What Is A Blog: A Comprehensive Guide

From an SEO perspective, blogging serves as a valuable tool for generating website traffic and improving search engine rankings.

Essentially, a blog is a frequently-updated section of a website that showcases articles, stories, and other pieces of content related to a specific topic.

A regularly-updated blog can help to establish a website as an authority on a particular subject, which can lead to more clicks, shares, and backlinks from other websites.

By incorporating relevant keywords and sharing high-quality content, a blog can also help to improve a website’s visibility on search engine results pages.

In this way, blogging is not only a creative outlet for sharing ideas and building a community online, but also a strategic approach to improving a website’s search engine optimization.

If you’re interested in learning more about what a blog is and how it can benefit your digital marketing strategy, keep reading to gain insights from industry experts and discover best practices for creating a successful blog.

What Is Blogging?

Blogging is a way for you to share your thoughts and ideas with the world.

It can be a lot of fun, but it’s not just about having a blog and posting whatever you feel like.

There are some things that you need to do in order to get started and once you’re up and running there are some tips you can follow to make your blog posts successful.

In this article, I’m going to tell you all about blogging-what it is, why it matters, and what you need to do in order to get started.

What is the difference between a blog and a company website?

A blog is a website that typically consists of posts in reverse chronological order with short descriptions with links to related or external websites.

A company website typically contains all the information about the business it represents thru few web page including its history, services offered, contact page, etc., as well as frequently asked questions.

Why Do You Need a Blog?

If you want to share something with the world and build an audience, then blogging can be a great way to do that.

You can connect with others who share your interests and expertise and help them in their journey to accomplish personal goals.

The diversity of expertise we all have is fascinating; why not make it accessible and useful for others?

Blogging gives us the opportunity to bring our passions out into the sunlight and advocate for causes we care about.

The more we do it, the greater our impact will be on those around us as well as those here too far away from home, just a click away.

And even though you might just feel like yourself when you’re sitting at your desk typing alone late at night- remember that behind every post there’s always someone learning something new about a new idea, topic or perspective through your words of wisdom.

For example, if you’re a travel blogger, you could write about the best places to visit in your city or country.

If you’re a food blogger, you could share recipes and cooking tips.

Or if you’re a lifestyle blogger, you could write about anything from fashion to home decor to relationships.

The possibilities are endless!

Here are some examples of a popular blogs:

Travel Blog

“We started in 2010 as a way to share all we knew to help you travel more – 22 years of round the world travel: living and working in 5 countries and traveling through 53 or so.

We never realized our travel blog would grow so big. Miracles unfold when you follow the passion of your heart and share your unique self.”

Personal Blog

I’m the voice, author, and creator behind Pinch of Yum.

What started as a casual hobby for nights and weekends while I was working as a fourth grade teacher has now grown into a full-blown business (!!) that reaches millions of people with fun recipes each month.

We believe it’s possible to strive to become the best version of yourself, while accepting yourself exactly as you are.

Since our creation in 2018, we have empowered, educated and entertained over half a million readers.

Originally created as a lifestyle blog, the purpose behind A Girl In Progress has always been to provide an antidote to the polished perfection we often see on the internet.

Now, it has evolved into a broader mission, exploring the co-existence of self-development and acceptance through courses, events, books, coaching and more.

Political Blogs

News Blogs

So you may be wondering…

How can they earn a living by blogging?

Let’s have a look…

How Do Bloggers Get Paid? 

For some blog owners, their blog is primarily a hobby- an outlet for sharing thoughts, ideas and stories.

That’s totally okay!

While you might not make any money blogging right away, it can be a great way to build your audience.

If your goal is to become an influencer — that means earning money by promoting brands or products in your posts — then that takes time, too.

But don’t worry, it’s not as hard as you think!

We will discuss about that in a minute…

So here are some of the common ways you can monetize with blogs:

Advertising Network

An advertising network is a platform that connects marketers who are interested in advertising with bloggers who have more traffic on their blog.

