Your A to Z Guide To Learn Blogging [Step-by-Step]

Whether you want to create a personal blog or a blog for profits, here you’ll learn the exact steps to create a successful blog in record time.

So, you want to make money blogging?

Fair warning — blogging isn’t a “get-rich-quick” kind of deal.

Blogging involves hours upon hours of research, writing, website development, and marketing. Most importantly, it’s a never-ending learning experience that requires patience and the right resources.

Having the willpower to push through when the going gets tough is completely on you.

When it comes to the right resources, I’ve got your back.

Here, you’ll find all the steps you need to turn your blogging aspirations into reality.

Let’s get a move on.

What is Blogging?

Before we get to the nitty-gritty of blogging, let us first clarify what blogging really is.

It’s more than just writing articles and publishing them on your own website or a blogging platform.

If you intend to make money blogging, you should treat it as a business that needs your utmost dedication.

KWFinder reveals that hundreds of thousands of people are currently considering this endeavor.

See what we did there? We just did research.

As I’ve mentioned before, blogging also has research, marketing, and website development components. There’s also the community-building aspect, which is the key to developing a trustworthy brand that fosters a loyal reader base.

Keep in mind, where there are people, there’s money to be made.

A steady stream of visitors or traffic opens up monetization opportunities that can make blogging feasible. In certain situations, blogs can also be leveraged to further an individual’s personal credibility and authority in a specific field.

For example, Aileen Adalid is a travel blogger that clearly has a handle on how to monetize a blog. Aside from her blog’s shop section, here are some of the ways she made blogging rewarding — spiritually and financially:

KevinMD.com by Kevin Pho, MD, is an example of a blog that prioritizes brand building.

It still has monetization channels like display ads and links to Kevin Pho’s own books. But given its design and layout, one can make the assumption that site monetization is only an afterthought.

Aside from the potential to generate income and boost your authority in your niche, blogging also has other benefits, like:

• Gaining a foothold in the digital marketing industry
• Refining your writing skills to pursue book authorship opportunities
• Springboard your career as a consultant or freelancer in your chosen niche
• Build connections with popular influencers in your industry
• Have complete control over where and when you work
• Developing your marketing and negotiation skills

Whatever your motivation is for blogging, you still have much work to do before you get to that point.

And without further ado, let’s talk about the steps you need to take to be a full-on blogger.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s face it, even with the information above, you’ll still run across a couple of roadblocks in your blogging journey.

I can’t promise that I can help you solve every problem you encounter along the way. However, I do have the answers to some of the frequently asked questions in the blogging industry.

1. Do I need to be an expert to be a proficient blogger?

While you need accurate and updated knowledge, you don’t need to be a long-time expert to write compelling blog posts.

Blogging is a never-ending learning experience. It doesn’t matter how many years you have under your belt — there will always be new things to learn.

You do, however, need to do tremendous amounts of research whenever you write articles.

Since your brand is on the line whenever you publish content, you can’t afford to make factual mistakes.

2. How much does it cost to start a blog?

To be honest, not a lot.

If you’re happy with a subdomain from a blog-publishing service, you can actually get started for free. Even if you decide to purchase your own domain, you might still be spending less than $10 a month.

Should you choose a self-hosted WordPress.org website, domain registration and hosting are your primary expenses. The other assets you need, like themes and plugins, are provided for free — unless you purchase from third-party providers.

Combined, domain registration and hosting shouldn’t exceed over $20 during the first month.

Learn more about blogging costs here.

3. Should I quit my full-time job and focus on blogging?

Absolutely not.

Don’t expect your blog to start making thousands right away. Truth be told, your blogging expenses will most likely exceed your profits during the first year.

Until your blog becomes self-sustaining, you should hold on to any steady source of income.

4. What’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

Everybody knows that WordPress is the most popular blogging software in the world.

In simple terms, WordPress.org is a free content management system that’s compatible with almost every web host.

WordPress.com, on the other hand, is a premium service that consolidates everything you need in one platform. That includes domain registration, web hosting, WordPress themes, and so on.

WordPress.com has a more streamlined user interface and slightly better usability. On the flip side, WordPress.org is significantly more flexible — not to mention the vast library of plugins that expand functionality.

5. How long should my blog posts be?

Okay — this can be tricky.

Studies suggest that articles between 2,250 and 2,500 words rank well on search engines. However, blog content can become boring if it drags on for too long.

The solution? Just write content as comprehensively as you can.

If there’s a piece of information that can help readers solve their problem, feel free to include it. Just try to avoid fluff as much as possible and don’t worry too much about word counts.

6. How often should I post?

Similar to the previous question, there’s no correct number of times to publish content on your blog.

While it’s definitely important to keep your blog updated with fresh posts regularly, don’t pressure yourself to needlessly publish content. Take your time, focus on promoting your previous posts, and never rush a blog post.

Now it’s your turn!

That would be it — the essential steps to building a profitable blog in any niche.

Remember, information without action is meaningless. What you need to do now is to read through the guides linked in this post and act upon them.

Best wishes!