What is a Blog and Why Do You Need One to Make Money Online from Your blog

What is a Blog and Why Do You Need One to Make Money Online from Your blog

Having a blog is the equivalent of having your own personal soapbox on which to share your knowledge, ideas and opinions with the world. Successful bloggers are able to influence others, establish themselves as experts in their field, sell their products or services and make money online.

The first question you may ask yourself is why would you even want to start a blog? There are several answers to this question:

As an effective way of promoting your business or selling your products or services

To gain more traffic by getting onto page one of Google for particular keywords that readers might be searching for related to what you have written about on your blog (it can shoot up there sometimes!)

To develop new skills such as writing, design and promotion

To meet new people, join communities and establish yourself as an expert in your field

To have fun!

No matter what your reason to start a blog is, you will need to choose the right blogging platform in order to get started. There are several options available when deciding which type of blogging platform to use including WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Typepad, MovableType and many more.

If you are just starting out I would recommend using WordPress to get up and running quickly since it is free, easy to install and very quick. For those just getting started I'd recommend this option over spending several hundred dollars on other blogging platforms like Posterous (which limits posts) or Squarespace (not really designed for writing).

How to set up your blog

I'm assuming that you're reading this because either your blog is not getting the traffic it could be, or maybe because you're looking to start a blog and want to know what you should do before actually starting.

What I'll attempt to do today is give you all of the information that I think someone considering launching a new blog might find helpful, as well as provide suggestions for different types of blogs (like travel blogging) and how to go about setting them up.

I've also posted an article with an alphabetic list of blogging set--up steps over here.

Getting Started

Begin by considering what kind of blogger you are going to be. There are three basic types: The writer, the photographer , and everything else .

The writer writes, usually at a daily or semi-daily pace. Some writers write about their personal lives and some write in an editorial or journalistic style. The writer blogger might consider using Tumblr to blog on the go, but is probably best served by a full word processor like MS Word or Google Docs.

A writer who wants to get into photography would be wise to invest in a DSLR camera with HD video capability and a wider range of lenses before starting their blog--a tripod wouldn't hurt either.

The photographer gets pictures of people, places, things, and asks questions about them. They aren't really writing stories so much as posting single images that prompt people to ask questions. On Instagram you can post a single image and ask a question in the caption, but there's no way to keep an organized list of questions. If you prefer this kind of blogging then consider using Instagram or Tumblr for your blog.

Everything else bloggers don't fall into either of the above categories--they might be writing jokes, sharing recipes , talking about their favorite TV shows , showing off collections of things they own , or talking about their favorite products . Wherever your interests lie, start by picking one category and filling out the how-to checklist below with items from that category before moving on to any others.

How-to Checklist

To get started all you really need is a hosting account and a domain name . Unless you're going to have a lot of images on your blog, I would recommend choosing a hosting plan with unlimited bandwidth--it's only a few dollars more to get an option with no bandwidth limits.

1. Pick your blogging platform

There are two basic types of blogging platforms: hosted services like WordPress and Tumblr , where you don't have to worry about installing software or server configuration, and self-hosted sites that require you to do all the configuration yourself.

If you're not familiar with servers then start by using one of the hosted services. As for which to use between WordPress and Tumblr, pick whichever appeals most to you personally .

If you want something in between take a look at SquareSpace which is like a hosted service but with more options for customizing how your blog looks.

If you want to use one of the self-hosted platforms, I would recommend either WordPress or Joomla . Both are well established and have large networks of available themes and plugins (additional software that adds functionality to the blogging platform.) Check out their sites for more information on whether they're right for you, as well as what the differences are between the two.

2. Get hosting for your site

You can't run a website without hosting it somewhere. There are hundreds of options out there so it's hard to simply say "use this" when someone is looking to start a new site because it really comes down to personal preference. Here are some things to consider when evaluating hosting providers.

If you're looking for the most bang for your buck then I recommend Site Ground. They have shared plans that can support basically any type of website, they don't put limits on bandwidth usage, and their prices are very competitive with other hosts.

