How can I build a successful blog?

If you want to create a blog, you don’t need a revolutionary idea. But, your blog should be focused on something specific.

Remember that no idea, no matter how good, is truly unique.

But, you have unique experiences. You have a distinct voice. And, you probably have a vibrant personality that will attract others like your family and friends.

When it comes to choosing your blog’s niche, there are 2 key questions to ask yourself.

1. Do I enjoy learning about this topic?

If you don’t love the topic, it’ll show in your writing. You shouldn’t even start a blog if you don’t love what you’re blogging about.

Whatever topic you pick, you need to love it, and naturally curious about it. If not, you’ll run out of ideas quickly. Most importantly, you won’t be able to consistently create content that will build your audience.

If you are still lost, think about what your family and friends come to you for when seeking advice? It might be fitness, recipes or relationship advice. You know best.

2. Are there others who are interested in the same things?

You might feel like the only 23-year-old who’s obsessed with knitting. But, there are others out there.

Do a quick Google search and you’ll find 539,000 results aimed at people just like you.

You might be wondering if your idea is too quirky. Or, maybe it’s too broad?

If you want to start a travel blog, stay away from generic words like “travel.” Choose a more specific topic, like “backpacking.”

I can give you a million examples, but it’s better if I show you.

Enter a keyword below and you’ll have a data-backed answer right away.

Name your blog and get web hosting

This is a fun and important step, because your blog name is your brand. It’s how you’ll be remembered. But, don’t overthink it. The key is to take action and gain momentum.

When you’re starting a blog from scratch, you need two things.

The first is a domain name. This is your blog’s name. Domain names will run you roughly $10/year. If you don’t find the right domain name, no worries you can still start a blog and change your name later.

The second is web hosting. Web hosting is a service that allows your blog to be accessed through the internet.

Without web hosting, your blog can’t be seen online. Without a domain name, your blog won’t have an address. The two are inseparable.

There are plenty of web hosting companies to choose from. Prices generally range from $3 – $1000/month.

Through my experience the best, cheapest and best support: Bluehost

When naming your blog, you may want to take these tips into consideration.

• Choose a .com over others. They’re easier to remember.
• Aim for 2-3 words. Unfortunately, most, if not all single word domains are taken.
• Try to use a keyword that represents what your blog is about. This helps people quickly identify your blog’s niche and helps search engines distinguish what your blog is about.
• Avoid using numbers and hyphens. They are difficult to remember.
• Go for something memorable or catchy.
• For personal brands, use your name or a variation of it.

Install WordPress – your blogging software

You can’t start a blog without blogging software. I run all of my blogs on WordPress because it’s user-friendly, free and powerful.

Even without a technical bone in your body, you can install WordPress in exactly 5 clicks.

Here’s how.

After you get your free domain and hosting account, you can log in and use your first click on the “Install WordPress” icon.

Choose the “do it yourself” version and click the “Install” button. Your last two clicks will be for acknowledging their terms of service and finalizing your install.

Design your blog with a WordPress theme

In the blogging world, WordPress designs are called themes.

Out of the box, your blog will look something like this:

It isn’t the fanciest design out there, but it’s workable.

There are thousands of themes to choose from. But, it can be easy to get trapped in “Shiny Object Syndrome” and not walk away with anything.

You can swap out your theme any time, so don’t get too caught up with the bells and whistles.

First, you need to log into your WordPress admin. You can access this by going to yourdomain Resources and Information..

Here, you’ll need to enter your user credentials to log in.

If you’re new to WordPress, the dashboard might look a little daunting at first, but you’ll be an expert with a little practice.

To install a new theme, hover over the “Appearance” menu in the sidebar and click “Themes.”

WordPress comes with a few themes – their “Twenty-[Year]” themes.

Instead, we’ll search for flashier themes that will instantly make your eyes twinkle. Click the “Add New” button at the top to get access to thousands of WordPress themes.

Your taste and mine might be different. Fortunately, WordPress has a “Feature Filter” that lets you search for something that will fit your style.

After applying the filters, you’ll see amazing themes that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars in design fees.

If you click on the theme’s thumbnail, you can get an instant preview of what your blog will look like. Evaluate if it fits both your personal style and the topic that you’ll be covering.

