Maria Zhuravleva
*Update article
Before you start a blog, you need to decide on a topic. Marketers blog to promote the site and business, someone blogs about their favorite business, and someone shares personal stories and experiences on the blog. If you want to start blogging and make money but can't decide on a topic, here are some inspirational ideas.
1. List articles
List articles, like any form of content marketing, have their pros and cons: people love to read them, but many resources churn out monotonous, repetitive rankings.
For example, the top 10 best films or books, selected according to an incomprehensible principle, maybe someone will repost. But basically, the glance slips past, everything is bad and sad, and one list is copy-pasted by another.
Take compilation seriously. It is not enough just to collect 15 American comedies in one text. You must be able to interest the user: read these 100 books on psychology and give a voluminous thoughtful comment on each one, try all the mailing services you offer for yourself, do not lie to the reader. Blogging is work. And not repeated clicking on Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V.
A unique look, an expert serious approach, personal cases are what enliven all these lists, tops and compilations. Approach the matter with heart and soul.
2. Practical guides
How do people know how to do something? They google. WikiHow became popular thanks to guide articles alone.
You would be surprised to know how broad the audience's interests are. If you can find your niche audience and satisfy their curiosity, then your blog will be popular.
Write different types of how-to guides. Step-by-step guides for beginners are very popular, such as our complete beginner's guide to creating a WordPress site.
Note that you don't just have to rewrite someone else's instructions. Take a topic that you are well versed in, enliven it with presentation and personal experience, describe the guide in as much detail as possible, and people will definitely appreciate your material.
3. Politics
Politics is always a popular topic, especially in the year of elections, both local and state. A blog about politics is maintained, for example, by the Snob magazine.
However, popular does not mean simple: blogging about politics is a rather time-consuming task. Of course, you can start a platform in which, without much understanding, you will shake your fist in the air, scold the rich and distribute their wealth to the poor in words. But this is not enough for a competent political blog.
We are all to some extent involved in this hot topic, but that is why, in addition to emotions, it is important to cultivate the ability to analyze, distinguish communism from anarchism, understand the law a little, and quickly navigate informational events. However, be careful: even with maximum correctness and restraint, get ready for holivars. They will absolutely tie up in the comments.
4. Cooking
New trendy diets are constantly emerging. For example, recently in the USA they determined the best diet for 2020. Let's not languish: Mediterranean food is in trend (little red meat, lots of fruits, vegetables and nuts). But that's not the point.
Culinary subjects in general are very popular. Video blogs are especially popular due to their visibility. Often they are dedicated to a specific topic: vegetarianism or, conversely, harsh "male cuisine" with an abundance of recipes for meat dishes. A good example of a cooking channel is vlog cool guy Ramsay Gordon. He's also a comedian.
Remember: when it comes to food, pay special attention to visuals. Learn quality food photography. The problem of many culinary blogs is incomprehensible muddy photos on a smartphone. Food must look appetizing, so that you want to eat it right from the screen.
5. Science
Suddenly you were lucky, and you are the second Stephen Hawking? It's time to create a sci-pop channel! And then maybe write a book. Or even take a picture of a black hole, who knows.
But be careful: without critical thinking and caution, it’s definitely not worth moving forward here. If you decide to reveal to the world that aliens live among us, or that we actually evolved from sentient mayonnaise, slow down a bit. Perhaps your hypothesis will be disproved very quickly. Although, on the other hand, some people still prove to the entire Internet that the Earth is actually flat.
6. Interview
Engaging specific people – clients, professionals, experts, executives – is a great way to add personality and persuasiveness to your blog. The occasional use of personal information such as photos, interviews, and quotes helps to establish a more personal connection with the audience. The best way to stand out from other bloggers is to publish interviews taken from experts in the field, both from people on your team and from representatives of other companies. For example, we have an interview with the editor-in-chief of Lentach Taras Sychev.
An interview in our age does not have to take place live and with a dictaphone. Many journalists have already adapted to making appointments via Skype. And you can always limit yourself to correspondence, although, of course, she won’t convey intonation, and you won’t be able to take a selfie with the interviewee either.
But believe me: for interesting cool material, a simple correspondence with an interesting and cool media person is quite enough.
11. Personal experience
Moved to another country, started breeding horses or decided to lose 30 kilograms? Share your experience on your blog. Such a blog is interesting to readers, because the events in it take place almost in real time. The author in this case is a specific person who makes mistakes and makes progress and tells his audience about it. A good example is a blogger Osia.
12. Health
A healthy lifestyle has now become a real trend. Sports, proper nutrition, disease prevention are popular topics. And no wonder: there is no such thing as too much health.
