Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you know a place where you can share your thoughts, experiences, and hobbies with the world? Your answer: of course, with F&F (friends and family). But what about sharing them with the whole world? Sounds astonishing? We are talking about publishing your words in the digital landscape where thousands of people are waiting to hear from you.
What’s that? Entering the field of blogging with your blog. (maybe a few of you have stumbled upon it before.)
A personal blog, as the name speaks for itself, is a type of blog that is based on your personal experiences, words, and statements. It serves as a personal diary or commentary in a digital format where you can write about anything and everything in a casual, conversational style.
In this simple guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of personal blogging and show you how to get started. Let’s get started.
Read → Is Blogging Worth It?
What is a Personal Blog?
A personal blog is a website you manage and run, not anyone else. It’s a platform where you can spill your thoughts, paint your words, narrate your stories and adventures, geek out about your hobbies, and reflect on the lessons you’ve learned super casually. Do you know how when you are talking with a friend and just being yourself? That’s simply the vibe of a personal blog.
One-word Definition:
Personal Blog: It’s all about YOU. Your life, Your interests, Your quirks.
The smooth part of starting a personal one is you don’t need to be a pro writer to create one; just be yourself. Plus, there’s no pressure to sell anything. It is about authenticity, being yourself, expressing yourself freely, connecting with others who share your interests, and letting your voice shine.
In the early 2000s, personal blogging was mainly about writing about hobbies or everyday life events. But now, more people see personal blogs as a way to make extra money. Now you think, how? Well, don’t worry, we’ll be covering it right down there.
Suggested Reading → What Is The Purpose Of Blogging For Business?
Types of Personal Blog?
A personal blog is a versatile platform allowing you to share your thoughts, experiences, and expertise on various topics. Unlike niche blogs, it offers a flexible space for self-expression without the constraints of a specific theme. Here are a few types of personal blogs.
- Food Blogs: Journal your culinary trips, evaluations of restaurants, and homemade dishes.
Example: Cookie and Kate and Minimalist Baker.
- Travel Blogs: Share experiences of different adventures, travel tips, cuisines, and places from your travels.
Example: The Blonde Abroad and Nomadic Matt.
Suggested Reading: How To Start A Travel Blog.
- Fitness Blogs: Listing weight loss tips, exercise routines, healthy living advice, and diet plans working out best for you.
Example: Breaking Muscle and Nerd Fitness.
Suggested Reading: How To Start A Fitness Blog.
- Lifestyle Blogs: Speak about various themes, including wellness, clothing, home décor and DIY crafts.
Example: Cup of Jo and Beautiful Mess.
Suggested Reading: How To Start A Lifestyle Blog.
- Beauty Blogs: Share your thoughts on the beauty products, makeup kits, hairstyles, overall self-care tips, and brands you use.
Example: Into the Gloss.
Suggested Reading: How To Start A Beauty Blog.
Personal Blog V/S Niche Type Blogs
A personal blog lets you write about anything you want without any rules or restrictions. You can talk about science, travel, or whatever interests you. There’s no limit to how much you can write, and you can freely share your thoughts and experiences and even make money from it. On the other hand, a niche blog focuses on one specific topic. It aims to be the best source of information on that topic, but it doesn’t include personal stories.
For example, a lifestyle blog can serve as a niche and a personal blog. How? The diagram below illustrates it well.
Why Write a Personal Blog?
So, why to start and write personal blogs? As web designers, we have had the pleasure of helping many clients embark on their personal blogging journeys, and the experience has been enriching. Receiving the feedback and seeing them carve out their digital space and build connections with readers worldwide is fantastic.
The reasons? There are numerous. Some of the best reasons to write a personal blog are listed below:
| Why’s | How’s |
|---|---|
| Self-expression | To document and voice your experiences, thoughts, and reflections. |
| Stay Connected | For staying in the loop with friends and family to share life updates, especially for those not on social media platforms. |
| Community Building | To facilitate community building by connecting individuals with shared interests and fostering discussions and relationships within niche communities. |
| Low-cost Entry | To establish an online presence with minimal financial investment by utilizing accessible or affordable blogging platforms. |
| Skill Development | To develop writing, photography, web design, coding, and content creation skills, contributing to personal and professional growth. |
| Personal Branding | To establish and showcase your unique online presence, contributing to personal branding and identity development. |
| Networking | To network with peers, professionals, and influencers in the field of interest, fostering collaborations, partnerships, and opportunities for growth. |
| Ownership Control | For retaining complete control over your content on personal blogs, maintaining independence and autonomy in content creation, distribution, and monetization decisions. |
| Enjoyment | Writing a personal blog can bring joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment, irrespective of external validation or financial gains, as individuals engage in a meaningful creative pursuit. |
| Earn Money | To get a lucrative side hustle, offering opportunities for monetization through various channels such as affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and selling digital products or services. |
Other benefits to begin personal blogging are:
- Personal blogs offer flexible work options for those who want to work while traveling.
