If you’re looking for an easy way to make money from home, you’ve probably come across the term “blogging” or “web writing”. A blog is a type of website that provides information about various topics, often in the form of an online journal. When someone performs a search on a blog engine like Google, they’ll often see hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of results that appear as blog posts. When they click on a link, they’ll usually be taken to the blogger’s website where they can read more about the topic they’re interested in.
The Best Blogging Platforms
With so many platforms available, how can you choose which one to use for your blog? In the end, it’s down to personal preference, but there are several considerations you need to make:
Features
Many blogging platforms offer features that provide you with more control over the appearance and content of your website. WordPress.com provides you with a free blog and an assortment of free features that you can use to manage your site. You can download the WordPress software directly to your computer or mobile device and then use it to create and publish posts and pages to your site.
Medium.com, on the other hand, is a popular free blogging platform that focuses more on the community than the functionality when it comes to creating and publishing content to your site. While it provides many of the same features as WordPress.com, you’ll find that the level of engagement from the community is what sets it apart.
User Interface
The user interface is a term that refers to the way your content looks when you’re browsing it on a mobile device or computer. Consider the size of your target audience when deciding which UI to use. For example, if you’re blogging for a predominantly millennial audience, you may want to use a mobile-optimized blog with a sleek, minimalistic design that provides a mobile-first experience. Mobile-optimized blogs use responsive design and media queries to accommodate screens of all shapes and sizes.
SEO-Friendly
One of the most important things to consider when creating a profitable blog is how search engines like Google see your website. When someone types in a search term, such as “top money making blog ideas”, they’ll usually see several results that appear in order of relevance. When a search engine encounters your blog post, it’ll usually give it a “score” that determines how likely it is to be clicked by users. If you want to have the best chance of being discovered by potential readers, your blog post should have the following characteristics:
- Keywords in the headline and throughout the text,
- A clear identification of the topic,
- A comprehensive list of useful resources, and
- Pro-SEO content (SEO is short for “search engine optimization”),
Monetization
Another important aspect of creating a profitable blog is how you intend to monetize it. If you want to earn a paycheck doing this, you’ll want to find a reliable way to generate income from your blog. Fortunately, there are several ways to monetize a blog. You can use your website to promote products that are relevant to your niche, use affiliate sales to promote products that you think may be of interest to your audience, or you can sell and display ads on your site.
Mobile-Friendly
If you’re reading this on a mobile device, you’ll want to make sure that the blog looks perfectly on all screens. For a mobile-optimized blog, all of the content should be laid out in a way that accommodates screen sizes both large and small. Typically, this means using multi-column layouts or a mix of portrait and landscape images to give the reader the best possible experience.
Secure
Last but not least, we have security. Your blog’s security measures should be in place to keep your content and readers’ information safe. This means using a secure socket layer (SSL) to encrypt all of your site’s communication, and installing a security certificate onto your site.
After you’ve determined the basics of a profitable blog, you’ll want to develop content that will appeal to your audience. When writing your blog posts, keep in mind that the goal is to provide valuable information to your audience so they come back for more. To encourage regular blogging, you can consider offering your audience special promotions and discounts that they can’t find anywhere else. In general, though, your blog posts should be short and to the point.
To ensure fast loading times and smooth platform functionality, avoid excessive use of plugins (additional software or applications that you’ve installed) and make sure you implement a content delivery network (CDN) to cache and serve your web content to visitors. Additionally, make sure to keep your blog up-to-date by visiting other relevant blogs and reading articles that share similar ideas or content.