If you want something fancier or are just curious about what's out there then check out SiteGround (use coupon code "CSSNA6" for 10% off,) Dreamhost , Arvixe , WP Engine , Flywheel/Grid-Service , MediaTemple(one of my favorites) , or INIZ . There are lots of hosting options available so take a minute to compare Site Ground against other hosts in the table below. They are not the cheapest, but I recommend them because they met my criteria for hosting a site without limits on bandwidth usage at a price point that is competitive with other shared hosts.

If you're trying to figure out whether you need Windows or Linux hosting then answer the following question: Do you have experience working with servers? If yes, then use Linux. If no, go with Windows Server 2012 .

3. Set up your web address

As part of signing up for hosting you'll be given an option to purchase a custom domain name . This is your very own website address where people can find your content--for example mine is css-tricks.com so if I want someone else to find my blog post about Spring I can send them to css-tricks.com/spring .

This is also important if you're trying to rank for keywords because it's easier to be found on the web when your site has a memorable address. If you have a unique brand name then purchase that with whatever suffixes are available (.com being the most popular,) if not, just select one of the many TLDs (top level domains) available and choose an appropriate suffix.

4. Create content

Once your hosting account is set up and you have a domain name registered, you'll need content in order to have something worth reading so start creating! It doesn't really matter what type of content it is at first as long as you write regularly.

Think of it this way: You can't expect anyone to ever read your content if you never post anything. As time goes on and you continue posting, the quality of your posts will improve because you'll start getting feedback from your visitors who can let you know what they think about what you're writing. When that happens it's a good idea to listen to them and pay attention to what gets shared or linked to from your site because those are probably things people actually enjoy reading.

5. Optimize for search engines

Like I said earlier, I don't want to go into too much detail here, but for now just note that search engine optimization is something that every website owner should be thinking about because it can pay off big time when visitors find your content in search results.

Google is the most popular search engine by far, but don't ignore other engines like Bing, Yahoo!, or Baidu if you're reaching out to an international audience. There are lots of really good guides on how to optimize for each major search engine so I'm not going to get into that here (I will link to some at the end,) but the basics are simple:

Think about what people might be searching for when they come across your site and then do everything you can to make sure that your pages include those keywords in a way that makes sense!

6. Make it look pretty

Even if all you want online is a place to blog, you should consider taking a little bit of time to make your site look nice. Here's where I could go into a lot more detail because there are a ton of tools available for making websites that look great on desktops and mobile devices, but the goal here is just to get something up so let's keep it simple.

If you have zero design skills, pay someone to make you a custom logo and header, or buy one of the many website templates available. If you're more experienced with design, check out Theme Forest for some premade options or if you want to be able to update it yourself without buying additional software then I recommend checking out SquareSpace.

When it comes to picking a color palette, it can be helpful to know what colors are supposed to evoke certain emotions. The most commonly used web safe color palettes aren't all that exciting so my advice is just to pick something you like and go with it!

7. Add a mailing list

Once your site starts getting visitors, one thing that can help grow your email list is a popup. Popups are annoying and I don't recommend them, but they work really well (which is why lots of sites use them even though most people hate them.)

For a less intrusive option, there's also the humble newsletter signup form which you might already be familiar with. The idea is simple: If someone likes your site, they'll give you their email address in exchange for something of value (like an eBook, helpful material that can't be found anywhere else online.) Below that, put a link to the signup form on all of your pages because that's where most people are going to see it.

8. Learn about analytics

If you don't know what it is, analytics are the things that tell you how well your site is performing. All sites have them and everyone should take advantage of them even if it's just to check in every once in a while. You can usually find an analytics dashboard in your hosting control panel or you can check out Google Analytics which is free and easy to set up.

You might think that once you've got your blog up, people are just going to magically find it when they're searching for things online, but unless you know what you're doing, chances are this isn't happening to the extent that it should be.

This Quick Guide Will Help You Start Your Blog in Less Than 5 Minutes.

1. The links in this article have a coupon. We already applied for the coupon so you get the best price. You get your domain free for 1 year. And you get bonuses to start blogging.

