What is a Blog and How Does It Work – Blogging 101

what is a blog and how does it work

Over the years, the topic of side hustles or things you can do to earn extra cash has always intrigued me. The idea of making more money is a very attractive especially in today’s economic times. What is a blog and how does it work? This is one question we shall be trying to answer in this article.

There are as many ideas of how you can make money as there are people out there. However, one of the suggestions I have received is that of a blog. It is argued that one can start a blog and be able to generate money from it.

However, if you are like me and new to this idea of a blog, then you must be wondering; what is a blog, how does it work and how does one make extra money from blogging?

These are the same questions that are bothering me. But you might be lucky today because I have gone ahead and researched on this topic of how to start a blog. This is what I found out and wish to share with you.

What is a blog?

Before we begin, I want to go over what is a blog definition and some other basic blogging questions.

A blog is a website. It is content that is written on a website which consists or articles, sometimes images or videos, info graphic and illustrations. It is a website or webpage that is regularly updated and run by one person or even a group of people. Sometimes a company or organization run a blog.

The content of a blog is written in an informal or conversational style, like the one you are reading right now.

Even more interesting is that I have started a blog, which will form a case study of how to start or create a blog, how to drive traffic to a blog, how to grow a blog and how to monetize a blog.

I will continue to share the results of my case study with you every now and then.

If you are interested in starting your won blog, this article is for you and it sheds some light or provides answers to questions you might be having.

Today, I am going to help you by answering some of the most common questions about blogging.

Some of the questions that I am providing answer to are:

  1. Is 2021 too late to start a blog?
  2. How do you come up with a blog name?
  3. What blogs make the most money?
  4. How do you design a blog?
  5. Number of views do you need to make money blogging
  6. Blog posts should you have before launching
  7. Getting your blog noticed by Google
  8. Time until a blog makes you money
  9. Ways blogs make money and how do you get paid

I know that blogging can seem scary in the beginning, but research shows that most other bloggers were in the exact same place you are in when they started.

Blogging, just like any other hobby or job you start, takes time to learn what you’re doing. You have to do research, read about what other people have done, and learn as you go.

For some people this can be frustrating at first, but good things always do take time.

Blogging isn’t as easy as it looks from the outside. Even the most successful bloggers still spend time learning how to do new things. I am constantly signing up for new courses and learning from other people.

Even though it takes time and can feel difficult, blogging is something you can do. You can earn money blogging so that you can work towards living the life you want.

One of the reasons am convinced blogging is a great opportunity is that you can do it all on your own time. You do not have to learn everything at once. You can start your blog and grow it at your own pace.

While there is no 100% guarantee that you will be able to earn a full-time living by blogging, it is worth trying. You have nothing to lose.

What is a blog used for? 

Blogs can vary from person to person.

You may create or make a blog to journal, to teach on a topic, to sell something, to tell a story, and so on. There are no exact rules about what your blog has to be used for.

What is a blog post? Blog posts are individual entries on a blog. Blog posts usually include text, but they can also have photos, videos, infographics, and more as mentioned above.

An example of a blog post is what you’re reading right now. There is a title, its own URL which is the web address, and text that provides in depth information.

Is 2021 too late to start a blog?

No, it’s not too late, and you haven’t missed out.

The online world is still so new, and each year there are new ways to monetize and grow your blog.

For example, it wasn’t until the past few years that companies and advertisers started realizing the value of online influencers, such as bloggers, and that means even more opportunities to earn money blogging.

Before that, companies mainly wanted to advertise with celebrities, but it is shifting to bloggers and other online influencers such as Youtubers and Instagrammers!.

The online world is a huge place and it is just going to keep growing. Every blogger earns a living in slightly different ways, and everyone has a different message and story. Plus, there are so many different ways to earn money blogging, and the options have continued to change and grow since I started blogging.

Of course, because the blogging world keeps changing, there will constantly be new things for you to learn, but that will probably always be the case for managing any kind of business.

So, if you are thinking about starting a blog, today is the day. Don’t let your fears hold you back any further

What is a blog and how does it work? Tips for Naming Your Blog

Deciding on a name for your blog is probably one of the hardest parts of blogging.

Even if you know exactly what you want to blog about and have some articles written, deciding on your blog’s name may be stopping you from actually creating your website and launching it.

Coming up with a blog name should not lead to stress, so here are my tips for deciding on a blog name:

  1. Make it easy. My top tip would be to make sure that your blog name is easy for people to type or spell out loud. I have seen blog names that are extremely long, contain words that are difficult to spell, and so on. Instead, you should make it as easy as possible for your readers to find you.
  2. Think about what you’ll be writing about. Think about the topics you want to write about, who your target audience is, and more, and then jot down descriptive words that are related to each. Brainstorming like this is a good way to come up with a blog name!
  3. Use a thesaurus to find similar words. If your first or second choices are taken or if you want to see if there are some catchier sounding blog names, using a thesaurus can help you with some new ideas.
  4. Make it catchy. You may want to think of something funny, use alliteration, or something else to make your blog name catchy and memorable.
  5. Use your name. If you do not want something catchy and if you think you’re not creative enough, then just use your name. It is super easy that way, and more and more people are starting to do this. Infact, I find this best because it helps with your personal branding too.

