I got some time to kill today so I decided to make a quick article about making your own blog.
I’ve been blogging for more than two years now and although I don’t post articles as frequent as before, I can say I know a thing or two about blogging.
Blog which is short for WebLog started more like as an online diary of a person who owns the blog. Now it can be a full website pertaining to almost anything from gadgets, sports to political topics.
Making your own blog is easy and you don’t have to spend a penny to make one. Two of the most popular free online blog services are Blogspot which owns by Google and WordPress.com which is different from wordpress.org
Let’s talk about Blogspot first. Because it is Google owned, then it has an advantage to be more searcheable and you can also put Adsense (ads from Google) in it. It’s main disadvantage is, the themes are very limited and the format sucks. Really.
Now when it comes to WordPress.com, the themes and the format are much better than Blogspot. There are more theme options too compare to Blogspot but you can not put any ads including Adsense to your WordPress.com blog.
Now if you are really serious about making a blog, then I suggest get your own domain name thats pertaining to your blog topic e.g. thelifeofbusybee.com if you compare yourself to a bee and wants to talk about your daily activites. This way the blog domain itself is already about your blog topic and it will have more weight on Google search results. So if your blog is about cars, then your domain name should be about cars too. The more specific your domain name usually the better.
The cost of domain name is usually between $7 to $10 per year but it comes free if you buy a hosting service for like $60 – $70 year. That’s like $5 to $6 a month for getting your own domain name plus your own hosting that’s a lot better than any other free blog sites out there.
For hosting, I suggest you take a look at Bluehost which got some very good reviews, and I personally use it to host this very own blog. Their pricing is competitive and their customer service is top notch. There are dozens of very good hosting providers out there, just search and pick the one that fits your budget but make sure check the reviews first.
Finally, you need content to put on your blog so I suggest you write your ideas or topics in a small notebook so when its time to write, you will have something to start with. As bloggers would always say, Content is the King.
I almost forgot to add, you need to let everyone to know about your article or blog itself. Put it in your Facebook wall, Tweet it or just go to similar blogs and let them know about yours by adding comments to their articles, just don’t spam them please.
If you have anything to add or tips for new bloggers, please feel free to add it on the comment section below.
Nice comprehensive about the basics of blogging, just what I was looking out for. My sister recently broke up with her boyfriend and now has no job and is at home. She has a child to look after and wants to spend time with her, so I suggested that she take to blogging. I explained the brief to her, but she still seemed confused so I was looking out for something like this to make it more clear to her. Thanks for the post seems very nice, to the point and informative all at the same time.
Blogging is my passion and when I happened to come across your website and write-up I decided to give it a read as I always love the “Yeah, I knew that one” feeling but I did not feel that this time around. Like I did not know that WordPress.com and .org were different. I thought they were one and the same thing. Thanks for the valuable advise. Your post has made me more aware of the details of blogging, that I was earlier unaware of.
I have just started blogging and was very happy to stop by on your website and read information here that will help me out with my computer repairs business and its promotion online. It is really great that you are writing posts on interesting subject, keep the posts coming. Cheers and take care, hoping for a post in 2012 on another topic.
Blogging basics are like a must have while going out to war and this is really great stuff that you have put up. Helped my wife, a lot and she has suggested it to me. Keep posting such useful stuff. Our business is doing much better as you guys have given your inputs to us, really great going.
I’m looking to start blogging in the near future. From what I can work out, WordPress is all in all the best platform (despite being subjective, the majority favour WP). I’ve also heard that its easier to promote a blog thats based on one specific ‘niche’ as you can target more specific short and longtail keywords. Essentially its better to be a master of one niche than mediocre of many, now its just picking a topic to focus on. Thannks for your tips.
Thanks for sharing these with us. Love it every sense of blog.
Pettina07´s last [type] ..Les Deux Alpes
The cost of domain just increased but we can always use coupon codes to get discounts. Also, you can start blogging on free platform then when you are decided to earn from your blogs, then invest on hosting and domain.
Liz Linking Guide´s last [type] ..Free Directory List from Virtual Media Options
I guess I can give a tip or two as well. First of all, if you are going to learn a platform for self hosted blog, then learn wordpress. It is awesome and easy. My second tip is to decide what will be the purpose of your blog – will it inform people of some useful information or will it give your opinion on a subject or something else. And when you choose, stick to it. And third tip is to care about people and their comments, to respect them and spend some time communicating with then in the comments or in social networks. Don’t waste too much time, just decide a certain time and length for this activity so you do not waste a lot of time. Time is the biggest resource you have.
Nikolay@Skype Tricks´s last [type] ..How To Make A Skype Test Call
This is a great post, ZXT. I’m a WordPress lover and I can really say that it’s much flexible and elegant-looking than Blogspot, and you can add so much into it. In the past, blogging is just a past-time for many people but nowadays, internet enthusiasts take it more seriously as it is one great way to earn income.
Agree with all your tips. Although setting up a blog sounds complicated, that’s the easiest of tasks for a blogger as far as getting noticed and monetizing is concerned. The major aspect to focus on is having useful, informative content for the audience. Unless this aspect is taken care of proactively, none of the other aspects will mater…
Raj@ Blog Writing Service´s last [type] ..Content Writing Service Vs Full-Time Writer
It is very good to have your own blog and to enlist your blog in organic searches but it is very difficult to earn money through blog.
Maja@fantastic sams´s last [type] ..Choice of Hair Color
Nice post! Blogging is a great hobby and way to marketing your business or yourself. thanks for sharing!
Ally @ chiropractors in charlotte nc´s last [type] ..5 Easy Ways to stay Healthy this Cold/Flu Season
I’ve a couple of false starts with blogging but I feel that I’m getting better at it. Post like these really help out. It’s always good to see people share their knowledge. My questions at the moment is how do i get my wordpress blog to ping the blog people. I don’t know the actual term, lol
Timmy @ About People Now´s last [type] ..Lauren Bateman – Songwriter, Musician, Cancer Survivor
Great article. We’re starting to blog and can use all the good information we can get!