Common Blogging Questions
Here are the blogging questions I'm asked most often. If you're wondering how to start a blog or you have a blog and you're not sure about next steps, you may find answers to your questions here.
This post was originally published in September of 2021, but it's been updated as of 12/24.
If you don't find an answer here, contact me with your questions and I will send you an answer as quickly as possible.
Instructions: To see answers to the questions below, just click on the grey box containing the question, and the answer will appear below it. To collapse the question just click on the box a second time.
A blog, (when done well) is a lead generation, sales and marketing system that enables business owners (also called content marketers) to generate passive income and build relationships with an audience to help their followers reach their goals.
A blog is typically a section on a website -- but, unlike the rest of your website it's dynamic, which means it changes regularly.
It's important to keep your site fresh and up to date with current information
Additionally, a blog is a tool that allows business owners to engage with an audience that knows, likes and trusts them. Business owners get better at connecting with their audience by analyzing key data, and interacting with your followers, answering questions and comments, generating leads and sales.
The History of Blogs
The first blog is believed to be Links.net, which was created by a Swarthmore College student Justin Hall in 1994. Many successful blogs got their beginnings in the early 2000s, like the Huffington Post. In 2003, the extremely popular WordPress was created.
Blogs used to be personal places where one could express ideas and opinions. They were link an online diary, web log or journal in which someone could share information or their opinion on a variety of topics.
They were used for personal hobbies or to communicate with family or groups. The information was posted reverse chronologically, so the most recent post would appear first.
Blogging has greatly grown in popularity over the years and isn’t going anywhere soon. If you don’t already have one, we highly recommend starting your own blog today!
Today, many businesses use WordPress, a free and open-source content management system written in PHP, that's paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database.
WordPress features include ease of use, and an easy plugin structure and a template system, referred to within WordPress as Themes.
Basically a blog is a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style to fulfill a business need.
There isn't a one size fits all number that you can assign to your salary as a blogger. Many bloggers start by monetizing their blog selling products that they create or by providing services to clients.
Once they have an established audience, the next path may be to start promoting affiliate programs consisting of products created by other companies. Then they venture out to other forms of earning and set up automated systems that help them earn passive income in addition to active income.
The reality is that a blogger can make anywhere from zero, to a few dollars per month to several thousands of dollars per month depending on their ability to reach and engage with an audience of people who are looking for what they have to offer.
Important factors include how you choose to monetize and advertise your blog, the amount of time you have to devote to blogging, the topic you choose to write about, as well as the number of page views (traffic) you receive each month.
If you post content of poor quality on an inconsistent basis, your chances of earning are not as good as someone who posts high quality (valuable to an audience) content on a regular basis.
In fact, if you are not writing content that helps your audience, and you are not able to make a connection with them, your earnings will reflect that gap.
This is where you might want to perform a Google search for "how much new bloggers make". Review your search results, and maybe ask the question in forums and Facebook groups to see what kind of answer you get.
There are resources that discuss how much bloggers can make and the benefits of blogging. There's an article on Glassdoor that shows that bloggers make an average base salary of $51,898.00. That means that some bloggers made less than that, and some made more.
Here's an article on Indeed.com that provides insight on blogger's salaries as well. The bottom line is that blogging is like most things, you get out of it what you put into it. If you put nothing in, you'll get nothing out.
I also did a video that discusses why I think that blogging is still one of the best way to earn online working from home. It's called
Why Blogging is One of the Best Ways to Make Money Online that walks through how blogs make money.
I would say from personal experience, that if you're thinking that blogging will be a way to get rich quick, think again.
Blogging takes time and work. But once you're established with an audience and a profitable niche, the sky is the limit.
There was a time when you needed coding skills to have a blog. You had to hire a developer to get in the game, which was a long drawn out, expensive process. That is no longer the case.
Today, technical skills are not required to build a blog, website or online store. And for most people who regularly email, fill out forms, buy products in online stores, and interact on social media using online apps and websites, building a blog is not a problem.
