Basics of How to Create A Blog

Have you have been thinking that you might want to create a blog?  That it might be fun, and maybe even profitable, if you just knew where to start?  It’s not that hard!  Read on for help getting started.

Even if you are an absolute beginner, it is not at all difficult to set up your new blog.  Most people can learn and complete the simple steps in just a few hours.

Here are some key ideas you should keep in mind as you get started:

1. What is the purpose of your blog?

First, you’ll want to give some thought to what is the purpose of your blog?  Will you share some of your expertise on one of your hobbies? Will you use your blog as a way to keep in touch with family and friends? Or do you want to use your blog to build an online business?  Deciding on your topic is a crucial step in determining several other factors related to your blog.

For example, if you are building a blog to share your expertise or keep in touch with family, you can probably just stick with the many free blogging platforms around such as Blogger.com, WordPress.com, Squidoo.com, Hubpages.com, etc. There is really no need for a ‘personal blogger’ to invest in their own domain name and hosting account, of course you can if you want, but you don’t really need to.

If, on the other hand, plan to create a blog for business and you are setting it up for the purpose of making an income online, then you need to invest in a domain name and hosting account. Think of it like this: you wouldn’t open a fast food franchise in someone else’s building would you? You would at least need to have a contract stating that you were renting the space and therefore you could control, at least to a degree, what you did with that space. The internet is no different. When you own your domain name and you have your blog hosted it’s the same as owning some real estate online. This is important for the long term success of your business, and this is the biggest mistake many newbies make.

2. What will be the topic of your blog?

Another important thing you need to do, especially if you’re setting up a business, is to choose the topic of your blog.  Your topic, or niche, will largely determine whether or not you succeed online. Too many people just jump into a niche because they like it without having spent time researching whether or not it’s a viable market for them to make money in.

One of the best gauges of a good niche market is how many people are already buying products related to that market? No matter how many people might like a certain niche, the question is do they actually spend money on it?  There are free tools that you can use to determine this.  Both Amazon.com and the Google have free tools, for example. Take some time to find a good niche market and the majority of your work will be done.

3. What will your blog look like?

It will also be necessary to decide the look you want your blog to have.  In most cases, that will mean picking the “theme” that you will use for your blog. Themes are software that is used to determine how your blog will look.  You can find hundreds of themes for free. Just pick a style that works for the subject of your blog. If you are building a business blog you may also want to install some plugins (another type of software) that will increase the functionality of your blog. A plugin is similar in concept to an app for a smart phone, it’s just a small software program that will enable you do to more things with your blog. There are thousands of plugins available and many of them are free.

These tips will help you when you are preparing to create a blog, no matter what type of blog you want to put together.

Enjoy yourself, blogging really is fun.

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Blogging Like A Pro is the best course I know of to help you learn how to be successful as a blogger.  With this easy-to-follow course, there are no short cuts, no sneaky tactics or fast tracks to success. There are no push button riches, no loopholes. Just the building blocks most people overlook. In Blogging Like A Pro, David Perdew, a master online marketer, will walk you through a step-by-step process for defining what your ideal reader wants from you and how you can profit from your blog.

Be sure to check out some of our other articles that will help you understand and apply the basics of internet marketing.  For example, take a look at Affiliate Marketing 101 – Beginner’s Guide.