- Blogging every day helps others and helps you learn new things.
- Writing a blog regularly can help you better express yourself through writing.
- If you’re learning a new language, blogging can be a great way to practice and improve.
- You can gain technical knowledge and learn about different tools and systems through blogging.
- Setting up and growing a blog will introduce you to new vocabulary and technical terms.
- Successful bloggers can use their blogs as a portfolio to showcase their writing skills and insights.
- A popular blog can establish you as an authority in your field and improve your search engine ranking.
What to Write in Your Personal Blogs?
Now, what to pen down? Well, the beauty of a personal blog is that you can write about anything that interests you. Seriously, the possibilities are endless. From sharing your passion for sports to delving into work experiences, relationships, or even just random musings about life, there’s no limit to what you can explore. To help kickstart your blogging journey, here are some ideas to consider:
| Content Ideas | What to Write? |
|---|---|
| Hobbies and Interests | Describe your passions, such as cooking, photography, travel, or gardening. Share tips, instructions, or reflections on why you enjoy these activities. |
| Work | Reflect on your professional experiences, whether you love your job or grapple with challenges, and seek creative outlets. |
| Reviews and Recommendations | Share your thoughts on films, television shows, books, restaurants, products, and anything else you like. Your recommendations can help others find new things to try. |
| Something You Want to Learn | Document your journey of learning and improvement in a particular area, sharing insights and discoveries with your readers. |
| Journaling | Embrace the art of journaling in your blog, using it as a self-reflection, growth, and introspection tool. |
| Creative Writing | Showcase your poetry, short stories, or other creative pieces, experimenting with different writing styles. |
| Personal Cause | Advocate for a cause close to your heart, raising awareness and inspiring action through your blog. |
| Reflections on Life | Use your blog as a space for introspection and reflection. Write about lessons you’ve learned, moments of gratitude, or philosophical meditations. |
| Random Stuff | Take a Seinfeld-like mindset by offering humorous observations and ideas on everyday life and human behavior. |
How to Start Your Personal Blog? 7 Basic Steps
Now, let’s head over to the practical path – the setup of your personal blog.
Quick Recall: Starting a personal blog isn’t just about writing down your thoughts; it’s about letting people see your world and what makes you different. It’s a chance to be creative, whether you’re good at writing already or just trying it out.
Here’s how to begin your blog from the beginning.
Read → How Much Does It Cost To Start A Blog?
1. Pick a blogging platform
The first step in beginning a blog is choosing a blogging platform. A quick Google search will reveal various free and paid sites accessible to bloggers from all industries. Among all of them, we propose WordPress since it is a versatile blogging platform that meets most requirements. It is known for its extensive features, plugins, and flexibility, which allow you to construct a spectacular online presence effortlessly without the need to code; nonetheless, making this decision might be overwhelming.
Note: When we say WordPress, we mean wordpress.org, not wordpress.com.
Learn more: Why WordPress.org?
Other options include:
2. Select a reliable hosting provider
Investing in quality hosting is crucial to ensure your blog remains online and performs optimally, providing visitors with a seamless browsing experience. Without hosting, your website won’t be accessible online. While there are lots of hosting services out there, here are a few popular ones:
Our recommendation: Bluehost! Reason? Because it’s a great choice. It’s affordable, offers free backups and unlimited bandwidth, and provides reliable, secure, and fast hosting. In short, it gives you everything you need without breaking the bank.
Learn more:
3. Brainstorm a blog (domain) name and register it
The next step is choosing and writing a blog name that will also be your domain name. This is how people will find your website on the internet. Hence, it’s essential to pick a unique name that’s catchy, easy to remember, and reflects the theme of your blog to attract your audience.
