Starting a New Blog: A Checklist for 2024

Starting a blog in today’s world isn't for the faint of heart. Whether you’re looking to get some new eyes on your small business, share expert insights on a niche topic, or simply express your creativity, one thing is clear: you’re up against millions of other bloggers. With that kind of competition, it’s absolutely essential that you get it right from the start.

So, how can you possibly do that? Well, to help you hit the ground running, our blog writing service team has put together a comprehensive checklist. From choosing the best blogging platform to monetizing your content, this guide covers every key step you need to know. Let’s get straight into it!

Find a Great Niche

If you already run a small business, you’ve basically already chosen a niche. But for those bloggers that want to become topical authorities or content creators, finding a niche can be a bit more delicate of a process. You need to look for something that plays to your strengths but also has a high level of demand.

Tools like Answer the Public can help you look up common questions associated with a niche, along with giving you a rundown of the amount of search volume and traffic each phrase gets. You can also hop on Reddit or Quora to get an in-depth look at what people in your desired niche are talking about.

A great way to find hot niches is Google Trends. Don’t just jump on the latest trend, try to find something that you can provide unique insights on that tends to trend frequently. Remember - there are over 600 million bloggers on the internet right now, so you need to choose a niche where you can stand out!

Choose the Right Blogging Platform

What’s the first platform that comes to mind? Chances are it’s either WordPress or Squarespace, but you should know that they’re very different platforms. Squarespace is a managed platform, which means you get less flexibility in terms of design, but a lot less hassle if you’re a beginner. WordPress, on the other hand, gives you complete control over the look and feel of your blog - for better or for worse!

Consider your long term goals here. Do you plan to integrate ecommerce into your blog? If so, WordPress offers a great plugin called WooCommerce. But what about SEO and mobile optimization? Well, a platform like Wix gives you built-in SEO options, but you can get Yoast and Rank Math to level up your SEO game on WordPress as well.

And then there’s the matter of loading times. Managed platforms like Squarespace offer built-in caching, among other performance enhancing features. If you choose WordPress, you’ll need tools like WP Rocket or Cloudflare to improve loading times. Just remember that Squarespace’s ease of use and built-in features come at a cost. $16 to $56 dollars a month to be precise. You can make a WordPress website for free as long as you register the domain name, and purchase any plug-ins as and when you need them.

Domain Name and Hosting

You need to pick a domain name that’s memorable and brandable. Believe it or not, this is actually more important than incorporating keywords into your domain name! For example, BestFitnessTips.com is a straightforward name that might adhere to SEO best practices, but it suffers from an acute lack of personality. A name like FitProsUnite.com works a lot better, because it’s unique and effective at communicating the purpose of your blog.

As for the type of domain extension you go for, .com is where it’s at. It’s the option that instills the most trust in your readers, whereas domains like .net might make you seem less legitimate. Of course, alternate domain extensions like .blog, .biz, and .me can work well too in the right context.

And then there’s the matter of hosting. Dedicated servers are a powerful, albeit prohibitively expensive, option that can handle massive amounts of traffic. But let’s be real here - if your blog is just starting out, you’re not going to need that level of traffic management potential for a while. Shared hosting will work fine for now, just make sure the service provider offers uptime guarantees of at least 99.9% and 24/7 live chat support for emergencies.

Content Creation and Planning

Now we’re really getting into the meat and potatoes of blog creation. After all, what’s the point of a blog if it just sits gathering dust? You need content, and a lot of it, but this requires planning. Your strategy here needs to revolve around SEO and audience demand. Start off by trying to find high-volume, low competition keywords in your niche through tools like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or Google Keyword Planner.

Once you’ve got that squared away, it’s time to come up with a content calendar. With tools like Trello, Asana, or Notion, plan out content for the next three to six months. Focus on pillar content, or detailed posts about core topics, and expand on them with supporting posts called content clusters that link back to the pillar.

How to Make Money Blogging

It might seem impossible when you’re first starting out, but you can make money from blogging. There are three main revenue sources you should work towards.

First, there’s affiliate marketing. Through platforms like Amazon Associates and ShareASale, you can receive affiliate links that you can pepper throughout your content. Each time a reader clicks on the link and purchases an item, you get a cut! Content like comparison articles or in-depth reviews allow you to naturally incorporate affiliate links, though you need to be transparent and build trust by clearly labeling them.

Then, there’s sponsored content. Once your blog starts receiving enough content, you can send sponsorship proposal emails to brands offering to write a post about them. It’s important to have a media kit at the ready that includes blog stats, audience demographics, and potential partnership ideas, since you’ll be leveraging your blog’s traffic and niche authority to clinch these deals.

Finally, there’s ad revenue. You won’t earn much from this source, especially at first, but it can become a solid revenue stream down the line. If your blog starts pulling in more than 50k in monthly traffic, Mediavine or Raptive which pay higher rates than Google Adsense. Remember to optimize ad placements within reason. They need to be clearly visible without sacrificing the user experience, so consider using tools like Hotjar to generate heat maps that reveal where readers interact most and position ads accordingly.

Partner with a Blog Writing Service to Supercharge Your Growth

Starting a blog can be a game changer, but consistently creating high-quality content takes time, strategy, and expertise. While this checklist gives you a solid foundation, you won’t be able to turn your blog into a powerhouse just by ticking these boxes. That’s where Content Development Pros comes in.

Drawing on 15 years of award-winning expertise, our blog writing service can help you create engaging, insightful content that not only resonates with your audience but also drives traffic, boosts SEO, and positions you as an authority in your niche. Let’s make your blog a growth engine together.