How to Start a Blog in 20 Minutes or Less: A Beginners Guide

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Do you have a burning desire to start a blog but you don’t know how to go about it? Starting a blog is not that hard, much easier than most people think. It’s easy because I started the same way many of you reading this do. 

You surely have a lot to read and learn about blogging but if you do it then there should never be any reason why you can’t start one of yours.

These blogs are indeed the gold of the internet. While there are hundreds of ways to make money online, blogging tops my list as one of the best ways. Indeed, learning how to start a blog is not as easy as it seems. One look at the Google Keyword Generator and it’s already hard to know what to write. 

Nevertheless, you should never give up on your dream and here I will show you how to start a blog in 20 mins or less.

1. You should choose the perfect niche for your blog

A blog’s success is dependent on its niche. To start a blog and become a blogger, choose an appropriate niche.

A blog is essentially a journal about whatever you want, so just about anyone can have a blog due to the sheer amount of categories you can choose from. However, you should consider how easy or hard it is to come up with content for that niche before choosing it as yours. 

For example, if you are considering a blog about ice cream scoopers (yes, there are people on the internet who do this), you would need to constantly have new content for that type of niche for people to return to your blog.

Once you pick a topic, you have to keep blogging about it for years to make it work. This is where most bloggers give up and abandon their blogs because they either find topics boring, or they lack the motivation to write more about that topic.

The topic should be specific enough to identify your target audience, but general enough that there is a significant number of internet users searching for things related to that topic. For example, a blog about “intelligent unicorns” might be too narrow.

However, a blog about “unicorns that can fly using magic” is likely in the right spot. Choosing a topic within your niche is important because it will affect how successful your blog will be.

After selecting a niche, I recommend validating it. The following are three steps to determine your niche and ensure success.

  • Check niche size
  • Explore competitors
  • Analyze monetization potential

By using this process, you will be able to get a clear picture of the size, competition, and monetization of your proposed niche.

2. Select a blogging platform

Your next step in starting a blog is to select a blogging platform. A blogging platform (also referred to as a CMS) is a website technology that allows you to easily create, organize, and publish information on the Web.

The first step to starting your blog is choosing the platform where you’ll set it up. This decision will be based on your experience, the features you need most, and how much flexibility you’re looking for. WordPress is a popular choice for beginners as it offers a lot of support and is easy to start with.

SEE: Best Blogging Platforms For Beginner & Experienced Bloggers

3. Choose a domain name

For you to start a blog, you need a domain name. Your domain name will give you an online identity, regardless of the niche you choose. Internet users can access your blog using this unique address.

Pick a domain name that adds individuality to your blog. From all the available domain names, you should select one that best fits the type of content that will be featured on your blog.

If you’re able to pick your domain name, be sure it’s one people will remember. The ideal is a simple, short keyword phrase that relates to the services or goods you provide. Use .com for the most credibility.

Bluehost will let you choose a domain name later if you can’t find the name you want. This will give you some time to research and do some thinking before starting your blog.

Just like you want to make sure your domain name isn’t taken before buying it, you also don’t want any misspellings. Your site must be easy to remember and type.

See Also: A Guide On How to Choose the Right Blog Name

4. Get a web hosting account

For those who don’t know, a “web host” is like a warehouse where Internet websites can be stored.

For your website to remain on the Internet, to handle all your visitors, to back it up, to handle customer support, to protect it, and so on, you need to pay an annual service fee.

With the wrong host, your blog can experience many problems. Imagine when you choose a cell phone provider that lacks reception. The web host plays a crucial role in creating a well-working blog. This is why you must pick a reliable provider.

You can choose from a variety of hosting providers, but for your blog:

As far as building a blog is concerned, Bluehost is the best option, as it provides everything you need. Features include:

  • Free SSL
  • Unlimited storage
  • The free domain name (Saving of $12/year)
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Live chat support
  • 30 days money-back guarantee
  • Easy to use cPanel
  • And the best part, it only cost $2.95/month

See also: Best Managed WordPress Hosting Providers With Bespoke Services

5. Starting a blog on WordPress

Starting a blog has never been easier. WordPress, the #1 blogging platform in the world, makes launching your blog effortless. I’ve got step-by-step tutorials for beginners and everything you need to set up your WordPress blog today. 

Whether you’re looking to start a personal blog, business blog, or an online magazine, WordPress.com has the tools and resources you need to succeed.

For more on this, you should read How To Start A Free Blog and Make Money As A Total Novice.

6. Select a theme and design your blog

Once you have your blog set up and running, it will be time to put content in it. At this point, I can help you select a theme for your new blog by using the best WordPress themes for SEO and getting the design just right for your tastes. 

Then I will show you how to get some of the most important content on your blogs, such as pictures and videos.

A good blog design is important because, for readers to stay and read your blog, they have to be able to access content easily. 

