In just a few minutes you'll be able to understand how to set up a blog. Follow these simple steps to start a blog now. Our blog has been read by more than 20 million people.
How to become a blogger in 5 Easy Steps
Choose your blog name and get your blog hosting.
Start your blog by adding WordPress.
To make your blog distinctive choose a theme that is simple.
Two essential plugins for blogging are needed to keep track of stats and identify readers.
Write compelling content to create a blog that your readers love.
How we started this blog
Do you want to make something meaningful? Why not create a blog? Why should you not be a blogger? Ryan and I have made the best decision ever in the creation of this Instagram blog. Mybloginsta is our method of making money. It's also how we add value to other people's lives.
You're considering starting a blog but aren't sure how to start. Well, we didn't! We wanted to establish a blog for ourselves to express our opinions and share our thoughts prior to when we were "The Minimalists". However we were overwhelmed by all the options.
Clueless, confused, and confounded with options we were unsure of what to do about starting blogging or even how to become a blogger. What is the ideal time to begin? How do we register a domain name? What is hosting? Which blogging platform do we need to use? What are the best methods to pick a theme to a blog? What is a plugin? What are we supposed to write about? We don't know how to spell HTML!
But good news: it turns out that starting a blog can be more simple than you thought. We have learned many lessons throughout our journey to millions of people who read our blog. You can now take what we have learned and use it to ease the hassle of setting up your blog.
In just 5 easy steps How to Create an Online Business that is Successful
Choose your blog name and get your blog hosting.
Include WordPress to your blog.
To make your blog stand out choose a theme that is simple.
Include two important blogging plugins to find your followers and track your stats.
For a blog that your readers will enjoy create engaging content.
Although there are other blogging platforms there like Blogger.com and Tumblr.com almost every serious blogger uses self-hosted WordPress site due to its creativity and freedom of choice.
The Minimalists make use of WordPress because it allows us to have greater control over the appearance and the feel of our blog--more flexibility than other platform. WordPress is .
How to blog: 20 blogging tips to enhance your writing
We get a lot of emails seeking advice on how to start a blog, about blog topics, and about creating valuable content. While the majority of this essay covered how to start a blog, it's only one of the steps. Now is the time to begin creating and publishing content.
Here are 20 helpful tips to help newbies get started with blogging.
Find Your Niche. It's not necessary to be a specialist, but it helps. It's important that you ask yourself what your passion is before you begin learning to be a blogger. Running? Cooking? Being a parent? Are you parent? If yes, whatever that is, you should write about it. It is important to find the passion that you are passionate about first. We're really saying this when we suggest that you don't begin a blog on a topic unless your perspective is unique. If you've chosen to live in simplicity and possess an unique perspective that you want to share, then do it.
Find Your ideal readers. Once you've established your area of expertise, it is important to identify the people who will be reading your blog. We write about how you can live a fulfilling and meaningful life with little. Our ideal readers are people who are looking to explore the idea of minimalism to clear the way to more fulfilling lives.If you're looking to write about your baby child's development, that's wonderful the ideal audience is likely your family and friends. If you're looking to write about the process of restoring old cars, that's fine, too. Your blog must be tailored to the interests of your readers, whether they're your family members or members of your local community.
Bring Value. Your blog should add worth to the lives of your readers. It is your goal to assist people solve problems. This is the way to draw in high-quality visitors to your website and keep them coming back. By adding value, you are the only way that people will remain loyal to you for the long run. We both learned this after more than a decade of managing and leading individuals in the corporate world. When you write anything you write, ask yourself whether it is adding value?
Be Unique. There are numerous blogs that are covering the same topic as yours. Your blog is distinctive, so why? Answer: Because of you. Your contribution is what is unique about your blog. It's all about you, your creativity and the value that you bring to your blog.
Be Interesting. Write interesting blog posts. Especially if you want people to share your content with other people.
Be yourself. Sharing your story is an essential an important aspect of being interesting. Your story is important because everybody is unique. The key to storytelling is getting rid of the unnecessary details which make the story dull. A skilled storyteller can eliminate most of what actually happens--the absorptive details--and leaves the interesting one percent to the reader.
