Today we are going to talk about laying the foundations for a successful blog by figuring out your what and your why. Without having these in place, you could find yourself struggling along the way.
Why do you want to blog?
There are so many great reasons to start a blog. Maybe you need a creative outlet, a side hustle or to replace your full-time income.
Whatever your reasons, think about why you want to blog. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to start a blog to make money but also think about the other benefits of blogging. They could be:
- A side-hustle income
- A full time income
- Getting to leave your day job
- Helping others
- Educating people
- Raising awareness
- Getting free items
- Having a creative outlet
- Having something to be accountable for
And many, many more.
I first started my blog for accountability. I wanted to earn £10 a day from side hustles and I knew that being accountable would work wonders for me. Now, almost 8 years later, my blog provides a 6-figure income for my family.
WHAT are you going to be blogging about?
Deciding what to blog about can be the first stumbling block for many of us. You might even be thinking that you can’t start a blog because you have nothing to blog about. That’s nonsense – we all have something we can offer the world!
Let’s go to the pub! If I were to meet you there for the first time, what is the one thing that I cannot get you to shut up about? What is your passion? That is what you want to be blogging about!
For me it is really simple. If I am meeting you at the pub then I’ve probably suggested the cheapest pub in the area, or we are meeting at happy hour when drinks are 2 for 1. I am passionate about saving money, and you will know that from the moment we meet.
Whether it is your children, making extra money, model railways – whatever. You need a niche – something that you focus your blog on. Your niche doesn’t mean you have to be super targeted – you could decide that you want to cover parenting, or have a general lifestyle blog or even combine your love of money saving and cats into one blog.
If you are struggling to narrow it down then don’t get too fixated with making it perfect. As your blog develops you can start introducing your other passions into it, sharing them on social media or making a new blog dedicated to those other passions.
WHAT will you call the blog?
Coming up with the name for your new blog can seem impossible, but it isn’t! Think about what you are blogging about, and whether you can have a name that screams that out.
Here are some ideas for your name:
- Niche keywords
- Incorporate your name
- Use verbs like ‘writes’, ‘blogs’ and ‘says’.
- Use words like ‘adventures’ or ‘diaries’.
Check if your name is available by going to GoDaddy and searching for it before making any decisions. Don’t buy your name from GoDaddy, we’re just using them to search for available names quickly.
It is a great idea to try to use the same name across all of your social media websites, and there is a great website that lets you check where a name is already in use, called Namecheckr.
Don’t forget that you can also join my Facebook Mastermind group to ask questions and chat to other like-minded people. I can’t wait to see you there!