2. We love the service from SiteGround. They make it really easy to start a blog for a low price. We have links on our page that say "Site Ground'' and they will take you to their website, where you can buy hosting for your blog. It is an affiliate link, which means that we get a little money when you buy it from them, but at no cost to you!

3. Type the domain name in the box with "create a new domain." Then click on "Next."

Note: If you already own a domain, you can use it. If not, buy one and it will be free for the first year.

5. To lower the price, click on "Account Plan" and change it to "Basic 12 Month Price".

6. Make sure to remove the packages that you do not want for the lowest price.

Note: We recommend Domain Privacy Protection because your name and contact information would be public otherwise. But, if you are on a tight budget, you can skip this.

7. You have to fill in the payment information. Agree to the terms on the screen, then click the blue button with "SUBMIT".

Blogging tips for beginners

Blogging is a process by which you express your thoughts and ideas about something through blogs. This can be anything from personal thoughts to an event that you've attended or anything in between. It's a great way of expressing yourself with the use of words, photographs and even videos. A simple way to explain blogging is that it's like a personal diary or journal on the internet, where you can share your thoughts with anyone who might wish to read them.

A blog keeps readers posted of new information on whatever you're blogging about, especially if it's current event type of posts or stories. It's a great way to build a network of loyal readers who will come back for more. In fact, many of the top blog sites are run by well known, credible companies who use blogging as their main marketing tool. These include well-known names like Nike and Starbucks.

Bloggers come from all walks of life and blogging levels vary as well. From the occasional blogger to those who make a living out of it, bloggers have a wide spectrum of goals and purposes. However, there are basic tips that you should follow as a beginner blogger.

• Remember to be as objective as possible. Remember that your blog is the backbone to your company, so you don't want to alienate any of your readers. If you want to keep them interested, talk about things from your perspective but always stay objective.
• Be informative. Don't just write posts for the sake of writing posts. Put in your research and make sure you write posts that are helpful to your readers. They will appreciate it, and more readers will come too.
• Advertise your blog on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. Sometimes you might need to pay for some ads online or even buy banner ads, but this is a good way to get your blog known by many people.
• Promote your blog. When you've established a good amount of readers, give them something in return by promoting your blog to their network as well. This way, you're bound to get even more readers who will then go back to your blog for more.
• Remember that the internet is always changing. You can't do the same thing over and over again to get readers interested in your blog. That's why you must try new things and be open to new ideas.

How to write a post that readers will enjoy

Writing a blogpost is an art, and it can be different from one person to another. There are some basic guidelines that you need to follow when you write a blogpost.

First, you need to make sure that your article grabs attention. A reader has already seen thousands of blogs and articles in his life, so it is very difficult to make your blogpost different from all others. Therefore, when you write a blogpost, you need to make sure that the title of your article is interesting. The title of your blogpost needs to be catchy; it should grab attention right from the start.

The blogpost needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end in order to be complete. I don't know if you have read the beginning, middle and end of an article book, but in that book it is explained in detail what and how you need to write a blogpost in order to make it complete. I don't think that article is about writing a blogpost, but from my point of view you will be able to learn a lot about what and how you need to write a blogpost from reading that book.

In order for people to enjoy your blogpost, you need to have correct grammar. This is something that people usually tend to forget, this is why a lot of posts are filled with errors and full of mistakes. If you want to write a good blogpost, then you need to use correct grammar otherwise your article will not be completed. The blogpost should be well-written and people should understand everything that you wrote in the article.

In order for your blogpost to be a good blogpost, you need to have a funny or an interesting story. This is something that people expect from every blogger because it makes the article complete. If you want your blog to be well-known and read by anyone, then make sure that you write interesting articles with a funny or an interesting story.

In my opinion, writing a blogpost is an art and the article should be interesting because you need to grab attention from reader’s right from the start. The blogpost should be complete with a beginning, middle and an end that is why you need to write correctly with correct grammar. The blogpost should be interesting and funny.

When you write a good article, people will read it and enjoy it. That is why you need to make sure that you write good articles.