BLOGGING GUIDE FOR ASPIRING MILLIONAIRE BLOGGERS

 

Blogging means different things to different people. To MOST people, it is one complex way of making money online that only experts can do; while to a select FEW, it reminds them of their ever-steady cash flow and the need to keep earning from their blogging business – oh yes, blogging is a business.

If you are reading this, I must congratulate you because this blogging guide will make you one of the select FEW who makes lots of money from blogging. You are already one step ahead of other people! Stay with me if you want to learn all you need to know about blogging in this guide.

 

WHAT YOU WILL GET FROM THIS GUIDE

• What is a blog?
• Why you should start blogging?
• Examples of successful bloggers?
• Common mistakes made by beginners.
• 7 steps to being a successful blogger.
• How to get a blog in 10 minutes.

 

Read this guide with full attention. You don’t want to miss out on any of the lessons listed above. This blogging guide will teach you the basics of blogging while highlighting blogging guidelines as well. Let us continue shall we?

 

 

·What is a Blog?

 

A blog is an informational website published on the internet. It consists of informal diary-style entries or logs commonly called “posts.” The word ‘Blog’ is a truncation of the term ‘Weblog.’ A man known as John Barger coined the term ‘weblog’ on 17^th December 1997 – it means ‘a log on the web.’

The term was later changed to ‘blog’ by Evan Williams. Blogs evolved from online diaries in the late 1990s.

Blogs have no restrictions whatsoever. Anybody can be a blogger, but not everybody knows how or why they should start a blog.

Read on to learn more…

 

 

·Why You Should Start Blogging.

 

I’m sure that you are reading this guide to learn how to make money blogging, but to be honest, that shouldn’t be your primary motive. Your primary motive for blogging should be to express yourself and to share information that should solve people’s problems.

There are many reasons why people visit the internet including, but not limited to learning new skills, trends, history, or getting advice that could solve their personal problems. Once you are able to develop content that will be useful to people, you have already done most of the hard part.

Now let’s highlight some benefits of blogging and why you should start blogging:

Get a Good Job:

If you are an unemployed graduate reading this, you have probably peeled your shoes walking from company to company with your CV in search of a job. Well, since the new administration in 2015 millions of people according to the National Bureau of Statistics have lost their jobs; what chance do you have?

If you are an undergraduate, this guide will make your story different from other graduates in the near future.

Blogging positions you for the right job. Guess what? You won’t be the one seeking jobs; companies will come after you. That’s the power of blogging! It gives you a unique online influence that makes you a worthy prey for staff hunters.

   Be Your own Boss:

Pat Flynn, a global top blogger had started a blog called Green Exam Academy to share his knowledge of architecture while working for a firm. After a while, he was sacked from his job. That gave him the time to focus on his blog. One year later his blog started generating $100, 000 per year – that’s N40, 000, 000!!!

No one can sack him from his blogging business because he is the Boss there. Right now, one of Pat Flynn’s blogs makes his more than $100, 000 per month!

Arianna Huffington, another top global blogger earns $2, 300, 000 (…you don’t want to know the value in Naira!) monthly from her blog Huffington post.

Take a look at our very own Linda Ikeji; in 2014, a report revealed that Linda Ikeji made about $50, 000 (N18, 000, 000) monthly from her blog by the same name.

I don’t know any company that can pay you such amounts as an employee, but blogging definitely pays you WELL for your passion.

 

¾   Become a Better and Fulfilled Writer:

There is no shortcut to any skill in this world. Only one thing differentiates the ‘talented’ from the ‘not so good.’ It is called Practice. To become a better writer you must practice constantly – every day.

Every active blogger writes constantly. The more you blog, the more you write – and your skills will improve with each writing exercise.

Furthermore, the dream of most writers is to become published authors. As an aspiring author, blogging could fulfill your writing career as well.

Publishers do not publish unknown authors. As a blogger, your skills and influence online give you an edge over other writers who have no platform. Once you have a good popular blog, finish up that your novel and send it to any popular publishers; you will be shocked at how fast they will publish your novel.

   Improve Your Existing Business:

If you are a business owner, then you are familiar with the hassles and limitations of brick-and-mortar businesses. While most business owners opt for a static website, you will have much more advantage over competitors because your regular blog contents set you apart as an expert in your field.

People prefer to patronize businesses that are open to communication and easily accessible. Your blog audience can connect with you via mail, phone, social media, or blog comments; thereby, creating a seamless communication channel between your business and your customers.

