Starting your own blog can seem like a daunting task. What topics should you write about? How do you get readers to find your site and follow your posts? These are all questions that many bloggers ask themselves when they start their first site. The best way to learn how to start a blog is by diving in and trying it out, but this guide will help walk you through creating your own site and getting traffic from day one.
What is Your Blog About?
Asking yourself questions like these helps guide your future decision-making. Don’t get stuck down one path if it isn’t a fit for you; shift gears and try another way. For example, what do you want your ideal readership to be? Are you more interested in reader comments? Traffic numbers? Advertising rates? Think about how much time and effort you want to put into each of these areas and how much income potential is possible for each topic area. Also, make sure you have a deep passion and understanding of whatever topic you choose. You’ll most likely need to become an expert if you want anyone to read about it.
How Can You Build An Audience?
When you start a blog, one of your first goals is to build an audience. And it makes sense: no readers, no traffic. If you think about it that way, however, then to attract readers, you have to go out and find them. But what if there was another way? What if you could get your content in front of people who are already interested in what you say? That’s where content curation comes in. You can use content curation to expose yourself (and your work) to new audiences without having to chase after them all over social media or write guest posts on other blogs. In fact, by using content curation correctly, you can even turn existing relationships into opportunities for exposure—and new leads!
Don’t Let Research Discourage You!
There are no true must-dos or one-size-fits-all when you start a blog. You should read (and reread) blogs that interest you and note what they do well to get started. However, don’t let yourself become discouraged if your goals aren’t met overnight—or even after a month or two. It takes time to build an audience of readers who will trust you enough to follow your recommendations. You need to post regularly, share relevant content on social media, and be consistent in how you interact with others for people to take notice of what you have to say. In other words: Don’t expect immediate results; instead, focus on producing good content over time.
