It’s amazing that I started blogging over 10 years ago all the way back in August of 2008. Starting a blog has been one of the single most important things I’ve done in my life.
It has been the one side business that has earned me more than any other. In fact, last year alone I’ve earned more than $24,000 and driving thousands of visitors to my sites.
So how do you start a successful blog? There are 5 steps to creating a successful blog.
- Step #1 – Find a Niche For Your Blog
- Step #2 – Setup Your Domain Name and Hosting
- Step #3 – Create a Content Plan
- Step #4 – Create a Promotion Plan
- Step #5 – Create a Monetization Plan
In this article, I’m going to share my 10 years of experience on how to start a successful blog and grow it into a thriving part-time business as I have. I’m going to share how I pick a niche, set up my site, create content, promote, and even how I earn money.
Tools Mentioned in This Article
Before I get into the how-to of this article I wanted to share a short list of all the tools and courses I mention in this article since it is a long article so you don’t have to waste time scanning through to find that one link back.
- Bluehost – The hosting company I recommend for a successful blog
- WordPress.org – The Content Management Platform I use.
- Google Adsense – An advertising platform that I first started earning money with.
- Teachable – A platform for hosting online courses with.
- Income School – The Definitive Course for building a successful website that I use.
- Convertkit – This is the email solution that I use to keep in contact with my audience.
- Canva – The tool I use to create all my images for my blog post.
- Screencast O Matic – Screencasting software I use to record my computer screen.
# 1 Find a Profitable Niche for Your Blog
Finding a profitable niche for your blog is the foundation of starting a successful blog. I’ve definitely made my fair share of mistakes over the years.
He is just a few things to avoid so you pick the right niche.
#1 Don’t Go to Broad. The first tip is one that I’ve made a few times and that is going way to broad for the topic of your website. My very first website was on the topic of personal finance.
Going to broad, spread my site thin and I ended up talking about too many topics. This caused my audience to get annoyed because one day I might be talking about paying off debt and the next day I would be talking about investing.
#2 Don’t Pigeonhole Yourself. On that same note, you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself to a very narrow topic. For example, you don’t want your topic to be about paying off credit card debt in Ohio.
The problem with this niche is that its to narrow and also that the paying off debt in Ohio is going to be very similar to paying off a debt in the rest of the country.
So how do you pick the right niche? To do this you need to answer 3 basic questions.
#1 Who are you trying to help?
The first thing you need to know is who your target audience is. Is it single people, married couples, businesses and anything in between.
In my case, I focus on married couples with a family because I fit the description of my avatar. I lived through this situation which makes it easier to understand and share advice.
#2 What problem are you trying to solve?
Next, what problem are you trying to solve with this person? In my case, it’s to help working families earn extra money and possibly quite there 9 to 5 soul-sucking job.
As a result, they would be able to spend more with their family, pay off their debt, and even take their family on the vacation they never could till now.
I understand these problems because these are the exact same problems that I faced when I started my side hustle.
#3 What is the solution to that problem?
Finally, you need to know what the solution to that problem is. The solution is what they get by following your blog. If this is clearly defined people will continue to follow you.
The solution is the result that your readers will identify with that will keep them motivated and reading your blog.
Once you’ve answered these three questions you can take your answers and begin to piece together the niche you are targeting.
For example, mine is to help families earn money on the side and take back there nine to five.
Do It Now: Take a moment and answer the 3 questions above and determine what your niche is. If you need a little help leave a comment below.
#2 Setting Up Your Blog
Now that we have an idea it’s time to figure out your domain name and set up your hosting and for this, I like to use Bluehost since it’s easy to use and inexpensive. On top of that, I’ve found them to have the simplest interface to work with for getting your site up and running the quickest.
So follow these steps and you’ll have your blog up in no time.
Step #1 – Go to Bluehost. To get started click this link to go to Bluehost. Then click the big green button that says get started.