¾   Gain Influence and Build a Network:

Millionaire entrepreneur Robert Kiyosaki is credited with the saying, “the richest people in the world build networks. Everyone else looks for work.” That is so true!

If you want to join the league of top influential online entrepreneurs you must build your network – your network gives you influence.

Linda Ikeji is a very influential woman in Nigeria today through her blog. There are many other blogs such as Nairaland and Not just Ok which gave their founders a strong influence and a large network of loyal partners and customers today.

Yours sincerely is the owner https://www.streamsofnaira.com.

Where you can learn all you want to know about online business and personal finance.

The benefits of an online network and influence are too great! Now let us look at…

 

·        Examples of Successful Bloggers.

 

Millions of blogs are created every day around the world. However, only a small percentage of bloggers gain success in blogging – less than 20%. Nevertheless, the list of successful bloggers is endless.

Let us evaluate a few successful bloggers.

Arianna Huffington is the first on our list. She is the founder of The Huffington Post. It is among the most popular and trusted news blogs in the world today. Her blog makes more upwards of $2, 300, 000 monthly.

Pat Flynn is an architect. After he was sacked from his job he decided to focus on his blog Green Exam academy. He has gone on to create about 5 more blogs. His most popular blog makes $2,000,000 annually.

 

Michelle Schroeder-gardener is a finance expert. She dumped her job to focus on her blog. Her blog is one of the most successful blogs in the world today and she makes above $100, 000 monthly from her blog.

 

Linda Ikeji is the Queen of Nigerian blogging. Her blog is one of the oldest blogs in Nigeria and the top-earning blog in Nigeria today. I guess you won’t want to know how much she earns monthly.

 

Ademola Ogundele is the founder of the number one music blog in West Africa. In fact, musicians all over Africa want to be featured on his blog. He is the top-earning blogger among all music bloggers around.

Yet another favourite of the youngster online is Emenike Emmanuel of Entrepreneur Business Blog. You learn to become a master when you take his Blogging Business Masterclass course.

 

 

 

·        Common Mistakes Made by Beginners.

 

1. You Don’t Want to Invest:

Most beginner bloggers don’t want to spend money on their blogs because, well, they’re testing the waters.  That’s a very funny movie, but you won’t be laughing in the end.

 

If you are serious about blogging, you will take it very seriously. Never opt for free blogging platforms. There are companies that offer cheap domain and hosting, start with them and go on from there. Start building a competitive blog from day one – this will pay-out in the future.

 

2. It is Easy:

Of course, blogging is easy, but you have to learn how to do it properly. If you rush into blogging without proper guidance, you will crash; then you will join the hoard that says, “Making money online is a scam.”

 

The solution is to follow all lessons we will give you with laser-focused attention. Then you can have it easy.

 

3. Stiff Writing:

If your writing is stiff, you cannot attract a loyal audience. You should not write your blog posts like a term paper or some business proposal. Do not be a perfectionist! Do not be a Wole Soyinka – your readers are not university professors.

 

Write as you talk! Work on your grammar though. There is no perfect writing – just write a post that can easily communicate your points to your readers.

 

4. Get Rich Quick Mentality:

When you read about the huge amounts of money that bloggers are making monthly you might get excited and think that once you set up your blog, the money will start raining like manna from heaven.

 

Sorry to burst your bubbles, my dear. You must first treat your blog as a business before it can earn you money. Take it seriously and be patient with it. Blogging pays for sure!

 

5. Copy and Paste:

Most bloggers like to copy and paste blog posts from other people’s blogs. This is a criminal offense known as plagiarism. Plagiarizing people’s work has a lot of disadvantages namely; the audience can sense it and avoid your blog like a plague, Google will ban your blog, you might have to answer in court – yes, blogging is that serious.

 

Even when you borrow content from other blogs you should acknowledge the source of information, and don’t do copy and paste – read, understand, interpret the content, then write it in your own words.

 

6. Not Keeping to Schedule:

Time management is a problem for many people – especially writers.

 

Create a timetable and try to follow it as religiously as you can. It will be difficult at first, but once you create a rhythm, it will slowly turn into a habit.

That way, you can be sure to have a successful blogging business.

 

7. Not Promoting Your Content:

No one will notice your blog post if you do not promote it.

