Hey everyone, I'm Simone Cunningham.
Welcome back to my channel where I share
marketing insights to help entrepreneurs,
business owners and content creators
grow their businesses.
This video is Part 2 of my 2021 Blogging
Series where I walk you through 8 simple
steps so you can start your own blog.
If you missed out on my first video in
my blogging series check it out here.
It will give you the background
you need to know including why blogging
is Is important for your business and
how it improves your content marketing
results. But if you want to get your
new blog up and running ASAP keep
watching now. In the next 10 minutes,
I'll explain everything you need to know.
Before we get started remember if you
like what I share today
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I'd love to hear from you.
It's safe for me to assume that you know
blogging is important and the six
reasons why. In case you need to
refresh your memory, I'll go through
them quickly again now.
One blogging creates value for your
customers. Two blogs boost your brand
visibility and exposure. Three blogging
increases lead conversions. Four
creating a blog asserts your authority
as an industry expert. Five blogging
helps you to rank higher in search
engine results. Six blogs generate
backlinks.
If you want to watch the whole video,
this is what it looks like.
I'll also put the link in my video
description.
Now, we've covered that.
Let's move on to what you're here for
the beginners guide How to Start a Blog
in 2021 in 8 Simple Steps.
Step number one select the right niche
for your blog. If you're wondering how
to choose the right topic or niche for
your blog here are the two most
important things
you need to consider. One you need to
ensure that you select a niche that
you're interested in and excited about
and two
pick a niche that many people are
searching for answers to. It has to be
a topic that has an existing audience.
Don't try to be too unique or you'll
spend a very long time trying to find
an audience.
Once you've selected your niche
I recommend that you've validate it for
success.
You should check the niche size,
research your competitors and analyze
the potential for monetization.
If you want to have a blog that
generates passive income and drives
trafficthen
you'll need to select a viable niche
that has a chance to thrive.
Step number two find a blogging platform
that suits your needs. When you're first
getting started blogging.
There are many free blogging platforms
that you can use such as Wix, Medium,
Blogger, Tumblr, Ghost, Weebly and
Linkedin. But when you're ready to make
money online and build an audience, you
should consider having a self-hosted
blog especially for increased
content marketing result. Self-hosted
platforms allow you to set up your own
blog using your own web hosting and
domain. You're basically in charge of
your blog and the content you create.
You can also sell products and services
and run ads. Setting up a self-hosted
blog is inexpensive with many blogging
platforms starting with a package that's
less than four dollars a month.
WordPress.org is a very popular blogging
platform.
I use WordPress for my blog and I love
it because with the help of plugins
like Yoast you can optimize your
content for SEO and we all know how
important that is. Step number three
choose a domain name for your new blog.
This is an exciting step, but it's also
worth taking seriously because your
blog's name is important.
It's how you'll be known online and how
your separate yourself from all the
other blogs out there
your future competitors. Domain names
usually cost around
$10-$15 a year. If it's available
purchased the.com as it's still the
most universal domain out there.
However, you can also buy a country
specific or even a DOT blog.
I have three tips for finding the best
domain name for your blog.
One choose your topic. Choose a domain
name that clearly describes your content.
For example paleohacks.com tells you
exactly what to expect to you can name
your blog
after your audience. The blog
afineparent.com tells you that it's
about parenting. Three name the benefit.
Ask yourself
the reason why people will read your
blog. For example makealivingwriting.
com outlines the benefits of reading the
blog from the outset.
It's also worth noting that if you're
hosting your blog on your business page,
you don't need a whole different domain
name for your blog.
For example on simonecunningham.com. My
blog page is called blog and videos.
Yours might be called our blog or
something like that.
Step number four get a web hosting plan
to make your blog live.
Now that you have a domain name.
One of the other key decisions, you'll
have to make will be choosing a
reliable hosting service. For about
$200 a year or even less you can get a
web hosting service that backs up your
website managers your website security
and offers customer support.
To a large extent the performance and
functionality of your website will
depend on your web host.
