Read INTRODUCTION
WHY START A BLOG?
A successful blog will take time and commitment, but it can be extremely rewarding and profitable. If you’re willing to put in a little work, you might gain more out of a blog than you expect. Keep reading to find out some of the reasons you may want to start a blog.
Make Money
Many people make money – whether that’s directly or indirectly. There’s a wide range of earnings, and how much money your blog can bring in will depend on a number of factors, including how much traffic your site gets and how you monetize it.
Effective networking, an established following, and high-quality content will help a blog to generate more money. Some people earn thousands per month from a single blog, and a number of successful bloggers have made blogging their full-time career.
Whilst you shouldn’t expect your blog to earn lots of money immediately (it requires a lot of dedication and hard work to become a successful blogger), a blog can be monetized in a number of ways…
You can sell advertising space on your blog to other businesses and bloggers. You can promote your own products and services on your blog, and you can promote other people’s products as an affiliate to earn commission on sales (affiliate marketing). You can also use a blog to build up an email list, which you can then use as an additional means of marketing.
Establish Authority
A high-quality blog is an excellent way to establish yourself as an expert with authority in your field. This is especially important if you run a business or are a professional looking for more clients.
A blog helps to give your name more recognition, and it can help you to find more customers and connections. Every time someone does an online search for a topic you’ve written about, they might find your blog. In turn, they might end up purchasing your services.
Writing high-quality content also shows that you are knowledgeable and confident about the subject you’re writing about. A well-read blog can place you at the top of your field.
Develop Valuable Skills
Blogging can also help you to develop valuable skills. The first (and most obvious) is writing. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a great writer, blogging can help you to build your writing skills. The more you blog, the more you’ll find yourself able to organize your thoughts and develop an engaging story. Being able to write well will come in handy in many ways, from sending emails, to project proposals, to holiday greeting cards. You will almost definitely find yourself benefiting from writing skills in both your professional and personal life.
Writing a blog will also help you to become a better communicator in general, expressing yourself more effectively orally in addition to writing. You’ll also likely find yourself becoming more organized and observant in everyday life. All of these skills can help you in a number of ways.
Why Not?
Apart from the time you put into it, there are really no downsides to starting a blog. With blogging platforms such as WordPress, or Blogger, you can start a blog for absolutely no cost. This means that even if your blog doesn’t end up making money or bringing in new customers, you haven’t lost anything. Instead of asking yourself why you should start a blog, perhaps you should start asking yourself, “Why not?”
Chapter:
- WHY START A BLOG?
- HOW TO CHOOSE A NICHE FOR YOUR BLOG
- CHOOSING A BLOGGING PLATFORM
- SETTING UP A WORDPRESS BLOG
- HOW TO COME UP WITH IDEAS FOR BLOG CONTENT
- HOW TO WRITE ENGAGING BLOG POSTS
- MONETIZING YOUR BLOG
- FIVE BLOGGING MISTAKES TO AVOID
- GENERATING TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG
