10 Steps to Start a Blog for Free – The reason you are here is either because you have something to communicate with the world or you want to start a career in blogging.
Well, you have come to the right place! You will know how to start a blog for free here.
If you want your own website, then you have to purchase a domain (website).
However, there are many free websites that can help you start a blog for free.
To get you started there are free blogging websites such as WordPress.com, Wix.com, blogger.com, and many others.
These are the 10 easy and effective steps that will help you start a blog for free:
- Find a niche
- Brainstorm blog topics
- Create a unique name for your blog
- Create a unique and simple logo
- Have effective titles and headlines
- Know the basics of SEO
- Find the right keywords
- Make content user friendly and valuable
- Find or create non-copyrighted images
- Start using social media accounts
Except for step 1 you don’t have to follow these steps in this order. Step 1 should be done before you start doing anything. It is the most important step and you will regret it later on if you don’t do it correctly.
Other than that you can do these steps in any order you want.
1. Find a niche to start a blog for free
Before finding a niche you must know what is a niche topic and its importance.
A Niche Topic is a very specific topic in your niche. For example, this website has a niche of marketing, and the content you are reading “10 Steps to Start a Blog for Free” comes under a sub-niche, digital marketing.
You must find a niche that you have knowledge about and can write a variety of niche topics.
Find a niche that you are passionate about because you can make a whole career with just blogging and you want to choose something which gets you excited to write about.
Food blogs, fashion blogs, lifestyle blogs, and fitness blogs are a few examples of some famous blogging topics.
So before you choose a niche ask yourself a few questions:
What niche can you write about without needing much help?
Choose something which comes naturally to you. Even if it doesn’t at least you should have a decent amount of knowledge about your niche to be able to pull an audience.
Remember no one is born a genius. You will require help from others bloggers or experts. You will need to see what they are doing to start your blog.
However, you have to be different. You cannot just rephrase their words and write your blog. You must add value to your blog with your knowledge. You need to be better in some way than other bloggers in your niche.
Will you attract a good volume of audience to your blog?
Most people write to share their writings with the world.
If you are one of them or someone who wants to start monetizing your blogs later on in life, then this is something you must research properly, before starting your blog.
To help you there is a google extension and website called Ubersuggest.
Ubersuggest will help you understand the volume of your niche, the competition level (SD), and the CPC.
Does your niche topic have a good cost per click (CPC)?
Most of you will start a blog for free initially but will want to monetize on your hard work later on.
What is CPC? – Cost per Click
When you start monetizing your blogs through Google AdSense then they will show ads and each click by users will give you the CPC depending on your niche sub-topic or keyword you are using to right.
So from the start go for a high CPC niche and choose sub-niche topics accordingly.
2. Brainstorm blog topics
Before you start your blog for free it is so important to write down at least 50 ideas of your sub-niche topics. With each topic, you have to do small keyword research.
Keyword research is looking up your keywords on a platform like Ubersuggest. Even if you are not monetarizing your blog you still would want to check the potential volume of your audience.
Brainstorming also helps you understand whether or not your niche has the potential to have many sub-topics.
3. Create a unique name for your blog
Coming up with a name for your blog is vital. Most bloggers come up with a name after they have written their content.
It doesn’t matter when you come up with a name for your blog but it should have some significance with either what you are writing about or something close to your heart.
These are some things you might want to consider when coming up with your blog name.
Make it personal
You can choose a name with something which resonates with you. Be it something or someone and try to make it unique.
For example, this blog’s name is Neelaa Sapphire which means blue sapphire. I choose this name because it is associated with someone I am close to.
Neelaa Sapphire a rare gem also signifies: The one who wears the gem attains the power to flourish one’s life.
Connect it with your niche
The niche you choose think of something creative. Always think about who your target audience is and note down the words related to your content. Make something unique out of it which will help you to come up with your blog name.
You will start a blog for free but the name will stay with you when you want to buy your domain. So also check if your blog name is available in the domain system that you would want in the future.
Make it short and catchy
A blog name that is easy to remember and at the same time catchy will help the reader to remember it.
4. Create a unique and simple logo
First thing first: DO NOT COPY!
Even though we want to start a blog for free why take someone else’s logo when you can easily make it yourself?
Whatever you do make it your own even if you make slight changes to any copyrighted logo you take of the internet.
There are many websites such as Canva, Logo Maker, Logomark, Place It, and many more.
The one I recommend the most is Canva. Just type in “logos” in the search bar and find a suitable logo. Then edit it accordingly to how you want it.
