To put it in the simplest possible terms, a blog is an online journal or a website focusing mainly on providing information. It is a platform on the internet where a single writer or a group of talented writers share their views and knowledge on a particular topic. Today, the world of blogging is increasing and the number of blogs available on the internet is an obscene amount, 570 million and counting blogs to be precise.

Blogs give writers a platform to share their views on a particular subject and express their content in the way they feel is the best. One can start blogging for a number of reasons; it could be for personal use or in some cases even used to blog and raise awareness about a particular business or brand. If you blog for business related purposes, the goal of the blog is to rank your website as high as possible in Google SERPs, i.e. the google software that correlates to visibility. Another main purpose of blogging is to attract as many customers as possible. This is done by uploading quality content on your blog to grab the attention of the maximum number of potential customers. Blogging helps in keeping the business relevant allowing your business to be easily discoverable and also keeps your business competitive.

Blogs also boost traffic and carry the potential to generate quality leads and send them towards the company’s website which might showcase various other products. Posting your niche knowledge via the creation of engaging and attractive blog posts helps in building credibility and grow your brand’s presence in the market.

Is a Blog Worth Starting?

The biggest misconception that prevents numerous people from starting their own blog is that you need to be an excellent writer to have a successful blog. This is the furthest thing from the reality. Blogs are meant to be personal perspectives of the writers and that is just what people are looking to read. They are usually written in a very informal and personal manner. The format these days allows bloggers to even write about multiple topics in the very same blog. And to start a maintain a successful blog, one does not need to be an expert on any of the topics that they write about. The only main requirement of being a successful blogger is to have passion for writing about the particular topic. Passion really makes that much of a difference, the core of blogging is about sharing your personal knowledge and experiences with the world. Writing passionately not only makes blogging easier but also makes it enjoyable for the writer as well. As far as the discussion on blogging being successful and enjoyable in 2021 goes, IT IS VERY MUCH ALIVE! And it has not about to die anytime soon. Blogs are consumed in a completely different manner to what they were 10 years ago. They key to being a successful blogger in 2021 is to stay true to yourself and your writing, staying relevant in the best possible way and adapting their writing and presentation to keep up with the trends.

Why Blog?

Blogging is an avenue for people all around the world to share their knowledge and experiences related to a particular topic with the world via the internet. Some other reasons why you would want to start your own blog are the following:

1. The Ability to Share Your Story

Starting your own blog allows you to have your own voice and story heard. You can share your own story or experience with the entire world by just sitting at home, thanks to blogging. Daily experiences of themselves, friends and family are some of the most common things that bloggers write about. This gives readers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the reading experience and make them a part of the blogger’s life.

2. The Ability to Make Money From Blogs

Blogging can be a very lucrative business if executed well. Not just the top and well-known one bloggers but, even part-time bloggers can earn a decent sum of money if everything is followed and executed to a particular plan. The income that a blogger would receive would be passive income, due to the fact that blogging can be done by just writing content a few hours a week. The profits however from this content can be experienced for a longer time, even after the writing is finished.

3. Gaining Recognition For Yourself And Your Business

A successful blog turns your idea into a reality, and this can help you in gaining a ton of recognition in your respective field industry and field. Bloggers can gain a huge following and become well-known experts and even get offered book and in some cases even movie deals based on their blogs.

4. Finding a Community

Blogging at its absolute core is interactive by means of people have the ability to write comments on your posts. It provides for an excellent way of connecting with people who share the same interests and passion as you do as the writer. Blogging also provides opportunities to teach and learn from your readers through your blogs and the personal experiences related to the topic of the blog.

Now, without further a-do, let’s look at the steps one should follow to start their blog:

Step 1: Picking a Name For The Blog

The first step to making a new blog is choosing a name for the blog. Blog names are often also referred to as domain name. Blog names are better when they are descriptive as it allows potential readers to instantly figure out what your blog is about. The topic that you are writing your specific blog on should be clearly understood by the visitors. After deciding on a name for the blog, the choice needs to be made in terms of domain extension. The most preferred domain extension is .com, but on many occasions, the .com versions are already taken by other people and in such cases, using domain extensions such as .net or .org are also very effective.

