In this post, I plan on sharing with you the best way to get started with a blog whether you’re doing it for personal reasons or for business purpose.
What Is A Blog?
Here’s how Google defines a blog:
A regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
Simply put, a blog is a public or private website where you, the blogger, shares digital content (articles, images, videos and documents) about a specific topic with online readers.
Blogs have evolved over the years. They became a serious source of knowledge for Internet users. Businesses also started leveraging them to generate leads for their products and services.
Need some blog examples?
- The Huffington Post is a blog
- Mashable.com is a blog
- Techcrunch.com is a blog
- Venture Beat is a blog
Here’s a great infographic with some blogging stats that will blow your mind away.
Why Even Bother Creating A Blog?
There are many reasons why people start a blog and you really need to ask yourself why are you trying to start one yourself?
Having a purpose is important as it will allow you to stay focused. I recently wrote a post, 6 things you need to do before starting a blog where I share the benefits of blogging.
Examples of reasons why people blog:
- A digital journal (share what’s on their mind)
- Sell products / services
- Generate customer leads
- Improve their personal brand
- Get noticed within the industry
When blogging, you need to have some goals in place because the last thing you want to happen is you getting discouraged and deal with the lack of motivation in writing. Most blogs fail due to this reason. People get too excited and quit too soon when they see no positive results from their efforts.
How Much Does A Blog Cost?
Some of my friends believe that having a blog costs a lot money. Most of them are wrong.
Launching a blog can cost you $0. It all depends on what you’re trying to achieve and how much you want to invest in it in the short and long term.
But if you’re really serious about blogging and you want to have your own domain name (ex: YourName.com), you’re looking at spending around $8-$10/month.
If you’re planning on creating lots of content, optimize your blog to drive lots of traffic and be able to promote your products/services, expect to spend around $25-$50/month.
For those that want to do more such as creating videos, courses, podcasts, manage emails and have a unique design, a blog can cost you around $100/month.
Costs will go up only if you get a lot traffic or if you have to share large audio/video/image files. Obviously if you want to customize the look and feel, expect to spend some dollars on programmers.
If you’re just starting off, spending $8-$10/month will be more than enough.
Which Blog Software Should You Use? Here Are 6 Options to Choose From.
One of the biggest challenges you might face when launching a blog is choosing the right software.
Over the past 8 years, there has been lots of improvements within blogging industry. Blog software has evolved to a point that it can be used more than just for blogging purposes.
Here’s a list of the most popular blogging solutions:
1. WordPress (my favorite platform)
This solution powers more than 23% of the Internet. It’s considered to be the most popular software for blogs.
OPTION 1: Free Version on WordPress
Perfect for beginners with no IT knowledge and $0 budget.
If you’re new to blogging, I recommend that you use their free hosted solution to start with. Why? I truly believe you really need to test the waters a little before spending any money on your blog. Like I mentioned before, lots of people quit blogging after a couple of weeks or months.
By starting with WordPress’s basic package at $0, you will not lose any money and it will allow you to blog without taking huge risks. One problem with this option is your blog is going to have a URL as “http://yourblog.wordpress.com”.
This option is limited but a great way to get started.
Click Here to Get Started with WordPress Basic Plan
OPTION 2: Paid Hosted Version on WordPress (around $99/year)
Perfect for beginners with no IT knowledge and who want to customize their blog name and design
This option is great for anyone who wants to have a great first impression. You will be able to select your own domain name, choose from all sorts of blog templates (some cost money), no ads and good support. In addition, you will have additional space within your account in case you need to upload large videos or high quality images.
This option gives you the piece of mind of owning a WordPress blog since it’s being fully maintained by WordPress themselves. Please note that you will still be limited since they won’t allow you to install all sorts of plugins. Nonetheless, it comes with everything you need out of the box.
Click Here to Get Started with WordPress Premium Plan
OPTION 3: Self-Hosted Using Bluehost (from $5.99/month)
Perfect for serious bloggers with some IT knowledge who want more flexibility. customization and don’t mind dealing with hosting related issues and future upgrades.
This option allows you to have your own hosting space where you can install WordPress or any other type of software. You can also get your own email address under your domain name. This option offers you a lot of flexibility but remember, you will have to manage your hosting environment.
