You are ready to start blogging, aren’t you? But before you start, you probably want to know how long it actually takes to build a blog from scratch. Will it be a quick weekend project, or will it take weeks of dedication? Well, the truth is, it varies.
Some people get a basic blog online in an afternoon, while others take much longer. While you can definitely do everything at your own comfortable pace, we would like to offer you at least some tips that can take you further.
So let’s start!
Give Your Blog an Address: Register a Domain Name
First, your blog needs an internet address. This is called a domain name, and it’s what people will type into their web browser to find you, like “www.myawesomeblog.com”. Getting your own domain name is quick and easy.
With a quick Google search, you can find the best sites where you can perform a seamless domain registration at a fair price and start the right way.
Bear in mind, find a good domain name as it will allow you to market your blog much more effectively across channels.
Choose Your Blogging Software: Select a Platform
After that, you’ll need to choose your blogging platform. There are various popular options that all have different strengths and weaknesses: WordPress.org is the go-to choice with lots of customization features; WordPress.com is simpler yet still customizable enough; Wix offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface for beginners; while Squarespace boasts beautiful designs but may be more costly.
Selecting and creating an account typically takes less than an hour. If using WordPress.org however, additional tasks like web hosting (to store files for your website) and installing WordPress may take an additional hour or two.
Make It Look Good: Create A Blog Template
Now comes the fun part – customizing your blog! Most platforms provide pre-made designs known as “themes,” which you can use as a starting point and customize by changing colors, fonts and layout elements as desired – even adding your own logo! Duration of customization depends entirely upon you: If you find a theme you love with only minor changes needed to customize it quickly it could take as little as an hour or two; for more unique designs it could take several hours or days of experimentation with various options until you reach a perfect look!
Write Awesome Content: Create Blog Posts
With your blog’s design in place, it’s time to start creating the content that will draw readers in. Writing engaging and informative blog posts is the heart of your blog. This involves brainstorming ideas that will resonate with your audience, doing research to make sure your information is accurate and interesting, and then writing, editing, and proofreading your posts until they’re perfect or hiring a content writer to do the hard work for you. Some people can write a blog post in hours, while others take days or even weeks. It depends on the complexity of the topic, the length of your posts, and how much you care about getting them just right.
Spread the Word: Promote Your Blog
Once your content is out there, the next step should be spreading the word! This process is called promotion, and includes actions such as sharing it on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook; optimizing for search engines so visitors can find you through Google; collecting email addresses for newsletter distribution; writing guest posts for other blogs; etc. Building an audience takes time and dedication – but a well-thought-out promotion strategy will quickly help it expand!
And don’t forget, make sure you have plenty of content in the pipeline. Ideas can come and go and you have to be prepared. So schedule your blog posts so that your page is never dry and readers can always come and take a look at the value you offer.
Wrap Up
Building a blog is both a rewarding and complex process, though initial setup may be swift. Once set up, however, creating an enduring online platform takes continued dedication to make a success of it all. Think of building as similar to building a house. First, you lay the foundation (choosing platform and design), build the structure (creating engaging content), then promote and improve (promote the blog and engage with your audience).
Take pleasure in the journey while working towards something valuable. Rewards will come over time with consistent effort!