Creating a blog can indeed be profitable. Research shows that there are more than 170 million blogs worldwide and thousands more are created every day. Whichever subject you search for, there will surely be a blog specialised in providing tips, news, research, experiences... Blogs are therefore fundamental elements for bridging the gap between the demand and supply of information.
Perform a simple Internet search on the subject, and you will undoubtedly come across a case of a blogger who earns US$ 20 926 a month, lives in front of Central Park, New York, but right now they’re travelling (and working) in the Caribbean. Okay, you may not reach such dizzy heights, but you should be aware that even modest bloggers can generate an attractive income and the freedom we crave so much. Think about it!
Contents
- It’s time to creating a profitable blog
- 1. What are you going to talk about? Have you already identified your niche?
- 2. Choose your blog name and register a domain
- 3. Which blog platform?
- 4. Suitable blog hosting
- 5. Design is just as important as content
- 6. The most important plug-ins to start your WordPress blog
- 7. Time to make some money. Do you know what an affiliate program is?
- 8. Build your media kit with the help of Google Analytics
- 9. An updated blog is a winning blog
It’s time to creating a profitable blog
Carry on reading this article, because I’ll show you 8 simple tips on how to create a lucrative blog. Tip number 6 is crucial for success.
1. What are you going to talk about? Have you already identified your niche?
Blogs that “cover a little bit of everything“ are usually unsuccessful and won’t be featured among the top results of the Google search. For this reason, choosing a niche for your activity is the best course of action. You will essentially be creating solutions for a specific group of people or companies.
Things to consider when choosing your niche:
- # Something that interests you, that you like and is a subject that you master;
# Check that there are enough people interested in this subject;
# Evaluate how much competition exists in this niche;
# Work with a niche that can function in the long-term;
# Think about the niche that promotes sales.
If you can identify a gap where needs are not being served, and where you can offer solutions, you could become successful more quickly.
2. Choose your blog name and register a domain
Now that you found the right niche for your activity, it’s time to choose a good name and register a domain.
- # Choose a name that’s linked to your niche. A shorter name that is easier to remember is even better;
# If it’s a company blog, consider using http://blog.yourcompany.com;
# If you are in doubt between different name choices, check Google Trends to see which are the most popular search terms for your area of interest.
# Assess whether the blog name or address is easy to pronounce.
3. Which blog platform?
WordPress is simply the most widely used global platform for blog creation, with over 50% market share. There are two models to choose from.
The first is WordPress.org, where you download it for free and install it on your host server. This model gives you the freedom to totally customise your blog, change the theme, install plug-ins and anything else you wish. It’s the more “time-consuming” option, although I do recommend it.
The second model is WordPress.com, which allows you to build your blog without having to contract a host server. On one hand, blog creation is more simplified, as you don’t need technical web design knowledge nor a host server, but on the other hand, it’s a more restrictive service with limited options for personalisation.
4. Suitable blog hosting
If you choose WordPress.org as your platform, on the version installed on your server, ideally the server should be trustworthy. Bluehost, for instance is a popular global service recommended by WordPress.
Remember that, more optimised your server is, the more chance you’ll have that your pages be indexed in Google and improve your positioning in search results.
5. Design is just as important as content
The design element will add value to your content, and visitors will be more interested in your blog as a result. Having a good theme conveys confidence, professionalism and authority on the subject. Themeforest is a marketplace with endless professional theme options.
More tips below:
- # Choose a theme that is appropriate for your niche and target market;
# Choose a responsive theme that works on desktop, tablet and mobile.
6. The most important plug-ins to start your WordPress blog
Yoast SEO – WordPress is already an excellent platform for SEO (search engine optimisation). With this plug-in, your blog is taken to a whole new professional level.
Smart Marketing for WP – allows you to effortlessly add E-goi’ s marketing automation resources to your blog.
7. Time to make some money. Do you know what an affiliate program is?
Any blog can promote products and services from a range of companies and get paid for it, via clicks on links or banners, generating online sales, displaying information or registering interested clients. The easiest and fastest way to get these advertisers is to take part in affiliate programs.
One of the oldest and most traditional programs is Google AdSense, that offers adverts that are relevant to your content and target market. According to Google, approximately US$10 billion was paid to editors (blogs or any other content sites) in 2015.
Other affiliate programs that could also help you to profit through your blog, promoting products that are sold online, are Awin, Afilio or Lomadee. These companies act as intermediaries with bloggers for large brands such as Extra, Americanas, Netshoes, Walmart among others.
If you feel that your blog would be better suited to Information Products, which are digital and sold in the form of online courses, e-books, apps, etc., good opportunities can be found in these three companies: Hotmart, Clickbank or JVZoo.
But if you intend to create a marketing, communication or design blog, then E-goi’s affiliate program is definitely the most suitable. With this, you earn 30% on all clients attracted and 30% on unlimited multilevel, and is one of the most rewarding programs on the market.
8. Build your media kit with the help of Google Analytics
Do you expect to have a successful blog without looking at its statistics? Google Analytics offers effective blog analysis, answering questions such as: Where did my visitors come from? What are the keywords that most attract them? Which subject sparks more interest? What is my reader’s profile?
Information such as this is essential for your marketing strategy. If you’re thinking of marketing your blog space, such as banners or advertorials, it’s a good idea to develop a complete media kit which checks all of your numbers and generates full transparency.
9. An updated blog is a winning blog
Research shows that blogs which are updated 5 times a week, can generate 5 times more traffic than those that are updated less than 4 times a week.
But we often see situations where bloggers run out of ideas, write less and many end up abandoning the blog entirely. There is obviously more to lose with a corporate blog, where the brand’s reputation is at risk. In other words, there’s no point in having a blog which is not updated regularly.
If you’re too busy to write, but you firmly believe in your blog and are willing to invest, you can also outsource the content creation by contracting services like Rock Content.