Starting A Blog in 2024
2024 is finally here and if you have been interested in blogging this is how to start. Here is a step by step on how to start blogging for beginners
- Pick Niche
The first thing you need to know is what your blog will be about. Is it going to be a Fashion blog, Food Blog, Tours & Travel, Lifestyle, Health and Fitness, DIY Craft, or just a personal blog about your life. Knowing this will even make it easier for you to get a good name for your blog and a theme that fits your blog.
- Blog Name
Now that we know what our blog is about we can come up with a name that suits your Blog. You cannot be blogging about food and your blog name is called “ Cars Are We”. This will harm your ranking. Choose a better name that is unique and better identify what you are blogging about. When you are coming up with the name, better check if the domain is available.
At This point, you can involve a web developer or you can confirm if the domain ( domain is the name you picked ) is available using the link below.
NOTE: To confirm if the name you choose is available using Hostinger is free. No charges
- Purchase domain and Hosting
When you find a good domain name that is available next step will be to purchase the domain. You need to purchase it to secure it and no other person can use it. Domain names can end with a .com, .org, .co.ke, .uk, etc so choose the want you want.
Hosting refers to where the files for your website will be stored. If your blog will have many big images then you should have a large hosting space.
There are many companies with provide web hosting plans, make sure you do your research. The top companies are
- Hostinger: https://www.hostinger.com/
- Godaddy : https://www.godaddy.com/en-uk
- DreamHost : https://www.dreamhost.com/
- Bluehost : https://www.bluehost.com/
- HostGator : https://www.hostgator.com/
- Design you Blog
In this step, you will need the services of a web developer. You should sit down with the developer and come up with a theme that suits your blog and you like. And tell the developer that the theme should be responsive meaning you can easily use a phone, tab, or laptop to access it.
If you wish to try and do everything by yourself, then WordPress has many free themes that you can pick from. Below is a link to find the theme, choose one, and customize it to your taste.
WordPress Theme: https://wordpress.org/themes/
NOTE: Themes on these links are free but some you might need to purchase some upgrades.
Make sure you create a home page or Landing page, about us page, Contacts us Page, and Privacy Policy Page.
On WordPress you will install that will assist you with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I recommend you use RankMath or Yoast SEO, these are the best tools in WordPress. Just install one plugin and not two and make sure you turn on its sitemap.
- Blog
Now we have a working blog that is online. You can start writing articles for your blog post. Do your research and write unique posts that are informative and educational. At least make sure your blog article has more than 500 words and above and a good image. Create more than 10 blog posts and start sharing links with friends.
- Indexing Blog on Google
Now we have a website or Blog and Google does not know anything about our website. We need to tell Google that we have a website that needs indexing.
You will need to google “ Search Console” and sign up with a new Gmail account or an existing one you have. I recommend creating a new Gmail account for your blog. Below is a link for the Search Console.
Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/about
SEE IMAGE BELOW
Select property for domain write your domain name on the enter domain section and click continue. You will be required to verify your domain. After you have done that you need to link your website sitemap. You will find your website sitemap on your SEO plugin.
There are many videos that will assist you with that.
- Analytics
You will also need to register on Google Analytics with the email you used when registering on Search Console.
The Purpose of having a Google Analytics account for your blog is to monitor your traffic and user engagement. To be a professional blogger you should be monitoring your Blog traffic. Know which articles or blogs are bringing visitors to your site and write more in depth blogs about it. You will also know which age groups are visiting your website, the devices they are using, and from which country.
Register on Google Analytics, verify, and link with your sitemap.
You can also link your Search Console with an analytics account.
- Adsense
Advantages of having a blog is that you can make money from it using Google AdSense. The amount of money will depend on the Niche or subjects you are blogging about. The location of your visitors also will determine the amount of money you can make. The number of page views will also affect your earnings.
- Research
If you want to do research for an article for your blog, google has got you covered. They have a free tool called “ Keyword Planner”. This is the best tool for doing keyword research for articles on your blog. You can also use Google search to see which topics people have been searching for. Below is a link for the Google keyword planner
Keyword Planner: https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/
Congratulations, now you have a working blog and all you need to do now is write as many articles as you wish. Before writing just ensure you do a research do your research first and find out what are people looking for. Remember to make sure your blog post or articles are educational, informative, or coming up with a solution to a problem.