However, we remember that it’s not enough just to start going to the gym and memorize the magic formula “chicken-buckwheat” in order to teach people a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle is a topic not far from medicine, and here you need to be well versed and keep your nose to the wind, following the current research in this area.
Yes, of course, if you're athletic and cool, the abs will do the talking for you. Take a photo, insta blogger, and inspire others with your wonderful body. Sport is a good thing. But still, talk about trauma and the right technique, otherwise you will harm someone.
13. Mythbusting
Every realm has its own facts and fiction, which is why shows like MythBusters are so popular.
It is sacred to destroy stereotypes and legends that interfere with life, fool the head and simply harm. Of course, battles of the titans and public outcry always arise around this, but you can contribute to the development of critical thinking among subscribers.
Exposure and destruction of stereotypes likes, for example, TrashSmash.
14. Virtual reality, AI, technology
The popularity of digital technologies will only grow over the years. According to a 2019 study by KPMG, 21% of Russian companies use VR/AR technologies. And that's just us.
We are surrounded by smart machines, complex algorithms, neural networks. It's even a little scary. And it is even more relevant in our age to start a blog on this topic. If you understand what's going on, help others figure it out.
15. Economy, budget
If you catch the slightest fluctuations on the stock exchange once or twice, know how to make two million out of two rubles, plan everything to the penny and navigate the rates of all currencies with your eyes closed, this direction is right for you.
Talk about bitcoin, Karl Marx and loans. Money is an inexhaustible topic. Although, alas, they themselves are very exhaustible.
In general, with a competent approach, you definitely won’t have to complain about the lack of subscribers.
Articles about the economy writes, for example,.
16. Automation
Automation is an important trend in the B2B space, so posts on this topic are a goldmine of the Internet. Automation is a broad concept. You need to choose what type of automation posts will bring you really valuable traffic. The Arbus blog, for example, talks about automating the restaurant business.
19. History
History lessons are a great way to fill your blog with useful and interesting information. But here, too, one must be careful with too free interpretation of facts and bold theories. It is one thing to tell interesting about this or that period of history. And on the basis of fragmentary and vague data, deducing that you are descended from the Spanish king is another thing.
21. Funny stories
Humor is always popular. Funny posts are the most shared on social media. Therefore, such resources as Pikabu and Chips.net are among the most popular sites on the Russian Internet.
Memes, comics, pies - what is our life without them? So arm yourself with a sense of humor and joke like it's the last time. And let the world become brighter from the smiles of your audience, the grasshopper will sing on the violin, and the next cat picture will get a new cool inscription.
Parents will always be interested in advice written specifically for them. And now honest, conscious, courageous parenthood is developing more and more - not only pink heels and the happiness of motherhood, but also involved fatherhood, upbringing without violence, attachment theory and a reasonable approach to health a la Komarovsky.
Well, since we are talking about honesty, it is worth mentioning the honest media for parents, which is called "No, it's okay".
23. Upcoming events
The news about an upcoming significant event always causes increased interest and a lot of discussion in the blogosphere. It doesn't matter if it's the Olympics, which will be followed by the whole world, or a local concert, search engines will be flooded with requests for an upcoming event. So, for example, for movie lovers, the Cinemaholics website maintains its “Doubtful poster”.
24. Internet Stars
26. Pets
Blogs about pets have a huge audience. One of the most striking examples among popular animals is Grumpy Cat, who died on May 14, 2019, but managed to become a real Internet star. She not only became a meme, but also starred in commercials, and two books were published about her, which were sold around the world in huge numbers.
27. Business, management
How to choose a remote employee? In which startup to invest a million lying around? How not to be torn apart when choosing a CRM system? How long will the performers goof off? To whom to delegate everything in the world?
In general, there is a whole ocean of questions that can be covered. Business is not just a way to make money, but art, sports and a headache.
One blog for entrepreneurs is Blogtrepreneur.
28. Psychology, self-development
Actually a very broad topic. You can approach from an everyday point of view, or you can work in a specific direction of psychology. But if you do not have the appropriate education, try to position yourself as a person who has certain important thoughts about this, and not as a professional psychotherapist who categorically tells how to treat phobias or start a relationship. The incompetence is immediately visible. You won't increase your credibility by taking on someone else's role.
And even despite this small limitation, in this area everyone has where to turn around. Tell us about your experience of overcoming fears, about working with anxiety, about improving sleep. Such stories resonate because they are close to everyone.
An example of a popular science portal on psychology -
Updates/Notes Jerry:
Since posting this article, I have received several email inquiries for a business or [other CMS] site.
The thing is, I always believe that you should run your blog like it's a real business. The tools for market research and marketing for a blog or business website are similar. The marketing strategies and hacks I mentioned in this guide generally work for all types of blogs or websites. Therefore, I see no need for a separate article.