Once you’re satisfied with the sneak peek, click the “Install” button.

Once the installation is complete, click the “Activate” button and you’re all set.

If you can’t find a theme that you like, there are premium themes that you can purchase from sites like:

• Themeforest.
• Elegant Themes.
• StudioPress.
• Thrive Themes.

Optimize for Search Engine Traffic

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a multi-billion dollar industry.

SEO is the process of optimizing your website to be found in search engines for particular keywords and phrases.

I attribute a good portion of my success to being easily discoverable for relevant search terms, which has helped me build my networks and net worth.

If you’re new to SEO, then this new feat may seem daunting.

But, WordPress makes it insanely simple to optimize the technical aspects of your blog.

The majority of your SEO efforts will be to create engaging content for real people. Whether that’s through text, videos or images, your job as a blogger is to spark a relationship with your readers.

There’s more than I can explain here

Brainstorm blog topics

On the technical side, your blog is all set up and ready to go. When it comes to topic generation, the world is your oyster.

The majority of your blog posts will come from personal experiences, passions, successes, failures and new learnings.

People use questions as search queries, like:

• What should I write about?
• What to blog about?
• Should I start blogging?

So naturally, you should start off with some questions of your own. I use a series of questions and a systematic process to come up with my blog topic ideas.

No need to worry. It’s not complicated and it won’t take very much time.

By following this process, you should be able to come up with about 50 working topics within a half hour of distraction-free time.

Pull out a pen and paper or open up your favorite word processing tool.

The goal of this exercise is to get 10 answers for each question. If you can think of more, note them all.

It’s time to look through the lens of your readers with these 5 questions.

1. “What excites, intrigues or stirs passion in my readers?”

Examples:

• As a golfer, I get excited by hitting my driver farther. I’m fascinated by mental performance. I’m passionate about healthy living.
• As a new stay-at-home mom, I get excited by budget-friendly ideas for the family. I’m intrigued by sleep-training. I’m passionate about homeschooling.
• As an avid camper, I get excited about finding undervalued camping sites. I’m intrigued by survival tactics. I’m passionate about minimalist living.

2. “What are common challenges my readers go through?”

Examples:

• Golfers might struggle with slicing the ball.
• Stay-at-home moms may find meal planning challenging.
• Campers might struggle with packing light.

3. “What character traits do my readers possess?

Example:

• Serious golfers have emotional stability.
• Moms are patient and have a sense of humor.
• Campers are adventurous and resourceful.

4. “What do your readers love about your niche?”

Example:

• Golfers love the challenge of perfection.
• Stay-at-home moms love being a part of their child’s mental, physical and emotional development.
• Campers love time away from the busy city life.

5. “What do your readers hate about your niche?”

Examples:

• Golfers hate playing with partners who complain all day long.
• Stay-at-home moms hate being looked down on by others.
• Campers hate getting eaten alive.

You get the point. Now that you have about 50 answers, you can begin dissecting blog post ideas from each answer. The sky is the limit.

Here are a few examples you can extract from one answer in your list:

• Cure Your Slice: The Foolproof Guide To Hit The Fairway Every Time
• 3 Reasons Why You’re Slicing The Ball And One Stupid Simple Fix
• Never Slice Again: 9 Drills To Play Like The Pros
• 7 Training Aids For Dead Straight Ball Flight
• How To Shoot Even Par With A Nasty Slice.

Try to come up with a catchy headline that will draw your readers in and then throw them a one-two punch in the rest of your content.

Write your first masterpiece

WordPress uses an intuitive editor, similar to your favorite word processing tools. New entries are created directly from your WordPress admin.

Click on “Posts” in the left sidebar.

This will populate a list of your blog entries in descending order. Since we’re working with a fresh install, you won’t see anything here.

To create a new entry, click the “Add New” button at the top or in the sidebar.

First things first. Add one of the titles that you developed in your brainstorming session in the title text box. Immediately after, WordPress will create a permalink based on the keywords used in your title.

You can start typing the body of your article in the large text area and write until you feel happy with your content.

You’ll want to add visual assets to your blog posts as well. Images help engage readers and can often illustrate concepts better than words.

To add new images, ensure that your text cursor is in the place where you want your image to appear. Click the “Add Media” button.

