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When launching an online presence, it can be tough to decide between a website and a blog. While a regular site is always a great starting point, creating a blog can make it easier to reach your audience and generate exposure on search engines.

For most, however, the difference between the two might not be instantly apparent. So, what is a blog, and what makes it different from typical websites?

Well explain it all in this guide. Well also cover the benefits of blogging, how to start a blog, tips to make money as a blogger, and what makes a successful blog in the first place.

A blog is a type of site that publishes frequently-updated information about any topic. The term stands for weblog or web log, referring to logging content on the world wide web.

Blogs originated in the late 1990s, namely as a platform to share an owners interests and experiences.

For instance, pioneer blogger Justin Hall initially used his personal blog to talk about his life and the websites he liked visiting. The person who coined weblog as a term, Jorn Barger, started his Robot Wisdom blog to publish essays on his interests from AI and history to James Joyce.

Blogs have grown exponentially since then. Out of 1.7 billion websites that exist around the world, 600 million of them are blogs.

The subject matter has also varied. While some internet users start a blog for personal reasons, many are using it to:

The primary difference between a blog and a website lies in its content.

Mainly, the content of a blog consists of blog posts, which are articles presented on web pages. The homepage typically displays these entries in reverse chronological order. The blogger usually publishes new posts or updates existing ones on a regular basis.

Here is an example of a blog by Braintree Payments. Notice how the page presents the content from the latest to oldest.

On the other hand, general static websites dont typically present information in reverse chronological order, nor do they require frequent updating.

For instance, the primary Braintree website contains pages about the companys products and their features. This type of information can stay the same for quite some time unless circumstances require a change.

Additionally, blogs usually encourage reader engagement via comments below the post. Its rare to find regular websites that include such a feature as they generally dont aim to connect with the audience.

The advantages to starting a blog include:

With these in mind, becoming a successful blogger is no easy feat. Besides good writing skills, some knowledge in marketing, SEO, and basic technical website skills may be necessary if you want to start a blog.

Now that What is a blog? has been answered, we'll go over a tutorial on how to start a blog yourself.

The first step to starting a blog is choosing a niche. In regards to blogging, this means a topic that will be the main focus of your content.

A niche can be broad or specific, depending on your preference. The key is to pick one that:

One way to find the right niche is by evaluating the blogs you follow. What do they talk about? What do they have in common? If you were the blog owners, how would you put your own spin on their content?

For some inspiration, check out Minimalist Baker. The food blog focuses on recipes that require only one bowl, less than ten ingredients, and up to 30 minutes to make. Such scope makes their content appealing to people who are busy or new to cooking.

2. Choose a web hosting service

After picking a niche, the next step in order to start a blog is choosing a web hosting service, which is responsible for storing and publishing websites on the world wide web.

With so many hosting providers and plans to choose from, it can be challenging to figure out the most suitable one for your blog. Here are some questions to guide your search:

Generally, new bloggers start with a shared hosting plan, which is an ideal option for websites with low to medium-sized traffic. Its also the most beginner-friendly option since it doesnt require advanced technical skills to manage.

Once the blogs size and traffic have outgrown the plans resources, the blogger will usually upgrade to a VPS or cloud hosting package.

Both come with more resources to support the website, though the first option requires some server management skills to ensure it can run properly.

Alternatively, consider purchasing a WordPress hosting plan. This type of service is readily optimized for the CMS and typically includes pre-installed plugins and themes to customize the blog with.

3. Register the blogs domain name

Besides a hosting service, a domain name is also essential to create a blog. Its the URL address people enter on their web browser to open a site.

Often, a domain also doubles as the blog name to boot, so consider picking one that sticks in peoples minds and sets the website apart from the rest.

Use these tips to come up with the perfect domain name:

4. Pick a theme and customize it

With the hosting and website set up, lets pick a blog theme.

Often, a theme works as the foundation for web design, so its good to know what elements to look for during your search. We recommend going for a theme that:

The CMSs official website usually has a directory to look for free themes. WordPress alone has over 8 thousand themes to choose from, so theres plenty to play around with.

If you want to find other options and dont mind spending some money, check out our list of best premium WordPress themes.

After choosing a theme, start customizing the website. If you dont know where to start, use this checklist:

5. Create high-quality blog content

Before writing the blog posts, conduct some research. Doing this will help discover what topics to write about, what the target market looks for in the content, and how to provide better information than other blogs on the market.

