What Is Blogging?

Blogging refers to writing, photography, and other media that's self-published online. Blogging started as an opportunity for individuals to write diary-style entries, but it has since been incorporated into websites for many businesses. The hallmarks of blogging include frequent updates, informal language, and opportunities for readers to engage and start a conversation.

Here's an overview of what a blog is, why it's popular, and tips for starting your own blog.

The word blog is actually a shortened form of its original name, "weblog." These weblogs allowed early internet users to "log" the details of their day in diary-style entries. Blogs often allow readers to comment, so as they became more common, communities sprung up around popular blogs.

Step 1 – Choose your preferred blogging platform

Choosing where you want to build blog is pretty much the first thing you have to do. I’m going to take a leap and assume you’ve heard of WordPress, and this is the platform I advocate. It’s massive.

It’s by far one of the biggest blogging platforms in the world, with countless plugins and add-ons and almost infinite ways to design and layout your blog.

There are more than 82 million active users of WordPress = a lot, basically. There are other alternatives, however, and they are listed below:
  • Blogger
    •  – Definitely the next best thing to WordPress.
  • Tumblr
    •  – Half social network, half blog. Interesting, and very simple to use. Even though WordPress is bigger (and probably better) than those two, here are my reasons why you should still go with WordPress:
    • Super easy set-up and is free to use
    • Tons of free themes and layouts (I’m not kidding, there are gazillions).
    • There’s a massive support forum in case you get stuck (you won’t, but it’s nice to have it there if you need it).
    • Your blog will be insanely fast and it’ll also look Functionality and form – perfect!
    • People can interact with you easily. Your content can be shared, commented on, and so on.
    Here’s an article about different blogging platforms (including WordPress), give it a read: How to Choose a Blogging Platform – (updated for 2021) Now, Step 2 (see, we’re moving fast now!)

    How Blogging Works

    what is blogging and how does it work ?

    Blogging is as simple as obtaining a website and publishing original content on it. Tech-savvy bloggers can buy a domain name and build the website themselves. Those with less HTML knowledge can create an account with sites like WordPress that simplify the web design and publishing process.

    Blogs are usually simple websites. Older pieces may be archived in separate sections of the site, and there may be a separate page with contact info or a bio, but the blog itself is usually just a single page that can be scrolled through—similar to the news feed on social media sites like Facebook. As with a Facebook news feed, a blog displays the newest content at the top of the page.

    Another unique feature of blogging is interlinking. This occurs when a blogger links to another person's blog within their own blog post. For example, if a music teacher maintains a blog, and they write a blog post about how to form a chord, they might link to a musician's blog to show an example of the chords in action. A political blogger may link to another politics blog and then discuss how they agree or disagree with a post on that blog. Interlinking, along with the comment section, fosters the sense of community that makes blogs unique.

    Some people are confused over what constitutes a blog over a website. Part of the confusion stems from the fact that many businesses use both, usually by adding a blog section to the company website. However, there are two features of a blog that set it apart from a traditional website.

    First, blogs are updated frequently. Whether it's a mommy blog in which a woman shares adventures in parenting, a food blog sharing new recipes, or a business providing updates to its services, blogs have new content added several times a week. Websites might occasionally have new information, but for the most part, they offer static information that rarely changes.

    Secondly, blogs allow for reader engagement. Blogs and social media accounts often go hand-in-hand because they serve a similar purpose of connecting an audience with each other and the content creator. Some websites may incorporate features that allow for conversation, but generally speaking, a blog allows for more conversation and interaction than a traditional website does.

    Pros Explained

    Good for SEO: Search engines love new content, and as a result, blogging is a great search engine optimization (SEO) tool. A defining feature of blogs is the frequency with which they're updated, and that fresh content helps improve a website's SEO performance.

    Maintains communication with customers:

    Blog posts can keep your customers and clients up-to-date on what's going on, let them know about new deals, and provide tips. The more frequently you post useful content, the more often a customer visits your blog, and the more likely they are to spend money.

    Builds rapport with customers:

    Not only does a blog allow you to show off what you know—building your expertise and credibility—but people can also post comments and interact with you. That allows customers to get to know you, and hopefully, develop relationships that turn into purchases.