Step #2 – Choose a Plan. Once you’ve done this you’ll come to a page that offers 3 different pricing options. The first option is the standard plan on the left side of the page which is the most cost-effective.
However, I recommend the middle option, the Plus Plan, which gives me unmetered hosting space and the ability to host multiple websites on one account. So if you plan to create more sites in the future it won’t cost you any more.
So if cost is a concern then go with the basic plan and you can always bump up to the plus plan if you need to.
Step #3 – Add Your Domain Name. Next, you’ll want to add your domain name. When you sign up for a Bluehost account you get a free domain. Type it in otherwise you can add an existing domain name.
Side Note: Take an extra second to spell check the domain name to make sure it’s correct.
Step #4 – Fill Out Your Account Info. Once you’ve decided on a domain name you’ll need to fill out your account info. Include everything from your email to your phone number. If you don’t have a business name don’t worry about it for now.
Step #5 – Select Package and Extra Options. Next, you’ll want to select your package option that fits your budget. To get the best optimal price you’ll want to sign up for a 36-month plan. You can also do a 1-year or 2-year plan if you prefer but you save the most with the 36-month plan.
You can also add package extras like Domain Privacy which blocks out people from seeing your personal info such as name and email on the internet. You don’t necessarily have to do these options but if privacy is a concern for you then add it.
Step #6 – Input Your Payment Info. Once you’ve selected the length of the plan you’ll need to input your payment info. Add this and click the checkbox that says you agree to all terms of service, cancelation policy, and privacy policy. Then click the green button that says submit.
Step #7 – Create Your Password. Once you’ve paid you need to create a password for your account. You’ll get a screen that looks like the one below. Click the green button that says Create your password.
Quick Tip: Make sure your password is strong. Include lower and upper case letters, numbers and symbols. Your entire blog will be on this server and the last thing you want to do is build up a successful blog only to have someone hack it.
Now you should see a page where you can input your password in. Click the checkbox to accept terms of service and privacy policy and hit the blue button that says next.
Once you’ve done this you should see a page that says Congratulations! Now click on the blue login button and sign in with your email and new password.
Step #8 – Pick a Theme. Now that you have your plan in place and you’re logged in to your account you’ll want to pick a theme for your site. A theme gives you a basic style and structure to your website. For example, I use a paid theme called Divi. You don’t have to use a paid them at first since WordPress has a bunch of great free themes I recommend starting there.
Don’t worry if it’s not the perfect theme right now because you can always change it later.
Once you’ve picked a theme it’s time to install WordPress. To do this click the blue button that says Start Building and WordPress will be installed automatically.
Step #9 – Launch Your Site. We’re almost there, the last thing we need to do is launch your site. Before we do that we got just a couple of things we need to do.
Once WordPress has finished installing you will see a page that looks like the one below asking if you are doing a more Personal or Business type site. It doesn’t really matter which one you pick here. Click one and move on.
Once you’ve clicked the button you’ll get a screen that asks you to fill in the name of your site and a short description. Fill this in for now with the title of your site and a short description. You can always change this later if you want.
Then click on the blue button that says next step.
Congratulations! You’ve done it, you’ve now created your blog. Now you have to create your first blog post. You should get a page that looks something like this.
#3 Write Your First Blog Post & Setup Your Content Plan
Now that you have your site up and running we need to create a content plan for your site and on top of that, I’m going to show you how to create your first blog post. This is where the rubber hits the road in creating a successful blog. This is also the method I use to create my content plan and write my blog post.
So how do we come up with the content to write? We could use all kinds of expensive keyword tools or even Googles keyword tool but there is actually a much simpler method than all of this.
One Big Mistake to Avoid Before We Go Any Further
Now before I go any further I just want to mention a big mistake a lot of people make including myself and that is writing content on whatever you have on your mind. When I was first starting out I didn’t pay attention to keywords and all that stuff, instead, I just wrote whatever came to my mind.
