Blogging is an online journaling activity that began in early 2000 when technology was first being widely used on a global scale. Since then, it has grown exponentially. It started as personal journals or online diaries and has evolved into a platform for sharing personal thoughts, observations, experiences, and informational content. There are more than 600 million blogs worldwide as of now.
Below is a snippet of blogging growth. Check out more stats on blogging from SEMrush here.
Blogging Growth Statistics
- In 2020, there were 31.7 million bloggers in the United States.
- Blogging talent is growing. Between 2014 and 2020, the number of bloggers in the United States increased by 10 million.
- There are more than 500 million blogs out of 1.7 billion websites.
- Over 409 million people view more than 20 billion pages each month.
- Users produce around 70 million new posts and 77 million new comments each month.
- Content marketing is predicted to be an industry worth $412.88 billion by 2021.
- There are 89,409 Google searches per second.
(Source: SEMrush)
The benefits of blogging are numerous and include the ability to reach a wide audience, build a following, build your brand and grow your business. Don’t panic and think that there are so many bloggers out there and it is impossible to stand out. Yes, there are many challenges that come with the territory so it is important to take these into account before embarking on a blogging journey. But don’t give up that easily!
There are many ways to make blogging a success. With the growing popularity of social media and blogs, many people have started their own online presence to voice their opinion and share their knowledge on various topics. If you’re interested in starting your own blog, you have plenty of opportunities to do so while also making money from it. However, blogging is not an easy task and it takes a lot of time and effort. In order to have a successful blog, you need to plan out your schedule and create content that your followers will enjoy reading. This can be challenging at first but once you have established your routine, it becomes much easier. Here are some helpful tips that might help you to start blogging:
Plan your blog before you begin
Before you start the process of setting up a blog, it’s important to plan your blog. You don’t want to start a blog without a clear idea of your goals. And the direction you want to take your blog, as this will only lead to unnecessary stress and frustration. With so many different blogging niches, it’s important to decide on a topic you want to focus on. Identify the topic you are passionate about, focus on, and write primarily on that. As your blog grows and you start to build an audience, you’ll also have the option of branching out and writing about other topics as well.
Find the right platform for your blogging needs
There are so many blogging platforms available for you to choose from, but which one is right for you? There are many factors to consider when choosing the right blogging platform. Do you want to host your blog on your own website or on one of the many blogging platforms? If you have your own website, then you can host your blog on a subdomain. Or you can use a blog that offers hosting as a service. If you choose to go with a blogging platform, then you’ll have to choose between a blog builder, a content management system (CMS) and a blog website builder. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, Therefore, finding the right blogging platform for you is key to a successful blogging experience.
WordPress is in the top place with all options of hosting, building, and CMS (Content Management System). Other options like Wix, Squarespace, Tumblr, Weebly, and so on. You can check these free options to start your blogging site.
Create a simple yet effective blog design
A blog design is the first thing your readers will notice about your blog, so it’s important to make a good first impression with your design. When it comes to designing your blog, the main thing to keep in mind is to make it simple. While a splashy design might look appealing, you don’t want to lose your readers due to overcrowding. A good rule of thumb is to keep your blog design as simple as possible, with a few tasteful images and minimal text. As a blogger, you want your readers to focus on your content instead of getting lost in a sea of bright colours and flashing animations. Blogs with simple and effective designs tend to be more engaging and easier to navigate than those that are visually overwhelming.
Find the right tools to help manage your blog
Managing your blog can be a challenge, especially if you’re juggling other tasks as well. Fortunately, there are a number of tools out there designed to help you manage your blog more efficiently.
Blog Scheduling – WordPress allows you to schedule your posts, and I believe other hosting sites also have this feature. So, you can write anytime and schedule the posts. This means you can pre-write your posts and schedule them to be published at a later date, leaving you with more time to focus on other aspects of your life. And most of the hosting sites have mobile apps so you can be writing anywhere at any time without losing your continuity.
Social Media – Promotion. Reaching out to as many readers as possible. Marketing about your blog. All can be achieved using Social Media. Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube are all social media channels that can help you to reach as many people as possible. You can also use paid services like HootSuite, TailWind, and many other Social Media Management tools. They help you to manage all your marketing in one place. And helps to boost your social media presence.
Designing Tools – You need to have a design tool like Canva, Crello, or Adobe to design your featured images, marketing material, social media posts, and blog media. Images optimize your content, making it more effective and interesting. So, make sure to have a design tool.
You can also use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools like Yoast or SEMrush to optimize your blog posts.
Collaborate, Share and Encourage
Blogging is not simple, as mentioned before there are millions of blog posts published daily. There are thousands of topics covered. So it is important for you to explore other blogs, read other blogs, and follow others’ work. Collaborate with other like-minded bloggers via Social Media. Discuss with others. Share your thoughts. Learn from others. Appreciate and encourage new bloggers.
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
– Stephen King
Finally
This post is to provide blogging evolution and some tips to start your blog site. The first step to help you get started with your blogging journey. Before you begin, you need to plan your blog, find the right blogging platform for you, and create a simple, yet effective design. Once you’re set up, you can begin sharing your thoughts with the world using Social Media. Be passionate and keep writing, don’t lose interest, and collaborate with others to keep your interest alive. Blogging is the best way to express your thoughts, and experiences and share them with the world. Write with enjoyment.
“Writing is its own reward.”
– Henry Miller
Thanks for reading my post. Please check out my other posts to optimize your blogging journey. Provide your valuable feedback in the comments section.
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These are great tips on blogging and how to get the best out of it. When I was a new blogger, this type of post really helped me. And the reminder still does!