It is easy and very cheap to start a blogging in 2019. The only cost involved in starting a blog is the money you pay for a web server and a domain name.
What is blogging?
In the beginning, before the word “blog” was invented, a blog is generally known as a “web registry”.
A web registry is an online magazine that displays information in reverse chronological order, with the latest publications that appearing first.
As the Internet grew and technology matured (mainly in the late 1990s), people saw the benefits of having a blog. The news services began to use blogs for the dissemination of information and the collection of opinions, then companies started using blogs for marketing and services to the client. Specialized bloggers use blogs to reach more people interested in specific topics. Blogging then became mainstream.
Nowadays, anyone who has a computer with an Internet connection can become a blogger.
To create a professional blog, here are some simple steps to follow. We will go into detail for each of these steps in this article.
Find the right niche
Normally, a newbie would start a blog like this: they would write about their work on Monday, hobbies on Tuesday, and movies they saw on Wednesday and political opinions during the weekends.
In summary, these people simply write about a wide variety of topics without a main focus.
Yes, these blogs would accumulate a constant following among your friends and family; but that’s it.
It is very difficult to have a significant number of loyal readers when you are blogging randomly because people will not know if you are a film critic, food critic or book critic. Advertisers will also be reluctant to advertise with you because they do not know what your blog is about. To build a successful blog, you need to find a niche. You choose a profitable topic in which you are interested or in which you specialize; and you stay in that niche.
So, how do you search for a profitable blog niche? These are some of the key points.
- Fill a need
If you ever thought “I would like someone to write a blog about this”, that’s the time for it a-ha. If it is a topic that you would like to know more about, it is likely to be a topic that other people want to know.
- Something you are passionate about
Remember that you will write, read and discuss your topic every day for the next few years. If you have no interest in the subject of your blog, it would be very difficult to keep doing it consistently.
On the other hand, you will enjoy writing about those topics if you’re passionate about it.
- Evergreen content
While the controversy around a particular topic might be great at the moment, it does not guarantee that the topic will still be buzzing the following week. For example, if you are passionate about Vine and start a blog focused on it, when it goes out of trend, you will be out of content. It is better to focus on a more general topic, such as “cutting-edge trends in social networks” or “image applications that make you vibrate”. That way, if a topic goes out of trend, your blog can still be relevant with topics that are always discussed.
- Profitable
Last but not least, your blog should be in a niche that can earn you money.
Ask yourself if it is a topic that attracts readers and generates income, either through advertisement or sales. If you are blogging to support your existing business, does the blog bring new customers? If you’re blogging just because you’re passionate about the subject, is there any way to monetize that blog?
Register a domain name
Once you have chosen a niche to be in, it’s time to choose and register a domain name (the name of your blog). Here are the steps to follow:
Go to https://www.hpage.com. this domain registrar is very reliable and they have been in business for long with more than 2 million websites created.
At this time of writing, a .com domain costs $10.69/year. hPage on the other hand, is a bit cheaper and offers a better user experience in my opinion.
You also have the option to build a free website in case you are strapped for money.
Select a web hosting for your blog
Next stop – hosting. My recommendation for newbies is that they always start with a shared web host.
In shared hosting, server resources is shared with other users. The hosting capacity is lower than other hosting options (VPS, dedicated, etc.) but you will pay much less (often <$5/month at the time of registration) and you will need less technical knowledge to start.
How to buy a web hosting
I will use hpage Limited Hosting as an example in this guide. I chose hpage hosting mainly because:
- The company has a good business record. You will not want to perform a night flight hosting company because all the content of your blog could be compromised if the host closes your business (And unfortunately I have seen some lately).
- Reliable: hPage Hosting stays online for most of the time (uptime> 99.99%).
- hpage Hosting has a reasonable price. hpage entry-level hosting plan starts at 4.99 per month.
Design your blog with prefabricated themes
Now that we have our website ready, it’s time to choose a template. hPage offesr a variety of different, unique, and high-quality Premium Designs for creating your website. You can change your theme as often as you want, customize a packaged theme or even create a new theme from scratch, if you have the design skills.
However, to have a nice design for your blog, you do not have to create a theme from scratch. Other people have already done this for you.
And that’s it!
You’ve found your niche, Domain and hosting, checked. Website configuration, checked.
Voila ~ your blog is finally ready! All you have to do is start posting.
Congratulations! Now you have a running blog to show the world.