Here’s a quick checklist to consider, before you hit the publish button:

• Speak in a conversational tone.
• Content flows naturally.
• Easy on the eyes with adequate white space.
• Use headings to separate sections.
• Bullet points and lists.
• Check for typos and grammatical errors.

If everything checks out, you’re ready to publish your first blog post.

Create an editorial calendar

One of the fatal mistakes I see bloggers make is to blog only when they “feel like it.”

They forget that new fans want more content and they fail to deliver.

Unforeseen circumstances will arise. You’ll let a new Netflix series take over the time that you could have spent blogging.

Life will continue to throw curveballs at you, whether you start blogging or not.

Consistency is undervalued and it needs to be something you prioritize.

I’ve written over a thousand articles and it’s not because I type 7,000 words per minute.

It’s because I follow an editorial calendar without compromise.

Schedules aren’t just for big publications like The New York Times and the Huffington Post. They’re for regular people like you and me.

Think about it like this.

If you have a doctor’s appointment in your calendar or even a lunch date with a friend, you’re going to honor it. Worst case scenario, you’ll reschedule for the next available time-slot.

Editorial calendars work in a similar fashion.

They make aggressive goals reachable in micro steps. They keep you organized. They streamline your social media and email marketing efforts.

And, you’ll be surprised at how an editorial calendar can even help you grow in character and integrity.

We are creatures of habit.

The better you keep your dates, the faster you’ll grow your audience.

So, how do you get started and how much will it cost?

Nada.

Just open up a new Excel spreadsheet. If you have multiple writers, you can share the sheet using Google drive.

Start with four columns – Publishing Date, Title, Keyword and Notes.

Your needs might be different than mine, so feel free to add additional columns as needed. Common additions might include “Author,””Category” and “Persona.”

The simpler you keep it, the easier it will be to digest and follow.

Look through your calendar on your iPhone, Android or the one hanging on your fridge. How often can you post?

Monthly? Weekly? Daily?

Be conservative with your goals, because consistently missing deadlines can lead to quitting altogether.

Next, go through the answers that you came up with in your brainstorming session and add them under the “Title” column.

Your titles don’t need to be perfect yet. Throw in a working headline that you can spruce up before publishing.

Sometimes, the best headlines come after you’ve written your article. You’ll have a crystal clear picture of what your story is about and who it is for.

The “Keyword” column is intended for SEO purposes. If you’re targeting specific keyword phrases that you’d like to rank for, add those in there.

If nothing comes to mind, you can do some keyword research later on.

Finally, there’s the “Notes” column.

This section is a perfect place to write down brilliant ideas that come to mind. Notes also act as a great tool to stay focused on the topic at hand and tackle it coherently.

You should be able to write up a set of 25 blog post topics with deadlines that you’re confident about keeping.

That’s almost half a year’s worth of blog posts for a weekly writer.

Okay. You have the editorial, but you’re still missing the calendar.

Go to Google Calendars and set up a new calendar. You can do this by clicking the down arrow to the right of “My Calendars.”

Click “Create New Calendar” and add a name, description and time zone. You can share this calendar with other participants on your team.

If you don’t have team members, share it with your spouse or a good friend who is willing to keep you accountable to your goals.

After you’ve filled out the essential information, click “Create Calendar” and get acquainted with your new best friend.

Make sure that your calendar is selected in the left sidebar and change your schedule view to weekly.

Click on a time slot under a day and add your blog post title as the “Event Title.” I recommend that you set a notification for a couple of days before the publishing date.

If you only write whenever it’s convenient, you’re heading down a dangerous road.

You’ll eventually run out of ideas, lose motivation and forget about the drive you once had to start your own blog.

Editorial calendars are a quick fix for a blogger’s procrastination.

Conclusion

Starting a blog is easy. Creating one that will be successful and make money requires hard work, dedication and grit.

But, the rewards far outweigh the risks.

Blogs are affordable and more accessible today than they have ever been before.

Like anything else in life, there will be obstacles that attempt to throw you off course. But, I encourage you to go forward with your passion and share it through your own blog.

Everything that you need to get started is here.

As you begin your blogging journey, remember that you’re speaking to humans.

Be you. Be adventurous. Be honest and transparent.

As you continue to consistently create great content, your tribe will flock to you, listen and respond. Good luck!