It has become a giant guide with over 6,000 words. And I'm interviewing more bloggers for their contributions, as well as thinking of new ways to improve this guide. Ideas and feedback are welcome! Contact me at [Email protected]
Creating a blog / website is step #1.
To stay ahead of your competition in any niche, you need to actively grow and improve your blog.
There are many factors that go into creating a successful blog. Using the right data set, choosing the best tools, and applying the best strategy all go into the success of your blog.
What's in this guide?
In this guide, we'll look at a number of things you can do to improve your blog.
Some require very little effort and can create instant positive results; while others take more time and skill.
It's like RPGs - some levels are easy and some require more time/effort to master the required skills and break through.
Data is your friend. But what?
We know that data is critical to measuring your progress and blogging improvement.
But what type of data should you be looking at?
The sample is a GIF I made with ScreenToGif.
2 - Hire a Freelance Designer
In case graphics and photography are not really your thing, you can always leave the job to a freelance designer. The cost of graphic and web design has dropped significantly in recent years thanks to free software and fierce competition. Based on my recent research - a designer charges around $26/hour on average and you can go up to $3/mo.
Website and graphic design cost based on Upwork Top 100 freelancer profiles. Average hourly rate = $26.32/hour; highest = $80/hour, lowest = $3/month ().
3 - Pixabay (or other directories that offer beautiful images)
If you must add inappropriate photos to your post - at least you can avoid ugly photos. Not only are they bland and unique, but they can appear on several other sites at any given time, making your blog less unique.
There are countless sites where you can get free, amazing photos. Pixabay is my favorite because of its flexibility. There are no attribution requirements, which means you can do whatever you want with images from this source.
Plus, it's very easy to use - there's even a simple search right on the home page, available before you log in. You will have access to photos, vectors and illustrations and can filter as needed. Uploading real images is incredibly easy and, again, comes with image size options (pixels and MB) to ensure the image you have in your hand is crisp and high quality for any purpose (in my case most likely online for your blog - no huge file size required).
Sample - image found on Pixabay.
Visit website: pixabay.com
Tactic #7. Blog Design: Less Is More
When you want to improve your blog, design is the obvious thing to look at. The overall look of your site is the first impression a site visitor has of your blog. It is important to have a good balance on the page. All elements should come together into a useful and visually pleasing whole.
Learn from Pro: Al Pollis
You are not optimizing pages. You optimize thought sequences.
Nature is the greatest designer. While we are designing for the web, we have a lot to learn by studying Nature itself. In the end, it's all about balance and harmony, the contrast of shapes and colors.
4 tests you can run to evaluate the effectiveness of your design elements:
1- Attention: Each element should grab the attention of visitors and do it in the right order. For example, set a high desirability rate first and then provide a Call-To-Action. Or first orient the visitor, and THEN “create a need”.
2- Direction: Web design elements should logically fit into the visitor's reading path: from left to right, top to bottom. Generate interest and orientation before "creating the need" for information and "Call to Action".
3- Contrast: Strategically change the path the visitor's eyes follow on the screen using contrast. For example: bright colors, especially reds and oranges, attract the attention of visitors. Also, large elements, unusual shapes or parallax effects with their "virtual" third dimension will stand out more. Also use motion: Flying Images, animated dropdown menus, sliders, hover effects. Finally, remember that elements (i.e. rows in different background colors) stand out.
4- Balance: If we want to learn from Nature, Balance is paramount. Keep the relative size of your components equal, or use "amount" to strike a balance. For example, if you're using unequal-width columns, use a few "heavier" elements (such as images) in a narrow column to balance the weight of the wider column.
Real life examples
Example #1: Don't Compress All Content Together
There should be a balance of white space and other elements. The white space should not be white. Notice how Freshbooks uses negative space to create a sleek look. Reduce page clutter. Delete unwanted items or move them to another location. Increase empty space to reduce noise.
Example #2: Use simple construction to minimize distraction
Users should focus on their content. mint does a good job of focusing the reader on the site's purpose of getting you to sign up for an account.
Example #3: Use fewer items in the main navigation menu
You can then create subcategories within those larger ones. One example that shows how you can organize many categories can be seen on Amazon.com. They break items into categories like Books, but then further break the category into additional subcategories to help you sort and find the specific item you want. extract from thousands. If you have many categories, try to find a few main categories. Reduce the use of pop-ups. Add only one popup at most.
Tactic #8. On-page search engine optimization
When you have better search engine rankings, you will see an increase in traffic and revenue. However, figuring out the holy grail on how to rank higher in search engines can feel overwhelming. While it's true that researching and improving off-page factors (like getting links) is naturally important, there's a lot of bad fruit in SEO that many bloggers don't see.