    Generate alternate income:

    Successful blogs can make money themselves. Along with your product or service, blogs can generate income from alternate sources such as advertising and affiliate products.

    Cons Explained

    Time-consuming:

    The success of blogging comes from having people return, and they only return when there's new stuff to read. That means bloggers need to generate content at least several times a week to be effective at engaging readers and increasing SEO.

    Constantly requires fresh ideas:

    Posting several times per week won't be beneficial if the ideas aren't fresh and engaging. It can be draining to constantly conceptualize and execute fresh content. The good news is that you don't have to do it all yourself. You can have guest writers or hire freelancers. Another option is to curate content from others. You can buy private label right (PLR) content and modify it for your blog.

    Payoff is delayed:

    One of the biggest frustrations with blogging is that it's time-consuming with little payoff in the beginning. It takes time to build up a readership and momentum.

    Blogging in and of itself won't generate income:

    At one time, posting an article was enough to generate traffic and income. Today, a successful blog needs email marketing, additional perks such as content upgrades, and an engaged social network, such as a Facebook group. Requirements for a Blog The good news is that starting a blog or adding a blog to your existing site is relativity easy and affordable. All you have to do is follow these four steps.

    Set Up the Blog There are free blog options such as WordPress and Blogger, but to retain control and a professional image, consider investing in a domain name and a hosting service. You can install WordPress or another content management system on your host if you don't want to create the whole site from scratch.

    Add Content Once your blog is up and running, you need to keep it active with new content to grow your business. Develop a set schedule for writing and posting blog articles. Create a content calendar so you always know what you're going to post.

    Market Like all other business ideas, your success comes from marketing and getting your message in front of your target market. Great ways to reach your market are through social media apps, email lists, and by reaching out to other bloggers, podcasters, and media outlets for publicity. Repurpose your blog content to promote your business across platforms, such as by using quotes on your Twitter or Instagram profiles, or by creating a video of your article to share on YouTube.

    Add Income Streams While your blog can complement an existing business, it's also a great way to add additional income streams to your home business. You can promote other companies' products and services in affiliate marketing. You can advertise or feed ad networks, such as AdSense, on to your blog. If you have a service business you're promoting with your blog, you can create your own information products to complement it. Or, if you have your own product, you can offer a service.

    How to Start a Blog on WordPress

    More than 76 million blogs worldwide run on WordPress, and 17 new posts are published on WordPress sites every second. Though it powers all kinds of business and personal websites, the world’s most popular site builder was made with blogging in mind. Free for anyone to use, WordPress has all the essential tools you need to set up and manage a self-hosted WordPress blog—no design or development experience needed for starting a blog on this powerful blogging platform.


    WordPress Is Made for Bloggers

    Back in 2003, developers Mike Little and Mike Mullenweg created WordPress—a self-contained set of PHP coded files that anyone could download and use to publish content online. Their goal was to “democratize” publishing blog posts, and content in general, on the web with a content management system with features for both non-tech users and those with experience in web development and design.

    Today, WordPress has far exceeded that original goal. A third of the world’s websites use WordPress for purposes that range from small personal blogs to complex business sites for companies like the Disney Corporation, the New York Post, and Time Inc. Many sites using WordPress aren’t focused specifically on blogging, but the WordPress content management system, or CMS, is structured around publishing content in the form of posts and pages.


    Setting Up a Blog in 7 Steps

    To start blogging, follow these 7 steps and you will be creating content in no time!

    • Domain Registration
    • Web Hosting
    • Install WordPress
    • Install a Theme
    • Customize with Widgets & Plugins
    • Optimize for Search Engines (SEO)


    Things You Need to Start a Blog

    Launching a self-hosted blog with WordPress requires only three things:

    Step 1: A domain name for the blog

    To build a blog with WordPress, you’ll need a domain name. Use a domain name registrar or your web host to find out if your chosen name is available. If so, you can purchase it for terms of one year or multiple years, either through a registrar or through your web hosting provider. Blogs have transformed from simple online diaries to websites rich in content. In many ways, they have become the backbone of the internet. Regardless if you create video blogs, text blogs, or picture blogs, it’s important that you own what you create. And nothing makes that easier than putting your creation on your own domain. A blog allows you to be seen and heard without compromise. A unique domain is often all that separates you from the noise of the internet.

