Friday Five: How To Start a Blog in 5 Steps

How many times have you looked something up on the internet only to find the answer on a blog? People look to blogs for accurate information more than ever. In fact, it's the fifth most trusted online source. If you consider yourself an expert in a specific topic and you don't have a blog, you're missing out!

Why start a blog?

Blogging can be rewarding in many ways. To name a few perks:

• Share your knowledge and unique perspective with the world.
• Earn monthly income through your blog with affiliate marketing, advertisements or sponsorships.
• Improve your writing and content creation skills.
• Build a community of people who share similar interests.
• Include blogging in your resume to impress potential employers.

The more effort you put into your blog, the more you will get out of it. One of the best things about blogging is that they can be about anything— sports, music, fashion, business, you name it. Get your blog up and running by following these five simple steps.

1. Find something you are passionate about

It's essential to choose a blog topic that excites you. Maintaining a blog requires you to come up with new ideas regularly on one subject. Can't figure out what to write about? Ask yourself this question: "What could I talk about for hours and enjoy spending my free time learning more about?" When you're passionate about your blog topic, blogging will come easy.

2. Find a great domain name

Once you have a blog topic, it's time to begin establishing your online presence, starting with a domain name. Here are some general guidelines for an effective domain name:

• Memorable
• Not copyrighted
• Easy to spell and say out loud
• Contains keywords

If you can find your domain with a .COM extension, great! If not, try out other creative domain extensions like .BLOG, .ME, or .CO. You can even find domain extensions specific to your blog's topic, for example, if your blog is about travel, you can use domain extensions such as .WORLD, .GLOBAL, or .VOYAGE. If you write about food, try out domain extensions like .DIET, .KITCHEN, or .COOKING.

3. Find a home for your blog

There are hundreds of blog platforms out there, but it's up to you to find the one that fits the needs of your blog. When it comes to designing your blog, appearance is important because it sets the tone for your content. Even if you aren't a designer, there are many tools out there that can help you create an aesthetic blog page.

Some essential pages that you should include on your blog are:

• Contact Page - Allow your audience to connect with you through email or social media.
• About Me - Share a bit of background about yourself and why you started your blog.
• Category Pages - To make things easier for your readers, have separate pages for blogs on specific topics.
• Resources - Share additional resources for your audience to find more information about your topic
  

4. Create a plan for your content

Now that you've made a home for your blog, it's time to fill it with content. Determine a posting schedule that works best for you, whether that's once a week or once a month. Try to have a set schedule so your readers will know when to expect your next post. The more content you post, the more you can determine the content that performs best.

5. Share your content on the web

Now that you've created your blog, you need to spread the word about it! Use social channels like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to keep your audience up to date on your posts. You can also set up forms on your website to collect your reader's contact information for email newsletters, which will help you put content directly in front of your audience.

With Dynadot, you can register your blog's domain, and you can create a blog using our website builder, which comes with blog functionality and five customizable pages. Start your blog today!