Be Honest. If you wish people to visit your blog, it has to be genuine. Your blog could be a blog, or you can become your own blog. Is it possible to truly embody what you write? The public will judge you If you don't. "Be the change you wish to witness in the world," is the famous Gandhi quote. Perhaps bloggers should build the blog they want to publish for the world.
Transparency. Being transparent is different from being honest. Don't divulge every single detail about your life just to be honest.Always be honest and be transparent whenever it is beneficial to what you're writing. There aren't any photos of us using bathrooms because everything we write must be for the good of the community.
Time. Once you've learned how to create a blog, you'll learn that blogging requires a lot of time, particularly when you're as narcissistic as we are.That said, once you have your layout set do not alter it too frequently. Instead, you should concentrate on writing.
Vision. The reason our site design looks good is due to the fact that we have an excellent host, a great theme, and, perhaps most important is that we had a concept of what we wanted our blog to look.Once we had that vision, we set out to turn it into a reality. We are both novices and neither had any experience with design prior to starting our blog. It's hard to make an attractive blog if aren't sure what you want it to appear like.
Discover Your Voice. With time, writers discover their voice and their writing tends to have a certain flow, one that appeals to readers. Finding your voice helps your writing seem more authentic it more real and urgent. Learn more about Finding Your Voice on our blog.
Instead of you, we. If you can, use the plural in the first person. Particularly, when discussing negative tendencies or behaviours, statements that are we and our are stronger than those made by your and you. The harsh tone of the first person is far more powerful. It's not a god-like relationship.
When to Post. Question: What's the most appropriate time and date to write a blog post? Answer: It really doesn't matter. We don't follow a particular time-of-day schedule, but we do publish at least every week since consistency is crucial. Don't get lost on the finer details, however.
Social Media. We do recommend using Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to make connections with your readers and other bloggers, but don't get too involved in it. Focus on the writing first, social media thereafter.
We ignore negative criticism and stupidity. Yes, we receive a lot of negative comments and stupid questions. However, they're not our visitors. ").We call these people seagulls: They fly in and out, spit on your website and then fly off. We don't pay them a mind, because we didn't create our blog to please them. Delete their comment and go on.
Research. Do some research on the topic you're writing about. We have access to many relevant and useful links in our essays because we've spent time to research our subjects.
Make it easy. The principles of minimalism can be utilized to start any blog regardless of its subject matter. There is no need to include unnecessary ads or widgets on your site. Stay with the basics and take out anything that you don't require. Take out anything that doesn't add value.
Picture. Your blog should feature a photo of you. People are drawn to the person behind the blog author. You don't have to worry about it if two people who hail from Dayton, Ohio, are not afraid to post their photos on their blog.
Comments. Scott Stratten's Five Words that kill Your Blog If you'd like to get more people to comment on your website, then go through Scott Stratten's Five Words that kill Your Blog.
Living Your Life. Blogs are about your life and you. But it's essential to live your life. It is important to always put exercise first, health and relationships. In simple terms, you must be living a life worth writing about.
15 reasons to start a Blog
After reading Joshua Becker's 15 reasons I believe you Should Blog We were compelled to study this subject and then create. In which he discusses 15 reasons to start your own blog.
What is the keyword in this article. Becker discusses the purpose of blogging, not how to create blogs. That's what many of these other "blogs about blogging" appear to overlook: they miss the reason behind the blog,the why behind the idea of starting blogs.
Here's a quick an overview of our top three reasons from Becker's list.
Learn how to become an improved writer. "At the heart of it writing is communicating. Becker states that writing is all about putting your thoughts down on paper and getting other people to share your thoughts. Writing, as with all other forms of communication, improves with practice. There is no pressure to improve your writing, it will happen in a natural way as you work at it. You will be better at writing throughout the rest of your life, no matter if you're writing a novel, a presentation or an anniversary gift card. Spot on! Blog posts are not just a fantastic way to improve your blog writing skills, but it's also a great opportunity to polish every single thing you write, from business emails and text messages to that novel you've been dreaming of penning.
Find new friends. Becker writes "Whether you're using comments, email, or even social media, you might surprise you at how quickly people meet online." That's true! It's true! Minimalists blog is the primary reason for some of my most important relationships in the last decade. These include the long-term relationships with business and personal contacts which were forged through this blog.