WordPress the self hosted platform we recommend, is user-friendly, with drag-and-drop features and extensive tutorials. Bluehost, one of the hosting providers we recommend, offers one-click installations and customer support.
If you can follow written and video instructions, you have experience dragging and dropping files, uploading and downloading files, you should be able to build a blog.
To get started blogging visit our free tutorial that walks you through the process of setting up a blog. There are videos and written instructions that will enable you to be a blog owner in less than 30 minutes.
How quickly you get to start writing your first post, or listing your first product will depend on how much time you have to devote to choosing what you business will actually look like.
Here are some of the things you'll need to decide to get started. However the entire process is included in the tutorial.
You will need to select a name for your blog or business and select a domain. The domain is the "www.nameofyourblog.com" that people will use to find your business.
You'll also need a hosting plan. Your hosting company will be the company that rents you server space stores all the files that make up your blog, like images, posts (articles), pages, audio, videos etc. The hosting companies we recommend for new bloggers are BlueHost and Hostgator.
You can use the Bluehost form below to see if the domain you want is available.
In our tutorial we show you how to get started choosing your domain and hosting, installing a theme, setting up pages and navigation, and writing your first post. Then we'll show you how blogs earn and give you tips you can use to start getting results.
We recommend starting a blog that captures your interests. Research and select a topic (niche) you would enjoy writing about. Pick 3 - 5 categories (sub-niches) that you will write about and use them as categories for your blog. Here's a tutorial that walks you through selecting a niche that ties in with your hobbies and interests.
Our marketing newsletter will also help you with strategies you can use to generate leads and sales. Follow our podcast to listen on the go.
You should blog about topics in your niche with a focus on the information your audience is looking for.
When you start your blog based around a topic that captures your interests, a hobby, or a skill you've developed, you will have more insight into the challenges, and issues your audience needs help with. That will help you come up with ideas of what to write about.
Use Google searches, niche related forums, platforms like Quora and Facebook groups to review the kinds of questions people are asking about your topic.
Then write "your take" on the subject, providing insight and resources they can use for ideas and solutions.
You can use your blog to give your audience ideas, make recommendations, review products that helped you with a particular issue and do demonstrations and videos that helps your audience get real results.
Always seek to help your audience and that will help you gain the know, like and trust factor.
The goal when organizing and presenting your blog content is making your site easy to navigate. When someone lands on your site, they will not hang around if it's hard to find what they (your ideal customers) are looking for. If they can't find what they need, they will move on.
Each post should be optimized for SEO, and organized in a category that uses the keywords your audience will use to find your content.
If you have specific questions about organizing your blog, a review might be in order, and you can request a free blog review.
The goal with the review is to help readers organize their blogs and figure out their biggest blogging challenges.
Reviews are performed and feedback sent via email.
Request a Blog or Shop Review
Request a review using by messaging me on my Facebook page or by submitting a request here. In your request, provide a link to your blog with your name (first name is fine) and your email address.
I will take a look at your blog or shop and notify you via email when I've completed the review. I'll also include a link to set an appointment to go over the results.
There are lots of free options for setting up a blog on platforms like Blogger, Tumblr, WordPress.com, Weebly and more. So the short answer is you can start a blog for free.
Free platforms have limitations on how you can post, so it's a good idea to read the terms of service to ensure that you are following the rules and that your topic falls within what's allowed.
We recommend setting up a self-hosted WordPress blog, and using shared hosting. Shared hosting means you pay for space you share (with other companies) on a web server provided by your hosting company. This is the most economical way to get started.
Once you've established your business you can graduate to a VPS, managed or dedicated server which usually costs more.
The companies we recommend to start out, for your domain and hosting are Bluehost and Hostgtor. Details are listed in our blogging tutorial where you'll receive step by step instructions you can use to start a blog.
The cost to run your blog will vary based on what you would like to do with it. Here's an article that discusses what you can do with WordPress. At a minimum, you'll need a domain, hosting and a theme.
Shared hosting on Hostgator and Bluehost are both very reasonable.