Bloggers can get paid when they display ads on their website for these brands, which are relevant to the content on their blog.

Sponsored Content

Another way bloggers can get paid is by working with brands.

This can be done through sponsored content or native advertising .

Here, you agree to work with the brand to create a blog post that incorporates their product into your regular content.

These are usually more informal than ads since they’re based more on storytelling instead of just hard selling.

For example, if you’re a lifestyle blogger writing about your travels, you may decide to partner with an airline company and share how they can get the most out of their miles in your regular content.

Sell Products & Services

Some bloggers choose to make money by selling their own products or services.

For example, if you’re passionate about teaching yoga, you may consider offering yoga classes or selling instructional ebooks through your blog.

If you enjoy baking, you may create an online shop to sell your own line of products.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is also another popular way that bloggers make money.

It’s when you get paid a commission for referring customers to someone else’s product or service.

The most common form of affiliate marketing is through Amazon Associates , which lets people link to products on Amazon in their blogs and earn a percentage of each sale they refer to Amazon.

Donations via PayPal or Patreon. 

Some bloggers even use premium access to their fresh blog’s content in exchange for a donation.

Blogging is all about community.  

So if your readers want to donate to support you, they can do so!

How Much Money Can You Make Blogging?

There isn’t just one answer that suits everyone.

Rather, it’s different from blogger to blogger depending on how much time they dedicate, what they are posting about and how much traffic they attract.

According to hostinger.com,

This blog site, Adam Enfroy generates around $80,000/month!

That’s some  pretty crazy cash.

So now you know “How to make money by blogging“, the next step is knowing what blog to create.

What Should I Blog About?

Whether you want to start a travel blog, lifestyle blogs or food blog, there’s always an audience for that.

But how do you decide on the perfect topic for your blog?

Here are a few factors to consider:

What do you enjoy? 

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about blogging is not the topic but “Am I interested in this subject?”

For example, if you’re passionate about travelling and want to blog about it – then start a travel blogs focused on your experiences.

If you want to start a food blog, you can write about recipes that are your specialties.

What are the top blogs in your industry?

By doing some research on Google, you will see what is already popular within your niche.  

You can also use related searches to find out more.  

If you know of any bloggers who are already successful in your niche, you can also see what topic they chose to focus on.

Once you find some suggestions, you can read their blogs and take note of the style they use.

What is the latest online trend?

As with any industry, blogging has its trends that come and go.  

So before you decide on a topic, make sure you do some research to see what blogging is popular at the moment.

As an example, food blogging is extremely popular right now and will likely remain so for some time.

But fashions change quickly, so just be aware of the latest trends!

I use Google Trends as one of my research tools.

What are your hobbies?

This can be a great way to find inspiration for your blog.

For example, if you enjoy outdoor activities like cycling and hiking then you can create a biking or hiking blog.

If you’re also really passionate about your hobby and know a lot about it, this could be the perfect topic for your new blog!

What will make me stand out?

Generally, you will be competing with other bloggers in your industry.  

If there are already hundreds of blogs writing about the same topic, how will yours stand out?

To stand out in the market now is by building an authority in your industry.

They call it authority site, but in essence, you become the expert.

For example, my site thefunnelbro.com is build around one core topic which is sales funnel and for one specific audience which is you, the entrepreneur.

I looked for topics that my audience would be interested in.

If you interested in sales funnel, you may be interested in topics like:

• Online Marketing
• Websites
• Marketing Tools and Courses
• Entrepreneurs
• Digital marketing strategies  etc.

You get the gist.

So by making your blog a resource for your target audience to use, you will build an authority that other people will look up to!

Being what they call an expert in your niche should be your goal.

Think of it as a self-imposed challenge.

You will have to do a lot of research to stay on top, but this is the only way you can become the authority your target audience looks up to!

Are you still interested?

If yes, let’s find out how to get started!

What You Need to Start Your Own Blog

So you’ve decided that you want to start a personal blog – that’s great!

