With more websites and blogs on the internet today than ever before, there has never been a better time for you to get started with a site of your own. However, before getting started with a site, you should actually have a good understanding of what the focus of your content and who your target audience is going to be. This is where many people jump the gun too quickly and end up creating a site that they don’t have much focus or interest in, and then it all fizzles out within a few short weeks.
The best way to start a website or blog, is to pre-plan and think about why you are creating a blog in the first place and the potential direction you want to take. Today we are going to walk through this process and look at five different directions you can take with your new site. At the same time, starting a blog in any of these angles can also allow you to grow your personal brand, start an online business, and even make some money in the process.
Review Style Blogs
Millions of people visit Google on a daily basis and search for information and online reviews to help them find the right products and services. The majority of these searches are being done to help an individual in their decision process on whether they are going to buy something or not. Review style blogs are not only a great way to create valuable contact for your audience, they are also perfect for blog monetization and making money through affiliate marketing.
You can see a great example of a review style site at Radar Detector Guides, which has in-depth reviews on all of the greatest radar detectors in the marketplace today. Since there are so many different radar detectors available for purchase, a site like this provides a lot of value to an audience and helping them choose which is best for them.
Tutorial or Guide Walkthrough Blogs
In addition to providing value to an audience through the use of reviews and information, another way to do this is with detailed tutorials and walkthroughs. Millions of people are searching Google on a daily basis for how to start or learn new things such as blog, cooking, crafts, and much more.
You can see a perfect example of how you can create a site based around a tutorial or walkthrough in the blogging guide at The Blog Starter. While the concept of starting a blog might seem simple enough, it can be quite confusing to someone the first time around. Check out the site structure and see how simple the walk-through is so anyone can follow it, no matter their level of expertise or site design experience.
Fashion or Social Media Focused Blogs
The world of blogging is growing everyday, but so is the world of social media. Often times influencers will find themselves first on a social media platform like Instagram or Pinterest, while also growing a following of their own. Once this starts to happen, it’s a great idea for them to start a website or blog of their own.
It’s actually quite important to own a platform and site of your own, as you would always want to have complete ownership and control over your content and so your audience can find you at all times. You can see a perfect example of how this is being done in the world of fashion, where some social media influencers are hurting thousands of dollars for one simple tweet or photo update. While we are using fashion as an example in this scenario, this can be done in basically all niche markets.
Personal Brand and Expertise Blogs
No matter what your focus or end goals are with blogging, you should definitely have a website and domain name that relates to yourself and what it is you are good at. For example, everyone should own their personal name as a domain name. The reason why this is important is that once a domain name is registered, it’s likely going to be gone forever.
Once you have a domain name in place, you can then go live with a blog of your own that can act as a online resume, a resource site, or pretty much anything else you like. You can see an example of how I was able to launch a brand of my own under the ZacJohnson.com name. Personally, this was one of the best business decisions I had made. With that being said, If your personal name is available as a domain name, I highly recommend you purchase it right now before someone else does.
Blogs on Hobbies, Passions, and Interest
Many people get started with a blog simply to find out what all the excitement is about. The great thing about blogging is that you don’t need to have a purpose and you can write about whatever it is you like. Some of the most common reasons for starting a blog are focused around personal hobbies, passions, and interests.
Once you start creating a site based around something you really enjoy, then you might find that your site gains a loyal following and community of its own. At this point you can start exploring a wide range of monetization options and even make money with your site in the process. The most successful blogs in the world today are ones that weren’t started simply to make money or become a business, but instead were created out of passion and interest.
It’s Time to Get Started with a Blog of Your Own
With a new year right around the corner, now is the best time to start a new website or blog. With five new ideas and blog focuses fresh in your mind, you should be thinking about a unique style and twist for your own site, while also providing value to your audience in the process.
Each of the methods mentioned above are very effective for not only creating unique content for a target audience, but also for making your site stand out from the crowd.
Don’t let another year pass by where you said you had wished you started a blog, only to find yourself at the end of the year again having missed out on such an amazing opportunity.