As of the date of this article, Bluehost's shared hosting ranges between $2.95/month for the first year and renews for $9.95/month for the basic plan. The plus plan is $5.45 for the first year and renews at $13.95 per month. They also provide a free domain for the first year.
Hostgator's shared hosting for the hatchling plan is $2.75 per month for the first year and renews at $6.95 per month. The baby plan is $3.95 per month and renews at $9.95 per month. They provide a free domain for the first year as well.
There's also WP Engine, a managed hosting provider that has affordable plans that you can use as well. WP Engine runs sales that provide the first four months of hosting for free.
Once you've paid for a domain and hosting, you can use a free theme that will enable you to start writing articles and sharing content. You can also invest in a premium theme that will enable you to set up automation that will help you earn passive income.
We recommend Thrive Suite, the premium theme we used to create this blog, and Elementor. As your blog grows, you can add more bells and whistles.
Among most of the major players, shared hosting plans range between $2.75 – $15 per month, depending on whether you pay monthly or annually. The most affordable way to pay for hosting is annually.
The great thing about blogging is that you can earn in a number of different ways from multiple sources. Here's a quick download that shows the ways you can earn from a blog with links you can use as a reference.
I also did a video that discusses why I think that blogging is still one of the best way to earn online working from home. It's called
Why Blogging is One of the Best Ways to Make Money Online that walks through how blogs make money.
We recommend setting up a blog and using it to sell and promote a service (or a product you've created) as a faster way to start earning. Take a look at our page that lists out a number of side hustle ideas for some additional ways you can earn with a blog.
Once you have an audience established, affiliate marketing is another great way to start earning with a new blog. The list below shows the other ways bloggers earn money.
A successful blog, (more than anything) provides valuable information to a targeted audience while helping the blogger reach their goals.
For example, if the goal is to help an audience of people do something that improves their lives while helping the blogger earn regular monthly income, and those goals are accomplished, it's a success!
It's assumed that if a blog can reach its income goals they must be doing something right, even if everything isn't perfect.
A successful blog is also one that breaks down information in a way that readers understand.
Once someone understands a concept, they can take action on it. So I would also say that a successful blog helps readers take action that moves the reader closer to a solution or idea.
The audience might pay the writer or support the blog by purchasing products, services but it's not required. It's the blogger's job to motivate the reader to take an action that would result in the purchase of a product or service.
Successful blogs present information in a way that is easy to find, easy to read and when it comes to helping readers (the audience) reach their goals.
Some successful writers also provide additional customer focused support that helps their readers find resources.
Promoting your blog can be easy if you're able to get your products in front of the right people. Getting your products in front of the right people requires a process that involves research, testing and feedback, and that will help you find your target audience. Going through this process takes time, an helps you get better and better.
Promoting your blog and getting results can be hard if you randomly place your products and services in the wrong places. You can spin your wheels and go absolutely nowhere, making no money until you understand your target audience.
Once you're in front of your target audience, "your tribe", basic digital marketing strategies like sharing posts on social media, joining online communities, and optimizing content for SEO can go a long way. Consistency is the key to building momentum.
The best kinds of posts are the ones that your audience responds to. To add variety, I use several types of posts and writing styles that my readers respond to the best. The most popular kinds of posts are the following:
Most of these are self explanatory, but I'll explain what I mean by the following:
Pillar posts - A pillar blog post is an in-depth blog post that covers all aspects of a specific topic. These blog posts are 1,500 to 3,000 words long, and they are optimized for search. These kinds of posts are your opportunity to educate and inform your readers about your topic (niche) and your expertise in this area. These posts position you as an authority that knows what they are doing when it comes to helping readers.
Convenience guides - These posts give readers a list of things that make it convenient for them to accomplish a certain task. Things like vacation packing lists, college dorm or new apartment lists, favorite gifts for men/women, favorite golfing equipment, favorite movies lists... well, you get the picture.
Latest industry news - It's good to show readers that you're keeping up with the latest industry news. However this shouldn't become like tabloid reading, unless that's your niche.
