There are a lot of online platforms that allow people to share content. That’s a great thing. But given the growing number of blog readers, learning how to become a blogger will be paramount in 2019 (and beyond).
Becoming a blogger is actually not that hard.
I say that from my own personal experience and from teaching others how to become bloggers. It used to be that one had to have a good background in programming and computer technology before starting a blog. In fact, without this technical background, you couldn’t become a blogger.
But that’s not the case anymore.
Blogging technology and a lot of computer software is extremely user friendly these days. If you can login to your facebook, upload a picture and write a blog post, then you’re ready to become a blogger. It’s very straightforward once you get the hang of it. And I will be happy to walk you through the required steps.
1. How Exactly Can You Become a Blogger?
In order to become a blogger, you have to do what bloggers do: you have to “blog.” And in order to “blog” and fill out your blog with articles, called “blog posts,” you have to start a blog.
Starting a blog costs you less than $5/month. You can start a blog by following my beginner’s blogging guide: How to Start a Blog in 2019 (with pictures): New and Complete Guide.
In my guide, I share with you the exact steps you need to take to start a blog. There, I will help you set up a blog, choose a theme, and get it ready to go live within 20 minutes (or less). It is the blogging guide I wish I had when I first started blogging.
As a bonus, I also discuss some of the mistakes I made when I first started blogging and explain how you can avoid them. I will be happy to see you succeed at blogging! 🙂
In this post, I will give a quick introduction to blogging. The information here will help new bloggers get acquainted with what blogging is all about. Also, and where appropriate, you will find links to help you take actionable steps – whether to host your blog, connect it with WordPress, and a lot more.
2. Why Become a Blogger?
People want to become bloggers because they want to promote their own brand and ideas.
Whether you’re a college student, a mid-career professional, a housewife, or a retiree, blogging is your way to leverage yourself and spread your ideas to the greatest number of people. In fact, blogging allows you to reach virtually everyone who has access to the internet (we are talking about billions of people).
Given the global nature of the internet, you need to set aside the limitations you have about your ideas or products. You’re not selling something in your neighborhood to hundreds or maybe thousands of people, you’re selling to millions and perhaps even tens of millions of people around the globe. So what doesn’t sell in your neighborhood might be a hot commodity in another part of the world.
So if you are a new blogger, try not to judge your ideas or products too quickly. Give your ideas a fair trial. Once you have had enough feedback from your readers, you will be able to judge your ideas more accurately.
2. Start a Blog to Become a Blogger
To start a blog, you need two things:
- A hosting provider (also known as a “host”)
- A blogging platform to manage your blog and run your site.
For new bloggers, I recommend the following services (these are the services that I personally use to run this blog):
Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links which means I will receive a commission if you click and make a purchase. Please know that I only promote products that are useful and not because of the small commission I will receive. I value your trust more than anything.
2.1 Best Budget Web Hosting
This is the host that I trust. I have never experienced any problems from using their service. Their tech support team is extremely friendly and they are always there if you need any help. And I mean that literally: they are available for help 24/7. I always use their chat box for any questions I have relating to the functionality of my blog. I would never trade them for another host.
If you are looking to start a small business, then I recommend WP Engine. With WP Engine, your website’s speed will skyrocket, and that can help you rank higher on google. (Did you know that your website’s speed is connected to the speed of the server on which your website is housed?). This is why you have to pick your web host with care. See the actual results of changes in speed before and after using WP Engine – and from actual users who migrated to WP Engine.
2.2 Best Blogging Platform
WordPress is your content management system (CMS). It the free software on which many sites run. In fact, my blog runs on this software. It’s secure, easy to use, and it’s free.
