Blogging has become a common way to share information and ideas with the world. Learning how to make a blog is easy. Whether a stay at home mom looking to share family pictures and events, a business person building a brand, or a company sharing information with consumers: blogs are an easy way to present your ideas to the world. Blogging is also a great way to make money. Once your ideas take off and you build a following, a blog can be turned into a revenue stream by placing ads on your pages that are relevant to the content you are discussing.
If you have always wanted to start blogging but don’t know how here are easy steps to starting your own blog:
- Pick your topic. Think about what you are trying to say. A blog should be about something. If you are a yoga instructor your blog might be to share exercises online. A management consulting firm may want to focus on providing human resource and coaching tips. The topic isn’t your company name, it’s the information you want to share.
- Chose your name. Once you know the topic, the key element of what you want to share, pick a name. The name should symbolize what you are all about and what the reader can expect to find on your blog.
- Select hosting. Two user friendly places to start a blog are Google’s blogger and Word Press. Both offer free blog hosting. Go to their sites with your desired name in mind and see if it’s available. You may have to get creative with the name, as they are often taken.
- Select a theme. Once you have signed up for your free blog you will be able to select a theme. This is where you can have some fun with the design. Both sites offer ready to use templates so you can play around with the color, layout and design.
- About you. Before you add content tell the readers about yourself, who you are, your contact information and what they can expect from you.
- Widgets. You can add widgets to your blog for social media, videos, sign up pages and more. Both providers give you a variety of free widgets to add to your blog for a customized look and feel.
- Content. As with any blog, content is key. Your blog needs to be interesting to read and provide information. If you have a blog with nothing, or very little on it, no one will have a need to visit your site. The more visitors you have the larger your opportunity to generate revenue from the site. Try to add content several times a week. If you are too busy have friends or colleagues join you.
- Ads. You can sign up with Google AdWords to generate revenue through your blog. Just be careful. Sites that have more ads than content won’t do well on search engine rankings which will hurt you in the long run. You can also work with online marketing companies to tell you how to optimize it for revenue.
It is easy to start a blog and generate money right away. Brainstorm your ideas over a hot cup of coffee and get started. Once your blog is up, share it with your friends through Facebook and Twitter. Ask them to sign up to receive your updates and as you place more valuable content online your blog will gain in readership.