The problem with this approach is that when you’re an unknown blogger just getting started it’s going to to be very tough to get people to find you out in the big world of the internet. With millions of people clamoring for the attention of all the blogs out there, you need a method that drives traffic to your site.
This is where keyword research comes in. On top, to that, you need to create content that is helpful and in the rest of this section, I am going to show you how to do this.
How to Find the Right Keywords for Your Blog
To do this we need to go to Google. The great thing about Google is that it will tell us exactly what people are typing in the search engine. For example, let’s say that your site topic is all about playing darts.
I have a dart board in my basement and it’s the first thing I could think of. So I type how to darts in the search bar just like the image below and this is what I get.
In the example above we can see all kinds of ideas, you can write articles on from how to aim darts, how to play darts, to how to hold a dart. These are all great ideas that people are typing into the search engine and looking for an answer.
When we scroll down the page we come to a list of questions in Google.
As you can see we have a whole list of questions that we could write articles on from should you spin your darts, to how do you score in darts?
And then when we scroll down to the bottom of the page and we see another list of options.
Now you might be wondering why wouldn’t you just use the Google Keyword Planner or some other keyword tool and the reason is because of most of the numbers in those tools are usually wrong. On top of that, the method I laid out above will give you an idea of what people are actually typing into the search engines.
How to Develop Your Content Plan
So now that you understand how to find article ideas take a moment to find a good 30 to 50 ideas. For this, I like to put them in an excel spreadsheet so I can organize them but anything will work. Below is a chart I put together on the dart topic.
Once you have a list of ideas your next step is to figure out how difficult the ideas you’ve chosen are. In most cases, the topics you’ve chosen are not as difficult to rank for as you might think. However, when you are starting a new site it’s going to take a while to start ranking in Google.
Side Note: If you have a new site it may take upwards of 8 months for your article to rank on Google and start driving in traffic.
So how do you check an article idea to see how difficult it is? You do a search on Google.
When we investigate the results we find the first two results have content on them but the sites look a bit dated like they were made back in 1995 which is a good sign that nobody is actively pursuing this phrase. The third article is a Reddit article which is a good sign and the fourth article is a forum.
When you see a Reddit or forum search result they are user-generated content which means Google can’t find a good article to put in the top 10 which means this would be an easy article for you to write about.
Competition
As you go through your list of article ideas you’ll be looking for the terms that are easier to rank for like the one I just showed you. But what about the terms that are a little more competitive?
I batch my content into three areas.
#1 No Competition. These are typically the article ideas that have little to no competition like the example I just gave. These articles are usually just answering a question. The article is roughly 1500 words and gives a clear and concise answer to the question in the article.
#2 Medium Competition. The next level of competitiveness is a medium level of competition. These articles typically have some tougher search results but still offer a chance to rank however you will have to step things up a but with a well-written article around 2500 words. These articles also work well for list post and competitive answer post.
#3 High Competition. The final level of competition is high competition. These are the most competitive topics that you could write about in your niche. These are typically the guides or how to articles such as the one you are reading right now. The competition for the phrase “How to Start a Blog” is very high and in order for me to rank I need to write a great article to even think about ranking in the top 10 for that term. A high competition article should be at least 3500 or more words.
As you go through your list do like I just did and do a search to see what the competition is like for each term. If you see a lot of big authority sites in the top ten mark it a high competition article.
If you see a few bigger competitors and some forums or smaller niche blogs in the topic it would be more of a medium competition.
Finally, if all you see is a few small niche sites, a Quora forum post, Yahoo answers, or a Reddit post then those terms will likely be very easy to rank for.
3 Tips to Creating Your Content
By this point, you should have your list of topic ideas and the level of competition written next to it. Now it’s time to write your content. In this section, I’m going to share a few tips I’ve learned to help you write your content.
Tip #1 Give the Answer Up Front
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is not giving the answer to an article until the very end. Rather I like to do this in the very beginning of the blog post.