Google changes its algorithms regularly, so it's hard to know what Google wants. You need to focus on three main areas if you want to rank well on the Google search engine: content, performance credentials, and user experience.
All of these factors come together and combine into what Google considers a “good” block that deserves to rank higher in search results.
Learn from Pro: Michael Pozdnev
Lately I've been looking into ways to increase organic search traffic just by modifying and formatting the content (on page SEO).
And I have good results.
The search traffic of one of my posts increased by 321%!
Here are the basic on-page SEO steps that will help you get more traffic:
Take measures
Some simple things you can do to improve search rankings:
- Use descriptive alt tags on all images
- Fix all 404 errors and broken links
- Include keywords in your H1, H2 and H3
- Internal linking - make sure your important pages are well linked internally
- Use original, useful content that meets user needs - Google Panda punishes sites with too many thin pages of content
- Use a breadcrumbs and a sitemap to help Google understand your site's structure and content flow.
- Use a content table if your content is longer than 2,000 words
- Test your page titles to improve your search results page. CTR - case studies have shown that CTR affects website rankings.
- Improving the speed of interaction with the site - the bounce rate and time on the page affect the ranking of the site.
Tactic #9. Eat your dog food
One easy way to improve your blog is to spend time working on old content. Read old posts regularly:
Tactic #10. Good content is not enough
There's no denying that good, well-written content is important if you want to engage your audience. But that's just not enough to drive traffic to your site on its own.
You need to create content that your target audience most wants to read.
Finding Content Ideas
Tip #1 Google Analytics
Take a look at your Google Analytics. Find out what type of content your audience will like. What parts do they most often interact with or participate in? Create more of those topics and less less popular ones (or reprogram less popular ones to make them more like popular posts).
For example, these are our top 10 blog posts for web hosting secrets revealed in January 2016. The Facebook plugins post keeps the audience longer than average. This means that the audience finds this information useful. In fact, they spend 100% more time on this post than some others. Time to find out what makes it work so well and "amplify" the content.
Tip #2 Other media platforms
Get inspired by popular content on Podcast, YouTube channels, SlideShare, etc. This is the window where people in your niche want to learn more. There is a reason that certain content is more popular at any given time.
For example, iTunes allows users to view podcasts by popularity. Pay attention to this topic, as well as how it is presented to the audience.
Use YouTube to find out what vloggers in your niche are doing. Find out which videos are the most popular in your channels. Incorporate these popular videos into your blog content ideas.
Obviously, simply compressing images is not enough. Some other methods besides Daren's suggestions to consider:
- The speed of your servers
- If you have access to the Content Delivery Network
- Plugins that can lead you to a dead end and make it load slowly
- Multimedia features that can slow down some users who have slow internet speeds
- Image optimization
- Image Delivery (CDN)
- The current topic of your site and how fast it loads
- caching
Sample Tools
ShortPixel helps you compress and optimize images without compromising image quality. You can and check how much more you can compress your website images with ShortPixel.
Tactic #13. Connect with others in your niche
Most of the blogging guides you find online today focus on improving your writing or adding more content.
However, the truth is that more or even better content is not always the answer.
Sometimes it's smarter to move away from creating more content and explore other things you can do to get better results from blogging, like connecting with peers.
At first glance, it might seem like a good idea to talk to other bloggers in your niche. After all, you are both vying for similar traffic.
However, connecting with other influencers can really benefit you. Enough traffic to go around, and when bloggers recommend each other, visitors to their site tend to pay attention.
- Meet other bloggers. You are both targeting a similar audience, so you both win. You can also connect with bloggers in related niches. For example, if you make wooden signs and sell them, you will need to link to a blog that talks about DIY decorating.
- Provide information to other bloggers. Have you found an ad space that is particularly successful? Don't be afraid to tell others. They, in turn, will tell you where they advertise.
- Exchange guest posts with each other to reach each other's audience.
- Introduce your blogging friends to your readers by showing interviews, putting an article about them in your newsletter, or simply giving them a shout out on social media.
- Share ideas about writing and editing.
Learn from the Pro: Marius Kinyulis
Achieving Influence: How to Improve Response Rate?
- Always include a benefit that influencers might be interested in in your first email. For example, if you are telling them about the possibilities of posting a guest on their site, tell them that you will not only share the post with your social media followers, but also send an email to your followers Email 10,000.
- If the first letter didn't work - always follow up. People can say whatever they want, but the follow-up still works incredibly well. And if possible, include an additional benefit. This may increase your chances of getting a response.
