14 Steps to Start a Blog in 2023
14 Steps to Start a Blog in 2023 – this is your quick list. This is simple to follow and gives you the tools you need to launch. Don’t wait another minute to get started, use this checklist today.
The number #1 wish of all new bloggers is the same, “I wish I would have started earlier”. Well the soonest you can start is right now, so don’t make excuses, create results. These are the same steps I have taken to launch this new blog as a case study. Join me and let’s start a blog in 2023 and make it a huge success.
What are the Steps to Start a Blog?
Lets get started and take a look at these steps one by one with more details.
1. Pick a Niche
Picking a niche sounds easy but if you do this part wrong, your blog will most likely fail. I know this from experience, I launched my first blog many years ago and it failed. The advice I took was simple, follow your passion. That sounds great but there is one HUGE problem with that advice. You must pick a niche that has income potential.
I loved martial arts so I thought why not start a blog about teaching martial arts online. It failed for many different reasons but not before filming a ton of videos and spending hundreds of hours working on my website. You can see the Youtube Channel that is still alive today with over 800K views https://www.youtube.com//KarateClassesNearMe/. The website is still up and running without any ongoing effort http://karateclassesnearme.com. I show you these so you can learn from my mistakes and not follow in my footsteps.
So here are the steps to picking a niche the right way:
- Look for income potential and a way to monetize (make money) your website. This time I am using the affiliate marketing model. So I did research on niches that interest me but are easy to monetize.
- Look at Clickbank.com, CJ.com, JVZoo.com, and many other affiliate programs.
- Start thinking of the keywords for the offers you want to promote.
2. Keyword Research Before You Start a Blog
Keyword research is a skill! I was told by an expert not to pick a niche until you spend at least 50 hours researching thousands of keywords and getting the hang of it. The #1 tool to do this is Ahrefs.com. They have a 7 day trial where you can do a lot of your research and cancel. I must say, if you’re serious about having an affiliate marketing business you need this keyword tool.
This tool will allow you to find low competition keywords that will allow you to rank on the first page of Google over time. This is where most newbie bloggers go wrong. They simply guess which articles sound good to write. Unfortunately they spend all of their time writing articles that no one will ever read.
3. Pick a Domain Name
We are almost to the point where you can pick a domain name. First I suggest that you head over to Namecheckr.com, it’s a free tool that let’s you see what names are available. Ideally you want to get the name in a .com and also be able to have a business FB page, and a Youtube channel. This tool will tell you if they are available.
I would also recommend using a domain name generator if you can think of a domain name. This post will give you some more tips on how to pick a domain name. They can really help you brainstorm and give you some ideas that you probably haven’t thought of yet. I don’t have a specific one that I would recommend, just go to Google and type in domain name generator and you will get a ton of options. Don’t rush this process, it may take some time to find the right domain but it will be worth it.
Avoid these mistakes with your domain name:
- Don’t use dashes, for example My-Great-Blog.com
- Make sure that people can pronounce the name and spell it.
- Don’t use EZ instead of easy and avoid numbers.
- Try to get a .com, most top ranking websites are .com versus anything else.
4. Get a Free Domain with Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the best domain name hosts out there. Use this link to get a Free Domain and a discount on hosting. This blog runs on bluehost and there are several reasons that I picked them specifically. They have everything you need to get started fast and continue to grow with you. They have a great special where you can get a free domain name and a free SSL Certificate included with hosting. Bluehost also has plans starting at just $2.95 per month, that’s awesome!
I also really like their 24/7 customer support. They are great at helping with those technical questions that you just can’t figure out. Trust me, that is not the case with every host. Waiting on hold only to finally speak to someone who you can’t understand or can’t understand your problem seems to be the norm these days.
5. Install WordPress for the Blog
If you went with Bluehost then this is the really easy part. Here is quick video tutorial below on how to install WordPress. They literally have a one-click WordPress install, that’s simple. Make sure you pick WordPress.org and not WordPress.com. There is a big difference in functionality, advertising, and using your website for affiliate offers. Just trust me on this one and go with WordPress.org. This article will help you install WordPress.
6. Pick a WordPress Theme
Don’t just pick any theme, pick the theme that is recommended by the affiliate experts, Generatepress. Google’s algorithms look at how fast your site loads and this theme is one of the fastest. I would rather have a race car to start the race rather than a lemon you have to figure out how to make go faster.