Now you might be thinking but I want people to read the whole blog post. The problem with putting the answer at the very end of the article is that people feel like the article may be a bit boring and leave before they get to the answer.
If you give them the answer right of the bat then the visitor will feel like they’ve gotten value from you.
For example, if I were writing an article on Should I Spin My Darts, my answer paragraph would be something like this
Ex. Yes, you want to spin your darts because it will give you a more accurate throw.
The thing is it doesn’t have to be the whole complex answer. It just needs to be an answer and then in the rest of the article, you can dive into the entire explanation as to why you should spin your darts as you throw them.
Tip #2 Keep Your Articles Long
When it comes to Google they like to see longer articles. I’m not sure why this is but I think it has to do with the fact that it allows for more explanation. I vary the length of an article based on the competition. Below are the typical length guidelines I follow.
- Low Competition – 1500 Words
- Medium Competition – 2500 Words
- High Competition – 3500+ Words
Tip #3 Provide Helpful Advice
A lot of people think that the only way to make money online is to write nothing but product reviews or best of articles and this just isn’t true. Instead, just focus on giving out helpful advice to your readers and this will signal to them that you are actually trying to help them and not just sell them.
The selling comes from providing that helpful advice. I’ll talk more about that in the last section of this article.
Finally, if you would like to learn more about how I create content for my blog check out income school they are who I recommend if you want to build a successful blog. I’ve been a member with them for a long time and they will share the exact method that I’ve been sharing with you in this article but with more detail.
Click here to learn more and sign up to Income School.
#4 Create A Promotion Plan
Now that you’ve got a content plan in place you’ll need a way to promote your blog as well and this is actually not as complex as you might think. When it comes to my blog I have 3 ways that I actually promote my blog. First, I have two external methods and an internal method for promoting to my audience.
The great thing about the methods I use is that they are simple and easy. However, the methods I use may not exactly be the methods you will use. This is because everybody’s audience and market are different. So as I go through my method of promoting my blog think about which ways you will promote your blog.
#1 Search
The first way to promote your site and the simplest is to get search traffic from Google. The great thing about this method is that you will already be doing this if you are creating content using the method I suggest.
If you follow the method I suggest your blog will grow its traffic automatically over time. Search traffic doesn’t come fast at first though. Search traffic is all based on trust. The more Google trusts your content the more they will rank you for the articles you write.
In most cases, it will take you right around a year to gain this trust with Google and start to build this as a solid source of traffic. However, this doesn’t guarantee that you will get traffic. You will have to follow things closely as I’ve shown and if something doesn’t work you need to figure out why.
What About Backlinks Though?
One common objection I hear a lot is what about getting backlinks to your site to speed up the process? I’ve done backlinking years ago on a couple of my first blogs and every time I did it always ended in disaster. Now there are two kinds of backlinks you can get.
Black Hat links – this is where you pay someone to build links to your site through a private blog network or through a bunch of low ranking sites that have little to no authority. The bad part about this method is that Google can usually detect this fairly quickly because they will notice a bunch of links being added to your site. I did this on one of my first sites and it destroyed it.
White Hat Links – This method of backlinking is a legit way to earn links. These links are earned naturally as you write great content and others find your article online and link back to them. A good example of this was a few years back I was contacted by Mint.com to do an interview. After the interview was published they added a link mentioning the site I wrote for.
#2 YouTube
The other method I use to promote my site is YouTube because I find video a great way to get in touch with my audience. Over the last 2 years, I’ve done 17 videos, have over 700 fans, and thousands of views. On top of that, it has driven some nice traffic to my site and helped build my brand.
I like YouTube mostly because it allows me to connect with my audience in a more personal way. Some of you may like Facebook, Pinterest, or even Podcasting better and that’s fine but I find YouTube is a great way to get yourself out there and at minimal cost.
So here are a few tips I recommend if you plan to use YouTube to promote your blog.
