5 Things you should know before starting a blog

With more people using the internet and web hosting becoming cheaper more and more people are setting up blogs. There are many different reasons for people setting up a blog. Some people do it to build experience up online. However a lot of people are setting up a blog just to make money online without no previous experience of blogging or anything that they are blogging about.

For this reason, many people are starting a blog that is going to fail within the first month and then wonder why nobody wants to read their blog.This is why, in this post i am going to show you five things that you should know before you start blogging. If you know these five essential things then your blog is bound to be a success.

Know you niche

This is the most important thing when it comes to blogging. Knowing your niche is key to your blogs success as if you know your niche then you are going to have a lot to write about without becoming bored and all of your information is going to be useful to people who may not know as much as you in that particular area. Your blog is where you want to establish yourself as an expert in your niche and you could even end up providing freelance services to share your knowledge and put it to good use.

Know how to use social media

Social media is key to running a successful blog and it is a great help if you know at least the basics of social media. For me, Twitter and Facebook are the most important social networks as it is easy to share content with a lot of users. Social media drives a lot of traffic towards blogs and without it you are going to struggle to get your blog off the ground.

Furthermore social media is also great to build as community around your blog as you can easily connect with people and network with other bloggers and people who read your content. Social media is a must.

Having at least a basic knowledge of web design is important

Even though your blogs content is what is most important, the design of your blog is becoming ever more important. Time and time again i see blogs with poor web design and it puts me ( and others) off actually reading the content. Your web design and logo should be something that looks professional and makes your blog stand out.

If you are using WordPress as a blogging platform then it is rather easy to get a great web design. There are a huge collection of free and premium themes available online. However if you are planning on taking your blog seriously then it may be worth investing in a premium theme to give your blog a professional look and feel.

Your blog will take time

Many people think that when they set-up their blog then it is going to be a success within a few months. This is one of the biggest mistakes that people make. A blog takes time and a lot of hard work before it is going to be successful. However if you do it properly and make sure that you write a lot of good content then you are putting yourself in the best position for a successful blog. For me personally it took over a year before i started seeing results from my blog.

It is not about the money

The reason that many people start a blog is to make money online and do not know that a blog takes a load of hard work and time, it is not a get rich quick option. Yes, some people do make a lot of money, or even a living from blogging. However these have spent years blogging and a huge amount of dedication.

One you have an established blog with a lot of traffic then you will be able to make money with advertisements or sponsored posts. Just remember that blogging is not about the money.