Tactic #14. Grow traffic with Facebook Ads
Facebook is too big to ignore the social giant. There are over 1.5 billion users on the social media giant. In 2015, advertisers spent $17.08 billion on Facebook. Since they have such a wide user base from different places and backgrounds, Facebook is the best option for brands and bloggers. However, you have to understand how Facebook works and spend time optimizing for it to be worth the time.
Dig deeper
Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Stay tuned for new features (Facebook releases them almost weekly). Be the first to use new ad formats - Instagram videos, DPA ads, local ads, canvas ads, etc.
- Use the automated A/B testing ad tool to lower your ad cost and improve ad performance. I use Adespresso to upload most of my Facebook ads - it helps me easily create and track hundreds of ads in one campaign.
- Cross selling or cross promotion. Even if you're not selling a real product, you can still apply the idea of cross selling to keep existing visitors. When someone visits your blog page, you can automatically cross-promote your other relevant content with the retargeting feature. For example, if you are looking at “create a photo gallery”, you can track and promote your list of “must see photo blogging WordPress plugins” on Facebook.
- Understand how you can hone in on your target audience with Facebook ads to reach the exact demographics you want to reach.
- Study what your competitors are doing. You can even target people who have visited your competitors' Facebook pages and click ads on them.
- Always reward the benefit, not the product. Selling products, services, or content will naturally be the relationship you build with your audience. You need to let your target audience know how your product/content can help them. What problem are you solving?
- Post more photos. Wish 120% more participation than messages without photos. Posts with a photo album about 180% more engaged.
- The target audience. Facebook knows a lot about you (and what sites you've visited), and it uses that information so advertisers can show their ads to select groups of people. Your FB appearances are highly dependent on how well you target your audience. Here are 20 no interest targeting Facebook ad ideas.
Real life examples
Tactic #15. Build your team and expand it
As your business grows, so does your team (this is the WHSR team, by the way). Look for people who are trustworthy and offer high quality work for your team. Once they are trained, these people should be able to complete tasks with a little guidance from you. This allows you to expand your advertising and content efforts in much the same way as if you cloned yourself. The goal will be for you to eventually manage the team and leave them the actual work.
With the right team and continued effort, your blog should continue to expand its reach. Over time, you will gain from other efforts. Improving your blog is not a one-time effort. You have to keep improving your blog week after week if you want to be successful.
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How to start blogging from scratch and learn how to earn? 7 basic steps: from idea to site selection, from security to marketing. Excluding at least one of them, the whole chain will collapse.
Why a blog?
If you are counting on a stable source of income on the Internet by writing interesting articles, then blogging is the best option. It is more effective than a social media account.
The materials posted on the site will attract the attention of users for more than one year, while a post on VK, Instagram, Facebook, Odnoklassniki, etc., is relevant for no more than 2 days, with rare exceptions.
The resource, where interesting information is published, is directly related to content marketing, the demand for which is constantly increasing.
1 How to find an idea to start your blog from scratch?
You can't blog without ideas, and to keep your blog successful, you'll need a lot of them.
The best option may be your personal qualities and specialization in something. It does not happen that a person does not have any skills at all.
It can be a natural gift or heredity, acquired knowledge in the process of study, life experience, and so on.
Sometimes you don’t notice how it manifests itself and where. For example, I like to tell jokes, shoot screencasts and educational videos. Someone grows a very large pumpkin and shares his secrets. In any case, a blogger will always find his audience.
Popular blogging niches
And now a few popular niches, which can be subdivided into small subtopics or, say, categories.
A large number of users are spinning in these niches, and it is better to take a smaller section to start. Break it down into different subcategories and boldly act. If the blog is “live”, then the visitors themselves will suggest the direction for further development.
- Cooking and recipes
- Sport
- Technology
- Politics
- Travels
- Health
This is not a complete list of popular blogging ideas. Here you can also add fashion, cars, construction topics, etc.
- Millions of food lovers spend countless hours every day browsing and learning different recipes. And remember, everyone has their own interests. Some want to surprise their girlfriend or boyfriend, others just learn how to cook well, and still others love to have a good meal.
- Failed to travel the world? No problem. Personally, I know people who write hundreds of articles about their region.
- More and more fans of a healthy lifestyle are becoming. Engaged in bodybuilding, gymnastics, martial arts.
- Technology, too, will never pass us by. And more and more users are interested in new products in this area.
In general, there is where to roam. At this stage, you need to think hard and after choosing a blog topic, it is advisable to work out the name of the project.
2 The foundation of a successful blog is SEO
3 Where you can create your blog from scratch
Online platforms
Who does not want to deal with hosting, domains and databases, you can create your own blog on special sites.