#1 Create a New Channel
First, you’ll want to create a brand new channel for this. Early on I made the mistake of putting my videos on my personal account and switching to a branded channel was a bit of a pain.
I also suggest naming the channel the same thing as your blog to avoid confusion. The title should also be closely related to your topic as well. This will help people understand what your channel is about. This will also help filter people out so that you get people subscribing who are actually interested in your channel.
#2 Use ThumbNails
Next, you’ll want to use thumbnails for the cover of your videos. The great thing about thumbnails is that if done right they can draw in a bunch of views.
YouTube has found that adding a thumbnail to your video draws more people to click and view your video. Videos without a thumbnail tend to get fewer clicks.
The thumbnail I created for this video has brought in over 87,000 views. When I do videos I like to add arrows and even a picture of myself sometimes where it makes sense.
Finally, to create your thumbnails I like to use Canva. They have preset templates so all you have to do is create your image and upload it to YouTube.
#3 Don’t Try to Be Perfect
Finally, the last tip is that you don’t need to make this video perfect. You don’t need any professional video editing software like Adobe. Instead, just use your iPhone and just hit record. I’ve found the less professional approach works much better and comes across as more authentic.
I also like to use Screencast-O-Matic to record my screen as I explain something. This is a fairly cheap screen recording software that runs between $18 to $48 for an annual subscription. They even have a free option if you’re looking to save money.
#3 Email
The final way I promote to my audience is email. This is the internal method I use to share content, sell products, and even set up an automated response system. For, this I like to use Convertkit because I find it to be the easiest to work with without having to understand all kinds of tech stuff.
Resource: You can check out my full review here of Convertkit along with my behind the scenes video.
The reason you need an email list is to keep in touch with your audience. Over time your audience will tend to stray away and when you send a simple email it helps keep you top of mind and draws them back in.
So how do you do this?
#1 Create a Lead Magnet
A lead magnet, also known as an opt-in offer is a way you can draw people onto your list. I’ve created a few of them over the years but the best way to create a lead magnet is one that addresses a specific niche in your market.
For example, this is one I created a while back that shows people 287 proven course ideas. This lead magnet was created to help people who are having a tough time deciding on a course idea for there business.
In my case, my lead magnet was just a simple list I put together. However, a lead magnet can be anything from a pdf file, a video, or even a special podcast episode. The sky is the limit with opt-in offer ideas.
Finally, before I move on there is one final golden rule you should follow when you’re creating your lead magnet and that is your lead magnet should be short and simple and easy to consume. You don’t want to create a 100-page ebook or a 1-hour long video.
When it takes a lot of time people will usually say something like…
“I’ll check that out tonight” or
“I’ll get to that this weekend when I have a chance”
More than likely tonight or this weekend won’t happen. I recommend making it something they can consume in the next 5 minutes or so. The reason for this is because it will give them that rush and make them feel like they are taking steps towards accomplishing something.
Quick Tip: Use Fiverr.com to create your lead magnet cover. It’s inexpensive and they usually turn out pretty good.
#2 Sign Up For an Email Service Provider
Your next step is to sign up for an email provider so you can collect emails and send them your great lead magnet. Over the years I’ve used several email providers from MailChimp, Aweber, GetResponse, to MailerLite but I’ve found Convertkit to be the easiest to use.
I’m not a big tech guru and I don’t like complicated stuff. I like stuff that just works and is simple to use. In fact, if you can run Microsoft Word you can run Convertkit.
I’ll be honest Convertkit isn’t the cheapest option here but I tried enough other options that I’m willing to pay a little more so I don’t have to worry about the tech stuff.
However, if you don’t have much money start with try MailerLite or MailChimp. They both offer a free plan but I don’t personally recommend these because they don’t give you access to all the features like sending automated emails.
Click here to get a 14 day free trial of Convertkit.
