TYPES OF blogs

Types of blogs

If you have no idea what blog to create then here’s your chance to get an idea. There are over 40 plus types of blogs out there. Some are so niche that maybe a few people including your aunt Cindy might be into. Then there are other blogs that amass a huge following because there are trendy or because they are incredibly marketable. 

Below I will list the popular blog types. These are usually the most profitable blogs and you even niche down the blogs because of how they have grown in recent years. These niches are the fifteen most popular blog niches and a great place to start if you have no idea where to start.

Explaination

Where to host your blog

Now that you have an idea of blogs, the types and niches. Here we go into the meat of the article. Hosting your blog. I usually recommend Bluehost. Why? Because their goals is to help newbie bloggers by making sure it is beginner friendly. They are also affordable. Besides Hostinger that is even more affordable. 

Bluehost is at the top of their game. You are in good hands with Bluehost. They will make sure that your blog runs smoothly. Plus they have been doing this for a long time so they know what they are doing. 

Though, if you aren’t convinced, below are reasons why you should go with Bluehost. 

1. Free domain name

A domain name is basically an address for your site i.e https://vanessagowora.com. 

That is a domain. There are a lot of hosting companies, but the majority of them you have to buy your own domain name. So Hostgator, your domain name isn’t free and A2Hosting is the same. I love the latter, but most of these hosting companies you have to pay a steep $12 or $14 just for a name.

You could complicate your life by going to get a cheap domain name, but trust me it gets really complicated if you do that. Using one site to buy a domain name and the other to pay for your hosting will give you a massive headache. Wouldn’t recommend it.

2. Great customer service

Have you ever spend hours on the phone trying to get in contact with your service provider and with a frustrated grunt you cut the call. No one has time for that and’s what is great about Bluehost. They care about their clients, that is why people love to promote them because they get out of their way to make everyone happy. So, who wouldn’t be happy with that? So, yeah, they are the best. Literally. 

3. Affordability

A lot of hosting companies aren’t affordable, but what makes Bluehost awesome is that they are. They are possibly the cheapest hosting company around and I am talking about features here. A lot of companies will charge you for extra features just so you can create a blog. Not Bluehost. You are scratching your head right now, thinking what am I even talking about. Stay with, just a little. We will get there just now. 

Starting a blog

How to start a blog?

There are so many ways you can start a blog. However, there is a right and wrong way to do it. Below is a simple step-step way to start a blog without feeling stressed by all the knowledge that you need to cram in. 

1. Pay for hosting

I am making it easy to follow. I am using the images from Bluehost so that you can follow through. To get here go and click on the button above so you can come here. 

The next step you need to take is click on the get started button so that you can be on your way to creating a blog.

On the next page, you must choose which hosting package you would want. The benefits are listed on the page itself.

On the next page, you must choose which hosting package you would want. The benefits are listed on the page itself.

And the following page, you can now enter your payment details. Here’s where most people get lost, they have no idea whether they want to pay for hosting for 12, 24 or 36 months. It all depends on what you want.

I would suggest starting with 12 months because the truth is you consistently blog for twelve months then chances are you will carry on with it.

However, most people don’t pass the 12-month mark so remember baby steps. You can also choose to add on extras such as privacy or site backup.

I would suggest adding site backup. Take it from me there’s nothing more annoying than realizing your site is down. With site back, it ensures that even if your site isn’t working properly then you have a copy of it. Yeah, it’s an extra few dollars, but it is so worth it in the long run.

2. Set Up WordPress with One Click Installer

You are almost done, THIS must have taken you at least about two minutes to do. Now, this step is really simple. You look for your Cpanel (this is your control panel for your Webhosting.) This is a nifty word for where all your cool tools are housed under one roof.

As you log into your Cpanel, you will get a message saying that Bluehost will install it for you, but there’s a price attached to it. Don’t worry it isn’t as complicated as it appears.

 Here’s how you do it

• First thing is to find the blue WordPress button in your Cpanel. This is the one-click installer.
• On the next page fill out a few options there. Be sure to set both a complicated Admin username and Password. This is to ensure you protect yourself from any attacks. Do not use admin as your username or password. A lot of newbies Do this, I did this in the beginning and as a result I was hacked. Not a great feeling. Make sure you write it down so you never forget,
• Then click the install button and this will set-up your site.
• Then you will be given your details, including your username and password. Log in and start building your site from there.

Now, what’s next. Let’s go through the important steps you need to take to get your website up and running.

PART TWO

7 Steps to take your blog to the next stage

Your website is just a skeleton, you need to do the next steps to make sure that you can start talking about it. And make money from it, so the next question is how should that be done. That is a good question.

When I was first started, all of this was far too complicated. It felt as if I was running a marathon I couldn’t win, but with time I realized that it is all about taking baby steps and reading a how-to-guide

I am making it stupid simple for you to do this. I am using what I learned to help you go over the obstacles that are in your way so if you want to do this the right way then you need to keep reading on. It gets a little tricky the further we are to finishing everything so here we go.

1. Your theme

I use Divi, if you are interested, but if you are just starting out then use a free theme. There are hundreds of free themes out there and most of them suck like leftover meatloaf. I have tried a couple and I hated most of them.

They either were too basic, slow to load or just plain annoying. Bluehost also offers free themes, but if you want to stand out I wouldn’t go for them.