How to posts or tutorials - These kinds of posts show your readers how to do something related to your niche. They are really helpful when they include videos and step by step instructions. Go the extra mile and provide a digital download that can be used as a reference for readers.
Checklists - checklists give readers a quick and easy way to get a certain outcome. There will be an improvement or transformation that will give readers something they need to accomplish something quickly. They get right to the main points and lead the reader to an outcome.
Interviews - These posts are good to include if you have a podcast or you're interviewing customers or other business owners as part of your business. Including the interviews gives your audience tips and resources they might be able to use or implement in their business.
Success stories - If you have testimonials or customer success stories they can be used on your blog to show how your products and services are used and that others are accomplishing their goals using your products. You should also have a testimonials area on your blog that highlights satisfied customers.
Industry News - It's good to add a post or two about things that will have an effect on your readers. Things like changes to technology, the roll out of new models, the removal of services, closures and supply chain issues, etc.
Those are examples of the kinds of industry news that affects the average consumer. Of course if it has a direct effect on your business you might want to cover those changes as well.
According to Hubspot, for SEO, the ideal blog post length should be 2,100-2,400 words. I think that based on the topic and your audience a shorter blog post of 500 - 1000 words will suffice.
The goal should be to thoroughly cover the topic you are discussing and add value for your audience. Value is a very subjective thing so a lot will depend on the people you are trying to reach.
Google wants the content delivered in its search engine to provide an excellent user experience. It's also important that Google doesn't perceive that you are providing what they consider thin content.
You can write to satisfy the needs of Google, which is like trying to hit an always moving target, and in my opinion a real challenge that you may never master. Your goal should be to optimize for SEO, without obsessing over it. Use tools like Rankmath (the tool we use) to make SEO easier. They also have lots of great tutorials that show you how to optimize your content for search engines.
In my opinion, its best to learn what you can about your ideal customer and cater to the needs of your niche audience, versus obsessing over SEO. Use tools that will help you grow and expand based on audience needs.
The first step in promoting your content is to figure out who you are promoting your products and services to. Identifying your niche, and your ideal customer will make promoting to them a lot easier, and profitable.
Once you know who you're promoting to, the easiest way to promote your blog is by starting on free social media channels.
Promote on social media for free and even schedule posts so that they are distributed throughout the day without you having to sit in front of your computer all day posting. You can also use tools like Tailwind for Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.
Once you have converted your personal social media accounts to business accounts, you will have access to detailed analytics that will let you know when your audience in online.
Use that data to determine the best times to post using a tool like Tailwind.
Once you know what works with free social media posts, you can use the popular posts with paid ads to get your message out to a wider audience.
Until you know what works, buying ads might be a waste of time and money. Randomly posting without data is not a good idea. Always test and monitor your results to determine the topics and solutions your audience is looking for.
When you find a post that works, use it to buy ads on social media, targeting your ads to reach your ideal customers.
Using paid ads to build your audience is a great strategy to build your business quickly, however it's not an option you should use until you have data that helps you understand what's working with your audience.
Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest give users the ability to run ads that make it easy to promote to a targeted audience. With paid ads, make sure you understand how to use each platform to avoid wasting your advertising budget.
Word of mouth, offline marketing methods, promotional products and referrals from happy customers are also great ways to promote your business.
Build an audience for your business by understanding who your ideal customers are. Learn as much about the people who would be a perfect fit for your business as possible by researching your niche.
If you haven't selected a niche, or you need help researching the perfect niche, take a look at our video playlist that walks you through identifying your hobbies, skills and interests, selecting a niche, choosing a product and learning to attract your ideal customers to your business.
Start looking at the challenges people in that niche are facing and any niche specific trends. Use that information to write content that gives your audience ideas and information that helps them resolve issues, satisfy their needs and wants and motivated them to take action to make their lives better. Quality content will help you attract more people to your blog.
Once people are visiting your blog, the next step is to build an audience of people who are interested in your content.
