Making a successful blog is what all the people who enter the world of blogging want. Another thing is that they get it. In this post I want to answer your most frequent questions when you want to create a blog and have doubts about various aspects. With this post you will know how to make a successful blog.
The success of a blog is in achieving the goal for which it was decided to create that blog.
There are people who decide to create a blog simply to get visitors to read its content.
Others create a blog to increase the customers of your company or business.
There are people who make a blog to promote a brand.
Others (who are many) decide to make a blog to make money online .
Whatever the reason why you decide to create a blog, the important thing for your blog to be successful is that it receives web traffic, because if you get visits, you can always monetize it in one way or another to earn income, promote your brand by letting it know your readers or getting customers among your visitors.
I want to make a blog, but I have doubts.
Each week I receive dozens of emails from readers who want to blog about a topic they are passionate about or dominate, but they do not end up deciding because they have certain doubts about topics such as:
- What is the best hosting?
- Should I do email marketing?
- What do I have to do to generate web traffic?
- What social networks should I use?
- ...
The truth is that I have written many posts answering many of these issues, but I understand that not everyone knows how to navigate a blog to find an answer to these questions, so I decided to publish this post with the answer to the most common questions that arise when you want to launch yourself into the world of blogging.
The objective of this post is that if you want to have a blog but you see it all very confusing and you do not know where to start, when reading it you have your ideas much clearer and you are ready to become a blogger.
Answer to the most frequent doubts about blogging
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At the end of the post you can download the PDF post in case you want to have it printed as a guide.
Guide to create a blog in WordPress.
Before entering the world of the doubts of the novice blogger, I want to leave you the link to the guide that I have created (with two videos included) with all the steps that you must follow to create a professional blog in WordPress.
If you follow each of the steps, you will have your blog ready to work on it in less than 15 minutes.
How to create a blog in WordPress
These are the questions to which I give you answer below:
- What topic should my blog do?
- ¿WordPress vs. Blogger? ¿Blog gratuito o de pago?
- What hosting to choose?
- How to design my blog? Premium or free template?
- How to write perfect posts?
- Do I use social networks to spread my content? Which ones should I use?
- How to generate web traffic the first days?
- How do I get comments on my blog?
- Should I do SEO?
- Should I use keywords? Which?
- When should I start creating my subscriber list?
- How do I monetize my blog?
- How long will it take me to start earning money with my blog?
- How much money can be earned with a blog?
- Does blogging deserve the penalty?
How to Make a Successful Blog Answers to your Frequently Asked Questions
1. On what subject should my blog do?
This is one of the most frequent questions and the question is very simple.
You can make a blog about any topic that crosses your mind , the important thing is that two essential points are met:
- Make it a subject that you are passionate about.
- Make it a theme that people want to read.
The reason for the first point is very simple. It is always recommended that you are passionate about the subject on which you are going to write on your blog, or at least have advanced knowledge about it, so that it is easy to write over and over again on the subject.
If you are hesitating about creating a blog about a specific topic, ask yourself the following question:
Will I be able to write about this topic constantly for at least two years?
Second, you must think if what you are going to write may interest someone. You can also ask yourself the following question:
What I am going to write interests a good group of people?
I always give an example a bit extreme, but it is for you to understand it well. You may be very passionate about the mating of the Argentine gull during the winter migration , but I doubt you will find many readers on this topic.
It is important as a final conclusion, to find the balance between what I am passionate about and if this topic can be profitable because of having some demand on the Internet.
I recommend the post Ideas to make a blog
2. ¿WordPress vs. Blogger? ¿Blog gratuito o de pago?
Another very common question when you are new in this world. You want to create a blog to earn money , not costing you money.
I understand you because I've also been there and my first blogs were made on Blogger , the best known platform to make a blog, but months later I realized the limitations and disadvantages that free blogs have, such as:
- The blog legally does not belong to you.
- Limitations in terms of customization and design.
- Few professional templates available.
- Few SEO options.
- Limitations on the storage of images.
- You can not install plugins.
