One of the allures of blogging is its low barrier to entry and high profit potential. Because of this, it is very tempting for most to put it off or do it casually at first—until they found the time, thought of the perfect niche, have enough money for capital, or overcame motivational deficits.
I, myself, have fallen into the infinite perfectionism-procrastination loop. I thought that a longer time investment will always equal to favorable outcomes. And if I just spend a few months figuring out my unbeatable competitive edge and learning how to up the quality of my posts, I’ll be able to feel it out before going all in. I was wrong.
If you’re going to ask me today, what advice would I give my younger self, it would definitely be all about the importance of launching a project as quickly as you can.
This is a crucial point, because in reality, building a successful blog is a process and not a one-and-done deal. You just won’t know what will and won’t work until you’ve done it in actual practice. This means that starting as early as you can will make it possible for you to iron the kinks out quicker and get your blog to a point of profitability sooner.
Here at Counting Peonies, we understand that the abundance of information can be overwhelming and confusing for some. That’s why, as a bonus lesson, we’ve designed an effective plan, so you can launch your blog in as little as 7 days.
The 10-Step Blogging Launch Roadmap
In a literal sense, starting a blog can be completed in as fast as 10 minutes—you just think of a name, set up your domain and hosting, then churn out posts as you wish. The purpose of this plan, however, is to let you configure your blog as a long-term source of income from day one.
1. Identify your niche
Create a list of topics that you want to tackle in your blog. Focus on subjects that are within your areas of expertise, interest you, and has enough reader demand. Since you’d be producing a lot of content around this topic, make sure to narrow your list down to one that piques your interest the most.
2. Come up with a name
Whether it’s your own name or the song you recently heard on the radio—a good name has the potential to spark curiosity and leave a lasting impression among your readers. There are several naming formulas you can follow to help you find the perfect one: two-word phrases, topic description, alliteration, and expressions, to name a few.
3. Get your blog online
As a legitimate content creator, it is imperative that you create your blog under your own website address (also called a domain name). This vital step will give you the initial credibility among visitors. Housing your blog under your own hosting also helps boost your site speed, which in the long run helps with search engine rankings. To help you with this, checkout our detailed tutorial on how to set up your domain and hosting.
4. Customize your site
Like your blog name, a good web design can also positively affect how your audience form their expectations. The good news is, it is now easier than ever to make your site look visually appealing, without the need to spend thousands of dollars on professional help. There are a lot of free and cheap resources for WordPress themes and page builders out there, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for them.
5. Setup pages and plugins
These are elements that serve as the main structure of your site. Setting up the essential pages like About, Contact, and Privacy Policy ensures that new readers have a place to go to learn more about you and your blog. Additionally, you should also take time to find out what type of plugins would be useful for your site. Securing these will give you the data and functionality that will help your site running smoothly.
6. Brainstorm topics and create an editorial calendar
If you’ve chosen the niche that suits you best, then you probably already have a few blog topics in mind. Before writing your first content, set aside some time listing blog topic ideas and compile them into a calendar. For this, you can follow the choosing-a-niche recipe of experience, interest, and demand.
7. Write and publish your first post
You’ve heard it all before, and it is no joke—content really is the king. Since blog posts are the main driver of traffic to your site, it is very important that you produce high quality, relevant, and informative content consistently. To ensure this, you can direct your focus on quality first, then slowly increase your quantity as you go along.
8. Promote your blog
Part of the process of creating great content is making sure that it’s optimized for search engines. This guarantees that the people searching for the information you’re offering will reach your site. The caveat, however, is that this process will take time to come to fruition. As such, it is crucial that you make an effort into making your content more discoverable for your intended audience. Some steps you could take include the use of social media, building your email list, and participating in online communities.
9. Make money blogging
There are different ways that people make money off of their blog. Whether it’s through affiliate marketing, selling your own product, placing ads, or publishing sponsored posts, choosing the right monetization approach is vital to how sustainable your blogging career will be. To give you a higher chance of success, it is recommended that you study your market first to see what other bloggers in your niche are doing and how it’s working out for them.
10. Launch your blog
After all the preparation, you’ve reached the most significant (and most exciting) part of the process—launching your blog! You did a great job working on each part and now, everyone gets to see it. At this point, you’ll want to spread the word as good as you can. Let your friends and family know, ask for feedback, and make it easy for anyone to share it.
Before we cap this off, I would also throw a friendly reminder that it’s ok to feel daunted and uncertain. Just allow yourself to take time to find your bearings. You might not reach your ideal outcomes immediately, but soon enough, you’ll be able to figure it out. As long as you continuously work on improving the quality of your content, then you are well on your way to building a successful and profitable blog.
Conclusion
That’s it! You’ve now completed our course on building a profitable blog. We created this course to give our readers like you a one-step-ahead advantage right from the very start. We hope that this roadmap, along with the lessons we shared with you for the past week, have given you the confidence boost you need before finally taking the plunge.
So go ahead and do something today that your future self will thank you for—start tossing post ideas around, create that website, and put pen to paper.