Change the colors, style, add your blog’s name and just make it your own.
5. Have effective titles and headlines
Many of you might not have read the whole content I have written till now. To be honest how many of us do?
We read the title which catches our attention and skim through the content presented.
Therefore, have titles and headlines that are simple but effective. Don’t deceive your readers. Give proper titles to the content you present.
Give weightage to effective titles and headlines when you start a blog for free.
Just think when a company you apply to researches about you and finds your blog. They will not read everything but they will skim through your content and it will be your titles that will get highlighted.
Thus, just do not take titles and headlines lightly!
6. Know the basics of SEO
Now, how many times have you read “start a blog for free” during this blog?
8 times! That there is a part of SEO.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of optimizing your blogs. There are ways that when someone searches particular keywords or phrases they find your blogs.
The keyword used in this blog is “start a blog for free”. The content length will determine how many times you should use your keyword in your blog.
For 1000 words it would be used 10-12 times.
For 1200 words it would be used 12-14 times.
How many times will we use the keyword if we have 500 words?
5-7 times.
There is no ideal keyword density that should always be between 1 to 1.4 percent of your total word count.
Additionally, don’t stuff your keywords altogether in one place.
Use it naturally, space them out and use them correctly.
Other basic SEO you should now:
Link back to yourself
The easiest way to boost traffic to your blogs is through the integration of internal links. Link your one post to another and create a web for your users to read other articles related to the ones they have read.
Make sure not to go overboard with internal linking. You will have other links as well so make sure to use a few main ones which are effective and your users will click on.
Link external websites
Google expects you to link other sources. That gives you more authority and shows you are helping others and thus, Google will help you too.
Additionally, this helps you build relationships with other bloggers. You can ask for collaborations and grow your network.
If respected sites include you then your blog and the content will have higher validity.
Image descriptions
The “ALT” tag allows you to include your keywords.
The pictures you see here all have the keyword “Start a blog for free”.
Not only does this help in ranking but also gives value to the picture you create.
7. Find the right keywords
Throughout this blog post, I have mentioned the importance of keywords.
The reason you saw this blog is that you searched the keywords I used in this blog post.
Now keyword doesn’t mean using just one main keyword many times.
There is another technique called LSI Keywords.
LSI keywords are words, phrases, or jargon that are semi-related to the main keyword. Google also connects these semi-related keywords with that specific topic.
What are some LSI keywords for “Start a blog for free”?
Free blog
How to start a blog for free?
WordPress blog
Blogging
Blogger
Free blogging site
Do you see the pattern? It is the same words but set in a different arrangement. Now you have to consciously write your content with the LSI keywords in your topic.
8. Make content user friendly and valuable
Simplicity is key!
Put yourself in the position of the reader. When you go on a site the two things that make you like it is the easy readability and two the valuable content.
Therefore, please do not write big fancy words just to impress the readers.
Always remember that your audience would prefer to read something which automatically makes sense to them rather than needing to search the definition of the words you used.
Another point to keep in mind is to not go overboard with colors the maximum number of colors you should use is 3.
Additionally, use pictures but don’t overuse them. For 1000 words have 5-6 pictures.
The most important point is that you need to deliver what you have promised with your titles.
The readers are here to get the information and then only they will start trusting you with your other content.
If this blog did not deliver what it promised (start a blog for free) then would you still be reading?
Thus, it is so important to make your content valuable with everything mentioned above and then see the results yourself!
9. Find or create non-copyrighted images for free
Images help your readers understand your points better. It is vital for you to use images and more importantly non-copyrighted ones!
You don’t want your blog to be taken down due to copyright images.
Therefore, the best thing to do is use your own images or use free services like Unsplash, Canva, and ivory mix.
Canva will help you modify copyrighted images into your own and the other platforms such as Unsplash and ivory mix have free-to-use images.
10. Start using social media accounts
Social media is the best platform to gain an audience. It also gives you a deeper insight into the needs and wants of your target audience which will help you improve your traffic and keep you growing.
The two main social media platforms are Pinterest and Facebook. These two platforms drive the most traffic to blogs.
However, if you do not want a social media presence then also it is okay. If you do all the above-listed points, then you are good to go.
Many blogging websites do not have a social media presence. It acts as a helping aid but not having one also does not deter anything.
Thank you for reading!
I hope this blog helps you start a blog for free. The journey of blogging is not as difficult as it seems. It just takes a lot of handwork and consistency. If you keep posting at least 3-4 articles every month you will become a pro blogger!
If this blog has helped you or you have anything to add then please comment down below.