#3 Send Out Weekly Emails
Finally, once you have your email list set up the last step is fairly simple, start sending emails. I recommend at least a once per week at the least as your getting started. This will keep you at the top of your audience’s mind giving you a way to draw them back in.
However, the sky is the limit with email. You can send one every day or 3 times a week if you want to. Here are a few tips I recommend following to build a solid email list.
#1 Send Value First. My first tip is to send value to your list before you ever ask for anything. This is why you created your opt-in. But you can also send value in other ways from a blog post you wrote, videos you recorded, to a podcast you did. Once you’ve sent value you can sprinkle in a few offers.
#2 Tell Your Audience How Often. Next when people sign up for your email list tell them how often you will be sending them an email. If you plan to send an email every day and you tell your audience up front they will know what to expect and you won’t have to deal with high unsubscribe rates.
#3 Keep Your Word. Finally, above all else make sure you keep your word. If you tell everybody on your list you have something big coming out on Monday and you don’t email your list they are going to figure out real quick that they can’t trust you. So do what you say you are going to do and your audience will trust you.
#5 Create a Monetization Plan
Now that you’ve completed all the other steps in this guide its time to dive into your monetization plan. This is the part that probably excites most of us because this is where the rubber meets the road and we start to grow our income.
In this section, I’m going to talk about 4 ways I’ve grown my income over the last 10+ years.
#1 Advertising
The very first way I started earning an income online was through Google Adsense which is basically an advertising program that displays ads on your blog and when people click on them they will generate you a small income.
I’ve earned anywhere from a few cents on a click to as high as a $26 for just one click. Today I still earn a nice income from it but it actually makes up a smaller percentage of what I earn.
There are other premium ad networks out there such as Ezoic and Ad Thrive but they require you to have higher traffic levels. For example, if you want to join Ad Thrive your blog will need around 100,000 page views per month.
With Adsense, there is no limit and you can start from day one if you want. Click here if you want to learn more about Google Adsense.
Finally, I want to share just a few tips that I’ve learned over the years about Adsense.
Tip #1: Get Above the Fold
When it comes to your ads Google will allow you to place 3 ads per page. I recommend getting at least one of those ads above the fold of your page.
The fold is how your page looks on your screen without scrolling down. So if your ads load and you have to scroll down in order to see the first one this is not good.
Having one above the follow gets your audience’s eyeballs on them right from the start and gives you a much better chance of getting clicked on.
Tip #2: Blend In
Next, make sure ads blend in with the rest of your content. When your ads blend in they will look more natural in your content which makes them look like they were meant to be a part of that article.
For example, if the links in your article are blue links then you want the ads in your articles to have blue links. Make the font size and type the same as your ads. Doing this will make it look like its part of the content.
Tip #3: Change Up Yor Ads
Finally, every six months or so take some time to change up your ads and test new ideas. This is done for a few reasons
First, your readers will develop ad fatigue and eventually will not even look at them anymore. By changing things up your ads it gives you a new perspective and people may start to click more on your ads.
The second reason is to test your ad placements. Testing your ads is the best way to see if you can get more people to click on them or not. For example, if you get 5000 page views a month and you go from a 1% conversion to a 2% conversion rate then you’ve just literally doubled your month all with the same amount of traffic.
#2 Affiliate Income
The next method I use to earn an income online is with affiliate partnerships. For example, in this article, I recommend Bluehost as my preferred hosting provider. Since I am an affiliate of this when some clicks on a link and signs up I will earn a commission.
Today there are tons of different affiliate programs from Amazon to Bluehost. You can also sign up for a network such as ShareASale where 1000’s of affiliate programs exist.
Here are a few tips to consider as your getting started with affiliate marketing
#1 Own the Product
One of the first things I recommend before sign up for an affiliate program is to actually buy the product. For example, I did a review on Convertkit and if you read it you can tell that I own the product because go way more in-depth with my article than someone who doesn’t
I share a behind the scenes video, I share screenshots of my email list and more. However, if you can’t afford the product see if you do a free trial. Getting the product in your hands or in front of you will go a long way to getting more sales down the road.
