How to Start a Blog: An Easy Guide

A blog is a web page frequently updated with fresh, helpful content.

Most blogs feature a friendly, conversational style that engages readers and delivers valuable information they might be looking for.

Well-run blogs are also effective, essential ways to supply your site with quality content that helps boost your SERP rankings.

You don’t need to be an experienced writer or digital marketer to start a blog that delights audiences, makes money, and helps you achieve your content marketing goals.

Anyone can start a blog and turn it into a success, regardless of experience. Get started with these easy steps to start a blog that resonates today.

1. Find Your Niche

Your options are wide open when it comes to the many types of blogs you can start.

However, the most successful blogs generally occupy a particular niche.

Choosing the right niche is also one of the most often overlooked aspects of making sure a blog is successful.

Choose a topic you’re passionate about

The best blogs are run by individuals or teams who are genuinely into the topics they cover.

So, pick a niche that you love to talk about, that you’re knowledgeable about, and that ties in with any products or services you’re looking to offer.

Do some market research

You’ll also want to do some market research to confirm that there’s a market out there looking for the type of content you’ll produce. 

Google Trends is a great free tool for assessing the overall interest in a topic, especially over time.

Assess your niche’s profitability

Naturally, you want to accumulate an audience and eventually make money blogging, especially if you’re starting a blog for business purposes.

So, check your niche for profitability by Googling related key terms to see if other bloggers are advertising to rank for those keywords. That’s a sure sign that a niche is a winner.

2. Plan Your Blog Content

Once you’ve chosen the right niche for your blog, it’s time to start filling it with fantastic content your audience will love. But it’s crucial to do so according to a plan. Here’s how to create one.

Name your blog

A great blog name grabs attention while still making it clear what the content is about.

Choose something snappy and original that will appeal to your target audience.

Incorporate a keyword related to your niche as well.

Brainstorm blog post ideas

Next, you’ll want to develop a few initial post ideas to get your blog running.

Do so by asking yourself questions like the following:

• What keywords do I want to rank for?
• What industry trending topics can I write about?
• What problems can I solve with my products, services, or content?
• What are my competitors doing, and how can I do it better?
• What questions does my audience have that I can answer for them?

Create an editorial calendar

All successful blogs need to be frequently updated according to a predictable editorial calendar, so your readers know when to expect your content.

Your calendar should also include your social media channels in addition to your main blog.

3. Find the Best Hosting Platform

These days, a new blogger has many options to choose from when selecting a blogging platform.

Here are some things to consider when deciding which is the right pick for you.

Control and customizability

Regardless of your blogging goals, control over your content is crucial.

You should be able to dictate the look and feel of your blog and add and remove features at will as your goals evolve.

Search engine-friendly

If your blog isn’t SEO-friendly enough, you’ll have a hard time ranking for your keywords and attracting an audience.

Consider choosing a platform like WordPress that’s customizable and user-friendly, but also set up to be as search engine friendly as possible.

Ease to Use

If you’re a beginner, you want a user-friendly platform, easy to set up, and doesn’t require you to code it yourself.

Pick a hosting platform like Stage to get your new WordPress site up and running in a flash.

4. Create High-Quality Content

The success of a particular blog is all about the content, so quality is an absolute must.

Take the guesswork out of creating dynamic interactive content with ION, as well as consider the following tips.

Write for readers first and search engines second

Naturally, SEO is incredibly important, so it’s crucial to consider keywords and potential SERP ranks when putting your posts together.

But one of the most effective ways to rank is to write with your readers’ wants and needs in mind.

In this way, writing for readers is writing for search engines.

Craft a snappy introduction

With so many options to choose from out there, a blog post needs to capture a reader’s attention within seconds.

That makes the right post introduction crucial to your post’s ultimate success.

Incorporate images and multimedia

Formatting is another important consideration when composing blog posts successfully in mind.

Make your content easy to skim by organizing it with suitable headings and subheadings.

Adding visual elements like relevant images, videos, and other graphics helps make your post more readable and adds value to your content.

Conclude posts with a call to action

Modern consumers and information seekers want to know what to do next after consuming a piece of great content, and a call to action tells them in no uncertain terms.

Conclude posts with a CTA that makes the desired next step clear, whether that’s making a purchase or something else entirely.

Outsource content creation

Keeping your blog and social media feeds well-updated with fresh, relevant content all by yourself is a tall order.

Consider outsourcing most or all of your content creation to expert writers on a top platform like WriterAccess to set your blog up for success. Get a 14-day WriterAccess trial, and check it out for free.

5. Optimize Blog Posts for SEO

Ultimately, having an incredible blog filled with amazing content is not enough.

People also need to be able to find it, and that’s where on-page SEO comes in. Here are some important tips to keep in mind.

Do frequent keyword research

All of your content brainstorming sessions should begin with a fresh round of keyword research to determine what your audience is currently searching for. Keywords should be incorporated into titles, metadata, and URLs, as well as sprinkled naturally throughout the body of your content.

Always include links

Great content increases in value when you add links to other relevant pages and help readers answer further questions they may have. Be sure to include a mixture of internal links to relevant posts on your blog, as well as external links to high-value authority content on other sites.

Add visuals to your posts

All blog posts should include, at the very least, a high-quality lead image relevant to the content. But visual elements like graphs, charts, videos, graphics, and additional images should also be used throughout the content when it makes sense to do so.

6. Promoting Your Blog

Once you’ve got your blog up and running, it’s time to let your audience know it’s out there, and that means coming up with a promotion strategy. Here are some tips for doing that effectively.

Take advantage of social media

A robust social media presence is a must when marketing a blog. Use yours to market your blog posts, share industry news, and connect with your audience on an ongoing basis.

Seek out collaboration opportunities

A strong network of peers can be a massive asset to an aspiring blogger, as you can help each other achieve your goals and expand your collective reach.

Seek opportunities to contribute guest content to other blogs and partner with key influencers in your niche.

Embrace email marketing

Email has been around almost as long as the internet itself, but it remains one of the most popular, widely used ways to communicate online.

Make sure you include email marketing in your marketing strategy and use it wisely for the best results.

Wrap Up

Starting and maintaining a successful blog is easy when you know what to do and have the right tools in your corner.

And now that you know how to start a blog that attracts readers, it’s time to take care of the tools.

Content Cloud is our all-in-one package that reunites Stage, Studio, ION, and WriterAccess. It has everything you need to make your blog a huge success.

But if you prefer to take one step at a time, try WriterAcess for two weeks without any charges and start your successful content journey.