WordPress is the most used content manager worldwide (25% of websites on the Internet are created with WordPress).
Personally tell you that switching from Blogger to WordPress is one of the smartest steps I could take and that there really is no color.
It's like comparing an Aston Martin with a Renault.
The only drawback of making your blog with WordPress is that you have to hire a hosting , an investment that will cost you about € 4/6 a month, but if you want to make a blog in conditions, it's worth it.
If you want to create a blog where you can write about your life in your spare time or upload photos of kittens, create your blog in Blogger.
... for everything else ... Mastercard ... HARD: ... for everything else, WordPress.
If you still have questions about these two managers, take a look at WordPress vs Blogger
3. What hosting to choose?
As in all you can buy on the Internet, when you need to hire a hosting you can find hundreds of hosting offers, more or less recommended.
I must tell you not to be fooled by offers of hostings free or hostings for € 1.99 / month because they will offer terrible conditions.
Since you want to make a blog in conditions, hire a hosting that does not give you problems.
The hosting that I use for my blogs I have contracted with Hostgator , a North American company with more than 9 million clients all over the world, and until now I am quite satisfied and I have not had any problem with them.
With Hostgator you can contract the hosting of your blog for € 4 / month.
If you prefer to contract your hosting with a Spanish company, I recommend Raiola Networks , a company with very good conditions and prices and an exquisite technical service. With Raiola you will simply be hiring the best hosting in Spain .
With either of these two options you will be hiring a quality hosting and with which you will not have problems.
You have a good comparative of hostings in Comparison hostings
4. How to design my blog? Premium or free template?
As happens when you do not want to spend money and choose to make a free blog, the normal thing in most novice bloggers is to choose a free WordPress template, which I also consider an error.
Most of the free templates available are limited "lites"with few customization options.
If you are looking to design a professional blog , my recommendation is to buy a premium template from the beginning and going deeper, I recommend buying a template with the Genesis Framework of StudioPress .
I have been using the Genesis Framework for several years now, following the recommendation of my friend Dean Romero from Blogger3cero.com and this is the best advice I have received since I started blogging.
I could not be more satisfied with this framework.
To explain it briefly, with Genesis you get a parent template (the first to be installed) with all the basic programming code and a child template (installed "on top" of the parent) with the programming code focused on the design of the template.
In addition to all the benefits like being Friendly SEO, responsive (adaptable to mobile devices) ... when you want to change design, you just have to buy a daughter template and install it on top of your parent template, so your positioning on Google is not seen to Nothing affected when you make the change.
You have a complete guide on how it works in Genesis Framework
5. How to write perfect posts?
When you have never written in a blog, you are afraid to write disastrous posts and you become so obsessed with the idea of writing a perfect post , that you can end up taking hours and hours to finish your first post.
If this is your case, get this idea out of your head because ... "the perfect post does not exist" .
Still, if there are certain aspects that you must take into account when writing your posts to be attractive and easy to digest. Keep in mind that nowadays we do not read but we scan the content and if it is attractive to us, then we take the time to read it.
To know how to write your posts correctly I recommend the post How to write a post on a blog
The perfect post does not exist
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6. Do I use social networks to spread my content? Which ones should I use?
Social networks have come to stay, and although they are evolving and new networks are emerging focused on very specific niches, it is important to know how to take advantage of them to generate web traffic .
Although I think there are other more important methods to generate web traffic , if it is important to give the option to your readers to follow you on social networks.
It is very simple.
Everyone has at least one profile in a social network (many people have several) so you have to be where people are.
Nor is it advisable to go crazy being present in all existing social networks, because you can directly die of disgust. Select the networks where you think your reader profile is and use only those.
I recommend focusing on 2 or 3 social networks, 4 maximum.
If you're going to make a fashion blog , it's imperative that you're on Instagram. If your blog is focused on teenagers, use networks like Instagram or Snapchat. If your blog is related to labor relations, you have to be on LinkedIn.
