How To Create A PROFITABLE Blog On WordPress

Have you been thinking about starting a blog? A blog as an online journal of sorts where you can educate and connect with people by sharing valuable information, encouraging discussion and interaction, and generating an income through internet marketing. Like any endeavor, there are strategies you can take to make your blog the best it can possibly be. Check out the tips below on how to create a profitable blog.

Blogging can be fun, busy, wonderful, and frustrating; all at the same time. If your goal is to monetize your blog, consider the concepts below to ensure your content is captivating and traffic to your blog is ever-increasing.

How To Create A Profitable Blog Step By Step

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1. Choose A Website Builder

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I use WordPress for all my sites. It’s interface is intuitive, I love the customization features, and my posts are automatically posted to my blog after publishing. WordPress’ customization features are impressive, including an extensive library of themes, plugins and  widgets.  It’s also easy to add media, such as images, videos, and audio to your articles, which will greatly enhance your blog.

The best part is you can build a blog on WordPress for free. You will have to buy a domain name, but that will only put you back 15 bucks or so. WordPress supports a variety of different platforms, including blogs, eCommerce sites, or image-rich websites.

[Read More: How To Build A Blog On WordPress]

WordPress is SEO-friendly, which is significant, because one of the purposes of a blog is to make money. In order for your blog to be profitable you’ll need to have a steady stream of traffic, which means your blog needs to be optimized for SEO. Clean-looking sites that are easy to navigate increase the chances that your visitors will stick around awhile. This is great for boosting SEO and traffic. Incorporating too many elements and features on your site is not recommended, and will only confuse people who are trying to find their way around a complicated site.

Designing and customizing a blog on WordPress is fun. Like anything, there’s a learning curve, but you’ll get the hang of it in no time. A blog is like your own little piece of real estate that will generate income if you invest in it wisely. Consistently treat it like the business that it is, then watch it perform.

#ComissionsEarned

2. Select a Niche Market

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A niche is a defined subset of people with specific needs. Your blogging efforts will be aimed at educating these people to help solve their problems, in the hopes of turning them into paying customers. A niche makes sense because it’s more advantageous to market to a narrow audience than to a broad one. You can then concentrate your efforts on promoting your products and services to this particular market, rather than trying to meet the overwhelming needs of a larger group.

A narrow niche will also increase your visibility, help to establish and cement your brand, while positioning you as an authority in your field. You want your readers to view you as an expert. You do this by creating beneficial content that is applicable for those within your niche.

[Read More: How To Pick A Profitable Niche For Your Online Business]

Select a niche based on your interests and abilities. What are you passionate about? What are you good at? These are important questions to consider when deciding on a niche. Remember you’ll be writing to this select group of people every week. Ask yourself if you’ll be able to produce interesting content, while keeping yourself motivated.

Come up with a list of potential niche ideas that appeal to you, then gradually narrow them down until you land on one that feels right. Your business will be based off this audience so take time with your selection. Having said that, don’t stress yourself out worrying if you made the right choice. You can change your niche down the road if it doesn’t work out. It’s doesn’t have to be set in stone.

3. Domain And Hosting Service

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Now that you’ve selected a website platform, and chosen your niche, it’s time to brainstorm a domain name.

Your domain name will be an integral part of your brand for years to come so choose wisely, do your research, and take the necessary time to optimize your keywords. You can read my post on my favorite keyword-research tool here.

Keep in mind these few simple tips when selecting a name for your blog. Ideally, it should be no more than 5-7 words, it should be easy to remember, and needs to correspond to your niche. Choose a name that is catchy and memorable, as this will increase the likelihood that people will remember it.

Forgo extensions like .org and .net, opting for the more common .com if possible. People often  assume that’s the ending of a domain, so it makes it easier all around to go with this extension. Before you buy a domain name, make sure it flows off your tongue easily because you’ll be saying it a lot. It will also be on all your marketing and branding materials so make sure it’s a name you’re proud of.

You’ll need to find a good hosting company in order to get your blog online. There are many out there, including GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Namecheap. You can read my review here of the platform that hosts my blogs.

4. Create Quality Blog Content

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The number one way to get traffic to your blog is by posting relevant content at least weekly. The search engines rank blogs, that not only have a lot of content, but have content that is fresh and updated regularly. Posting willy-nilly here and there won’t cut it. Being a successful blogger requires a commitment to be in it for the long haul. Plus, your fans will be anticipating a new post every few days so you won’t want to disappoint them.

