) of the US-based blogs are based on the WordPress platform. Globally, there are almost 27 billion blogs built with WordPress (the world population is about 7.2 billion at the time of writing - so you see the context).
Setting up WordPress
There are two ways to install WordPress, by uploading and installing the files from WordPress.org to your web host or, use the automatic installation application (Softaculous) provided by InMotion Hosting. Both methods are fairly simple but for beginners - I don't see why you should do it manually.
Method #1: Manual installation of WordPress
Official step-by-step guide:
-Download and unzip the WordPress package to your local PC.
-Create a database for WordPress on your web server, along with a MySQL user with full privileges to access and modify it.
-Rename the file wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php.
-Open wp-config.php in the text editor (notepad) and fill in your database information.
-Place the WordPress files in the desired location on your web server.
-Run the WordPress installation script by accessing wp-admin / install.php in your web browser. If you installed WordPress in the root directory, you should visit: http://example.com/wp-admin/install.php; if you installed WordPress in its own subdirectory called blog, for example, you should visit: http://example.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php.
-And you're done.
Method #2: Automatic WordPress Installation
Okay, I guess you just skipped the manual installation guide and got to that part. Good choice ;)
The easiest way to configure WordPress is to install it "automatically" using InMotion Hosting Softaculous (a built-in application that allows you to install WordPress in a few clicks).
Note that things may look different if you do this (automatic installation) on another web host, but the process is usually the same. The method should not take longer than 10 minutes if you choose the auto-install program like Fantastico, Softaculous or Simple Scripts.
Login to WordPress
Once your WordPress is installed, you will receive a URL to log in to your WordPress administrator page.
In most cases, the URL will look like this (depending on the folder you have installed WordPress on):
http://www.exampleblog.com/wp-admin
It's a good idea to bookmark this wp-admin connection URL as you will come to it very often.
Now, go to this admin URL and log in with your predefined username and password (the one you entered during the previous installation of WordPress); and there you are now in the WordPress admin area. This will be the blog component that can only be accessed by the administrator.
Step five. Project your blog with predefined themes.
It's time to dive deeper now that we have the WordPress ready. Like all CMS, a WordPress blog is made up of the main elements of 3:
-CMS Core - the system we previously installed using the automatic installer.
-Plugins - additional features that give you extra controls and functionality on your blog
-Themes - the design of your blog. In other words, to design your WordPress blog, all you need to do is customize the design of your blog's theme.
The beauty of WordPress is that the design of your blog, also known as the theme, is separate from the back-end system.
If you have the design skills to do so, you can modify your theme as often as you want, adapt a theme that comes with it, or even create a new theme from scratch. Nevertheless, you don't need to create a theme from scratch for your blog to be well crafted.
Other people have already done that for you, after all.
The truth is that most individual WordPress bloggers don't create their own blog themes. Instead, what most of us do is pick a ready-made theme and customize it to suit our needs. There are an infinite number of beautiful (and useful) WordPress themes on the Internet - a simple Google search will lead you to millions.
If you're creating a WordPress blog for the first time, I suggest you start with a theme already created and modify it along the way.
Step six. Install the essential WordPress plugins
As far as plugins are concerned, there are 47,000 available choices from the WordPress library. These plugins can help you integrate features such as online shopping, reservations and opt-ins.
But before you get excited, you need to install a few plug-ins that can ensure the performance, security, marketing and customization of your website. Note that the WordPress website is risky, especially since you have to mesh many moving parts.
Here are a few essential plug-ins that I recommend.
-Plugins for security and spam protection
Akismet, Vault Press, Limit the connection attempt, WordFence and iThemes Security are the five plug-ins I recommend.
Akismet is one of the oldest plugins provided with your default WordPress. This plugin helps compare all your comments to its service to see if they are spam. It collects all spam and allows you to review them in the "Comments" admin screen of your blog.
Vault Press, for its part, is a real-time backup and security analysis service designed by Automattic, the company that operates more than a million sites 24 hours a day on WordPress.
This plugin gives you the ability to save and synchronize all your posts, comments, multimedia files, revisions and dashboard settings on the servers.
WordPress allows unlimited login attempts by default. With the Limit Login Attempt plug-in, you can limit the number of login attempts via normal login and automatic cookies. After a specific number of attempts, it prevents an Internet address from making further connection attempts, making it difficult for attackers to do so.
