When you’re blogging, it’s important to have the right resources at hand. You wouldn’t try to build a house without a hammer and nails, right?
Here is what you’ll need to start and run your blog, no matter your level of experience.
- Topic/Information
- Platform
- Design
- Monetization Tools
Using these four items above, you will be able to build and run your blog all from the comfort of your sofa.
Topic/Information
Well, you need something to write about, right? Content is king. What you write about it the most important aspect of your blog. You can have all the SEO experts, tips and tricks at your disposal, the best design and the best domain and you will not get anywhere without good content.
Pick carefully your topic and make sure it’s broad, but not too broad. Be specific, but not too specific. Be vague, but not too vague. Wait, I’m kind of being vague now.
What I’m trying to say is – make sure your topic includes enough information, but make sure it’s specific enough to target an audience. This blog, for example, is about blogging. Within that topic, there are sub niches – like design, monetization, advertising and well, blogging.
Platform
A platform to blog from is also very important. In order to blog, you’ll need a blog. Personally, I run a self-hosted version of Wordpress. That cost me some money though. You’ll need a domain and hosting to do this. You can get a free version of Wordpress too. You can also get a free version of blogger.
When picking your platform, take into account your topic. Also consider the depth of your blogging and how much you might want to customize on your blog. Free platforms come with limitations. But, if you’re just looking to throw up some ads and write for fun, that might be for you.
Design
Your blog design is very important. Everyone says “don’t judge a book by its cover” but everyone does. Your blog needs to look reputable. It also needs to present your personality.
Make your blog real and trustable. If you want people to return, then you will want to have a professional and presentable blog.
That doesn’t mean simple though. You can have a blog with lots of flare and spice – if that fits your topic. Take into account what you’re blogging about, who your audience is and what you want to say to people when picking a design.
Monetization Tools
Perhaps, this is the most important part. That is, if you’re looking to make money with your blog. There are several different ways to make money blogging.
These include Ads and Affiliate Programs. Both are effective and both are good to use. This blog uses both.
Ads like banner ads and text ads are usually paid per click. A visitor clicks on the link and goes through to another website. These ads are minimal in margin, but people make thousands of dollars a month from them. The best ad program to use is Google Adsense, but you can also try Text Link Ads.
Affiliate programs usually pay more, but also usually require a result on the other end of the link. For example, a visitor clicks on an affiliate ad and goes through to another site, but before you get paid – the visitor has to sign up or buy something. For affiliate programs, I use Clickbank and Commission Junction.