If you want to know a little more about social networks, I recommend you The most used social networks
7. How to generate web traffic during the first days?
Something that we all obsess about when we start a new blog is getting visitors.
You have been posting posts for 3 or 4 months and the visits do not arrive. Only your mother and your two friends read to you.
What am I doing wrong?
Nothing.
Keep in mind that the first 3 months Google will not take you into account so you will almost never receive visits. Google works like a tap , so you'll have to be constant until Google is slowly opening the tap and visitors start arriving.
So I can not do anything to receive visitors the first weeks?
Of course.
- Make guest posting writing in popular blogs of your same subject as guest author. Publish your best posts. This way you will achieve two things: a quality link that gives authority to your domain and also visits and new readers.
- Search 10 popular blogs related to your topic and comment on each of your posts , but not with the typical "good post" comment . Provide quality content and comments with your opinion that get the attention of other readers. I have got many readers who have come to my blog in this way.
- Share your posts in social networking groups and even if your blog is focused on a very specific niche, you can use Facebook Ads to get followers.
8. How do I get comments on my blog?
Something that we usually obsess with is the comments because when you start blogging, nobody comments on your posts.
Will someone read my posts if nobody comments?
Keep in mind that a very low percentage of readers comment on the posts (less than 10%).
That people comment your posts can depend on several factors, such as your rate of publications. If you only publish once a month, the normal thing is that if you have managed to create a community of readers around your blog, many people will comment when you publish.
If on the contrary you publish often, say daily or every two or three days, people will get tired of commenting so many times and your posts will not receive so many comments.
There are different ways to encourage comments on your blog, such as asking directly, encouraging discussions or asking questions at the end of your posts. You can read more about this in How to increase comments on a blog
9. Should I do SEO?
With SEO we have stumbled! ... the fear of every beginner. How will I do SEO if I have no idea?
Do not worry.
First, I personally consider that it is not worth doing SEO (offpage) the first months of your blog, because as we have said before, Google does not take into account the first 3 months.
Secondly, tell you that the SEO in which you must focus, if you want to position a serious project in a stable way to avoid problems with Google, is SEO Onpage , that is, the factors that you can apply within your blog, and more specifically within your content, so that this is positioned in Google.
Although there are SEO Offpage factors that continue to be important as linkbuilding, SEO is evolving more and more towards the importance of Onpage SEO factors such as the following:
- Search and use of keywords.
- Content optimization of your posts.
- Management of internal links.
- Load speed of your web.
You can learn more about these and other aspects in SEO Onpage Guide
10. Should I use keywords? Which?
The vast majority of beginner bloggers do not bother to do an exhaustive search of keywords to use, which I believe is one of the most serious mistakes that can be made.
It is important to be clear about the keywords with which you want to position yourself in Google and analyze the competence you will have in those keywords.
The owner of an animal blog should know that the keyword "dogs for children" has more monthly searches than the keyword "ideal dogs for children" .
..or also that you will get a greater conversion with the keyword "buy dog collar" than with the keyword "compare dog collars" .
A good keyword strategy for your blog is the following:
- Choose 2 or 3 generic main keywords with which to position your main page (use in blog title).
- Choose 6 or 7 keywords to use in the blog categories.
- Choose a long tail keyword for each of your posts.
An example can be the following:
Title of your blog : Blog of infant education. How to educate happy children ( child education - educating children - happy children ).
Categories of the blog : Infant education - Infant feeding - infant habits - children's reading.
Long tail for a post : 10 books to educate happy children ( educate happy children ).
I recommend you read the post How to search for SEO keywords to position your blog
A good tool that I use and recommend for keyword analysis is KwFinder .
11. When should I start creating my subscriber list?
¡YA!
So clear. From minute 1 of your blog.
Every successful blogger is going to tell you the same thing: you need to have a list of subscribers .
Here comes into play to optimize the sales funnel of your blog.
Without giving it many laps I will explain to you that it is the sales funnel.
At the top you have the visitors that come to your blog. Of those visits, a percentage will decide to subscribe, and of those subscribers, a percentage will decide to buy what you offer.