Specifically, will need to start building your email list. To learn about list building and email marketing, read the article here.
When you have an opportunity, request regular feedback by placing feedback forms, surveys and places to leave testimonials on your site. Use that data to improve and attract more people to your blog.
Traffic happens as a result of bringing more people to your blog to learn about and purchase your products, for information, tips and resources, resulting in building bigger and bigger audience of people you can talk to about what you do and what you have to offer.
The steps to drive traffic will involve knowing your ideal customer, making sharable content (make it easy for your readers to share your content) and putting it in front of more and more people who fit your customer avatar.
Here are some of the social media sites that get a huge number of visits each day. You can use these sites and others like it to consistently post your blog content so that it can be seen by people who would be a perfect fit for your business.
Facebook
2.9 billion monthly visits
Instagram
2+ billion monthly visits
Tik-Toc
1 billion monthly visits
Tumblr
74 million monthly visits
Quora
300 million monthly visits
Slideshare
60 million monthly visits
YouTube
1.7 billion monthly visits
Pinterest
431 million monthly visits
LinkedIn
310 million monthly visits
Twitter
330 million monthly visits
The fastest way to build traffic (once you have set up a data gathering tool) is to purchase ads on the platforms where your ideal customers hang out.
Taking the steps outlined in the question above, "how do I create an audience for my blog" will also help. Use the answers there to learn about the initial steps you can take in addition to these, to drive traffic.
The first thing you should do is build your own branded blog or online store that you own and control. Use the link below to build a self hosted WordPress site that you own and control.
Once you have your own site, you can promote your company supplied products from your own branded store or your blog posts. This will allow you to build your own audience, giving you control over the direction you want your business to take.
You can set up your blog to send potential customers to your company supplied website so that you receive your commissions, but you're not limited to sell only those items. You can create digital products, like courses, guides and other resources your audience would love using to compliment the products you are selling.
Read our post about company supplied websites and how they can affect your business by clicking here.
Next, start researching topics that appeal to the people who would be most interested in buying your products and services.
What challenges are they facing? What ideas and suggestions can you help them with?
How can you educate them with a demo or tutorial that shows how to use your products?
Are their any products (even those that are made by other companies) that might compliment what you're selling with your company that might help you sell even more?
Decide on two or three keywords related to the niche related topics that you think your ideal customers would like to know more about. Make these keywords your categories and optimize your blog posts and content with these keywords.
Create five to ten articles, (or contract writing out to freelancers) on specific categories above. Be sure to proofread your articles for spelling and grammar. Then decide which keywords your ideal customer might use to search for your articles.
Post an article per day, making sure to place each article in the appropriate category. Repeat that process, making sure you're answering the questions (from forums, groups and niche related sites) your ideal customers have about your topic.
You might do a few videos, demonstrating and reviewing products, creating tutorials and lead magnets that you can give your ideal customer in exchange for his or her email address.
Be sure to drive traffic from your YouTube channel to your blog if possible.
Eventually, you will begin to attract your ideal customers to your site, resulting in targeted, high quality traffic.
There are lots of ways you can use your blog to brand yourself and your business as a "go-to" person/place for the products and services you're selling. You can also provide support to your ideal customers using your blog.
Yes, actually here are a few ways to blog if you hate writing.
If your blog is set up to capture leads, you have selected a niche and complimentary products and services to promote, you can start getting the word out about your business using social media and paid ads.
Your goal at this stage is to build an audience using social media and email marketing.
If you have a general blog but you don't know have a niche or a product or service that you can promote, start by taking a look at our hobbies, skills and interests inventory playlist that walks you through next steps.
You'll want to select a niche, identify your ideal customers, and select products that will help them. You'll also learn how important it is to attract your ideal customers to your business.
Once you've done the initial work, you can start writing articles, creating videos, demos, and tutorials for your audience. You can write guides that will provide ideas, tips, resources and information that will help people in your niche to accomplish their goals.
The more you can help others solve their issues, the better you'll be positioned to grow your business with satisfied customers who won't mind recommending your business to others.
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