Get Started on Your Dream Blog
So you have a great idea for a blog. You have a wealth of knowledge that you want to get out there and you feel people would value what you have to say. The problem is you are not a computer programmer, or you’re not tech savvy enough to run a website, so you should quit right? Absolutely not! Blogs these days are very easy to set up and run. Programs, such as WordPress, have given the average person the ability to run blogs without any technical knowledge. Below are the steps you will need to start a blog.
Blog Research
Let’s start quickly with the content idea. Most likely, you have an idea of what you want to write about. If you don’t, that’s ok. Google has many tools you can use to choose appropriate topics. Google Trends will help you find what is a hot search these days. You can check to see if your niche is popular as well. For example, below is the trends for the term “investing” over the past year. February 2021 saw a huge spike in the term. This is probably because people wanted to use their tax return wisely.
Once you have chosen your topic, do research on domain names. For those who don’t know, domain names are the web addresses (www.insidevesting.com). You can check availability on sites like Google Domains or GoDaddy. These sites will tell you if it is available and roughly how much it costs. Some “high demand” domains will cost a good amount of money, so be aware. Before you purchase a domain, find the server before because the server company may provide a free domain credit.
Blog Server
Now this is an area that many people are unaware of, websites are stored on a server somewhere. You may be thinking “if I have a domain, why can’t I just form the website on that?” That’s not how it works. Consider the domain and server like your home mailbox. The domain is the number address, like 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The server is the actual mail box. The server is similar to a computer hard drive that stores all the website code (pages, images, audio files, etc.). The domain is the address that people use to connect to that hard drive.
There are many companies that are affordable for your first website. There will be trade offs to consider. Some server companies give discounts on shared servers, but the connection speeds will be significantly reduced. So, if you’re looking to increase connection speed for your audience, you might want to spend more for a dedicated server. Bluehost and iPage are a couple of server hosting companies that are affordable for new sites.
Blog Structure
Now that you have a server it’s time to think about the structure you want to implement. When I say structure, I’m assuming you don’t have any intention to do coding yourself. Therefore, you would want to use a content management system (CMS). These systems can be proprietary or open sourced. Proprietary systems include WIX and Shopify. For open source CMS systems, check out WordPress or Joomla.
Proprietary systems can make it easy. Some of them are all in one services that will do the server hosting along with a easy to use website builder. Most are drag and drop, even the least tech savvy can do it. On the flip side, you’re limited to the functionality and templates provided. You cannot customize how you see fit.
Open sourced CMS provides customization with a wide range of free or paid templates to choose from. There are numerous add ons that you can plug-and-play with to make your website exactly how you want. Some companies have spent a lot of time to build quality add ons, but they’re going to cost you. The whole system, while still much easier than programming, does require some getting used to in order to navigate the backend.
Conclusion
And there you have it. Whether you’re starting a blog as part of your business, or just to share information in your free time. Starting a blog is easy to set up without needing any programming knowledge. You can link to social media accounts, sell products, or connect to YouTube. All you have to do is take your great idea public and share your knowledge with the world.
Disclaimer
Once again, I am not a financial advisor. These tips are some things I have validated with my own personal experiences. If you feel you need more personal advice, please consult a professional financial advisor. Dont forget to check out the Book List for published authors on this topic!