Begin with researching keywords used by the target audience. Find out what search queries they may use that are relevant to your blog. Use tools like Ubersuggest and Answer the Public to help with this.

After selecting some keywords, check out the existing content for those terms. They can reveal insights into what information to include in the article. Evaluate the strengths of each blog post and combine them to provide more comprehensive content.

Now that you have some ideas, its time to create the article. Refer to these best practices to write a blog post:

6. Improve SEO

Short for search engine optimization, SEO aims to make your blog posts appear on the first pages of search engine results in hopes of earning more organic traffic.

Studies show that high-income bloggers mainly receive traffic from organic search. Thus, improving the sites SEO is worth it when trying to grow the blog and turn it into a business.

One way to increase your web pages rankings is by focusing on user experience. Search engines, namely Google, prioritize search results that offer beneficial information and make it easy for visitors to obtain it.

Thus, besides keyword research and top-quality blog content, pay attention to the following aspects of the website:

These are some of the primary means to optimize a website for search engines. That said, you also have to consider off-page SEO factors such as the number of inbound links that go to the blog and social media mentions.

For beginner-friendly SEO resources, check out this Beginners Guide by Ahrefs. Also, read our list of best SEO tools to ease the optimization process.

7. Publish and promote your blog

Now that the website and content are ready, lets publish your written blog posts and promote them.

Besides SEO, there are many ways to make the blog known to the target audience, such as social media. Ideally, you want to be present in platforms suitable to the type of content you create.

For example, Instagram is excellent for such lifestyle blog owners as A Beautiful Mess. These bloggers are known for sharing beautiful photos from their personal lives. This platform is also popular among women, which is the blogs target market.

In addition to updating readers about the latest blog post, create bite-sized content from an existing article and interact with readers through comments. Consider using social media management tools to schedule upcoming posts and track their performance.

Another method to promote the site is by guest blogging, or writing articles for other blogs.

Doing this can not only gain more exposure to the blog but also build backlinks from trustworthy websites in the niche. Inbound links are crucial for SEO, as they can tell search engines that the site is a trusted resource among its industry.

Start by looking for popular blogs among your circles that accept guest submissions. Or, find a reverse blog, a platform where most blog posts come from freelance writers instead of the blog owner themselves.

Research their content thoroughly to get an idea of what theyre looking for. Pay attention to their submission guidelines. Then, create an email pitch explaining the type of article you intend to write and mention a blog post you like to demonstrate your knowledge of their website.

Finally, consider email marketing. More than half of users check their email first thing in the morning, so this tactic is a surefire way to reach your audience. For businesses, email marketing has an average return on investment of $42 for every dollar spent.

In addition to promoting blog posts, bloggers typically use emails to send exclusive content to their subscribers. Offering bonuses can make signing up for the mailing list much more attractive.

8. Track and tweak the blog as you go

With the blog up and running, you can measure its performance and make improvements in the process.

For this step, some analytics tools are necessary. Google Analytics is an excellent option for bloggers. Its free and can display such key metrics for blogging success as:

For measuring SEO efforts, check out Google Search Console. This platform can show the sites performance on search results pages from the average ranking position and the click-through rate to the number of times a user sees your page snippet on search results.

Now that What is a blog? has been answered and a step-by-step guide on how to create one has been provided, its time to move on. What if you want to make money blogging?

There are many ways to monetize a blog from display advertising and affiliate marketing to selling digital products. To maximize the blogging income, keep the following tips and tricks in mind:

Knowing what a blog is and how to create one isnt enough to become a top blogger. To set you up for success, its good to understand the general characteristics of an excellent blog, such as:

To recap, the answer to What is a blog? is a website or type of site whose owner publishes or updates its content regularly. People use blogs for various purposes, from sharing personal information and building a community to marketing a business.

The difference between a blog and a website is that blogs mainly contain articles presented in reverse chronological order. It also allows visitors to interact with the blog owner or writer using the comment section.

If you want to start a blog, start with determining the blogging niche. It should suit your passions, have an existing audience, offer a fresh approach, and allow room for growth. Then, follow the steps to create a website and track the blogs performance for the best results.

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What is a blog and why you should start one - TechRadar