Admit it! You want to start a blog that pays your bill. A lot of you want to make even more money from your blogs.
You tried, come up with it for a few months, and you left. Again, you started, published a few posts, and you emptied the stage once more.
You thought till your mind aches! What went wrong?
The quest to finding the cause of the failure of your blog ends here.
First, I want to bust the myth! Making money online isn’t an overnight task. Creating a killer blog that makes some bucks is even more difficult. It takes courage, hard work and patience too.
In this article, I am going to share key ingredients of a successful blog.
#1. Easy to Remember Domain Name
Take any successful blog for example; entrepreneur.com, copyblogger.com, smartblogger.com. All of them have concise and easy to remember domains.
I know there are exceptions. Still, I recommend you pick up a short domain. Can you remember the domain bloggingtipstomakeyouamillionaier.com all of a sudden after a few days?
No, you can’t.
Now you got the point, didn’t you?
There are many domain extensions as you know (.com, .net, .org etc.). If you are on a shoelace budget, you may probably go with the cheapest one.
Don’t do that! The most popular domain extension is .com. For the same reason, I like you take it.
#2. A Tolerable Web Hosting Plan
You know the advantages of a self-hosted WordPress blog, don’t you? So, I am not going to emphasize the same.
Web hosting is the shelter of a self-hosted WP blog. When you go with a weak shelter, your blog is going to break, giving you the pain for a lifetime. That’s why I recommend going with the best plan you can afford.
The internet is overloaded with tons of web hosting providers. You have to analyze the pros and cons of each, one by one.
A shared hosting plan is good to go with, when it comes to a new blog. In case you expect tons of traffic anytime soon after the launch, you have to have the guts to choose a higher plan; VPN, Managed WP Hosting or even Dedicated Servers. Bluehost and A2Hosting are Good.
#3. An Eye-Catching Theme
If your design isn’t good, nothing is good.
You spent hours working on epic blog posts. You make sure SEO is at its best on your site. And, you take social media into serious consideration.
Still, no viewers, no comments, no shares! Nothing, nada!
Has this ever happened to you?
The problem may mostly with your design. The very first thing that draws the attention of your visitors is the design of your blog.
You have to keep it simple, elegant and minimalistic. Fascinating color schemes and revolution sliders can’t help you achieve a good design.
You should think like a reader, act like a viewer and read like a visitor.
I am a Fan of Thrive Themes, and right now, I am rocking Thrive Themes on almost all my websites, you too should check out Thrive Themes.
#4. Matchless Articles
Whenever you make a blog public, make sure it has at least five ultimate articles.
Why should anyone visit your blog?
They want to get something new about the topic you write. They need some advice on things you are expert at. What if you write a blog post on the topic, which is covered like a million times on other blogs?
No one is going to give a damn about it. You will only have you, your mom, dad, sister and your friends as visitors.
Do you want it to happen?
No one does!
Start writing unequaled articles right NOW. I know you are a gem that you have tons of unique things to share. Just, jot it down. You may seem like you are pumped out. Don’t stop! Write, write and write! When you think a post is complete, STOP right there. Don’t publish!
Come back to the same again on the next day. Cut down unwanted phrases. Make it as slim as possible. There you have it; the matchless, unparalleled, incomparable and ultimate piece of content. Check out Expert Chat: Adam Connell Teaches Us Content Creation
Rinse and repeat the process!
#5. A Competent Promotion Strategy
You have it all; a good design, awesome articles, the best web host and concise domain. Nonetheless, you lack something important, visitors; the real people who read and share your articles.
Have you ever thought why this is happening? Simply because no one knows you started a blog. You are not Brad Pitt, neither are you Robert Downey Jr. So, you have to promote your blog tirelessly in the right way to get to your target audience.
Once you reach out to them in an effective manner, the visitor flow will become automatic.
The first thing to do is creating a content promotion strategy. You have to realize the places where your potential audience hangs out. Try to be on the same place with a shameless promotional mind.
#6. Unstoppable Consistency
You need to be consistent. The initial time is the hardest, I must confess. You can’t get anything in return no matter how hard you try with good content and other things.
The devil in you persuades you to quit. It will remind you of the fruitless hours you spend on your blog. It will persecute your soul by warning you about the disasters you need to encounter if you continue.
In fact, after a few months of starting out, you end up in pure agony. All you have in your mind is anger, disappointment and regrets.
I know how it feels like not getting even a single eyeball after months of launching. Still, I want you to continue with the same pace.
Over time, you will see the benefits. Don’t stop! Just keep on going!
#7. An SEO Strategy
Search engine optimization aka SEO can be intimidating. Yeah, those Google Algorithms can penalize your website.
I know you have heard a lot of this. Isn’t it scary? Having Google Panda, pulling your site down to the bottom of the search results? Maybe even get rid of it completely (it is called de-indexing)?
I want to tell you one thing!
Don’t believe those so-called SEO gurus who intimidate you in the name of penalties. Given that you publish unique and high-quality content only, no Google pet will touch your site.
You don’t have to be a Guru to come up with a strategy. Just follow simple things like the use of keywords in important places and creating High Quality backlinks. You will get enough of organic visits, trust me!
#8. Go Get ’em Attitude
The fear conquered you! You got a great keyword to work on. Still, you have that devilish fear in your mind that evokes the doubt; will it be a success?
Come on, man! Get yourself out there!
Ask yourself one thing. Will you lose any money or reputation by publishing that article? If your mind says no, you can start working on it.
Every successful blogger has this fearless go get’em attitude.
Got a new and safe SEO tip? Don’t wait but implement it NOW.
You have the courage to do it. Think about the instance that your try becomes a success. Then commit to the moment for completing the task!
#9. A Guest Blogging Schedule
Guest blogging is dead, said Matt Cutts once.
Those four words took the digital marketing world by storm. It’s been years since he told us the same. Still, people do guest blogging!
Was he wrong? No! He meant to say ‘guest blogging only for backlinks is dead’. When you craft a low-quality article with tons of backlinks to your site, Google will crucify both the sites (source and target).
You can turn guest blogging into something beneficial by providing high-quality content.
I recommend doing a lot of posts on other blogs especially at the time of starting up. It will help you gain a few serious visitors. Check out 5 Great Reasons You Should Start Guest Blogging Today
#10. A Solid Network
Your network is your net worth. I mean it!
Say you made friends with the legendary Jon Morrow (of smartblogger.com). You launch a blog and notify him about the same. As a notion of strengthening the bond, he shares one of your articles on all his social media profiles. He even sends it to his subscribers.
BOOM! Overnight, you get millions of visits. Your web server may go down due the number of audience. You even keep on getting the same if your site is worth it.
I know it may not be possible for you to befriend whales like Jon. Still, you can make friends with your fellow bloggers.
We love other bloggers. So, we would love to share their article with our followers.
Wrapping Up
You have gotten key ingredients to creating a killer blog.
Are you up for it? Can you break your fears and start a new blog?
I am waiting here to read your thoughts and opinions. Once you start your blog, drop a comment here. I will visit and scribble one out there.
Before You go, Kindly share this article with your friends on social media!