The most famous of them are Wix, Tilda, Blogger, Tumblr.
There are entire video courses for some, but I know from experience that these courses are not very popular.
As soon as it becomes clear that the owner of such a site can already do something on his own, he immediately switches to creating and maintaining his own blog from scratch. Wherever he is the owner of his project and can single-handedly decide on various reconstructions.
Free blogging platforms are good for working out. You can create anything, but the idea of making money is rather dubious.
Firstly, the site does not belong to you, and in case of force majeure or anonymous complaints, it will simply be deleted and you will not be able to do anything.
Secondly, such sites make money on you and on your content, and it is very profitable for them to provide services for creating a site.
Thirdly, there are a lot of such sites, more time will be spent on searching and testing.
Fourthly, most of them are paid.
How to start blogging from scratch on cms?
The most convenient, affordable and free option for blogging is cms systems.
Of the hundreds of cms systems that exist today, or simply speaking, website engines, three free systems have gained the most popularity.
These are WordPress, Joomla, Drupal. It was WordPress that was originally developed as a classic blogging engine, and still remains the leader, although many online stores, news portals, and online platforms operate under its control.
The other two engines are no less interesting and surpass wordpress in some respects, but still, users most often use wordpress for blogging.
It lends itself well to optimization, easy to understand and administer, a large number of additional extensions capable of realizing the richest ambitions.
4 Content is the main tool of a blogger
What should you write about?
It's time to create a semantic core before writing content, i.e. a list of phrases for which your blog will be promoted in search engines. To do this, you can use keyword research services to understand what queries consumers use to search for information in your niche. When writing articles, you will insert these phrases to rank in the search.
Compiling a semantic core is the first stage of SEO copywriting and an essential component of any SEO strategy.
A properly compiled list of keywords consists of a large number of thematic phrases that need to be considered when preparing content. But keywords should not define the topic of the article. To write good material, you need ideas, stories, life situations that are directly or indirectly related to keywords.
Where do you get inspiration for writing posts?
Current news feeds, your main job, user comments - not a complete list of what you will draw inspiration from. Reading other relevant blogs, books and newspapers also helps a lot. A list of ideas is best kept on a smartphone, since the right idea usually comes to mind when you don’t expect it.
How to write a quality article?
An equally important point in the question of how to start blogging from scratch is the preparation of high-quality material. Writing articles requires certain skills, but initially you should pay attention to the readability and originality of the text.
Originality of the article
Blog content should be relevant, original and fresh. Each new article is fundamentally different from similar posts on other sites and blogs. In addition, the material should involve the user in reading.
Readability of the article
In addition, readability is important for SEO as well. The material will definitely be “read” by search robots, which, first of all, are guided by a clear structure with paragraphs and subheadings.
Properly structured posts always rank higher in search engines.
5 Blog Security
Once new project started its activity, it will immediately fall under the influence of malicious scripts, programs, various shells, doorways, worms, trojans and a bunch of new ones that you can only guess about.
We cannot change this, we just need to live with it and know how to defend ourselves.
Online security has long been a top priority. No matter what actions are taken, there is always a risk of data interception, hacking of sites, social accounts, or a simple wiring for money. Security measures are required everywhere.
How to protect your blog
By following 5 simple rules, it is quite possible to create an unbearable obstacle for hacking your project:
- Update
- Backup
- Dual Authorization
- Complex passwords
- SSL certificate
The last three points practically do not require your participation, only sometimes it is worth updating passwords. Updates include extensions and the engine core itself. It all depends on the developers. Usually new versions become known immediately.
As for backup, it all depends on your preference. Most hosting providers provide such services, but you should not rely on it one hundred percent.
As the saying goes: "If you want to do well, do it yourself." There are many different solutions for this: plugins, scripts, services. Paid tools save you from participating in this process, free tools require periodic checks and cleaning.
The gradual development of the project (making a profit) entails increased attention and additional security measures are possible in the future, but these steps must be taken immediately, do not wait for the blog to become infected.
6 Blog monetization
If, thanks to good SEO and marketing strategies, your audience increases, this does not mean an increase in profits (if you make money from it) from your blog.
Not for everyone who is just starting to think about how to start blogging from scratch, making money is the main goal. And yet you can still make money from a blog.
6 main ways to make money from a blog
- Contextual advertising - it is better to start when visiting from 500 people per day;
- Sale of advertising space - depends on the traffic and popularity of the blog;
- Writing advanced posts are the most common strategies for making money from a blog.
- Selling your own - services, goods, courses;
- Affiliate programs - ideal in the absence of their products or services;
- Paid account (online - school) - suitable both for selling your knowledge and for attracting authors from outside;
The list goes on, but if you just started blogging from scratch, then earnings will directly depend on traffic.