Selecting the right blog theme for your blog is the most important decision you will make when starting a blog. The theme can make or break your blog because it has such a big impact on how people view your site and what they say about it. 

Choosing the right color scheme and style, as well as customization options are other factors that will play an important role in how successful your blog becomes.

7. Write and publish blog content

Your blog is finally ready to go and now is the time to start writing. Your first blog post should be written in the correct format.

Don’t forget to fill out all of the page content on your blog before blogging (such as About, Contact, etc.). Let’s discover what these types of pages are like.

Homepage

The homepage is the front door of your company on the Internet. It serves as a central portal for all of your company’s web pages, with links to all important areas of your site. When creating a homepage, it is important to provide a solid overview of what your company does and who it does it for.

Do it right, and your homepage can attract viewers to your blog or directly sell them on a product or service. 

About us

The “About Us” section is here to set the tone for the company, give visitors information, and tell visitors what you do. This text should be chock full of benefits, figures, facts, feelings, a full range of information that will make people want to be customers.

Contact

You can use this page to communicate with the readers of your blog. This page is the central area for visitors to tell you what they think of your blog and to communicate with you. People who post comments here will have a conversation with you and other readers. 

Sometimes, some of the most interesting and thought-provoking conversations can take place in the comment section of this page from people across the globe.

Products, Services, Resources

Create static landing pages that represent the content you’ll publish on your blog. This content can include information related to products and services, resources for consumers, or industry publications.

See also: Content Pre-Publishing Tactics To Boost Your Content

8. Optimize your blog content for SEO

The easiest way to find success in your blogging career is to increase the number of people who visit it. If you want to build a blog that draws a crowd, you need to learn how to optimize your posts for search engines. 

A blog can be an effective marketing tool and platform to reach an audience of new and existing customers. Optimize your blog posts effectively for SEO by following the steps and best practices.

There are many techniques and tactics involved in SEO. If you are a blogger, you need to be familiar with them. No advanced processes will be discussed in this article.

The basic things you can do are to optimize your keywords and to add SEO meta tags to your website.

Keyword optimization

Optimize your blog for SEO through keyword optimization. Are you sure that the words you use in your blog posts and pages are the ones people are searching for? Do a quick search engine check for keywords that are commonly found on your niche site, and think about what each is telling you. 

Write unique content that tells everybody what you think is important on the topic, instead of copying and pasting entire passages from other sources. You can also use title tags to make sure that each page has its keyword phrase, especially if a topic has multiple aspects to it.

Optimize your blog posts for SEO is designed to generate more traffic from search engines by optimizing your blog content. Learn how to create keywords and how to improve each page on your website for maximum search engine optimization. 

For a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of SEO, have a look at my keyword research guide.

SEO meta tags

SEO meta tags are hidden within your blog content. For example, keywords in your tables of contents, page titles, and post descriptions help search engines rank your pages. Bloggers need to optimize their posts for SEO as well, which includes pagination, tagging, and title/description optimization. 

Your website will have more search engine visibility when every page of your site contains valuable keywords as “SEO” tags. When you use the SEO meta tag for the first word in every paragraph of a blog post or article, this can dramatically improve the chances of having your site appear within the first page of Google listings.

FAQs

How many posts should you post daily?

Every blogger has a different recommendation on how many posts they should be posting per day, but this all depends on your audience. If you have an engaged audience that loves receiving new content from you, it is best to post daily (or multiple times a day).

When should you start putting ads on your blog?

If you’ve been blogging for a while and have established a loyal readership, now would be the perfect time to start monetizing your blog. Your number of monthly page views or unique visitors is a good indication of when you’re ready to monetize your blog. 

Bloggers with more than 10,000 monthly page views or more in their niche are great candidates to apply for sponsorships as they are likely reaching a targeted audience.

What makes a successful blog?

Anyone can start a blog. You don’t have to read a manual, take an online course, or know the right people through personal connections. What it takes is passion, dedication, and commitment. 

Does it cost money to start a blog?

You don’t need to spend much money on starting a blog. Most of your budget will go to your hosting plan. The downside to a free hosting plan, such as Wix or Weebly is that you cannot get a customized domain name.

How do you start a blog for beginners?

  • You should choose the perfect niche for your blog
  • Select a blogging platform
  • Choose a domain name
  • Get a web hosting account
  • Starting a blog on WordPress
  • Select a theme and design your blog
  • Write and publish blog content
  • Optimize your blog content for SEO

Final Thoughts

Like our face, a blog needs proper care. Unlike our face, blogs are read and thus readability is crucial. Blogging has become the primary medium of information delivery across the Internet thanks to its accessibility, wider reach, and cheap run. You don’t need to shell out five-figure ad budgets to make your blog successful. 

However, you do need consistency and patience. That being said, you too can start a blog today.

Want to find out other ways through which you can make money? Check out 500+ profitable business ideas.

You can also read this guide on how to become a freelance writer.

Thanks for reading.