See, creating a name for your blog can be easy!

What blogs make the most money?

There are many different types of blogs that make money, and you can monetize nearly any kind of blog.

So, how do you determine what to write about?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question. I would recommend creating a blog around a topic that you are passionate about, that you are an expert in, that you like, or something else along those lines.

This can make blogging feel fun instead of like a chore.

Related: How to Grow Your Blog and Earn Money

You can blog about several topics or you can blog about one specific thing, such as personal finance, blogging, oil and gas investing or any other topic that you fancy

How to Choose or Pick a Blog Topic

Some things that you may want to think about when choosing your blog topic include:

  1. What are you passionate about? It is a good idea that you start by thinking about what you love doing. Perhaps it is a sport that you really love, crafts, cooking, managing money, travel, or something else. Whatever it is, blogging about your passion is great because that will show in your writing, and your readers will enjoy reading your posts.
  2. What blogs do you enjoy reading? If you are thinking about starting a blog, I am assuming it is because you probably enjoy reading blogs yourself. If that is the case, then you may want to think about the blogs you really enjoy reading and possibly blog about something similar.
  3. What are you an expert in? Now, you do not  need to be an expert in your blog’s topic to earn money blogging, but if you are an expert at something, then this could be a topic that you blog about. There are many successful “How-To” websites because people love to learn new things through blogs. And, there is probably something you could teach. Think about the questions your friends and family are always asking you about, topics that you enjoy helping others with, and so on.
  4. What things do you like learning about? Like I said above, you do not need to be an expert in a topic to blog about it. People LOVE reading blogs from people who are learning or trying new things. This is because everyone has to start somewhere, and people love following the journey and seeing how something is actually done. So, if you are learning how to earn money blogging, for example, that could be where you start your blog. You can write about all of your mistakes, talk about what you have learned, show how you have tried and reviewed different options, and so on.

To learn how to make money with a blog, your blog can be about anything and/or everything. It’s entirely up to you.

List of Blog Topic Ideas and Niches

In trying to answer the question of what is a blog and how does it work, you need to look at some ideas of the topics or the niches that you can write about.

Below is a list of possible blog examples and blog topic ideas. The list doesn’t end here either. Choose one, all, or some. It’s all up to you.

  1. Lifestyle
  2. Home
  3. Family
  4. Finance
  5. Crafts
  6. DIY
  7. Small business
  8. Outdoor activities
  9. Fitness and health
  10. Food
  11. Inspiration and advice
  12. Animals
  13. Travel
  14. Games
  15. Relationships
  16. School
  17. Electronics, and more!

That’s the beauty of having a blog – it can be about anything and you can still earn money from it.

There are a few topics you should avoid if you are not an expert, like blogging about legal issues, tax issues, or medical advice. You could get someone in a lot of trouble if you gave them the wrong information.

What is the best blogging platform to make money?

Your blog should be self-hosted if you want to earn money blogging. This is actually one of the first things you should do.

I recommend that you start on a self-hosted WordPress and this blog will help you in starting your blog. There are two wordpress platforms; wordpress.com and wordpress.org. Confusing, right?

The best blogging platform is the wordpress.org.

Unless you self-host your blog, advertisers, companies, and readers will still know you are on Blogger or free WordPress, and that can look unprofessional. Plus, your blog can be deleted at any time and for no reason if you are using a free version, which actually happened to me.

Even though you may save some money in the beginning, not being self-hosted can hurt your chances of earning money through your blog.

Seriously, just trust me. Go with self-hosted WordPress, and it will significantly increase your chances of monetizing your blog.

To recap, the positives of being self-hosted on WordPress through Bluehost include:

  • Your blog will look more professional meaning you will increase your chances of making money online.
  • You will have complete control over your blog.
  • You own your blog, and it can’t be deleted for any reason.

How do you design a blog?

Once you have made a decision that you will start or create a blog, you will then decide on the kind of design you will use for your blog. After that, you will have three options when it comes to designing your blog:

  1. Designing your blog on your own
  2. Paying someone to design your blog
  3. Purchasing a premade theme (the quickest option and surprisingly affordable)

How much do I have to spend before I can earn money blogging?

When you first start your blog, it is likely that you will spend very little or almost nothing in terms of your blogging expenses.

I spent less than $100 the first year and not too much more in the second year.

In fact, I probably went a few years when I was only spending about 1%-2% of my revenues on blogging expenses.

