Two important steps before we really start
1. Select a niche
What is Niche
Niche is a topic which one likes to talk about on their blog. For example, I want to start a blog where I would talk about food. Then the niche of that Blog is Food. In short the idea, topic or subject which you discuss on your blog is called the niche.
How you should choose the niche
There are multiple factors that you should keep in mind while choosing the niche. What are those factors?
Choose a niche that is funnel-shaped
– a lot of people ask me why do I say so. The reason is simple. When you start you should aim at a very small topic which you can cover in 1 or 2 articles, then later you can have some supporting articles which can talk around those two central articles. Once you start ranking and start getting good traffic then you can start talking on related topics under the same niche.
Sometimes people choose a very broad niche. For a broad niche, you cannot really depend on 1 or 2 articles. Broader niche demands a team and a bigger investment as well.
So slowly you must choose a sub-topic, create authority and then move to another sub-topic.
You should be able to create enough content
Sometimes in order to choose a small niche, we end up choosing a niche where there is not much scope for expanding later. So the biggest issue with such niches is that they offer very limited scope to grow beyond a certain point.
You know I lost almost waisted a year because I was working on a very broad niche. Later I realized that I might not survive in this niche and was forced to change it.
Hence we should be very cautious while choosing a niche.
2. Do Keyword research
After you have chosen the niche another very important task is to choose the keywords. Selecting the correct keyword is very important. A keyword must be long-tail, medium or low competitive and good CPC(if you are looking to earn through AdWords).
I made a mistake by selecting many keywords that were not the long tail. For some of them, my articles started ranking on top 3 however still I could not garner enough traffic. Then I realized that for long-tail keywords even if you do not rank in the top 3 still you will get substantial traffic. Because in the case of long-tail keywords Google ranks your article for more than one keyword.
Select a domain name
Once you have decided on the niche and done your keyword research the next step is to choose a domain name. If you want to discuss more than one niche in your blog then prefer a generic name. In case you want to keep yourself specific to one niche then you must go ahead with the related name. For example, if you write on Education then choose a name that somehow relates to Education.
Choosing and buying a domain name is simple and can be bought from any domain providing a website. There are multiple vendors which sell domains:-
GoDaddy
BigRock
Namecheap
etc..
In the below video, Rand Fishkin of MOZ has explained in detail the things to keep in mind while choosing a Domain Name. He explains the 8 important points to keep in mind. I feel the below 6 points out of the 8 mentioned by Rand are very important.
1. It should sound like a Brand
2. Anyone can pronounce it easily
3. Keep the name short
4. Try to choose .com since it is still the most recognized TLD
5. Avoid trademark infringement
6. The name should give an idea about your Blog
Here is the video.
Decide the hosting company
There are many vendors which provide hosting. I have been using GoDaddy and I am quite satisfied with their service.
Generally, people prefer to buy hosting services from the same vendor from which they bought the domain name. You can choose a plan as per your needs and go ahead with it.
What to keep in mind while choosing a web hosting vendor?
Below are the 4 most important points to keep in mind while choosing a web hosting vendor-:
1. Performance in terms of speed of website load,
2. Uptime,
3. Customer Support,
4. Hosting Plans and renewal plans.
Let us try to find out the suitable web hosting vendor for you. So let us begin with arguably the most popular vendor.
——–1. Bluehost——–
Let us try to find out what some of the most reliable websites say about Bluehost.
Review by WPBeginner
Pros
Pricing: Their hosting plans are well within the reach of most users, particularly those who are just starting out.
Reliability: They power a large number of websites with minimum downtime.
No hidden charges: There are no hidden fees when signing up for your account.
Free domain: You get a free domain name for 1 year when you signup.
Cons
Higher domain renewal price: Their free domain renewal price is higher than average.
Upselling Addons: They have an aggressive upsell process during signup. But you can easily uncheck all the addons if you don’t need them.
Review by Hubspot
Price, security, performance, and upgrade options are important features to consider when selecting a hosting provider for your WordPress blog. With competitive prices, robust security features, and uptimes and load times that outperform the industry average, Bluehost will suit small businesses and individual bloggers who are entering the space.
Review by QuickSprout
The point is that Bluehost covers everything you could possibly need from a host. If you start with them, you’ll never need to switch to someone else.
