Blog, blog, blog, everywhere you turn online, people are talking about blogs and how to start a blog.
If you’re new to blogging, I know you have questions, so did I when I first started. Not to worry, I’m going to answer some of the questions I think you may be asking right now.
First, I’ll start with what a blog is.
The blog is the shortened version of the word “weblog”, it was first used in the 1900s. It is an online journal or entries of information that can be found on a website. These entries are called posts.
If you take a good look at the word weblog, you will see that it can be ‘web log’ or ‘we blog’, which for a while it was until the ‘web’ got dropped and hence the term blog stood alone.
A Blog is a collection of regularly updated posts, where writers share information on a topic or their personal stories. Posts are listed in reverse chronological order, which means the post that you publish last is what is shown first.
All blogs are websites, but not all websites are blogs. Blogs are made up of both pages and posts.
They run on CMS (content management system), this helps to keep their contents more organized and easier to manage. You’re on my website, it has a blog page that holds all my blog posts.
What Is The Purpose Of A Blog?
The purpose varies from user to user. Some create blogs for personal use with no intention of financial gain, while others use them for business. Whether for personal use or business, it has many benefits.
There is no one answer that fits all; everyone has their own different reasons why they start a blog. However, I find that the most common reasons for blogging are, to:
- Make money through different methods, eg. affiliate marketing.
- Rank in Google search engines.
- Inform and educate others.
- Provide reviews of business products or services.
- Share information about a given topic, and show authority, and expertise within their industry.
- Create an online community that facilitates audience engagement.
- Boost traffic and generate business leads.
- Demonstrate skills, talent and knowledge.
- Network with like minded individuals.
- Raise awareness about a problem, express their opinion, and influence public opinion.
- Have Fun.
What Is Blogging?
Blogging is sharing information such as educational content, stories, motivational/inspirational quotes, and lifestyle through text, videos, images, audios, etc. on the internet.
Blogging has become quite popular today, you don’t have to search for it, once you’re online it pretty much finds you.
Teens, middle-aged, and seniors are blogging.
Who Is A Blogger And How Do Blogs Make Money?
A blogger is someone who runs a blog and shares information about a particular niche, hobbies, or part of their life.
Blogs make money in one, or a combination of the following ways:
- Affiliate Marketing
- Displaying Ads
- Selling their own digital courses
- Selling Membership
- Sponsored Posts
Is There A Difference Between A Blog, A Website, A Post, And A Webpage?
Call me stupid, but in the beginning, these 4 terms confused the heck out of me. I couldn’t tell the difference between them and it took me a while before I could. The short answer is, Yes, there is a difference.
A Blog is a collection of regularly updated posts listed in reverse chronological order.
A Website is a collection of information that consists of one or more pages that you can access online via web servers such as your hosting.
It is different from a web page because it consists of different pages.
Websites are static, meaning, its content does not change unless you update or make changes to parts of them. Some websites consist of a single page.
A Post is a single entry or journal on a topic that may be in the form of text, images, videos, and podcasts, etc.
On a blog, the most recent post is displayed first.
A Web Page is a single page on a website consisting of the content in the form of text, images, videos, or a mixture of one or more. Webpages are quite similar to posts, except for the fact that they are static.
A website is the most important of the four because all 3 need to be on a website for them to be visible. A website is their foundation, without it, they don’t exist.
Website With A Blog Or Without Blog, Which Is Better To Have?
Personally, I believe you should have a website with a blog section. This allows you to attract more visitors, who can become potential customers.
The one you choose really depends on the kind of business you are building and the goals you have for it.
For example, if you have a lot of information that you would like to share with your audience on a regular basis, such as stories, motivational quotes, videos, and educational content then having one with a blog is definitely the way to go.
However, if your goal is to get leads, and customers to a service or product then perhaps a website without a blog will do just fine.
In the end, make sure you define your business goals before you decide which one you will choose.
Essential Pages Every Website And Blogs Should Have
Every website or blog should have these core pages:
1. Homepage
Your homepage is the first page people see when they land on your website. It should be structured in a way that makes it easy for visitors to navigate to different parts of your site.
2. About
An about page tells visitors who you are, and what your site is about. Some people have a vision and mission statement.
3. Contact
Having a contact page will allow visitors to easily get in touch with you. Your contact page typically includes your business address, telephone number, email address, and social media handles.
Who Can Start A Blog?
Anyone can start a blog.
Choosing the right niche, hosting company, and blogging platforms make it super easy. It is not hard and it is very inexpensive; you can get started with less than $100 or for free.
However, blogging is not for everyone. Many people start a blog and end up quitting because they either had trouble keeping up and maintaining or they weren’t making enough or any money from it.
Some start because they think it’s a get-rich-quick scheme, only to realize that it actually takes work and so they quit.
Others just simply gave up too soon. I guess they weren’t motivated enough.
The Wrap On Blog Definition
Blogs are mainly used by small businesses or a single individual. However, large corporations are recognizing the benefits of having a blog and are now implementing it on their websites.
Knowing how to start a blog is a good thing, but what will you do once you know?
Will you take action? And are you motivated enough to stick it out even when the going gets tough?
There is money to be made online blogging, it is not easy but it’s doable.
The internet is filled with marketers who are having great success as bloggers and you can do it too.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me, I’d love to hear from you, drop your thoughts in the comments below.
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Quote Of The Day
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”
William Faulkner