Creating a blog with WordPress the easy way. Scared of block builder and wondering what to do? My simple methods will show you how.
Is WordPress a good place to start a blog
WordPress was set up as a free site builder that anyone can use. It is really easy to learn and recent developments have put it in a class above the average.
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world and is used by nearly 75 million websites. According to WordPress, more than 409 million people view more than 23.6 billion pages each month and users produce 69.5 million new posts and 46.8 million new comments every month, 2016
Forbes.com
That tells you that you are in a winning place using WordPress. Anyone can use it and it is really easy to learn the basics.
How do I create a free WordPress blog?
Your WordPress blog comes after a couple of basic needs.
You can have a house but you need a street address called a domain name. This is bought from the market and has an annual fee of around $20. We will get you a free starter domain shortly if that is the way you wish to go. My domain is onlinebusinessmarketing.info but I also have
Coach Hanley.com and others to better reflect my name. This domain name reelects exactly what I am writing about as a search term to support my SEO.
Then you need someone to host your domain and control all the traffic and look after your web pages and posts. I use Wealthy Affiliate because they offer a lot more than other carriers.
What's more you can host one domain for free while you work out what you want.
Creating a blog with WordPress the easy way. with Wealthy Affiliate
How much does a WordPress blog cost?
The Word Press blog is without charge however you can buy certain extras that do cost money. These are called Plugins and make the site work to what you want. A great example is Yoast SEO. This is a free plug in that helps with your writing and SEO and I recommend it to everyone. I use the premium version at $89 a year and it is well worth the investment however only buy it when you are on the way to success.
So you buy a domain from Wealthy Affiliate or GoDaddy and you are up ready to rock.You pick your hosting site and then we start to roll
How do bloggers get paid?
From zero to millions of dollars and we all fit somewhere in there.
- We sell our own physical products.
- Or we sell virtual products like eBooks, training etc.
- Then we sell other peoples products and make affiliate commission.
- Finally we get paid by advertisers on our site.
That's quite a lot of income if you have volume to your site.
What other ways to do blogging?
Blogger and Wix which is better?. Both of these come at a cost and I believe far more confusing than Wealthy Affiliate, plus a lot less training material. I have tried many ways and have settled in one place and am here to stay.
Creating a blog with WordPress the easy way. and making money.
Can you make money being a Blogger?
Of course you can make money as a blogger but like anything it takes some effort. You need to build a data base of followers. It is important to realise that blogging is a long term journey. It will have several ups and downs but let's look at the flow.
| Finding a niche | A bit of soul searching here |
| Becoming excited | You are building a plan |
| Getting started | Domain and host |
| Realize you need to learn a lot more | Some basic training |
| Crafting your content skills | Learning to write |
| Becoming bored with the process | The hard slog time |
| Minor win | Affiliate link or sales dribble in |
| New enthusiasm | Increase your work load |
| Traffic is building | Organic and or paid |
| Look at advertising opportunities | Take advantage of your base |
| The light in the tunnel | Visualize your destiny |
Get your Hubspot free template
Hubspot are a leading online marketing company that have a range of options and training for you to use. Here they tell you more about blogging and in fact provide a free template download.
This is just one of the many options from leading companies that are active in the market helping new and experienced bloggers.
How to make your blog stand out?
Well color will do it every time as well as relevant pictures that grab the readers attention.
This presumes you have a nice featured image at the start of the page and a great Keyword.
Your heading or Keyword is the most important part of the page, if you are not searched then you are not read and content does not count.
Another important point is writing for mobile phones. Many searches are now done on a mobile so this must be kept in mind and checked every time.
Personalize your work
Blogging is as much about you as it is the subject. When you are a known blogger people will follow you on your journey. They will become to even like your work and share it with others.
Finally you have developed trust where they will buy what you recommend.
They will know like and trust you so tell them about yourself and add a photo to bring you forward.
I even like to link every post to my about page so the readers can learn more about me if they are interested.
I try and recommend only affiliate links that are top of class ideas and mostly on a free trial basis so you make up your own mind.
There are a lot of scam artists lurking on the internet and they will take your money, time and confidence and leave you hating your new direction.
Take good advise from your training partners and keep to a narrow path.
Bloggers stay to a subject
The idea is to be seen as an expert in your field and definitely not someone that sells diet pills today and political comments tomorrow.
You will lose your followers when your pathway wanders from the topic. Stay true to your convictions and build a following in your nice, Readers that know what to expect.
Use Social Media often and properly
Social media is a great short form directory to the much longer articles contained in your blog.
It could be Facebook, Instagram or even TicTok although each have a pretty tight audience base.
The most popular social media is one that is in the target age. As an example TikTok is mostly under twenty and Pinterest over sixty and further more Instagram predominantly female readers so choose your media for the largest audience.
Using Video to support your blog
YouTube is searched nearly as often as Google with people wanting answers. Yes it has a lot of music and a whole bundle of trash however it does contain many answers.
Every post should include a YouTube attachment for several reasons. Your Keyword is seen more times, it is in front of a different audience, it keeps people on your page longer and gets extra attention.
Doing a quick video can be easy in this modern era and I use Vidnami a service where you can create a professional video in a short time. Save it to YouTube and build up a library of excitement.
Yes I am an affiliate but you get a seven day free trial to make as many videos as you like, store them and leave. The call is yours.
My blogger conclusion
My aim here has been to provide the basics of starting a blog, some information on content and a few ideas to enhance your product. It is not a one page subject.
Remember always that you are building a following and the money will follow the readers.
Furthermore you will enjoy the journey as you continue to learn and expand your own knowledge.
There is never a post I don't need to explore Google for more answers on the subject.
Learn the basics, do a few videos and grow your writing over time
If you enjoy my post you can comment below, share or save for another time I just trust I have helped in some small way. Look forward to say the answer to a question ” yes I am a blogger”
Creating a blog with WordPress the easy way with Peter Hanley
About
My final thoughts on blogging
Writing becomes a passion for those that enjoy the exercise. I find I am a better writer than speaker mainly because I can better compose my thoughts in a leisurely 1500 word post than engaging in a debate. No more the thought, “I wish I had said that” after the event. I can simply add to it just like this addendum.