It is clear that to achieve this you need to use email marketing.
With tools like Mailchimp or Mailrelay you can implement subscription boxes in your blog where with a good hook (a free eBook on your subject ...) your readers decide to subscribe to the blog.
With autoresponders (emails that subscribers receive automatically during X days when subscribing) you will be able to direct your subscribers until the purchase of your product.
12. How do I monetize my blog?
Each blog is different and each theme also, but let's say that there are 4 or 5 main methods that are the most used to make money with a blog , and depending on the possibilities of your blog, you can use any of these methods, or even combine them.
Then I explain the most used methods to generate income with your blog.
- Adsense (CPC) . You just have to register and implement the Google Adsense ad units in your blog. Google will show ads related to the interests of your readers and the theme of your blog and you will receive a small amount of money for each click on an ad. You can earn from several cents per click to several euros.
- Affiliate programs . This is my preferred method when it comes to monetizing a blog. You just have to register as an affiliate of the company that created the product and with your affiliate link recommend the product on your blog. Your link has a camouflaged code that tells the company that the client that arrives through your link is your client, and if you end up buying you will get a commission. The whole process is automated and the commissions can be from 10% up to 75% of the value of the product.
- Offer your services . A very simple form of monetization. The reader hires you for something you can do for him: design a logo, create a website, advice, online classes, programming, accounting ...
- Selling your own product . This is the most effective method to earn a lot of money with a blog, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot of money. There are bloggers who generate € 20,000 / € 40,000 per month by marketing their own products , but it is clear that for this you have to invest in a lot of time to create a quality product.
13. How long will it take me to start earning money with my blog?
It is a little difficult to answer this question, because it depends on different factors such as the market niche you have chosen, the competition you have in it, etc., but it is important that you know several things.
The first thing is that if you are looking for quick and easy money , blogging is not for you.
There are no secret methods in online business to start earning money in a matter of days, and if they do exist, they require certain technical knowledge that you probably do not have.
The rush on the Internet is not good.
I know we are in the age of things instantly ... Get € 3,000 in 15 minutes with Cofidis . We are in the microwave era where everything we want can be obtained at the moment, but making money with a blog is not achieved in this way. You will have to have enough patience and perseverance to not give up before you start to get results.
It is not common for all blogs, but at least you will need between 6 and 12 months to start getting resultsand in some cases up to 2 years to consolidate your blog as a profitable business.
The only way to start earning fast money is by offering services.
14. How much money can be earned with a blog?
I have already set the example before people who market their own products generate € 40,000 / month. Even in the United States there are bloggers who generate more than $ 100,000 / month, although that is another league.
This question is also quite difficult to answer since it depends on the niche market, the method you use to monetize, how much web traffic you generate, etc.
If you use Adsense, you will need to receive many visits to earn a reasonable amount. I only recommend it if your blog is focused on meganichos in the form of information on a generic topic.
With Adsense you will earn very little with a personal blog or with little web traffic.
As I have already told you, how much more is generated with your own product, but creating a quality product requires a lot of time.
My recommendation if you are starting in this is to make a blog focused on a very specific niche or micronicho and monetices with affiliate marketing . You will not get rich but choosing the niche well and being constant, you will be able to generate a reasonable monthly salary or at least a considerable extra income.
15. Does blogging deserve the penalty?
Clearly yes.
Is it worth having a blog? Answer to your most frequently asked questions
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Riding a blog in WordPress on a topic that you are passionate about will not be a great effort if you really love the subject and what you can get in return is much more than what you are going to invest:
- € 60 / year for the domain and hosting.
- € 100 once for a premium template.
- 2/8 hours per week writing content.
In return you can get many benefits such as:
- The satisfaction of helping others with your knowledge.
- Get a job thanks to your blog (I got my job thanks to my blog).
- Get new customers.
- Generate income in a passive and lasting way over time.
- To be able to live on your blog with what it implies: freedom of schedules, work from home, scalable revenues ...