#2 Less is Better Than More
Next, don’t try to join 20 affiliate programs. There is no way you’re going to be able to manage them all and give them the needed attention they should have.
Rather stick with just 4 or 5 programs at first and build those up. If you find one product just doesn’t resonate with your audience get rid of it and try something else. When you do find a product that is making sales double down on it and write more content around that product.
#3 Create Actionable Links
Finally, the last tip is to make sure you create links that invite people to take action. For example, if I’m promoting Convertkit I wouldn’t just want a link that says Convertkit. Instead, you want a link that tells people what to do like Click here to sign up for Convertkit.
I also like to use a tool called Pretty Link a simple WordPress plugin which allows me to create a short link which is easier to remember and allows me to track how many people are clicking on the link.
#3 Sponsored Content
Another way you can earn an income is through sponsored content. This is were brands pay you to talk about them in your blog post. I haven’t done much of this but if you make it a primary focus there is some great money in it.
For example, let’s say you have a website about sewing. A company that makes sewing machines could pay you to write articles about their product. In fact, they may even give you a free sewing machine so you can take pictures and video using it.
So if this is a way you would like to make some money online here are a few tips.
#1 Make Sure it’s a Product You Approve
First when you’re looking to sponsor a product make sure it’s one that you approve of. If it’s not the brand you like or the product you would buy then don’t promote it. More than likely your audience will see through this which is not a good thing.
Also, make sure its a product you own and if you don’t talk to the company and see if they can give you a demo product or a free sample.
#2 Talk to Other Bloggers
Second, when you’re first getting started with this start by talking to other bloggers who are promoting the product and see if you can get an introduction. Knowing someone who will voucher for you can go a long way.
#3 Build Your Audience
Finally, in order to do great with sponsored articles, you’ll want a decent amount of traffic. The more traffic you have the more companies will pay you.
To develop a solid line of traffic to your site before you start asking to do a sponsored post.
#4 Create a Course
Finally, the last way I’ve earned money from my blog is by creating courses. Now I’ll be honest it hasn’t been much but I am working on a new course as I write this. I did a prelaunch for a course a year ago which didn’t go as I planned but I learned a lot from it. You can read more about my first course prelaunch here.
Courses offer a great way to share valuable information and earn a solid income online at the same time. If this sounds like a way you would like to earn an income then here are a few tips.
#1 Use a Platform
My first tip is to use a platform for your course. While WordPress is a great place to put your blog you want a platform like Teachable or Thinkific to host your course.
These platforms are designed to manage your videos, handle payments and a whole bunch of other features but most of all they will help you shortcut the process by taking care of all the technical stuff for you.
Related Article: Check out my complete review on Teachable and Thinkific here.
#2 Define the End Result
Next, make sure your course delivers a defined result to the student. For example, if your course is about how to throw better darts your end result might be to hit a bullseye 8 out of 10 times.
By giving people a very specific defined result they will get from taking your course drives people to you the exact people who want to take your course and repel the people who don’t.
#3 Give Solid Advice
The final tip when it comes to creating online courses is to give solid advice and what I mean by that is advice that you’ve personally experienced. Anybody can create a course that regurgitates a bunch of blog post you’ve read on the internet but nothing can replace the experiences you’ve learned.
This kind of insight is what will make your course stand out from all the rest. To learn more about how to create your first online course check out Teachable.
Are You Ready to Start A Successful Blog?
As I wrap this guide up are you ready to start your successful blog? I’ve been blogging for over 10 years now and it has been the best decision I’ve ever made. If there is one piece of advice I could give to new bloggers as they are starting out that is to keep going.
When I started my first blog the learning curve was much higher than it is today. Today the opportunity has never been easier so why not take that chance.
So take some time now to start your successful blog today.
Cheers!
