Do you want to make this the year you start your 6-figure blog?
Have you wanted to start an online business but not sure what to start?
Well starting a blog is the best way to get started online. It helps you to build all the skills you need to create any successful business now and in the future.
Why Starting a Blog is a Good Idea
Whether you already have a business or want to start a blog as a business it is the fastest way to establish yourself and your brand in your niche.
Here are some interesting stats;
- Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI (Source: HubSpot)
- On average, companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than those without (Source: DemandMetric)
- 82% of marketers who blog consistently see positive ROI from inbound efforts (Source: State of Inbound)
- Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website. (Source: SEO Tribunal)
- US bloggers are projected to have a readership of 31.7 million by 2020. (Source: SEO Tribunal)
- Blogs increase website traffic by up to 6x. (Source: SEO Tribunal)
What to do Before You Start a Blog
Before starting a blog it’s important to decide on your goals for blogging. Do you want to start a blog for;
- Fun or as a hobby
- To establish a movement
- to earn money
The first 2 goals are fine, however here at Step Up Boss Up we’re all about making money online. So we’ll focus on option 3 as a goal.
Therefore you’ll also need to know how you will earn money from blogging.
The top 5 ways to earn money from your blog are
- Affiliate Marketing
- Digital Products
- Courses
- Coaching
- Consulting or Done For You Services
Steps For Starting a Blog
So you’ve been thinking about starting a blog that’s why you’ve landed on this post, right!
I’ve given you the reasons why it’s a great idea to start a blog and gave you some ideas on how you can monetize your blog.
Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of actually creating your blog.
Step 1: Choose Your Niche
Select which niche you want to blog about.
Some popular and profitable blogging niches are;
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Money/Finance
- Health & Wellness
- Business
- Home Decor
- Parenting
Each of these big niches has sub-niches you can serve. The key is to take a big category and drill down.
So a fashion blogger could niche down to;
- Plus-size Fashion
- Fashion on a Budget
- Designer Fashion on a Budget
- Trendy Fashion
- Accessories
Step 2: Select Your Main Categories
Once you’ve niched down, select a maximum of three areas you’ll write about. So if your niche is weight loss, are you going to do recipes, meal plans, diets, supplements, exercise routines, nutrition, reviews, etc..
You see there are several things you could talk about, but it’s best to stick to 1-3 when starting out so you become known for one of these categories in-depth.
Step 3: Name Your Blog
On a piece of paper brainstorm a few names, then head over to namecheckr to see which are available as domain names and across social media.
Step 4: Buy Your Domain
Once you’ve got a suitable name, head over to Godaddy or Namecheap and buy your domain name.
You can also claim your social media assets by signing up to the relevant social media platforms.
Step 5: Get Your Hosting
Now you’ve got your domain, it’s time to get your hosting.
I highly recommend Siteground, I’ve been with them for a year and have zero downtime. Moving over to them was super simple as well. They are what I class as a Newbie Friendly hosting service.
With great customers service and guides to help complete beginners to get started online with WordPress. Alternatively, you could also try Hostgator or Bluehost.
Step 6: Install WordPress & Add Plugins
With Siteground installing WordPress is super simple. Once you’re logged in, just head over to your cPanel, find WordPress in the Autoinstaller section, Click install, fill in the details requested and you’re all done.
You’ll receive an email with all your login details. Follow the instructions and head over to your brand new WordPress site.
The first thing I like to do when starting a new WordPress Site is to make sure I have my core set of plugins installed. You’ll add and remove plugins along your blogging journey but there are some core ones that you’ll always need.
You’ll need the following;
- A security plugin
- An SEO plugin
- A Cache plugin
- A Coming Soon/Maintenance Plugin
The plugins I recommend are;
- WP All-in-one Security | Wordfence Security | iThemes Security
- RankMath for SEO | Yoast SEO
- W3 Total Cache | SG Optimizer for Siteground users
- Coming Soon Page & Maintenance Mode by SeedProd
Step 7: Choose Your Theme & Set it Up
Your WordPress theme is the design you want for your blog. Whatever theme you select will determine to look and feel of your blog.
You can buy a premium theme from Bluchic or Creative Market. Or you can use Astra themes along with elementor page builder to design a unique site for free.
Step 8: Write Your Content
You will need to write content for your home page and for your about page. These are the 2 most important pages other than your actual blog content.
Then I suggest you write at least 5 pieces of content to launch your blog with. And create another 4-5 to schedule for the coming weeks.
Here are some resources to use to plan and write content for your blog;
Step 9: Launch Your Blog!
Once you’re all set up it’s time to make your blog live. Then promote, promote, promote.
Courses I highly recommend For Newbie Bloggers;
Be Your Own Blog Boss By Herpaperoute
Checklist For Starting a Blog
If you’re looking to get started with any of these steps, check out the Build Your Business Vault – where you’ll find templates, worksheets and checklists that will help you get started!
