Is blogging dead? How much money can a small “hobby” blog really make? How do I start a profitable blog? These are some of the questions that flood my inbox daily. Today I’m setting the record straight. Blogging isn’t dead, and not only is today the best time to start a blog, but I can argue that there has never been a better time to start a blog.
What can a blog do for you or your business? Let’s go over some benefits. People and businesses use blogging as a way to connect with people over shared interests, discover new hobbies, and establish authority in a given niche. Blogs are no longer used as an online diary. Blogging in 2024 is a lucrative business venture, and it’s time you joined in on the fun and flexibility blogging as a job offers.
READ THE LATEST INCOME REPORT!
Learn how this tiny blog made $5,500 passively last month in my latest income report.
I share some of the affiliate programs that have made me the most money as well as some of the automation platforms that help my small business grow (without costing me a lot of money).
Looking for the perfect place to start your blogging journey? Let’s dive into key factors you need to think about before picking a platform. Here are my top tips for selecting the best blogging platform for you.
How to Choose the Right Blogging Platform?
It should be noted that the issue of security should be a priority when selecting the best blogging platform. It makes sense to use Shadowsocks technology as a VPN service along with your regular hosting. Shadowsocks VPN provides protection and security for your online ventures. Users who use a VPN are better protected against password theft, phishing, and targeted hacker attacks.
1. Ease of Use
When scouting for a blogging platform, it’s essential to consider its user-friendliness and the time it takes to get accustomed to it. To put it simply, as a beginner blogger you want an intuitive platform that’s easy to navigate so you can jump right into creating content for your business. This entails a well-organized, clear user interface that allows for easy location and use of functions.
2. Costs and Monetization Capabilities
When deciding on a blogging platform, starting costs play an important role, particularly for those who are new to blogging. While there are numerous blogging platforms offering free plans, you will quickly feel limited with these, and the designs offered are not really nice or customizable.
Ultimately, the most powerful, fastest, and best hosting platform (in my humble opinion) is Bluehost. When I first started my blog, I chose to go with Bluehost as a beginner because from what I heard, they host the fastest websites, and also – (this is the best part) – they offer FREE domain for the year, which saved me a cool $13 when I was first starting out.
You can start your blog as low as $2.95 USD per month plus get a FREE domain name when you purchase the 12-month plan. This low price and free domain name is an exclusive deal only when you use this Bluehost link.
BONUS!!: As a thank you to those of you who sign up through my link from this 2024 blogging income report, I’ll add you to my Share The Blog Love group board on Pinterest, so you can get a jump start to your blogging career by promoting your posts to my 170,000 followers! To cash in on this bonus, make sure to message me here after signing up with Bluehost.
3. Support and Community
If you’re venturing into blogging, it’s inevitable that you’ll run into some technical snags or have inquiries that need addressing. Opt for a blogging platform known for its steadfast customer service, offering a variety of ways for you to reach out like live chat, email, or community forums.
The added bonus of a welcoming blogger community on forums means you’ll have access to a wealth of tips and assistance from seasoned bloggers. This way you can get valuable tips about blogging and everything related to it. Source VPN was recommended to me in one of the forums. Since then it has become my main VPN in the Edge browser.
4. SEO Optimization
To maximize your blog’s visibility on search engines such as Google, it is essential to focus on search engine optimization (SEO). Making sure your blog platform has built-in SEO tools can boost your content’s visibility on search engines.
Scout for a blogging platform that’s got it all when it comes to SEO. You want one that lets you tweak metadata, craft XML sitemaps, tag images with ALT labels, and use URL structures optimized for SEO. These built-in features are the foundation for a rock-solid SEO game plan.
5. Scalability
At some point in your blogging journey, you will experience growing pains, and you want to make sure that you pick a service that scales with you as your readership grows. You want a service that allows you to level up without slowing down your site when your posts go viral.
You want a platform that will keep up with your entrepreneurial endevers and allow you to receive credit card payments, downloads, or create marketing campaigns. Select a platform that’s flexible and capable of evolving alongside your content, one that allows you to play around with different revenue streams as your follower base broadens and diversifies.
6. User Experience
The best part about blogging is finding like-minded people who share your passions and interests. When considering a hosting provider, think about how visitors and readers will engage with your content. Creating a user-friendly and engaging environment is pivotal in the blogging process. If your site is easy to navigate, it’s a no-brainer that folks will want to dig deeper into your content. They’ll be more inclined to become loyal followers because they love what you’re dishing out!
7. Audience Building
A successful blog is one that has cultivated a loyal readership and a dynamic online community. It’s critical to choose a blogging platform that not only showcases your content but also seamlessly connects you with your readers.
Key features to look for in a platform include:
● Interactive comment sections that stimulate reader engagement
● Community forums to spark meaningful discussions
● Easy integration with social platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to broaden your audience
● Signup forms for contacts or newsletters to expand your subscriber list
8. Stylish Templates
I saved the best for last. No visitor is going to stay too long on a blog that looks like it was developed back in the early 2000s. I use Bluehost because it offers a free WordPress drag-and-drop editor which allows you to create beautiful and fast webpages in a matter of minutes. No coding is necessary. Seriously! I’ve been blogging for 7 years and I still don’t know a single line of code!
Conclusion
Pick a blogging platform that was designed for you in mind. Hopefully, these suggestions have answered some of your questions about which blogging platform to use, and as always, my inbox is open if you have any more questions. Happy blogging!
