Starting A Blog Business - The First Steps


Blogging has become an Internet sensation and starting a Blog business is an extremely simple and inexpensive process. The profit potential, while not staggering, is substantial. However, as with anything else, there are things you should and should not do.


Steps In Starting A Blog Business

The first step is to find a Blog topic. One way is to list the topics on areas that you have knowledge and personal experience. This will be the basis for your article and post writing.

Now begins the research. First of all you need to know that the topic you would like to Blog about is one of interest to others. You may find pink Ostrich plumes fascinating, but if not many other people do, you visitors will be few and far between. There are many commercial tools used to discover the best keywords. One research tool available to you, and it's free, is Google's keyword tool. Using this tool will tell you approximately how many people are searching for your topic each month.

The next step is to perform an Internet search for the subjects that will be the basis of your Blog. Check out the ten or so sites that pop up on the first page. Beside Google, search Bing and Yahoo as well. View these sites with a critical eye. These will be your competition so make notes of what you like and dislike about the sites. Is the site pleasing to the eye? Is the information useful? What type of advertising is being presented?

Are you sure that you are able to write better content or look at the content from a different angle?

Creating Your Business Blog

You can start off by using a free Blog provider. There are several to select from, however three very popular ones for you to look at are (all are.com domains) Journalhome, WordPress and Blogger.

The above providers are by no means the extent of the list. They just tend to be the best known. If they do not fill your requirements, shop around. You may even want to establish a Blog on your own top-level domain site. If your goal is to make your Blog into a separate Internet business, then you should probably look into purchasing a domain name and professional website hosting. Choose your domain name carefully as this is your signpost.

To select and register your domain name, perform a search for Domain Name services. Some hosting companies provide your domain name free. However, read the fine print on that domain name service they provide. Is it free for the first year only, and what does it cost after that. A good service to check for domain name availability and registration is NameCheap.com.

As with everything else on the web, if you do a little due diligence you will be able to find a hosting company that fits your wallet as well as your needs.

Now that you have decided on a subject, chosen a domain name and secured a hosting company, it's time to create your Blog.

The Hosting Company you have selected should provide a means of setting up your Blog. Two of the most popular are "Simple Scripts" and "WordPress".

WordPress is one of the most popular setups and there is thousands of plug-ins available for free that will provide information and accomplish tasks for you. A note of caution; do not just install plug-ins haphazardly.

Make sure it is of actual use to you and test it with care. It is very easy to get carried away and install way to many of these little helpers. You should also be aware that sometimes one plug-in will conflict with another and your site will disappear. If that happens simply go online to your hosting company and remove the offending plug-in.

As with anything, if you want to attract visitors, your Blog should be attractive. You should search for a quality Blog template or that either already features your theme or can be altered to it. You should decide on a 1, 2 or 3 column design. The number of columns you choose will largely determine the number of ads and size of the content you will be able to display.

Conclusion:

The creation of a Blog is very easy if you pay attention to certain details. The decisions you make will determine if your Blog will be a profitable venture or just another invisible site. With a little knowledge, the right choices, a sense of adventure and a relatively small amount of Capital, you will be well on your way to starting a Blog business.

About the Author: Dave Eberhart is a researcher and author on many subject pertaining to profiting on the Internet.

For more information on Blogging for profit and other forms of Affiliate Marketing, please visit: http://mdaffiliatecenter.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Eberhart

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