How to create a successful blog
When I meet my readers at special events or more generally when I do interviews, the question I am asked most often is the following: “Salvatore, let’s put the case that I wanted to follow your example and open a my website; can you tell me what are the secrets How to create a successful blog? “. To this question I answer that, given my in-depth experience in the field (Aranzulla.it is one of the 30 most visited Internet sites in Italy) I made a guide to explain it. My goal is to explain step by step how to fulfill the dream of creating a successful blog. If you had not guessed, the guide is just what you are reading.
In the course of this tutorial, in fact, I will talk to you in general about what have been my experiences concerning the creation of a professional website, giving you several tips on what should not be missing in the editorial strategy for creating an established blog . Of course, keep in mind that this is a guide based on personal experience but that is related to several studies on the subject. As you can see for yourself, the results are there, and my website is a proven success.
Before starting, however, you must keep in mind a question of fundamental importance: even if the application of the strategies indicated in this guide has led Aranzulla.it to become a leading website in the technology, IT and, more generally for all arguments to the Web and to the Computer, it is not said that these can be applied to all Web sites. In fact, you must take into account that there is no magic formula that will allow you to create a successful blog at 100%. However, there are some useful tips that can definitely highlight a site in what is the vast (and competitive) world of the Web. This is already a big step forward. That said, I wish you a good reading and a good luck.
How to create a successful blog – Why you should create a blog
How to create a successful blog
Before leaving with a detailed explanation of what have been my experiences in the world of the Web, which allowed me to achieve success with the website Aranzulla.it, I would like to dedicate a small introductory paragraph to those that, in my opinion, are the valid reasons that should push you to open a blog.
Yes, because if you want to create a successful blog, you need the right motivation, as you need an economic investment. No, you certainly can not pretend to open a blog at no cost and to be successful overnight.
There must indeed be an intention that moves the creation of a blog: opening an Internet site just for fun will not lead you to anything. Therefore, if you have a passion for writing, if you are fascinated by the world of the Web and you have in mind an editorial project in which you believe and where you want to invest time and money, the blog is the right tool. Thanks to this you can have a direct channel of communication with those who follow you and you can use the written form of the articles to talk about what are your passions and / or your knowledge. In this way, hoping even in a little ‘luck, you will succeed and you can also do a job that you like and that you are proud of.
Putting aside for a moment the goal of opening a blog as a personal project, you have to take into consideration the fact that opening a blog is a right strategy even for companies that sell products and / or services. A blog related to the company’s main topic is a very powerful marketing tool. The reason is the fact that in this way the company will be able to acquire new customers and strengthen the relationship with those already existing.
How to create a successful blog – How to choose the structure of a blog
How to create a successful blog
Once you have made clarity about what are the motivations that should push you to open a blog, we can move on to the more technical part of this guide. Making a blog, if you aspire to success, involves the execution of several basic steps.
The first step to create a blog concerns the choice of the platform. This is a key choice because this will characterize the structure of your blog. It’s a bit like saying: “to build a house you have to start from the foundations”.
In this regard, the most frequently used platform for creating a blog is WordPress. If you have never heard of it, know that it is a CMS (Content Management System, in Italian). In simple terms it is a self-installing and self-configuring software that constitutes the backbone of a website. The use of WordPress (or another CMS) is in my opinion a must if you are willing to create a dynamic blog where it is required constant maintenance and updating of articles: editorial standards are constantly evolving.
If, on the other hand, you want to create a static blog, then I suggest you turn to the Jekyll tool. However, keep in mind that only WordPress is a content creation platform that can be used even by those who do not have programming skills. Going more specifically, WordPress is a system for managing free content that, in addition to being known for its ease of use, is appreciated because of the extensive customization possibilities.
Always talking about the structure of the blog, to create a blog it takes a professional hosting and a domain name. With this in mind, I recommend you invest in the structure and choose a paid hosting. It’s the best choice because the technical quality of your blog will depend on the hosting.
How to create a successful blog – How to choose the name of a blog
How to create a successful blog
Let’s talk now about another very important topic: the domain name of the blog. I can imagine this may seem like a minor argument, but it is not. The name of the blog, and consequently also of the domain name, is a matter not to be underestimated since it is from now on will determine the virtual identity of your blog.
How to choose it? Well, first you need to make a choice about the strategy to be used: personal branding or business branding? I’ll explain. Follow a personal branding strategy means that the blog will be focused on your person and that therefore as a domain name you can use your name and surname, or a nickname (for example www.howtodofor.com). If instead you are willing to implement a strategy that is not necessarily based on your person, then in this case we talk about business branding. In this case you can choose a creative domain name that represents your business idea.
Once you have chosen hosting, you must then purchase the domain name you have chosen: your goal is therefore to obtain a top-level domain. In this regard, if you need more advice about it, read my guide titled how to buy Web domain.
How to create a successful blog – What topics to speak in a blog
How to create a successful blog
A blog is not written alone: the editing of articles could be a full-time job and it is precisely for this reason that it is necessary to establish an editorial line. Before starting to write the articles, ask yourself some fundamental questions to understand which topics you should talk about.
If you want to have any chance of being successful, what you definitely need to do is write articles on subjects you know, on subjects you are interested in or subjects you follow. Spreading your knowledge is the first step: dealing with topics for which you can test your knowledge, your figure could be considered of greater authority and the climb to success could lead you to become a real popularizer.
Defining the topic to be discussed also touches on a broader topic: the target and the respective language of the articles. Just to give you a concrete example, on Aranzulla.it we deal with topics that concern the information and the guides that I realize explain step by step how to implement a specific technological or IT procedure. The target of the people who read Aranzulla.it are mainly all those who are not experts in this field and therefore need help. Precisely for this reason, the language in which my articles are written is purposely a simple language and the tutorial must be smooth to read, as well as easy to understand.
To find out the topics to talk about in your blog, ask yourself the right questions: “What are my skills?”, “What topics are best dealt with?”, “How could I add value to the people I want to reach through my articles?”. These are just a few examples of the questions you should ask yourself.
How to create a successful blog – How to make money with a blog
How to create a successful blog
You have followed all my advice on how to create a successful blog and, now that your blog is started, you would like to make a profit. Surely it is possible, but it’s not all that easy. As for the earnings of a blog, you must make a clear separation between earnings and earnings passive.
For passive earnings I refer to the implementation of advertising banners on your website through monetization platforms such as Google Adsense. It is in fact a Google tool that will allow you to insert advertising banners on the subject with the type of topics on the site. If you want to know more about it, I suggest you go to the official Google Adsense website and register.
As for indirect gains, there are several types, but the most widespread is certainly the affiliation of Amazon.com . This is a program that will allow you to earn a percentage of the items purchased on Amazon through the affiliate link that you have shared.
Finally, training courses are among the most profitable indirect gains. This type of income is aimed at those who have years of experience on a given subject and want to share it with their public, in exchange for the ticket price. A concrete example is the training course , in which, given my enormous experience in the field and after the success of the first event held in New York (which was attended by 7000 people), I will explain on a practical level how to create a successful blog .
How to create a successful blog