Now, some of my expenses today include:

  • My computer
  • Domain registration.
  • Webhosting package.
  • The actual blog (design, hosting, etc.)
  • Virtual assistant and editor
  • Technical management
  • Transaction fees

But, you do not need to spend money on all of these things to earn money blogging.

How many views do you need to make money blogging?

You do not need millions of pageviews per month to earn money blogging, but if you want to increase your income, it will be important to increase your page views.

Every blog is different, and it is not always the blogs with the largest number of readers that make the most money. That is because once you understand what your readers want, understand how to effectively reach out to companies for partnerships, and know how to charge the correct rate, you can make a good income online in many cases, regardless of the amount of pageviews you receive.

Tips on How to Increase Your Blog Pageviews

As you create your blog, you might want to increase your pageviews, here are my tips:

  1. Publish high-quality blog posts. Readers come back to blogs with high-quality and helpful posts. I recommend that your blog posts be at least 750 words, but more wouldn’t hurt either. The majority of my blog posts are around 1,500 to 3,000 words.
  2. Post regularly.If you want to earn money blogging, you should publish something at least once a week. Going for weeks or months at a time without a blog post can lead to readers forgetting about you.
  3. Make sure it’s easy to share your content.You should always make sure it’s easy for readers to share your content. This could mean making your social media icons easy to find, having all of the info input that is needed for sharing (title, link, and your username), and so on.
  4. Create catchy headlines.The title of your post is a major factor influencing whether readers click over or not.
  5. Learn SEO. SEO (search engine optimization) is not something I could teach in such a small section, but I recommend doing your research and learning more about what it is and how it can help you.
  6. Make it easy for readers to browse.If you want more pageviews, you should make it as easy as possible for readers to read your other blog posts. Readers should be able to easily find your blog homepage, categories, tags, search bar, and so on. Also, I recommend including links for related posts in every single one of your blog posts.

What is a blog and how does it work – The Actual Work of Blogging

How often should I blog?

I recommend publishing a blog post at least once a week.

This is because consistency is important when it comes to blogging.

I started out publishing short blog posts a few times a week. Now, I try to do just one long blog post each week. I find that works best for my blog.

Others may decide to blog every single day, and some may try every other day. It all depends on what you would like to do.

How many blog posts should I have before launching?

I recommend simply just launching your blog with one blog post. You can continue to add more as you go.

I recommend this because you won’t have a ton of readers in the beginning anyways, so just getting started is going to be your best plan of action.

Too many people over think this question, which just delays them from actually starting their blog.

What is the ideal length for a blog post?

The ideal length varies. I usually recommend that a blog post be at least 750 words.

Some blog posts are almost always at least 2,000 words, and some have written some huge blog posts that are around 5,000 words too.

The ideal length for your article will depend on your niche, and the topic that you are writing about.

How do I get my blog noticed by Google?

For your blog to be found on Google search results, you’ll want to learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Understanding how SEO works is very important. Remember that to be ranked on Google search results, you will have to create an article or a post that adds value to the users.

There are a number of metric that go into determining how your article will rank on the search engines.

How long until a blog makes money?

This is a hard question to answer, and it depends on a number of things. However, based on research by some bloggers, you can estimate that it takes about six months to get ranking on search engines.

This means that people will start finding your blog articles after six months. Therefore, if your blog is monetized by let’s say display adverts or affiliate products, that might be the time you will start seeing some results.

I know some bloggers who were making thousands of dollars a month after just a few months of blogging. There are bloggers out there who began a year or two after me and are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. There are also other bloggers who aren’t making any money at all.

As you can see, blogging is not a get-rich-quick scheme and there isn’t a timeline for when you will start to earn money blogging. However, if you are serious about it, you never know what it may turn into.

It all depends on you, the effort you put into your blog, whether you have the time to learn how to monetize your blog, and more.

How do blogs make money?

There are several ways to earn money blogging, including:

  • Affiliate marketing
  • Blog sponsorships
  • Display advertising
  • Product sales
  • Staff writing

How do bloggers get paid?

I know you are interested in blogging, but you might not be sure where the income is actually coming from.

How does the money actually get to you as a blogger?

You receive blogging income from whoever is paying you.

  • If it is affiliate marketing you are providing, then your payment is from the company that makes the product or service. When someone buys something or signs up through your link, that’s when you get.
  • When someone is paying you to place an advertisement on your website, then you are going to get your payment from the company who you are advertising for.
  • If you are publishing a sponsored post, your payment is coming from the company who is sponsoring that post.
  • By having display ads on your website, such as with Google Adsense, then the payment is by Google or by any number of other companies.

There are many companies and blogging networks out there that you can use to earn money blogging, and they usually pay you through PayPal or with a check in the mail.

if you follow the above tips and advise, then you will be in a better position to answer the question – what is a blog and how does it work?