Do you know approximately 70 million blog posts are published each day? Yes, this much. Almost 77% of internet users still read blogs online.
In today’s digital era, blogs are significant in social media marketing. They are more than just a kind of online journal, they are a proper online business niche and many bloggers are earning full time via blogging.
Many people have certain misconceptions about what blogs can really do. So, let’s explore everything about blogs and blogging in detail in this article.
What Is a Blog?
In simple terms, blogs are the kind of online websites where you can upload content in the form of writing, images, videos, or podcasts periodically. The owner of the blog regularly uploads the content on its website, which is updated periodically too.
Let’s talk about how the “Blog” word came into being. So, basically it is derived from “Weblog” which was coined by John Barger in 1997 and it means the websites where people log their daily activities or thoughts more like a journal or a daily diary. Fast forward to 1999, the weblog is truncated to “Blog” by Peter Merholz and is casually used as it is.
Defining a Blogger
A person who creates online content on their blog is known as a blogger. They usually make both conversational as well as informational content in the form of articles including videos, photos, podcasts, and other media for their potential audience.
The blogger not only writes content and blog posts but also maintains the website and promotes it. If his blog is monetized, the blogger is also a kind of entrepreneur.
Bloggers bring authentic and updated material to their blog posts. Since they do not report to any larger company, people trust them more, and in this way, they are able to bring a unique perspective that is not found anywhere.
Defining a Blog Post
An article written by a blogger on his blog is known as a blog post. As said earlier, it was like a daily entry in the past but today it is usually some sort of an article or guide that answers everyday queries or provides advice on any topic. So, we can say it is very similar to an article written in a magazine.
The blog post usually contains 600-2000+ words of articles written in an informational way and contains various kinds of media including images, videos, charts, infographics, and podcasts.
Structure of a Blog Post
An easy and clear structure of a blog post leads the reader from one point of the post to another in a logical way. So, the right structure also allows them to find the part of the blog post they are interested in.
These are the common parts that almost all blog posts have:
- The title: introduces the main subject of the post.
- The introduction part: briefly explain what the post will cover.
- The body content: explains what the blog post is all about in detail.
- The conclusion part: summons up the ideas explained in the post.
Let’s see the examples from the famous blogs which are based on the above structure:
- Five Things to Consider When Planning a Summer Road Trip
- Bicycle Therapeutics: Trading At Cash, Underwhelming But Not Unsalvageable Data
- 5 Mistakes Managers Make When Giving Negative Feedback
Other than these 4 essential parts, a blog post also has:
- A sidebar: The additional area containing widgets.
- Footer: after the conclusion, at the bottom, is a part containing additional information such as copyright, important links or contact, etc.
- Comment section: At the very end comes this part where the readers can leave their feedback or comments.
Common Types of Blogs Existed Today
To be successful as a blogger, you must first select the right type of blogs. Some of the best types of blogs include:
1. Personal Blogs
Personal blogs are the oldest type of blog which doesn’t focus on a specific niche or topic. In these blogs, usually, bloggers write about anything that interests them. Their blog posts could be related to daily life issues, sports, entertainment, sports, politics, etc. Through these blog posts, the writer just wants to share his personal experience to attract people with common interests.
2. Niche Blogs
Niche blogs are the most common types of blogs that focus on a specific niche such as lifestyle, health, technology, food, or fashion, and attract the specific audience of individual niches.
3. News Blog
Another popular type of blog is a news blog that provides all the updated information related to what is happening around the globe i.e. current events, news stories, and other trends. Such kinds of blogs usually cover breaking news, viral news, analysis, or commentary on social, cultural, and political issues.
4. Multimedia Blog
A Multimedia blog is the most advanced form of a blog which incorporates media in blog posts such as videos, images, podcasts, and other types of interactive content. You might have heard a lot about vlog (Video Blog), it is a kind of media blog in general.
5. Company/Business Blog
Company/Corporate/Business blog is a kind of blog used by companies or organizations to communicate with their audience effectively. They share industry insights, and their products/services updates and promote their products/services using these blogs.
Purpose of a Blog:
Actually, there are many good reasons to start a blog both for personal or professional use, and some of them are:
- Do you own an online business? If yes, your main goal is to generate leads and increase sales. The blog can help you bring some money. According to 70% of marketers, it is the most effective content marketing strategy, and doing it correctly can definitely bring customers to your website.
- Secondly, connecting with your audience is not as easy as it sounds. You need to rank your website higher in Google SERP so that more consumers can visit you. So, one purpose of a blog is to increase the online visibility.
- As a new business, you need to rely on blogging to get to your potential customers and without it, you would remain invisible. So, a blog helps you become searchable and competitive.