There are a few things you will need before you get started:

They break it down into 4 part which is:

Website

A domain name and web hosting.

This will be your blog’s address on the internet and where your blog files will be stored.

You can buy a domain name and hosting from a number of different providers, like GoDaddy, Bluehost or SiteGround.

A content management system (CMS).

This is what you will use to create and manage your blog posts.

The two most popular CMSs are WordPress website and Blogger.

An email address. You will need this to create an account with a CMS.

A writing tool. This can be anything from Microsoft Word to a free blog post writing tool online.

A social media account. You can link your blog to your Facebook and Twitter accounts so that every time you publish a new blog post it will automatically be shared on these platforms.

Niche

Now, as we discussed earlier, it is vital for your blog’s success to choose a target audience and a topic.

If you already have a niche in mind then that’s great!

But if not, don’t worry too much – just think about the topics you enjoy writing about or that you are interested in.

You can always narrow down your blog’s topic later, so if you’re not sure which niche to go for it’s fine.

It’s even better if you find a topic that you enjoy writing about because this will help keep your content engaging and interesting!

If you have trouble finding your niche you can read this post from authorityhacker.com.

Choosing Your First Niche For Your Authority Site

Content Writing Skills

This takes some practice and patience, but it is very important.

If you can’t write well then that’s fine – just get someone else to!

All of the most successful blog have outsourced some of their content writing.

So choose a topic you’re interested in and find out if there are any freelancers who already blog on this topic. 

You can find some great writers on sites like Upwork or Fiverr.

These freelancers will help you get started with your blog without breaking the bank!

Here’s some tips on how to write good blog content.

Blog Post

There are a few things you can do to make sure your content is of the highest quality:

1. Make sure your grammar and spelling are correct. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many bloggers publish content with errors.

2. Write in an engaging and interesting style. Your readers should be hooked from the beginning of your post until the end.

3. Research your topic thoroughly. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, your readers will be able to tell.

4. Make use of images, videos and other multimedia content. This will help break up your text and increase your reader engagement.

5. Proofread your post before publishing it. This is to catch any errors you might have missed.

I’ve learned that a great blog is one that has certain characteristics.

Story telling is a great way to develop a sense of personality and make your blog stand out from the crowd.

People want to read content that is both informative and entertaining!

Telling stories in your blog posts will help you create a connection with your readers.

SEO Skills and Tools

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.

It is a set of skills, tools and techniques that will help you get your blog in front of the right people.

If you want to build an audience quickly it’s essential to make sure Google can find your content!

There are several SEO-related things you’ll need to do:

Write optimized titles and headlines for each of your blog posts.

Use the best keywords you know of in these titles and headlines.

Highlight your best keywords elsewhere in your post, such as bolding or italicizing them.

Make sure to use the correct tags on images you add to your blog posts.

These tags will help make your articles more visible on social media and search engines.

Make use of links to other relevant websites and blogs.

Backlinks can boost your blog’s ranking in Google and improve its flow of visitors.

Do your research and find out which keywords are most likely to bring your blog more traffic.

There are several ways you can do Keyword Research:

1. Ahrefs
2. Ubbersuggest
3. Surfer SEO Keyword Research Tools
4. Google Search

Conclusion

There you go,  a brief run-down of the most important things you need to consider when starting a blog.

Start a blog is not hard, but there are some specific skills and tools that will help you get your content in front of your target market.

But most successful blog owner have one in common.

They didn’t quit…

They didn’t quit when there is no website traffic at the start…

They didn’t quit when they didn’t write well at the beginning…

They didn’t quit when they don’t know anything about SEO…

Now back to you…

What will you do when you start your blog?

Will you quit or will you keep going?

I hope this article helps and I wish all the best for your blogging journey!

Start a blog today!

Your first blog could be your…

• Online diary
• Personal diary
• Online journal
• Personal web log
• Personal blogs…

Whatever it is keep producing fresh content and don’t give up!

By the way…

Here are some resources for you to pursue your digital marketing mastery.