While you can use the free themes available to you by WordPress, I don’t recommend a free theme. They are not regularly updated. And if there is a crash for whatever reason, then you will most likely lose all of your content. I know, it sucks. Personally, I bought my own theme from the get-go. I never used a free theme. The theme sellers that I recommend are: 1. Elegant themes, and 2. Mytheme shop. (Disclosure, I will receive a commission (at no cost to you) if you purchase a theme from these sellers. Notice that I am very transparent about this. And I talk about these sellers and their products because I believe in those products and can stand behind them, and not because of the small commission I will receive.)
And there you have it. You now have a blog for under $5/month! Congrats!
Now you’re ready to start writing your content.
For a complete list of all the tools you need to start a blog, see my blogging resources. For a quick list, see my 8 must-have blogging tools to start a successful blog.
3. Choose a Blog Niche
To become a blogger, you need to choose a blog niche and blog in that niche. However, new bloggers tend to become so obsessed with “niches” and what is a “hot” niche or a profitable niche that it paralyzes them from taking action. Don’t start your blogging journey with “analysis-paralysis.”
Start a blog on something you care about and want to actually write about. This could be anything that’s near and dear to your heart. You may want to start a beauty blog, or start a food blog, or even a blog about watches, crafts, arts and more.
Don’t pursue “profitable” niches that you’re not passionate about. I can’t imagine how you would spend your time writing quality content, marketing your brand and investing in a product that you don’t care much for. Focus on what you’re passionate about and optimize your blog.
As far as the amount of blogs in your niche, don’t be swayed away by that. People are going to tell you that your niche is too crowded, or your niche is already saturated. Well, that’s the case in the real world as well. We always hear people say: don’t study law (there are too many lawyers) or medicine (it takes a very long time) or art (only few people ever make a living from it), etc. But you can still do any of these things and become successful at them. I know many talented professionals who pursued what they actually loved to do and became successful at it.
So start writing about topics you know and care about. With time, you will learn how to gauge what resonates with your readers. And then you can shape your blog accordingly.
4. Become a Blogger for the Right Reasons
As a new blogger, you have to be clear on why you want to become a blogger. This is an important step if you want to succeed at blogging in the long term.
I personally became a blogger because offline opportunities were not allowing me to pursue the full development of my own ideas.
I wanted to start a blog because I wanted more freedom.
I wanted more flexibility.
And I wanted to teach others and help them become good at what they truly love to do.
Many new bloggers start out wanting more freedom and flexibility, but for some reason, they end up re-creating the conditions that made them want to quit their jobs. They start writing about topics they don’t care much about, they find themselves feeling the need to copy others, they stop taking it seriously, etc.
Keep you reasons in front of your mind’s eye, and work from there.
4. Entrepreneurship for New Bloggers
If you’re a new blogger and have entrepreneurial aspirations, or if you already have experience running businesses, then online entrepreneurship is an experience you should have under your belt.
Your investment for such start-up is going to be less than $5/month (for the hosting service and domain name) so it’s pretty much free entrepreneurial experience for you.
In fact, if you were to compare just how much it would cost you to start a physical business, you’re looking at 10,000x the cost of starting a blog – if not more.
And after you start a business, you will be faced with the reality of having to start a blog in order to gain publicity and get more leads, or even to sell online. To be honest, starting a blog or a website in today’s economy is a must. I can’t understand how any business can exist without an online platform.
Moreover, the internet will continue to exert its presence in our lives for the foreseeable future. Don’t ignore its potential and the opportunities that can come through it.
5. Marketing Your Blog
Now that you have a blog up and running. You need the world to know that you exist, and for that you need to market your blog and yourself.
Start getting accustomed to the idea that you have to offer free value to potential customers before you pitch them your product or service.
Start making videos on Youtube.
Start answering questions on Quora. And publish your content to twitter, facebook, and whatever works best for you content.
Things will grow from there.
Finally, even if you don’t get financially rewarded for your writing right away, the learning experience of writing and receiving feedback from the blogging community will give you a fresh perspective on your brand and ideas. And this experience can perhaps direct you toward better and more fulfilling future opportunities – whether online or offline.