So You Want to Start a Blog?

Have you noticed the growing trend of mommy bloggers, video game bloggers, foodies and others quitting their day jobs to blog full time? Sounds awesome, right? The thing to remember is that every one of the professional bloggers out there sat down and wrote a first post at some point. Most of them had no idea they would actually “make it big”, they just had a passion for a topic and some original ideas. Whether you have goals of eventually being a professional blogger, a business owner trying to attract attention, or you want to share your thoughts on a specific topic with the world, here awesome helpful tips to get you on your way.

5 Basic Steps to Start a Successful Blog

• Read Blogs – See what is already out there. Look and see what has worked for other bloggers with related topics and hopefully get some tips on what not to do as well. The important thing here is not to imitate anyone. The most successful bloggers are successful because they had an original idea.
• Create a Blog – We recommend WordPress or Blogger as they are very easy to use and are search engine friendly platforms. This involves creating an account, choosing a template and creating a bio. This is all free for beginners with options to upgrade down the line. If you are a business owner, check with your webmaster if a blog can be integrated into your existing website.
• Start Writing Posts – The hardest part about starting a blog is not actually starting…it’s continuing. You can be a successful blogger by posting once a month or every day, the catch is that you have to be consistent!  Set a goal of 300 words minimum for each post, give them a catchy title, and add categories and tags in the fields provided. Finally add pictures as often as possible. Pictures catch the eye and increase audience interaction dramatically! Try to use your own photos and videos so you don’t run into copyright issues.
• Develop a Following – Share your posts on your social networks. It will start to grow organically after a while but this is the best way to get the ball rolling. Engaged audiences tend to be more loyal and help spread the word so encourage audience interaction. Ask people to subscribe and ask for comments in the body of your post. Respond to comments and questions directly, and if you start to get the same question a lot, write a whole post on it. Pay attention to what is working for you and your followers; if one blog gets lots of attention figure out what people liked about it and do more of that!
• Sign Up for Google AdSense – This is how you start actually making money! This allows Google to place ads in your blog and you will make money when those are clicked. The ads will typically be related to your topic or related to your reader’s search history. You will need a PayPal or bank account to link up to this account and Google has a great support team if you need technical assistance.

Keep in mind that this all takes time so don’t be discouraged. Just keep writing, you’re on your way!