You may think that blogging is just for young trendies, well think again.
People from all walks of life and of all ages write blogs on everything. From home cooking, travel, film, lifestyle, business, personal finance to chess, and blogs about ugly renaissance babies there is something out there for everyone. The greater the niche, the more likely the need for a related blog.
Most blogs do not earn their writer(s) any income but, if you think blogging is no longer a viable source of income then you need to think again.
An amazing 77% of all internet users regularly read blog posts. They are a key part of how we communicate information and opinion, and can boost the writer’s profile, in some cases, worldwide. In business, an estimated 71% of business buyers check out blog content as a part of their procurement process.
The Huffington Post is one of the world’s most influential blog sites and earns an estimated $14,000,000 every month.
How much can you earn?
At first, nothing. That may be the situation throughout the whole of your blogging life, but think of these two things:
- Some blogs do make it,and tens of thousands of bloggers worldwide are creating profitable content. Some blogs are six-figure businesses thanks to a combination of email subscribers, affiliate marketing, blog sponsorships, and other revenue streams.
- Even if your blog does not earn money itself, it can boost your profile and help to position you as an expert within whatever field, or niche, you are writing about, and that may bring an increase in income in a different way.
What does it cost to start?
It need cost nothing, zero, nil, £0. Apart from your own time to sit down and write, everything else can be delivered for free on the internet.
Many sites do, however, charge a nominal fee of approximately £2.50 per month, or in real terms the price of a cappucino in a coffee shop.
This website costs us about £10 per month for the domain and hosting. That gives us all our pages, content and the blog.
How do I get going?
You need something to write on. A computer is useful, but not essential. You could even use your smart phone as long as you can connect to the internet.
Find somewhere to host your blog. the easiest way to do that is to search online. Some providers include:
- Wix.com
- Fasthosts.co.uk
- Bluehosts
Choose a simple WordPress theme.
Start writing.
How do I get my blog seen?
People may find your blog but, unless you want to use it as a diary style site which you do not care whether anybody sees or not, you will need to some marketing to promote it.
Some useful guidelines are:
- Make your headings interesting – think like the internet. If you would use a specific phrase to look for your subject then try to use that in your headings and content. Eg If you would search for How to prune my roses, then try to use those words in your title.
- Include photographs – research shows that articles which include an image every 80-100 words are shared twice as often as those without.
- Get your key information in early on. More research shows that the average time people will spend reading a blog article is 37 seconds which may be only a couple of hundred words.
- Make your articles skimmable so that readers can flick through it rather than leave it early on because it seems to long or complicated.
- Include film if you have it. It can be hosted free of charge on YouTube. Create any YouTube channel using the same name as your blog.