OPTION 4: Paid Hosted with WordPress Partners (from $15/month) -> MY FAVORITE
Perfect for more established bloggers with some IT knowledge and who want more flexibility and customization without the hassle of dealing with hosting issues.
Why is this my favorite? Well, I like the piece of mind. I don’t want to worry about hosting issues but I still like being able to customize the blog. You tend to pay a little more than option 3, but I truly believe it’s worth it.
Here’s a list of WordPress hosting partners you can use:
- Websynthesis (I use this)
- GetFlyWheel
- Bluehost WordPress
2. Ghost
Unlike WordPress, this platform is made only for the purpose of blogging and nothing else. It’s easy to use, simple to understand and comes with everything you need to start blogging immediately. You can download the free version but you will need to install it on your own hosting server similar to what I recommended in option #3 for WordPress.
They do offer paid versions as well. If you really want to have a unique blog, you should give Ghost a try. I actually like it but because I wanted more than just a blog, I decided to go with WordPress.
Here’s a great chart showing you the difference between free & paid Ghost
Click Here to View Ghost Packages Starting from $10/month
3. Medium
Medium was created by a co-founder of Twitter. I like this platform because it’s a great way to tell stories and get noticed via your social networks with minimal effort. One of my favorite social media gurus, Gary Vaynerchuk, uses it.
Here’s a great post that will help figure out if you should be using Medium for blogging.
Click Here to Get Started with Medium
4. Blogger
Blogger is owned by Google.com. It’s a really old platform. I am not a huge fan of it. I used to have a blog on it many years ago. I’m sure it changed a little but I honestly haven’t played much with it recently.
Click Here to Get Started with Blogger
5. Typepad
Here’s another old platform. I don’t have much experience with it. I do know that my favorite writer Seth Godin uses it. He blogs daily on it. I might test it out later on as I create some of my blogging courses.
Click Here to Get Started with Typepad
6. Tumblr
Tumblr is owned by Yahoo.com. In my opinion it’s the most complete blogging platform that’s free to use. You can purchase many themes for it. The level of customization is limited nonetheless, it’s still comes with all sorts of bells and whistles for bloggers.
Click Here to Get Started with Tumblr
8 Steps to Create Your First Blog On Any Blogging Platform
1. Planning
Just like any other project in life, blogging requires careful planning. Start by selecting a topic, do some research about who’s blogging about that topic, define some goals and schedule time to writing and promoting your posts. Being consistent is key. I always recommend that people should write at least 3 posts a week if they plan on having their blog rank well on Google. I plan on writing about this topic in the near future.
2. Setup
Whether you decide to go with WordPress or any of the other platform I recommended, you will need to create an account in order to setup your blog. You will need an email address and probably a domain name.
3. Design
The next step, my favorite one, is to choose a design for your blog. Some blogging platforms come with free templates while others offer you premium ones at an affordable price. I usually change my blog design every year. I just like having something new.
4. Customize
Whenever you launch a blog, you tend to want to change certain features or layouts. You will need to customize the look and feel as well as the overall behavior such as notifications or restrictions. Every platform offers a level of customization for bloggers. Some of them are advanced while others are limited depending on the packages you choose.
5. Plugins
Most platforms offer you ways of adding or setup certain plugins. Consider adding Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics so that you can monitor traffic and rankings on search engines.
6. Write
Start writing about the chosen topic. There’s lots to learn about choosing the right keywords, choosing the right post title and how to optimize your post for search engines. I plan on writing about this topic as well and sharing more tips but for now, just get into the habit of writing interesting stuff.
7. Promote
This is the part I enjoy most. Promoting your content is key to driving more traffic to your blog. You can use social media or email. Let everyone know about your latest articles you’ve just written. Be proud of it and share anything you do with your network.
8. Track
This is very important. Lots of people start blogging but do not monitor their performance. That’s why I recommended in step 5 to install Google Analytics. Keep track of your efforts by monitoring which posts drive the most engagement (visits, comments) so that you can create similar content since it’s a sign that people are interested in what you have to say.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot more I can talk about but I believe this is enough to get you started. I plan on writing more articles about improving your blogging success such as choosing the right keywords or how to advertise your posts.
What topic are you planning on blogging about?