Why optimize blog posts?
With the right approach, blogging helps you quickly move up in search engines, thereby increasing traffic, and at the same time, earnings.
The highest quality blog visitors are visitors from search engines, an audience that will constantly grow. Because they themselves are looking for you, and do not come from advertising.
You don’t have to pay anything, just write quality articles optimized for a specific keyword or phrase, that’s the whole secret of a lifetime of profit from a blog.
Once you've written a post that's both original and readable, you need to make sure your content is optimized for search engines. You need to maximize the likelihood that Google will pick up your content.
And it is worth noting the importance of taking this final step after you write the post. Search engine optimization SEO should never question the originality of your idea or the readability of your text.
Involvement in the life of the blog
Participation in the life of a blog is an important factor for SEO. If your audience leaves comments on your blog (and you reply to them), Google will perceive your blog as very lively and active. Well, of course, the mention on social networks will contribute to the ranking of your blog. If people share your post on social media networks or discuss it online, it will definitely lead to an increase in traffic.
Your responses to comments are one of the most important aspects of participating in the life of a blog. Answering questions and other statements in the discussion can take a long time. Handling positive feedback and answering questions is relatively easy, while negative feedback can become more problematic.
7 Marketing to Promote a Blog
When you write posts for your blog, you need an audience. Nobody wants to perform in an empty room! Good search engine rankings through flawless search engine optimization SEO will certainly help you. But there is always something to strive for.
Social networks and newsletters
Social media is an important marketing tool for your blog. You definitely need to create a Facebook page and a Twitter account. If you're focusing on your audience, you'll also need Instagram and Snapchat.
You can also get high-quality links to your blog pages from YouTube if video material is used.
How to independently promote a page on Instagram for sales? What are the bots for promoting a store on Instagram? How to attract new followers for free when promoting an account from scratch?
Instagram for an enterprising and energetic person is not only a convenient application for storing and displaying photos, but also an enrichment tool. A promoted Instagram account brings its owner a stable income through sales of their own and other people's goods, advertising and high popularity.
With you is Denis Kuderin, an expert of the HeatherBober publication on financial issues. I will tell, how to promote instagram and attract new subscribers on your own as well as with professional help.
We read to the end - in the final you will find life hacks for keeping followers on your page, as well as an overview of popular paid services for Instagram promotion.
1. Instagram promotion - we expand the client audience for our business
Social networks are a territory of unlimited possibilities. Instagram is no exception. The resource was originally created as mobile app for shooting, storing and distributing photographic materials, but gradually the site expanded its functions and became a full-fledged platform for exchanging impressions, comments, news and likes.
The service's popularity skyrocketed in 2012 when Facebook acquired it from its original owners for $1 billion . A lot of new features immediately appeared here, including the option for recording and posting videos.
Today Instagram is hundreds of millions of registered users, a huge viewing audience, thousands of new pictures and videos every day. And unlimited opportunities for earning.
Here are the main ways to make money online:
- sale of own and other people's goods and services through a promoted account;
- companies, products, events and everything that can be sold and advertised;
- promotion of accounts on a professional basis;
- make money selling photos.
The most profitable option is to own your own business. It doesn’t matter what you do – any products and services can be beautifully presented, shown and sold.
Instagram does not charge money for registering on the network and using all the functions of Instagram. All that is required for success is free time and desire. And a well-promoted popular account.
Page boost - an indispensable condition for monetization. Popular accounts are visited by thousands of users a day, and with the number of visitors, the volume of sales inevitably grows.
What is promotion from a technical point of view? This is the intentional and purposeful promotion of your profile using various methods. Promotion is natural and artificial.
The first option is when the popularity of the page increases due to really unique and interesting content, non-trivial design and other features. Artificial promotion means use of specialized programs, applications and services. Both methods are used for maximum efficiency.
In itself, profile promotion is one of the ways to make money on Instagram. This is done both by freelancers on exchanges and by entire agencies promoting websites on the network.
Instagram successfully integrates with Facebook and VKontakte. By linking your accounts, you will be able to automatically publish everything that you shot on Instagram on the pages of other social networks.
Businessmen, athletes, actors and other media people have Instagram accounts. A lot of people filming on the phone use this network. Such popularity has turned Instagram into a kind of cult for a whole generation.
To promote your account, it is important that the posts are regular and the pictures bright
So, a promoted page on the network is a kind of capital, an asset that you use at your own discretion. It is wiser to use the asset for the benefit of the wallet.
When your page turns into complete source of income, you no longer have to spend time on promotion. The account will promote itself or with the help of a hired administrator.
