Before you start a blog, you need to make sure that you properly plan. When learning how to start a blog, you are going to see a lot of different schools of thought.
Some people will tell you to just get something out there. This is not usually effective since it can cause challenges with your site structure and quality later.
In this article, we are going to talk about 4 questions to ask yourself before starting a blog.
1. What Am I Going to Blog About?
Imagine that. You need to blog on your blog! Of course, you understand this, but what you might not know fully, in the beginning, is what topics you want to write blog posts on.
You could have an overarching theme or niche that you are working in, but what are the specific topics?
If you have a weight loss blog, are you going to be blogging about keto? Keeping calories low? Maybe a juice diet? See the infographic below for ideas.
Knowing what you are going to blog about will help you have a sense of stability and control when you are starting your blog.
Planning out your blog content is also helpful because you will be able to create categories and subcategories that will keep you organized and allow the reader to easily find what they are seeking.
Creating categories and subcategories also helps you with the structure of your blog. Having a good blog structure means that you are going to make your user’s overall experience much more enjoyable.
Besides for your main topic and the categories and subcategories under that main topic, you can also write “shoulder content” which is content that is closely related to but not exactly on topic.
This will give you more content options when you feel like you might be running low.
2. How Much Time Do I Have to Commit to My Blog?
When you are starting a blog, you need to remember that this is a long-term commitment.
If you think you are going to set up your blog, let it sit there and it is going to perform for you, you are a little off course.
Having a blog requires a time commitment for content creation, promoting, fixing site errors, reading blog comments and more.
Figuring out how much time you have for each of these activities before you start your blog will allow you to decrease the feeling of overwhelm you might experience whenever you get started.
I highly recommend that you put your blogging duties down on your calendar so they don’t get swept to the side.
While your blog might not be a “must do” right now, if you plan to build your blog as an online asset, it is going to require that you continue to groom and grow it.
Even if you only have a small amount of time each week to work on your blog, that is enough to get started. Putting it on your calendar will make sure that it happens.
3. Do I Want to Self-Host My Blog or Use a Blogging Platform
If you aren’t familiar with what self-hosting is, this means that you are going to pay for hosting and have your content on your own hosting.
If your blog is hosted on a blogging platform like Blogger, you get to use their hosting for free, but you do not have as much flexibility as you would if you were self-hosting.
One of the benefits to using a blogging platform instead of hosting your site yourself is obviously that you do not have to pay for it.
You are driving traffic to this platform so they are allowing you to blog for free. If you are on Blogger, you can even allow ads and get paid for blogging. That’s always fun.
The biggest downside is that you aren’t able to brand yourself or your content very well when you are on another site’s platform.
It is mainly about their brand and you are just living in their world. This is why many people opt for self-hosting on WordPress.org.
It is easy to customize so that you can show off your brand and you can also put in any features that you need for the functions you want on your site.
4. Where Do I Get Images for My Blog?
Every good blog is going to need images. If you aren’t taking your own images, you need to have good sources for those images.
You can get a subscription for stock photos but that can be pricey at times. You can use free photo sites, but other bloggers might be using those as well.
This can be a challenge, but if you have the ability to edit the photos, you shouldn’t have a lot of trouble finding and editing photos that will match your blog theme and content.
Make sure you use images that are clear and high quality. But they also need to be resized and compressed so they load quickly and don’t fill up your database as quickly.
People can’t be bothered with less than attractive images and your analytics will suffer from bounces if you don’t deliver.
Ready to Get Going Starting a Blog?
Having a clear understanding of how you and your blog are going to work together is a good way to start your blogging career.
Any good relationship should have an understanding before getting started and that doesn’t exclude your blog.
As long as both of you are keeping up with what is expected, you can keep moving forward happily.
Was this article helpful and informative? Leave us a comment with your thoughts in the section below.
Originally published 7/19/18; updated 1/6/22 to improve readability, SEO and add the infographic.
Dana Davis
Latest posts by Dana Davis (see all)
- 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Blog - January 6, 2022
- How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy: Secrets Revealed - October 5, 2021
- Protect Company Data with These 5 Important Steps [Infographics] - September 10, 2021
Hi Dana,
The first thing that can predict the success or failure of blogging is the mindset.
And this professional approach from day one is necessary.
Are you ready to stay committed for years, or are you just trying blogging as a way to grab more money magically?
Not a single blogger has stayed a successful long-term blogger without blogging passion.
Bloggers come like rocking stars and fade away within a few months or a couple of years. But only those who keep their focus and put together everything in the blogging business get success.
Thanks!
Gaurav Kumar would love you to read ..15 Top Paid SEO Tools Worth Your Money
Those are the easy 4 questions. Blogging is like full time job, unless you like what you are writing about, most certainly the blog will fail. I think most bloggers fail due to wrong or too high expectations. It takes a lot of time and work to build loyal readership community.
Carl would love you to read ..Considering The Key Differences Between Impulse vs Considered Purchase Products’ Marketing
Hi Dana, and Gail,
An apt content for the beginners in the blogging industry!