 

Spend more time promoting your content than you do when writing it. Readers will start coming to your blog if they decide that you can offer what they are looking for – do not sit and wait for readers to come – they won’t visit an unknown blog or blogger.

 

8. Not Responding to Comments:

You need the trust and loyalty of your audience if you wish to thrive in the blogosphere.

Your audience is your oxygen. Keep them around you at all times by responding to their comments and offer advice when they ask for it. Some will give you some advice; do not take their advice for granted.

 

Build trust and loyalty by maintaining constant communication with your audience.

Now that you know the common mistakes to avoid, let us learn how to be a successful blogger.

 

·               7 Steps to Being a Successful Blogger.

 

1. Be Committed:

Your blog is like a wife. Always pay attention and be faithful to your blog. One day of distraction can set you back many weeks.

 

Treat your job like a job – you don’t want to be sacked from the blogosphere, do you?

To be a successful blogger, you must treat your blog as a full-time brick-and-mortar business.

 

 

2. Make Learning a habit:

You started on the right foot by reading this guide, but, will you be consistent?

There are so many things to learn in blogging; this guide will get you ready to start in 10 minutes, but we are merely scratching the surface.

 

To be a successful blogger you must never stop learning from the experts and the more experienced bloggers that have gone ahead of you – couch with blogging coaches – my silly wordplay lol.

 

The greatest men and women in the world today rode on the back of coaches – Lebrun James, Lionel Messi, Floyd Mayweather, Serena Williams, etc., all had coaches that pushed them. Successful bloggers also had their own coaches – you must learn from a coach to be successful.

 

3. Each Post Should be Your Best:

What makes a good article? It’s communication power.

The more you write, the more experienced you become and the better your audiences’ experience gets.

Make each new post better than the last one in simplicity and communication power.

 

4. Study, Meditate, and Practice:

Every good writer is a wild reader. Always read books by your favorite authors – they should be very good. As you read, you unconsciously imbibe their beautiful writing methods.

 

Also, make a conscious effort to study your favourite authors.

 

Another good thing to do is to give your posts time to marinate – leave it for about 30 minutes, then go back, read it with fresh insight and make the necessary adjustments.

Repeat the process.

 

5. Monetize Your Blog:

Your goal of turning your blog into a business would not be complete if you do not monetize your blog.

 

Monetization of your blog means that you empower your blog to make money for you.

 

From Day 1, you should be clear about why and what you wish to blog about and monetize your blog accordingly. Do not wait for later as that would cost you a lot.

 

There are many ways to monetize your blog such as using Google AdSense (or any other alternative ads network). You could also try affiliate marketing, advert sales, or selling your own products.

 

6. Do not Focus on the Money:

While making money with your blog is your goal, it should not be your priority.

Focus on your content and audience – they are your blogging gems that will attract lots of cash.

 

7. Your Network is Your Net worth:

That’s right! If you want to be a rich blogger you much connect with rich bloggers.

Build your network within and outside your blogging niche.

Write guest posts on more established blogs, post meaningful comments on other blogs, and share knowledge with other bloggers in forums.

 

• How to Get a Blog in 10 Minutes.

 

Pay attention to this step-by-step guide to get your own blog in 10 minutes.

 

• Get Domain name and Hosting:

The first step to building your blog is to buy a domain name such as www.streamsofnaira.com. It is your blog address.

 

Hosting is your rented space for your website on the internet.

There are several affordable hosting and domain name options out there.

 

In fact, some companies give you a free domain name once you buy hosting from them. Blue host, Site ground, domain king, and Whogohost are very good options for your domain name and hosting.

 

• Install Word press:

The two most popular blogging platforms are BlogSpot and Word press. However, Word press is much more user-friendly and gives you a lot of freedom with your blog.

Most blog hosting platforms feature a 1-click Word press installation. It is very easy to do.

 

• Install a Theme:

You need to give your blog a professional, user-friendly, and beautiful look. The only way to do this is by installing a theme on your WordPress blog.

There are free and paid options, each with its perks – choose according to your budget.

 

• Customize your Theme:

You need to create pages and categories on your blog. You can do that through your dashboard.

If you want to blog about Fashion, for example, you must create an about page; create Categories such as Men’s wear, Women’s wear, Kiddies, etc.

 

• Start Blogging:

Write your articles and start publishing them on your blog.

Arrange your posts by categories and post regularly.

 

Voila! You have a functional blog.