You'll feel more confident. Becker writes "Blogging will help to discover more confidence in your life." You will soon realize that you are a worthwhile person, with a unique perspective and something valuable to give to other people. It's true! Writing helps us better comprehend our lives as well as the consequences of what we do.
Three Reasons to Not Create a Blog
So now you have 15 reasons why you should begin a blog. And we've demonstrated how to get started with your blog step-by-step using our own experiences.
However, after providing you with those precise instructions, which can save you thousands of hours of time wasted In addition, we would like to provide excellent reasons to not create a blog. These are just our thoughts and do not provide a comprehensive set of tested blogging tips.
Money. If you want to make money, don't begin with a blog. This must be done first. Do not think about blogging if your primary intention is to replace your full-time income. It's not possible to do this. Do you think Jimi Hendrix bought his first guitar to "supplement" his income? No, he didn't. Instead, he was doing it because he loved it, and for the pleasure and satisfaction he experienced and then the earnings was soon after, but much later.
Notoriety. Don't plan on getting "Internet famous" right away. Not every site grows at the same rate as we did, however that's okay. We were fortunate. We managed to get an excellent domain name, and created a website layout and logo that users liked. The content we created was unique and made us feel connected to people. It would be a joke. We created this website to be bloggers and spread a message. We were awestruck by the amount of traffic we received. This was due to luck and dedication.
Traffic. It's not all great traffic. Do not worry about having thousands of visitors immediately. If you are able to help people solve their issues, you can spend your time creating valuable creations. Also, don't concentrate on boosting traffic.
It's amazing to think that these kinds of things are feasible. You could make an entire income from creating your blog. It's something we do, Corbett Barr does, and many others do. You could even be a well-known blogger on the Internet or in the form of Chris Brogan or Leo Babauta.
If you're solely motivated by these reasons you start blogging then you'll feel miserable since it'll be like something you do for a living. If it's a job, you won't feel passionate about it, and you'll either dislike it or fall flat on your face (or either).
You can also become a blogger because it's what you love to do...
How do you begin your blog for free?
The best part is that starting a blog is free with WordPress. Hosting is the only thing you will need, as explained in the above steps.
There are also "free" amateur sites such as Tumblr or Blogger which allow you to create blogs on these companies' platforms. Take note that you may not be able to control the content you publish if it's published on a different site. This is one of the numerous reasons we choose to use WordPress.
How often should I blog?
In my discussions with my students about writing, I recommend writing every day and publishing at least one blog post per week. The average is two blog posts each week on the blog. Seth Godin blogs every single day.
No matter what you decide to do it is important to remain steady. Making a schedule for your week can help you build accountability relationships (your readership) to make you feel more compelled to write even if you're not sure if you want to write.
What should my first blog post be about?
Avoid grandiosity. Beware of throat clearing. The first blog post you write should not be a grandiose mission declaration. And your first blog post doesn't have to be a smug, self-involved introduction to your blog.
Instead, choose one topic you're interested in and write about it. Use the prompts from the "What should i blog about?" section.
For reference, you can go back to the blog's first post on this blog in the year 2010: Take a hike.
How can you present yourself to your blog?
Don't worry about introducing yourself in every blog post. Instead, you should create an "about" page for prospective readers to refer to when they're interested in finding out more about your personal life, and the projects you're involved in. See The Minimalists"About page" as an example. Derek Sivers, our friend has a wonderful Now page that could work for you.
Why do blogs fail?
Blogs can fail for at least three reasons:
Bloggers have low expectations. If you start a blog today and expect a million readers overnight you're creating a recipe for failure. If you're motivated by a genuine desire and you are trying to bring value to the world, you will find that your expectations change.
Some bloggers don't add value. Instead of metrics like followers or subscribers, The Minimalists are focused on providing value to our readers. Success is derived from helping people solve their problems, not the opposite.
Some bloggers put money first. While it's perfectly acceptable to earn money from blogging (we do) but it shouldn't be your main goal. Good blogs generate income; great blogs make a difference. Another way to put it is that money has its place in the car but isn't the driving force.