WordFence and iThemes Security are plugins that combine all the necessary WordPress security features. The main function of this plugin is to boost a blog's security without worrying about overlapping features or missing anything on your website or blog.
-Plugins for Search Engine Optimization
Although WordPress is a SEO-friendly blog platform, there is still a lot of work to be done to improve your basic SEO scores using plugins.
WordPress SEO developed by Yoast and All In One An SEO pack developed by Michael Torbert for examples, could be a great addition to your list of plugins.
-Plugins for social media sharing
Once your blog is live and you write compelling content, you will need a simple way for visitors to share your content. In fact, it should be part of your marketing strategy to gain more traffic. A social network plugin is the best option, which will automatically place small icons above, below or next to your content to allow people to share it.
-Plugins for better blog performance
When it comes to optimizing blog performance, W3 Total Cache is one of the most popular options. It improves the user experience on your site by increasing server performance, reducing download time and increasing page loading speed. W3 Total Cache is recommended by many leading hosting providers and used by a number of large blogs.
The other two plugins that fall into this category are Cloud Flare and WP Super Cache.
Cloud Flare is a free plugin offered by CDN, Cloud Flare, while WP Super Cache is being built by Donncha and Automattic (the company that has now developed and run WordPress).
And you have done!
Checked domain and hosting. Configuration of WordPress checked. Design of the blog, reviewed. Essential plugins have been tested.
Finally, your blog is finished!
Welcome! You now have to show the world a working blog. And you're ready to release your first Post!!
To write and publish a new post, simply navigate to the left sidebar, click on "Posts"> "Add New" and you will be redirected to the editing screen. Click "Preview" to get a preview of what's on the front end (what your readers will see), click "Publish" when you're done.
Take your blog to the next level
Yeah, creating a blog and publishing your first article is a big step forward.
But it's just step #1. There's still a lot of work to be done.
To own a successful blog, you need to actively grow and improve your blog.
There are many factors involved in creating a successful blog. Using the right set of data, choosing the best tools, and applying the best strategy all affect the success of your blog.
In addition, your blog must be self-sustaining. That means - it must earn enough money to pay for hosting and other marketing costs.
Free blogging tools you can use
Although free and useful tools and web services exist online, the problem is finding them among all the other undesirable and/or obsolete tools.
As a starting gift for reading my guide, I will provide you with a list of free tools that we use all the time. Good luck and I wish you success in your blogger journey.
Writing tools
-Hemingway App - Write short and bold with this tool.
-Freedom - Block distracting websites so you can write crap.
-ByWord - Writing tool without distractions.
-Evernote - The only tool to introduce.
Image Tools
-Fotor - Edit and design a tool for creating beautiful images for social network publications, posters, invitations, etc.
-canva - Design beautiful images and messages on social networks.
-Design wizard - Create beautiful images using free templates and ready-made images.
-JPEG Mini - Reduce the size of .jpeg files.
-Tiny PNG - Reduce the size of .png files.
-Skitch - Make image notes.
-Pic Monkey - Award-winning image editing tool.
-Pixlr - Image editing tool.
-Free icons - Free icons designed by our in-house designer.
-Favicon.io - The best favicon generator ever.
Social media, marketing and SEO tools
-Bing Webmaster Tool - Free Bing site diagnostic tool.
-Google Webmaster Tool - Free site diagnostic tool from Google.
-Follow - Track your competitors
-Majestic SEO - The free version allows you to quickly check a site link profile (CF / TF).
-Engage Bay - All-in-one platform for marketing, sales and service automation.
-Similar page checker - Check for duplicate pages on your blog.
-Like Explorer - Check the social statistics of your content (or that of your competitors).
-Tweet Deck - Manage multiple Twitter accounts in a dashboard.
-Buzz Sumo - Search for popular content and influencers on major social media networks.
-Tag Board - Market research on social media.
-IFTTT - Easily publish content across multiple social media platforms.
Web statistics and productivity tools
-Google Analytics - Free web statistics.
-Matomo - Google Analytics minus Google.
-YouTube Analytics - Statistics on your YouTube videos.
-WP Statistics - Compare your WordPress blog with others.
-Process Street - Simple process and workflow management.
-Bitcatcha - Check site speed from different locations.
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