Every day there are people who setup their sites and they use the free themes Bluehost provides. So, the next question is if that’s the case then where should you go to find an awesome free theme.

Here’s a ridiculously long list of the best free themes out there.

Choose the one that stands out to you. Your theme must look good, let me emphasize, don’t cut corners. There are so many blogs out there, that you can easily drown in all the noise. People need to fall in love with your site before

they get to know you. Have you ever gone to an ugly site and left right away, that’s because it didn’t catch your eye. 

We are visual creatures and we love things that are pretty.

If you want to have a profitable, you must focus on your theme. This is how you start a blog the right way. If you are serious about standing out and building a business then Divi is awesome, can be customized and one of the best themes out there.

2. Install plugins that will make your website pop

Most gurus expect everyone to know what a plugin is, but when you are starting out you don’t know. A plugin is simply a tool with a particular use. For example, you can have a social media plugin and that is there to help you promote your site to social media sites.

Or you can have a plugin to help with increasing how fast your site loads. There are millions of free plugins out there, so be careful not to get carried away, Installing too many plugins will mess up with your site. Choose the right plugins so that you start your blog the right way. If you want your blog to be profitable you can’t skip this step

Here are the ones you should have on your site 

• Akismet Anti-spam – this filters out spam from the comments on your site so that you don’t have to manually go out of your way to do it.
• Yoast SEO – It isn’t as complicatad as it sounds, but SEO is what the online marketers call search engine optimization. If you know anything about the internet then you understand how important it is to have keywords. The more relevant keywords you have, the more you stand out on Google.
• W3 Total Cache – This helps load your site a lot faster and doesn’t put pressure your Webhosting. A lot of people today use mobiles to search online and that is where this nifty tool helps. If your page loads too slowly then they will go to another website. Let’s say your content goes viral if your site crashes then you have lost potential customers. This tool helps to make sure you don’t go through that.

3. Experiment, experiment

• Do you want a colorful website, maybe you want one that is simple? Do you want a sidebar or no sidebar? My website doesn’t have sidebars except for a few pages. I realized that I wanted to stand out so opting out of using a sidebar seemed like the best choice.
• Get design inspiration. Don’t steal, just look at sites in your niche and then you can craft your site in a similar way. If you don’t know anything about designing a website, it will be confusing. That is why it is to check what works and what doesn’t.
• Add a logo to your site, you can use Fiverr to do this or use GIMP.

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4. Your menu

So, when you are starting out you need to realize that there are a few pages that you need to have. On your dashboard, scroll down to where it says pages then click on add page. This is the easier way for you to create pages that way when you are doing your menu they come up automatically.

Wish I did this in the beginning. Most people tend to not pay attention to this step and that is why they struggle to get their blog off the ground. This is how you start a blog the right way.

• Start Here
• About
• Blog
• Contact
• Privacy
• Disclosure

5. Your very first blog post

If you are confused where you should go so you can write your first blog post. Look below. When you are on your dashboard, look for something called posts. Click on that and click on add new. It will take you to this page and then you can write your first blog post.

 Rule of thumb: Google loves long posts so anything from 1000 words to 3000 will show up more often than blog posts that are less than 1000 words.

Now on to publishing your post. Since you are using Bluehost, you will see something that says “Coming Soon” even after writing your first post.

When you are ready to make your blog public, just click on Bluehost at the top right hand corner. Click on the Launch button to remove the Coming Soon page.

6. Promote

On to the fun part, well depending on how much you like marketing. Creating an awesome site and great content is only part of the puzzle.

The other is promoting your content. Blogging isn’t easy and promoting your blog isn’t easy as well. There are so many factors you need to consider, for example, how do you get traction and how do you get sales.

The list goes on and on. I could go on and on, but if I am being honest it would take me forever to do that. 

To begin with, you need to have at least five posts then the easier way to promote your site is via Pinterest. This is a great start at the beginning, you could also post on Facebook groups to get more traction. In the beginning, you need to start small and move your way up from there.

To make the most part of this you need a landing page. A landing page is where you offer something free like an Ebook in exchange for an email address. Once you starting building your email list you can proceed with the next step.

7. Monetize

This is the part where everyone looks forward to. Because the question at the top of everyone’s mind is can I make money from blogging. Yes, you. A lot actually. There are a lot of blogs where people are earning $100,000 a month.

Can you imagine that? Imagine how different your life be? The freedom at your disposal, not having to listen to your boss lecture you for a good 30 minutes straight.

Not having to worry about bills. This is, however, not a get-rich-scheme. You don’t do the work, you don’t get paid.

Your life doesn’t change. It is that simple, but there are so many ways you can earn money via your blog. 

•  Provide services – you can use your blog to provide services, for example, consulting services
• Affiliate marketing – sell other people’s products and earn a commission from it
• Create your own product – you can create your own products; t-shirts, ebooks, printables, templates and the list goes on.
• Coaching – coach people and make money from that. You could charge $100 per hour
• Facebook groups – have an idea to do a paid Facebook group

 You can literally do anything with a blog. The sky is the limit. It comes down to what your limit is. Those are the seven steps to creating a blog. Of course, there’s more to it than this, but that post would literally take me the whole day to create. And it would be far too long that you might want not want to read it anyway.