What is a blog? How does it work and what is it used for? If these questions are in your mind, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we will discuss why you should start blogging and how to start blogging for free. Details on how to do it?
These days blogging has become very easy and accessible to everyone. Now there are several tools that guide you step by step in blogging and optimizing it. So my advice is to get used to it and take a few minutes to read a detailed article on what a blog is.
If you decide to start a blog, we will guide you through creating a blog and what are the best free services specifically for blogging. In particular, we will talk about CMS, software for creating and structuring blogs (CMS stands for Content Management System, an Italian content management system), but there are dedicated blogs from companies such as Google and Twitter. The software is also explained. You can start blogging right away.
You will see that when you have finished reading, the blog will have no more secrets for you. Are you ready? All right, then let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is a blog?
Blogging history was born in 1997 in America. This was when American Dave Winter created the first software for publishing content on the web. In the same year, the term blog was coined when an American hunting enthusiast decided to talk about his hobby on a personal page on the Internet.
A blog can be considered a kind of virtual personal diary in which a person talks about his interests through images, videos, and textual content.
In the U.S.A, several dedicated services were opened in the early 2000s, and blogging became a success. Some of the most famous ones are Blogger, Altrovista, WordPress, as well as MySpace, and Windows Live Space.
With the advent of social networks, many dedicated blogging portals were closed in 2009-2010. To date, AlterVista, Blogger, WordPress, and MySpace are historically active. It is still the most used for creating blogs and the tools it offers are available to everyone.
Why start a Blog?
If you love to write and want to find work in a field related to new digital media, starting a blog is an option you should consider. For example, if you are looking for a job as a copywriter, you can simply submit your resume in addition to attaching a link to your blog. The company receiving your application can learn how you write, not just by evaluating your skills on paper, but just by reading your blog content.
If you own a business, starting a blog can be a profitable marketing tool. Its structure is a tool. Through blogging, you can strengthen your relationships with existing customers and gain new customers by sharing content on social media.
How do you start a blog?
As mentioned above, to start a blog you can choose whether to use one of the most popular CMS or use one of the proprietary services that will allow you to start writing your content immediately. Both tools are free and to understand whether to use a CMS or a proprietary system you need to understand what kind of effort you want to put into the creation of your blog. Using a CMS like WordPress, for example, you can customize many aspects of your blog: you can change the graphics with a theme and install plugins that will allow you to make your blog as complete and functional as possible.
On the contrary, if your goal is simply to write textual content and you don’t care that much about the personalization of the blog, my advice is to use one of the proprietary services: one of the most popular ones that I will explain in detail is Medium, a Twitter-owned blogging service.
How to become a successful Blogger?
Here are hand-picked tips in order to help you to become a successful blog in the future. So, let’s start with the best tips:
Blogging tips
Apart from technical skills and branding, a good blog relies on creating great content. Here are some tips on how to create high-quality blog posts online.
Personalize it
Not sure what to blog about? Personalize it. Readers will appreciate it if you show more information about yourself on your blog. People like to follow other people more than brands. Include an “About” section with a bio and short, relevant photos. It inspires people by creating a personal touch and increases loyalty by tapping into the reader’s emotions.
Add image
Many of the biggest blogs in the world have a lot of images. One reason for this is that consumers like to scan online pages or parse text to see pictures and images that add visual appeal. Images are very important in creating a blog. To ensure the full enjoyment of your viewers, include as many images as possible.
Give your blog an eye-catching title
When brainstorming topics for your blog, think of a title that is search engine friendly, attractive, and catchy. I want to attract people and pique their interest. Learn more about SEO best practices in our Search Marketing ExpertTrack.
Make it easier to read
As a general rule, people prefer scanning websites to read every word. With this in mind, try to keep your posts short and readable. If possible, break up content using paragraphs and shortlists.
SEO guidelines for ideal blog length are constantly changing and depend in part on the type of content you publish. Long blog posts work well, but only if all the content is valuable. Stay up to date with the latest search engine algorithms.
Give your readers something useful
Your blog will only be successful if it provides value to your readers. Give your audience what they want and make their browsing worthwhile.
The content you publish must show value. People won’t want to read your content if there’s nothing to give them.
Create a blog with CMS
One of the most complete and widely used platforms for creating a blog is WordPress. It is a free and highly functional CMS (Content Management System) that can be customized using plugins developed by third parties and millions of available themes.
If you want to create a blog on WordPress for free, you can use the space provided by WordPress.com. Of course, this is a free space, so there are some restrictions (like you can’t include ads on your blog). In any case, if you don’t have special needs, opening a blog in WordPress is one of the best options. The domain will be [name of your choice]. wordpress.com
Alternatively, if you already know the basics of WordPress and want to have your own domain, you can purchase a wordpress.com hosting space. The price of buying a domain varies depending on your needs. Annual billing ranges from $2.99 per month to $24.99 per month.
In addition to wordpress.com, there are many other providers that offer paid hosting plans for all budgets and needs to host your WordPress blog. You can buy domains and host on sites other than wordpress.com, but installing WordPress via FTP requires computer skills. However, in practice, most administrators now provide simpler pre-installation configuration through software such as Softaculous.
Popular CMS other than WordPress
- Joomla: Joomla is one of the most popular CMS (Content Management System) software platforms for building websites. Joomla is a platform entirely written in PHP computer language that allows many customization options through the installation of themes, extensions, and plugins.
- Drupal: among the content management platforms there is also Drupal which allows the creation and distribution of dynamic websites; a platform for users with higher needs.
- Microsoft SharePoint: software platform developed by Microsoft, a CMS mainly used for the creation and distribution of corporate Internet sites. The main feature of Microsoft SharePoint is clearly the integration with Microsoft services, including the Office package.
- OpenCms: is an open-source content management system (CMS) based on the Java platform and XML technology.
- Mezzanine: CMS platform for creating websites entirely written in Python computer language.
Conclusion:
It’s easier than ever to start a blog these days; however, it also means that the level of competition is higher than ever. Following the tips in this article and creating quality content in a highly sought-after niche will help you become a successful blogger and turn your passion into a career.