But remember a few important rules:
- the resource was created for communication, entertainment and content publishing: take monetization as a useful side effect;
- it will not be possible to promote an account quickly - be prepared for the cost of time;
- the main thing in this network is unique content, everything else is secondary;
- The topic should match the content.
What account is considered promoted? This indicator is rather conditional, but among businessmen and moneymakers it is generally accepted that real popularity starts with a few thousand followers. There are accounts on the network with hundreds of thousands of subscribers - this is really a promising platform for a stable income.
2. How to promote Instagram yourself - step by step instructions for beginners
First of all, "Insta" - friendly community, i.e. a community of people who exchange impressions, experience, observations and useful information among themselves.
Here they hold contests, organize promotions, collect likes and votes. A citizen of any country or a group of people can create their own page and use it for any purpose - within the limits of law and ethics.
I will not write about how to create a profile and what the interface is - you will figure it out yourself. The theme of the publication is the promotion and monetization of the account, keeping followers on your page.
Most of the participants try to use their pages for their intended purpose - they add pictures from life there, share observations and adequate content. Compared to VKontakte and Facebook there is less useless garbage, content is more alive and people are more open.
Act consistently and success is guaranteed!
Step 1. Create and design an Instagram profile
Your photo (avatar) or profile product image is the first thing a potential follower sees. There will also be a short text - personal data, a description of the company or product.
For many, the design and first impression of the profile is a decisive factor. Looking at the image, people decide whether to follow you or not. If you treat your profile photo casually, you will scare away the consumer audience.
The description should be concise but informative.. Indicate your location, type of activity, subject and a link to the main site, if any. This is the only place on Instagram where you can put an active link.
We need a call to action - not a vague "if you want to see more, then ...", but a specific one - " click here, you will see a lot of interesting things" or something like that.
Step 2. We prepare a content plan
Since in our case the purpose of creating an account is commercial activity, you need to think over a content plan in advance - what, when and how much we will publish.
Posts should contain high-quality images, a short accompanying text and several thematic hashtags– important keywords that will make it easier for users to find the right pages.
Do not overload your page with intrusive advertising - combine promotion with useful information for followers.
Think ahead:
- what needs of consumers you are going to meet;
- what audience are you targeting?
- how best to design or present goods and services;
- what else, besides the object of sale, can you give to the visitor.
Even the owners of business accounts are not prohibited from periodically creating personal posts, sharing their observations, knowledge, and impressions. But don't get too far off topic and stick to your unique style.
Step 3. Publish new content
If you are promoting yourself - you want to first attract an audience, gain followers, and only after that make money on your image, then personal pictures will be the main content. If you are promoting your business, stick to a pre-selected style. The optimal frequency of posts is 1-2 per day.
For example, you cook deliciously and beautifully. Why not post photos on Instagram to increase your popularity?!
- Use filters and don't be afraid to create- the more creative the pictures, the more subscribers.
- Post only high-quality images- passing shots are of no interest to anyone.
- Make a story out of every photo.
- Post videos periodically- but not too long, no more than 5 minutes.
- Sign your photos Where, when and why was it taken.
- Use hashtags- then your photos will be easier to find.
An attractive visual range encourages the study of text content. The more interesting the photo and video content, the more comments, subscribers, transitions to the main site and calls from buyers.
Step 4. Attract subscribers
The first subscribers will be your friends, acquaintances, and sometimes strangers who came to your page by accident. If you sync your profile with others social networks, the audience will be typed quickly.
Further promotion depends on your activity and creativity. The more time you spend on promoting the page, the more you will achieve. If there is no time, but there are free funds, use paid ways to promote your account. About them - in the following sections.
Step 5. Analyze page traffic and make changes to the strategy
Performance analysis is the study of indicators of audience coverage (how many subscribers), engagement (likes, comments), number of clicks (how many people followed the link).
If you are not satisfied with the indicators, it is time to make changes to the strategy - slightly adjust the subject matter of the posts, make the page more "hooligan" or, conversely, academic.
Free Instagram promotion methods require free time. But they also need to be managed wisely.
If you follow the helpful tips, things will go faster.
Hashtags are a useful thing: they help users find publications of interest to them. Tags will attract the target audience and new subscribers to your page. But do not use common and popular keywords - otherwise your posts will be lost in hundreds of others.
General rules:
- come up with your own label - it will increase the recognition of your brand;
- do not make labels too long: 3 words in a hashtag is the maximum;
- separate elements in hashtags with underscores;
- put labels not only in the explanatory text, but also in the comments.
The app remembers all the hash marks you've entered before - as soon as you enter the first letters, a list of words will drop out that you can use. The maximum number of tags for one photo or video is 30.