Bluehost Hosting Plans
–
——–2.SiteGround——–
Review by WPBeginner
Pros
Superfast servers: All SiteGround servers are highly optimized for speed. They are equipped with the latest hardware like SSD drives and custom software to make sure that your site is super fast.
Top-Notch Customer Support: Their customer support is amazing, to say the least. They offer 24/7 phone, live chat, and ticket-based support.
Free CDN and SSL: They offer instant setup of Cloudflare’s free CDN and free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt.
Multiple Server Locations: They have data centers on three continents. You can choose the location you prefer during signup.
Cons
As we mentioned earlier, there are some downsides with every hosting company. These are some disadvantages to choosing SiteGround as your host.
Limited Storage: Their plans come with fixed storage. However, this storage is quite large, and if you are just starting out, then you will most likely never need extra storage.
Setup fee for monthly billing: There is a $14.95 setup fee if you choose monthly billing. But if you sign up for a longer billing period, then you’ll get a bigger discount and no setup fee. They offer a 30-day money-back guarantee anyway, so it’s a good idea to choose a longer billing period when you sign up.
Review by Hubspot
Officially recommended by WordPress.org, SiteGround offers three managed WordPress plans, all of which include one-click WordPress installation, automated migrations, automatic updates, advanced caching, and expert support.
Security: In addition to a free SSL certificate, SiteGround’s WordPress hosting plans include a suite of security tools and applications that will help keep your site safe.
Storage: SiteGround’s storage space offerings might seem limited but should be enough for most websites
Uptime: better uptime than Hostgator
Load time: SiteGround delivered average page speeds at 681ms
Review by QuickSprout
While all its shared hosting plans are powerful, SiteGround is especially well-known for its highest-tier shared plan, GoGeek, which is suped-up with tools developers will find especially useful, including a staging server and Git repo creation. Lots of small business and personal websites will probably find this overkill, but if your needs are more complex than the basics, SiteGround has a lot to love.
Trial Period – shortest
Customer Support – available 24/7 on all the medium
Uptime – 99.9%
Hosting – Dedicated and Cloud hosting available
Introductory Plan – it is cheap however once the plan is over, the price is tripled
Hosting Plan and their prices
——–3.HostGator——–
Review by WPBeginner
WPBeginner is hosted on HostGator and this what they say about it.
HostGator hosts over 8 million domains and is one of the most popular web hosts in the industry. With 1-click WordPress installation, 99.9% uptime guarantee, and 24/7 support, it’s a smart choice for every website owner. We rate them a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, and they’re #1 in our list for best business hosting. WPBeginner is a proud HostGator customer since 2007, and our website is hosted on HostGator dedicated servers.
If you want some coupons for Hostgator hosting you can get it at WPBeginner.
Review by Hubspot
HostGator also offers three managed hosting plans for WordPress but, unlike SiteGround’s, these are cloud-based. That means the hosting platform relies on a network of virtual servers rather than a single physical server.
Security: HostGator’s WordPress hosting plans include SiteLock, a website security software that helps protect your WordPress site. HostGator’s plans also include CodeGuard, an automatic website backup service that will protect the data stored on your site from viruses, hackers, and other threats.
Storage: Unlike SiteGround, HostGator has no set limits on the disk space your site uses. Across all three of its WordPress hosting plans, storage is unmetered.
Uptime: is a little less when compared to SiteGround
Load time: According to a 24-month analysis by Hosting Facts, HostGator delivered average page speeds at 412ms which is better than SiteGround.
HostGator hosting plans and their prices.
Choose a theme
The last thing before you publish your first blog post is to choose a theme. If you are just starting you should prefer the free themes available. Navigate to your Dashboard. On the left panel click –> Appearance and then select –> Theme. In the Theme screen, you will see a –> Add New button. When you click Add New button it will navigate you to list of Themes.
Remember theme has a very important role to play. If from the starting you want to use a good theme that is professional then you must choose the Genesis framework. Genesis framework allows you to choose a theme as per your needs. Studio Press is a company that provides the Genesis framework.
Write your first post
After you have successfully installed the theme for your Blog next step is to write a wonderful first post.
Write the post and hit the publish button on the right side of the screen.
Congratulations! You are a Blogger now.
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