    Step 2: Web hosting

    Buy a web hosting plan from a reputable WordPress hosting provider. You can download WordPress free from WordPress.org and install it yourself, but most web hosting providers include a fast WordPress installation feature with your hosting plan. This “one-click,” installer sets up WordPress for you so that all you need to do is select a theme and start adding content to your new site.


    Step 3: Install WordPress

    Once WordPress is installed, you’re ready to start blogging. But, it’s helpful to plan the basic content of your blog, so that you can customize it to reflect your brand and purpose. You can customize your blog’s appearance with themes and plugins and create virtually unlimited posts and pages, so it can help to make a list of the basic features you want on your blog site before you begin.

    Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Create a Blog After you have installed WordPress, it’s time to start customizing your blog.

    Step 4: Install a Theme for Your Blog

    A new WordPress install comes with an admin dashboard with all the tools you need to set up your site. From the dashboard, you can choose a theme for your site from among the hundreds of free themes available from the WordPress theme directory or purchase a custom theme from a wide range of independent designers. Many WordPress themes are designed for general use, but some are optimized for specific purposes like writing or blogging. Search for themes with the features you want by selecting the “filter’ option on the WordPress directory page. Make sure that the theme you chose is responsive. When you find a theme you like, you can preview it live on your site and install it with the click of a mouse.

    Step 5: Customize the Theme

    Free and Premium WordPress themes can be customized by anyone using the tools in the WordPress admin dashboard. From here, users of all experience levels can easily customize features such as changing the header, fonts, and page layout. Users with more design and development experience can work directly with WordPress source files and style sheets, accessible from the files section of the hosting dashboard.


    Add Features With Plugins

    Although the WordPress platform comes with all the essential elements for setting up a basic site, users can add special features that are unique to a particular site’s needs with plugins—small bits of code that add specific functions to any compatible site. Choose from hundreds of free plugins in the WordPress plugin directory that comes with your WordPress install or buy and install custom plugins designed by third-party WordPress developers. Blog-related plugins can include tools for social sharing, cross-posting to other sites, managing email lists, tracking analytics, contact form and more. And don’t forget about driving traffic to your blog. The most popular theme to help you easily boost traffic is the Yoast SEO plugin which helps ensure you’re maximizing the visibility in top search engines such as Google.


    Create and Publish Posts The WordPress admin dashboard includes tools for creating two kinds of content: pages and posts. Pages are for static informational content, such as your site’s “About” page or policies and disclaimers, and posts are for publishing frequent, timely pieces that define a blog. Selecting “Post” opens the content editor for creating a blog post, with all the tools you need to write and format text and add other elements such as images or videos.

    When you’ve completed a post, click “Publish” to make it live on the site or save it as a draft for later editing. WordPress also includes tools for scheduling posts to be published at a later date, and any published post can be edited and updated—or deleted completely—whenever necessary. WordPress allows you to display your posts as the blog’s front page or to set a static page such as an “About” page as the first page a visitor will see.

    There’s no limit to the number of posts or pages that can be added to any self-hosted WordPress site, and you can change the appearance and layout of the site at any time by choosing different themes and plugins as the site evolves.

    Step 6: Optimize your Blog for Search Engines & Track Performance

    Google Analytics allows you to track the performance of your users. It is always best practice to set up analytics when setting up in order to get a benchmark on performance. 

    • make sure you have a Google account
    • create a GA (Google Analytics) Account
    • generate a tracking code
    • add the code to WordPress via a plugin

    WordPress is a versatile, flexible content management system used by nearly a third of the world’s websites. With a suite of tools and features for building blogs of all kinds,

    WordPress makes it easy for anyone to publish and share content across the globe. And if you’re ever feeling lost or stuck, the great news is the WordPress community is large, offering a myriad of forums, support resources, and step-by-step guides for common tasks.