Step 2: Putting Your Blog Online

Now that a name has been decided for the blog, the next step is to get the blog online. I know this sounds quite hard and technical but by following just a few simple steps, this process will become a walk in the park for you. The two main resources required to get a blog up and running are: Blog Hosting and Blogging Software. The good news that you can take out of this is the fact that both of these resources are generally offered together in a package. These resources are offered by Blog hosts. Blog hosts are companies that will store all the files for your blog and delivers them straight to the user when they type in your blog name. Having a blog host is absolutely paramount in order to have a blog. The other main requirement is that you need to have the necessary software to build your blog. I personally would recommend using BlueHost as your blogging software for all new bloggers because of the features that they offer for a very low-price making it one of the most value-for-money products on the market. Using BlueHost is very easy-to-use as well.

To get BlueHost and start your blog all you need to do is follow these steps:

1. Go to their website, click on get started and selecting your plan is the first step. The basic plan would be recommended to all bloggers who are just starting out.’

2. Type in the domain name chosen by you in the left box and start your registration process.

If the user wants to use a domain that they already know, then instead of typing in the domain name in the left box, they should type it in the right box to start the registration process.

3. Filling out billing details on the registration page

4. Choosing hosting package and other options according to your preferences.

All BlueHost accounts come with account plans that have everything needed by you to get your blog up and running . It also includes a free custom domain name along with easy WordPress installation and many other features.

The 36 month package has the lowest monthly rates, and on the other hand the 12 month package comes with a lower up-front cost.

5. Proceed by creating your BlueHost account and a secure password to go with it.

6. Install WordPress

The system will automatically install WordPress. Upon completion of the installation process, clicking the WordPress button will log you onto the administrator area of your blog.

Step 3: Customisation of the Blog According to Your Preferences

Using BlueHost as your web host enables you to use WordPress absolutely free of cost. WordPress gives you the opportunity to change the entire layout or design of a blog depending on your personal preferences. Blog layouts are known as Themes. Themes have control over the entire presentation of the blog. Multiple themes are already installed on your blogs. They are attractive and clean-looking themes that are designed in a way that they can be used by just about everyone’s blog. Not only this, BlueHost allows you to choose from thousands of free WordPress themes. It is user-friendly and very easy to use.

Step 4: Writing and Publishing of Your New Blog

Now that the blog is up and running, it’s time to get some quality content on there. Content that should be provided in a blog are of two different natures. Static & Dynamic.

Static Content; The blog should absolutely contain certain pages designed explicitly to provide visitors with all the required tools. Static Content mainly contains top-level pages that are generally accessed through a menu on the blog. Some important static pages that a blog should contain are the following:

• Disclaimer Page
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service

These pages are usually linked to the footer menu of a blog. They should be visible and accessible easily from the home page.

Dynamic Content; The dynamic content is the most important content that you are offering to the world. This is the part where you as a creator or writer can influence the blog in your own way and share useful information based content by supplying the audience with knowledgeable facts and opinions on a particular subject matter. This is what connects you to the reader and this is the content that the visitors look at to see if they want to come back for more. So the content needs to passionate, at all costs. Because writing is all about passion, and nothing else.

Step 5: Promoting Your Blog

Creating and writing down top-notch content is just the beginning. In order to grab attention of people all around the world and to get them interested in your blog, you need to spend a lot of your time advertising it as well. Telling the people closest to you and asking for their help to spread the news is a great way of  promoting your blog. Social media is next in turn and the advertising and marketing possibilities via social media are limitless. Posting links to your newest and latest content on various social media platforms will enable you to reach a wider audience and also raise brand awareness. Becoming famous through your hard-work and top quality content, is more likely through social media with chances of your work going viral are higher. Commenting on blogs from other creators and thus interacting and collaborating with other bloggers is another way of boosting your visitors and increase web-traffic. Creating engaging content and engaging with your audience form time -to-time is another great way of growing your blog by raising brand awareness. Optimising your blog for search engines is one of the most important steps that one needs to follow. This is because being search engine optimised makes it easier for you to be discoverable by new and potential visitors.

Blogs have always had a personal touch feeling with writers expressing their points and views on a particular topic and discussing it with the world. And they always will, thanks to the rising competitiveness in all aspects of the market. This requires writers and creators to constantly adapt their work to stay relevant and stay up-to-date with the trends of the market, but the personal touch of every writer, their writing skills and language can never fade away. And blogs are keeping it alive for all the writers who are out there. Too everyone who is thinking about creating a blog but just isn’t sure, YOU SHOULD MAKE IT! It’s worth it, even in 2021. There are still millions of people who read blogs every single day and enjoy learning about new experiences of someone regarding the topic and also gaining knowledgeable facts and tips about topics that they are passionate about just like the blogger. Blogging can be used in. multiple ways and is a great platform on the internet to share your views, opinions, experiences and even stories on a particular matter allowing the blogger to fully express themselves.