How to Start Your Own Blog

Why Start A Blog

Follow Our Guild To Learn How You Can Get Started in 4 Easy Steps

  • Choose your blog niche
  • Choose your blogging platform
  • Purchase custom domain and hosting
  • Pick a free or custom blog theme

Why Start a Blog?

Have you considered starting a blog? Maybe you have but felt hesitant about the jump into the unknown?

With a blog, you can share something that you are passionate about or your professional skills. Having a blog is also one way to build a passive income online. Although there is a learning curve when starting a blog, online communities are available to help you.

  • Share your knowledge with others
  • Increase sales for an existing business
  • Earn a passive income
  • Gain technical skills
START YOUR OWN SELF-HOSTED WORDPRESS SITE

Define Your Blog's Purpose

Choose Your Blog Niche 

You cannot create high-quality and relevant content for everyone. To minimize roadblocks and to maximize your efforts, it is recommended that you write about topics that you are knowledgeable about. Not only will this help you create content, but you will also have an easier time connecting with your audience.

Creating a blog takes time and energy, so it's also very important that you have an interest in what you plan to write about.

For blog niche brainstorming ideas, complete the 4 steps in this guide.

Determine Your Audience

When writing content for your blog, resist the temptation to write for everyone. You need to have a clear idea of the purpose of your blog and who you are trying to help.

Define your target audience using these 5 steps.

Explore Monetization Strategies

You can earn money by recommending products and services from brands you love and trust. You can also sell e-books, courses, services, and other products. These are just to name a few options!

DISCLAIMER: THIS PAGE CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS WHICH WILL REWARD US MONETARILY WHEN YOU USE THEM TO MAKE QUALIFYING PURCHASES.

Choose Your Blogging Platform

There are several important factors to consider when choosing what platform you will use to run your blog. Although it may be tempting to start with the least expensive option, you should consider the time and cost of transferring to a new platform in the future. Even if you are a brand new blogger, you need to be thinking about blog growth and monetization from the beginning.

Blogger.com is a free blogging platform owned by Google. You can purchase a custom domain with privacy protection to connect to a Blogger site for about $10. There are only a handful of compatible widgets and their collection of free templates is limited. Although there are many monetization options, you will need to connect to a third-party site to sell digital or physical products.

WordPress.com is managed by Automattic. Security, updates, and technical requirements are handled by WordPress.com. Although you can create a WordPress site for free. You must upgrade to a Business plan if you would like to use a custom theme and install plugins that will extend the functionality of your blog. There are restrictions on how you can monetize a WordPress.com site.

For the most flexibility, a self-hosted WordPress site is the best option. You can install custom themes and preferred WordPress plugins. You will manage security, updates, and technical requirements. You can monetize your blog without restrictions. Using plugins, you can add a shopping cart, sell courses, and more.

You can create a free WordPress site using WordPress.com. One advantage of using WordPress.com is that their premium hosting options are scalable based on your needs.

WordPress.com has restrictions on how you can use your blog to generate income. Learn the top 5 ways you can monetize your WordPress.com blog.

Before you decide on the version of WordPress that is best for your needs, learn about the key differences and compare costs.

Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of 4 popular platforms that offer free hosting plans.

Learn about the costs and steps of creating your own customized blog on Blogger.