This theme is easy to customize and very beginner friendly. They have validated HTML, built in schema.org structured data and lightning fast load times. Generatepress will give you a head start with search engines before you even start adding in your content.
7. Install PlugIns
Don’t let this step scare you, installing plug-ins is as simple as pressing a few buttons. We aren’t going to install just any plug-ins, we are going to add ones that will make your website faster, optimize for SEO, and help it to get found by Google.
Here is a list of plug-ins that the experts recommend:
- Yoast SEO – this is probably the most important plug-in recommended by all of the experts.
8. Customize Theme
You can certainly do this yourself but if you would like to save a lot of time, I would hire someone from Fiverr to do it for you.
Only you know your skills so the decision is yours. I will tell you, hiring people to do the tasks that you’re not great at saves a lot of time and headache. This gives you the time and energy to focus on the things that matter most to the success of your blog.
9. Add Necessary Blog Pages
You don’t a ton of pages to launch your website but there are a few that I recommend:
- Home Page – this lets people know who you are and what you can do for them. Remember, it’s all about them.
- About You Page – this is a great way to connect with your readers. By letting them know who you are you’re able to make a connection. People follow and buy from people they like. Let them know the real you so you can start to build that relationship.
- Contact or Services Page – this is a big one if your going to offer professional services. This is how many affiliates start out, it’s one of the quickest ways to generate income. While your blog is building you can still be making money with services that you offer.
- Policy Page – I’m no lawyer, but I think Google want’s you to have one. You can do your own research on this one.
- Start Here – this type of page is a great way to give your readers some of your best free content right away. As you can tell, I link my start here page right to the 14 steps to start a blog in 2021 page. I want my readers to get one of my pillar posts right away.
- Miscellaneous Pages – You can add as many pages as you like but remember, the more choices a reader has, the less choices they will probably make. You can add a ton of content through your blog, I wouldn’t go overboard with too many pages.
10. How To Start a Blog in 2021 – 5 Posts before Launch
A good start is to have 5 different posts ready to go when you launch your blog. That gives you instant content versus a website with nothing there. Many experts recommend 5 Pillar Posts, which basically means your best content given for free. These posts are typically over 2000 words, but I didn’t follow that piece of advice to start.
11. Launch Your Website
Congratulations, it’s time to launch your website!! It’s an exciting time so give yourself a pat on the back, you have made it to a milestone that many quit before they even reach. You now know how to start a blog in 2021. With this knowledge you can start as many niche sites as you like. Take a minute to be proud of what you’ve done. But remember, now the real work begins but you can do it. Just keep working on your blog and take it one day at a time.
12. Add Google Analytics to Your Blog
Google Analytics is critical to understanding where your traffic is coming from and the keywords that get people to your site. Now that you are going to start a blog in 2021, you need to monitor the statistics. You also can see your most popular posts and a million other valuable statistics. Ok, maybe not a million but definitely more than I can cover in this one paragraph.
Head over to Google Analytics and set up your free account, they will walk you through the process and have you up and running in no time.
13. Start Your Facebook Business Page
I would reserve your FB Business page just so you have it. You don’t necessarily need to do a lot with it right away, but you certainly want the option. Having a Facebook Business Page will allow you to boost posts as well as advertise to your target market.
Once you reserve the page, which can be done easily right from your personal Facebook page, I recommend that you put in the basic information. This way your page is established and this is better down the road once you start advertising.
14. Start Your Youtube Channel
Much like the FB Business page, this is another channel you need to reserve. As you grow you will be glad you did. Youtube is the second largest search engine on the Internet right behind Google. There is a lot less competition and still a ton of traffic.
Experts predict that by the end of 2021 most people will watch videos over any other medium. For that reason alone you want to have your Youtube Channel reserved and ready to go.
14 Steps to Start a Blog in 2021 – Completed
I hope you found this list of 14 Steps You Can Take to Start a Blog in 2021 useful. This isn’t a deep dive but it’s certainly a great start. Don’t spend too much time sweating the details, just focus on getting things done and checked off the list.
The sooner you get your Blog up and running the sooner you can start adding value through your site and posts. This also gets you started on the path to ranking your site and blog posts on Google. Best of luck on your blogging in 2021!
Thanks for Reading,
Scott