If you want to keep your blog interesting, exciting, and engaging, you’ll need to post regularly. This will keep your readers eager and anxious for your latest information. Your content should be relevant to niche. Posting articles about weight loss is not going to be interesting if your niche is in the gardening sphere.

First and foremost, write with your readers in mind. Don’t associate blog content with those boring research papers you wrote in high school.  Rather, they’re meant to be educational and inspirational so keep your tone of voice casual and conversational, like you’re talking to a friend. After all, your visitors should be considered friends, with you being their trusted authority.

Converse in a way that reflects your personality and individual style. Talk how you talk, not how you think you should talk. Correct spelling and grammar are important – you don’t want to come off as uneducated and unprofessional. Although, your tone should be casual, it still needs to evoke a degree of professionalism, so always edit your writing for mistakes.

If your posts are sloppy and full of misspelled words, people will assume you’re not educated, and your information won’t be taken seriously, even if the reader makes it to the end of your article. Find a writing editor that comes with a spell and grammar checker. It will be a life saver. Pepper your posts with humor, personal anecdotes, and experiences from your life. This will position you as a real live person with unique foibles and preferences. We all value authenticity and this includes your readers.

[Read More: Site Content [The Ultimate Writing Platform]

5. Share And Promote Your Content

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We’ve established how vital content is, but you won’t see conversions and future sales unless other people see it.  Never underestimate the impact that marketing on social media can have on your blog. You want to expose as many people as possible to your content with the hopes of directing them back to your website.

Each time you publish a new post, you’ll want to share it directly to your social media platforms. I have a business Facebook page for all my blogs, along with profiles on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The various platforms all have their individual flavors so post on a variety of platforms. For instance, LinkedIn caters to business professionals, while Pinterest and Instagram are more visual in nature. Take these features into account when promoting your content.

One of the many beneficial features of using social media is the ability to analyze your analytics to determine which of your posts are seeing the most activity. You’ll also be able to see which platforms are driving the most traffic to your site. I’m a huge Pinterest fan. If I see that certain posts of mine are popular, I’ll continue promoting and sharing them.

There are many automated social media tools you can take advantage of to save time. Tailwind for Pinterest and Instagram will automatically post your pins at certain times and intervals and to the boards you designate.

You can also connect your individual accounts for automatic sharing. For example, if you share a post to Facebook, and your Facebook account is linked to Instagram, your post will be automatically shared, saving you time and effort. Social media is all about exposure, sharing, and re-sharing. Use this to your advantage and get your message in front of as many people as possible by leveraging social media.

[Read More: Boost Your Bottom Line With Tailwind [Automate Your Pins & Posts]

6. Importance Of A Call To Action

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Blogs are popular places to advertise products and services. In fact, it’s their key function in many instances. Blogs are basically free advertising, and they’re a great way to promote both your content, and whatever it is you’re selling.

Be conscientious in your advertising strategies because overdoing it will be highly annoying to your website visitors. Advertise subtly and strategically, rather than blasting advertisements at every twist and turn. Your blog should be focused on your amazing content with ads and affiliate links as supplemental additions only.

If your blog’s sole purpose is to advertise, you may not see a lot of activity and engagement. Seek to educate first, and traffic and sales will happen organically. Post regularly – blog about current affairs, and share relevant tips and tricks that will be of interest to your niche. Sharing your opinion about what’s hot in the news will also draw people to your site.

At the bottom of every article you write, place a concise and easy-to-follow Call to Action, which is essentially a simple directive to your readers to perform a task. Calls to Action include phrases like “Click here for my free offer,” “Check out my free gift,” or “Visit my product page here.” Kindly asking your readers to do something is a great way to build your email list. Below is a post on email marketing if you’re interested in learning more.

[Read More: How To Skyrocket Your Email Marketing Campaigns And Grow Your List [7 Steps]

Learn More About Internet Marketing

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Key Points

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When you first start blogging, it can be overwhelming getting all your ducks in a row. Overtime, though, it becomes much easier as you streamline your tasks, and become more and more familiar with the process. Content will always be an important component of blogging, and even that becomes easier with time as you can repurpose your content by transforming old posts into training courses, webinars, or videos.

Would you like to start a blog? Let me know in the comments:)