I recently changed my hosting provider
as my page load speed had become
painfully slow and I knew my bounce
rate was going up. This can happen when
you have a lot of content on your blog.
So my tip is to monitor your blog's page
load speed for at least six months
before you commit to a yearly plan.
You'll also see many web hosting
companies now
offer a free domain for one year so you
can get both at the same time.
if you want to. To get started on
finding a web hosting company
I've made a list for you in this video's
worksheet.
The link is in the video description.
Step number five design your blog. Now
let's get to the fun bit.
It's time to pick your theme. In other
words customize your blog and make it
have the design and layout you want.
Most blogging platforms provide free
themes or you can purchase
a premium theme from websites such as
themeforest.net. If you use a platform
like WordPress, it's easy to start with
a free theme and upgrade it down the
track without losing all your content.
WordPress also has around 3,000 themes
to choose from so I'm sure you'll find
something you like. When choosing a
theme consider the personality of your
blog. So don't choose a business theme
when your niche is food and calls for
some creativity.
Also, remember to keep it simple. If
your theme is too hard to navigate then
your readers won't stick around for long
which will ultimately affect your
content marketing results.
Step number 6 write and publish your
first blog post. At this point
you've chosen your niche, selected a
domain name, chosen a web hosting
company, picked a theme for your blog now
it's time to convert those ideas in your
head into words and share them with the
world.
Follow these five steps to structure
your blog post. One think of a catchy
headline, two write a compelling
introduction, three ensure the body
content delivers on the promise made by
the headline and introduction, four
conclusion and call-to-action and five
proofread and edit.
Then you're good to hit the publish
button. Step number seven customize and
optimize your new blog.
It's important to remember That when
you're writing for the web you have to
have SEO in min. SEO helps to drive
traffic to your website, boost
readership and rank higher in search
engines.
But to do that, you'll need to include
metadata, keywords, both internal and
external links and visual content.
Ranking a website or blog is only
getting harder.
So by addressing each of these elements
you'll be optimizing your content to
the best of your ability.
Also remember to make sure to install
plug-ins to help with SEO.
There are many free options to choose
from I use Yoast on my website, but
there are other plugins available to
help improve your writing for SEO. And
we're almost done step number 8 promote
and share your blog content.
So now that you know how to write and
optimize your blog post
you'll need to invest in promoting your
content.
Social media is a great way to get more
traffic and grow your audience. Share
and post your content on the platform's
where your audience hangs out often.
Platforms such as LinkedIn Facebook
YouTube Pinterest TikTok or Instagram
can be a valuable source of traffic for
your blog. And don't forget to answer
their questions and comments.
It's about supporting your readers which
will in turn grow your audience.
So there we have it.
Are you inspired to get that blog
started? In the end hard work and
consistency are needed to create a
successful blog but it's worth it.
It really does help generate brand
awareness and leads in your business.
It's the perfect top of funnel content
that every business owner and
entrepreneur need. By regularly posting
engaging and helpful content and sharing
it with your networks.
You'll soon begin to see results in your
content marketing.
In the meantime
I'd like to know your blogging plans for
2021.
Are you starting a blog this year?
Do you have any questions for me?
I'd love to hear from you.
So please comment below.
Don't forget to download the worksheet
for this video.
The link is in the video description
it's free and there's no need to sign up.
While you wait for next week's video.
It's worth checking out
my last video Content Marketing Trends
for 2021: 10 Best Content Marketing
Channels and Tactics To Use. It's
essential viewing to keep on top of
this year's content marketing trends.
Also take a look at the first video in
my blogging series Blogging in 2021:
How Blogs Improve Your Content Marketing.
I answer your questions about content
marketing trends in blogging and its
future as well as the major benefits of
blogging and why you should be doing it
to improve your content marketing.
If you found this video helpful, please
remember to subscribe and hit the like
button.
Thank you for watching as always.
I'm grateful for your support.
I hope you have a great day
and a great week.
I'll see you in the next one.
Bye for now.