The basic things needed to begin a blog is well presented in this post. I am sure this will be a great help to many who are opting to start a blog.
Hey, Gail, I appreciate the repurposing of th is a post with an infographic on weight loss, I didn’t get the logic of it! If it’s an infographic on blogging it would have been far good.
By the way you didn’t write anything about the infographic before it, but mentioned at the bottom infographic uploaded date and the SEO purpose.
Thanks
~ Philip
Philip Verghese Ariel would love you to read ..Can We Make Money Through Our Blog Posts?
Hey Gail
You said about “shoulder content” and I think it’s quite helpful. When you are confused about what to write…. then this similar topics are the perfect topics to write related to it.
And waiting for some more tips related to new website and niche.
Thank you!!!
Hi, this is such an amazing article, and lucky I found it. It is very informative and helpful especially to those newbies or aspiring writers out there who wish to enter blogging. Thank you for sharing your ideas and tips. You might want to check out this related article here https://selfpublishingmadeeasynow.com/how-i-wrote-my-first-book-self-publishing-tips/
Veronica Gonzaga would love you to read ..Can An Author Published Book Succeed?
Hi Dana Davis,
Awesome post with great tips. Very good questions to ask our-self before starting a blog. Asking these questions from our-self before starting a blog will helps a lot & provide high benefits. Figuring out that how much time do i have to commit to my blog really means a lot. Hence figuring out that how much time i have to commit for doing several activities like fixing site errors, creating a content & reading blog comments before starting a blog will be helpful and will allow to decrease the feeling of overwhelm. Since every good blog need a good & perfect images, therefore figuring out that where do i get images for the blog will helps a lot & will be helpful for creating the blogs. Everyone should follow these questions before starting a blog.
Very helpful article and thanks for a share.
Thanks
-Aadarsh
Starting a blog, for me, is a mix of excitement and doubt. I’m excited to be able to do what I love, which is writing. But I’m also in doubt if I will be able to make it? or deliver content that will be helpful to the audiences? I’m thinking of setting up my own blog but I’m just in doubts right now.
Well done Dana! this blog is comprehensive and you are really great at sharing your ideas. Putting all the necessary thoughts which may really helpful especially for those that plan to venture into online business or starting their blogs.
sir, I want to start a website so please tell me that which domain provider and hosting provider is the best service providers
I entered the blogging world about 2 years ago and failed very badly. May be I had not covered these type of questions. I was not sure what i should blog on, how i will do, from where i will get the images etc. I have started again and this time i am more clear about things. Hoping to make it big.
Hi Dana, well done blog, you have covered all the important questions – anyone should ask – before starting a blog! Thanks for the post for new to blogging!
When I started blogging about 7 years ago, I thought the success was going to be instant. I started on blogger then moved on to WordPress. I was still in college and broke and I couldn’t afford to pay hosting for the website when the earnings are $0.7 per month.
I let my first blog go and I regret it up to this day. My advice to bloggers….Stay strong and be consistent. You will make it eventually.
Super breakdown Dana. Pondering the topic of what to blog about helped me both pick the right niche and keep those content ideas flowing. Some bloggers choose in demand niches but have zero skills in those areas. Makes zero sense to me. Far better to follow your passion – and know how – to enjoy the ride and to keep those content ideas flowing.
Ryan
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I would like to see more bloggers focus on not only where their skills lie but also where they live.
It makes little sense to try to write for an American audience instead of your own country because most non-American writers are unable to produce content that Americans are willing to read.
I understood it when they were trying to target a larger, supposedly more affluent audience for affiliate sales. But wouldn’t it make more sense to target the audience you know best with what they most want?
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Choose the Best Email Marketing Tool for Your Startup
Hii Dana
Such a great article. But you missing the one main point after starting a blog how to increase the traffic of blog???
Hi Punit,
That isn’t something needed BEFORE starting a blog. There are many ways to increase traffic. I would recommend starting with Viral Content Bee.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Choose the Best Email Marketing Tool for Your Startup
Great work, it is is a good way to build a better blog. you made my work more easy, thanks for sharing such useful resources.
Manisha would love you to read ..Bariatric surgery benefits: what you can expect
Such a best ideas for newcomers who thinking blogging as career, must read for them, thanks for share, Inspirational post 😉
Hi, Davis
Nice article and most useful for beginners like me. Please tell me that how I choose best domain name.
Hi Deepak,
Read these two posts:
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Do Not Let Your Images Blow Up Your Blog
your commenting guidelines says “not enough words”
dont you think the below comment was precise and to the point.
“include some infographics ,podcast and relavant information w.r.t audience.
your blog will just go boom.”
is quantity always better than quality?
Hi Amit,
It is necessary to use spam tools or this blog is over-run with “nice post” comments. But sometimes, a good comment is short enough to get blocked. Just add a word or two and then it will go through.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Convert More Website Visitors into Leads Using Zapier Integrations with Leadfeeder