What Is Blogging?
Simply speaking, blogging is an act of crafting as well as publishing the content i.e. blog post on the blog. Besides writing content, blogging also requires you to maintain the blog and promote the content.
How Does Blogging Work?
So, people who start their new business or startup, first buy the domain to design their website while already established businesses create new landing pages to add the blog section to it.
Now, it is up to the blogger to choose the theme, different bloggers choose different themes from health and tech to lifestyle, and there are unlimited topics to talk about. Then they create a series of posts related to one another and publish them on their website. Usually, websites display blog posts in an order starting from the most recent ones. Moreover, these posts are divided into different categories, making them easy for users to navigate.
Bloggers also interlink their blog posts with other blogs via interlinking to expand their audience and promote each other.
Benefits of Blogging
Until now you must have a good understanding of what a blog is and how blogging works. Now you might want to know what benefits blogging holds for you:
1. A Platform for Creative Expression
As an individual, blogging provides you with a platform to express your thoughts and expression in a creative and productive way. It allows you to share your experiences and thoughts with a wider audience, turning your personal hobby into a public concern.
2. Place to Build a Personal Brand
Blogging is an excellent way to build a personal brand. As an individual it allows you to constantly share the content about the chosen field and share it with the audience having the same interest as you making you an expert in that field. This will help open opportunities for networking as well as monetization through affiliate marketing or product sales.
3. To Maximize Website SEO
When the blogger regularly updates and publishes new content, they can improve their website’s search engine ranking. Since they are using multiple keywords which help increase visibility and drive in more visitors.
4. To Attract Potential Customers
By providing the latest industry insights, updated information, and solutions through blog posts, businesses can attract potential consumers. This can act as a powerful tool for lead generation. Using the right CTAs in your blog posts encourages the readers to perform some actions either by subscribing to the newsletter or downloading a resource, this can ultimately result in converting them into potential leads.
5. To Make Money
Do you know you can also earn from your blogs? Yes, this can be done by sponsorship, affiliate marketing, or directly selling products/services. And if your blog becomes popular, it can open many new opportunities to make money like offering online courses, etc. What you must do is craft content that is unique, consistent, and authentic.
How to Start Blogging?
So, if you are interested in starting blogging and you think that you need to be a techie then you are wrong. You only need to have some basic computer knowledge, what your heart desires, and some understanding of blogging, you can undoubtedly start your own blog.
The Process to Start a Blog
- The first step is to choose the name as well as the niche on which you are going to write content. Pick the field or topic that interests you and you are passionate about it.
- The second step is to get your blog online which can be done by buying the web hosting from a reliable web hosting company.
- After making your blog live, now is the time to design your blog site on a free platform like WordPress. Use the free WordPress theme to design it.
- Crafting your very first blog post is the heart of this whole process. Do thorough keyword research for your first topic, gather authentic information and write in a way that your content engages the readers till the end of the blog post.
- Next, you should promote your blog using different forms of advertising such as PPC, pre-roll ads, or all the social media platforms.
- Once your blog post is published, make sure to optimize it for SEO and update it regularly to rank higher on Google.
Best Blog Websites to Inspire You
1. The Everywhereist
The Everywherist is the kind of personal (lifestyle blog) that is run by the World’s renowned public speaker Geraldine DeRuiter. This blog revolves around travel and other daily life activities. It is an award-winning blog and TIME magazine called it “consistently clever.”
2. Cyber Cube
This blog is an example of a Technology blog and provides cyber risk analytics and provides insights about market trends, recent cyber attacks, and how you can leverage cyber risk within your company or organization.
3. All the Food
All the Food is an excellent blog that revolves around food and restaurants in Dublin. So, it is an example of a food and travel blog. You will find different categories on the blog site such as neighborhoods, reviews, restaurants, Dublin guides, travel guides, All-Ireland maps, ATF wine club ,and news.
4. A Beautiful Mess
This is another example of a lifestyle blog that mainly talks about crafts, home decor DIY, recipes, advice, etc. A Beautiful Mess has been with us since 2007 and till now it has provided 5000 blog posts on different lifestyle topics.
5. The Sofia Log
The Sofia Log is a kind of personal blog which is more like a personal diary. It is run by Sofia Hollingsworth who is an environmental scientist and likes to document her adventures regularly. Her friendly tone resonates with the reader impeccably.
Final Words
By having complete knowledge about what a blog and blogging mean? How does it work? You can start your own blog easily.
So, if you think you can be consistent, able to provide unique content, and know how to use blogs as a marketing strategy, you should definitely start a blog. You can also monetize it and start earning from it without investing much.
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