Read:
The following are some of the most popular registrars you can opt for once you decide on a name.
- Bluehost
- GoDaddy
- Namecheap
- Hostinger
Our recommendation: Once again, Bluehost is the overall best domain registrar. It offers competitive pricing, comprehensive features, ease of use, excellent customer support, and a free domain name for a year with its hosting plans, making it a cost-effective option for individuals and businesses alike.
Suggested reading:
4. Design your blog
The design of your blog is essential for attracting and retaining readers, so build a stylish and intuitive interface.
Here is to ease out the designing phase.
- Select a theme or template that matches your blog’s aesthetic choices and content objectives. There are many free and paid themes accessible on WordPress, so you’ll have plenty of alternatives.
Read:
- Customize your blog’s logo, header, color scheme, and layout to establish a consistent brand identity that connects with your audience and distinguishes it from the competition.
- Keep all the design elements consistent so your blog looks like it belongs together.
- Next, ensure your design matches what your readers like and expect.
- Refrain from overloading your blog with too many colors or fancy designs. Sometimes, simple is better.
- Once you’ve made changes, check to see if everything looks good and works well on devices like phones and computers.
Looking for a professional to design your blog? Consider hiring our design and branding services today.
5. Write content
This step is straightforward: writing for your blog. Your blog needs some juicy content to keep people coming back for more. And who better to write it than you?
While writing, you need to include two different types of content in your blog. The first is posts like your main articles, and the second is contact, about, home, and privacy pages, which are more like static info pages. You’ll want to have both on your blog.
Now, before you dive into writing, here are three things to do.
- Create a content strategy. Your guide informs what, when, and how to create and share to meet specific goals.
- Think about your audience. What do they like? What problems do they have? What do they want to know more about?
- Once you have sorted everything, create an editorial content calendar. This is a fancy way of saying a plan for what you write and when you publish it. It helps you stay organized and on track.
Note: Spice up your writing with some visuals to make your content visually appealing. Add pictures, videos, or cool infographics to make your posts more engaging.
Once all three checks are filled, write and share content they will find interesting or helpful.
Suggested reading → Top-Tier Practices for Content Creation.
6. Familiarize yourself with SEO.
Among all the steps, one important to mention is learning about search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is essential for increasing the visibility of your blog by improving its ranking on search engine results pages. However, it is not about gaming the system. Still, it’s about making your blog more discoverable to those who want to read it. This involves:
- conducting keyword research
- creating SEO-friendly metadata
- writing for both humans and search engines
- linking to high-authority websites
- optimizing meta-descriptions
- ensuring mobile-friendliness
- designing a link-building strategy.
- Stay updated, and keep learning and adapting your strategies.
These are some effective techniques that can seriously boost the visibility of your blog.
Read → The Outcomes Of an Effective SEO Optimization.
If you want to take it up a notch and get noticed by Google, HNK experts could be just what you need. We are all about helping you create content briefs, doing intelligent keyword research, planning your content strategy, and optimizing technical and local SEO to ensure readers and search engines love what you put out there.
Reach out here.
Read → How To Start a Website?
How to Promote Your Blog?
There are a lot of ways to promote a blog. And we mean A LOT. Today, you need more than just to write engaging and informative articles, incorporating videos or pictures. To really stand out, you need to promote your blog. You have to think about where your audience hangs out and get creative. Here are some tips to help you.
- Social Media: Share your posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
- Emails: Send newsletters to your subscribers with your latest posts.
- Guest Blogging: Write for other blogs in your niche and link to yours.
- SEO (once again): Use keywords to help your blog appear in Google searches.
- Online Communities: Join forums or groups related to your topic and share your posts.
- Paid Advertising: To reach a bigger audience, consider running social media or Google ads.
However, remember, just keep at it and be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a popular blog.
Learn more:
- Blog Promotional Strategies.
- How Much Do Blog Promotion and Advertisement Cost?
- How much do SEO Tools Cost?
How to Make Money from Your Blog?
If you’re keen on making money from your blog, you are in luck. Having a side hustle for extra cash to enjoy fun activities and vacations is a great idea. Many bloggers earn money using various strategies, although some require more work. Most of these methods rely on factors like search engine algorithms and brand budgets, which can be unpredictable. That’s why it’s wise to diversify your income by using multiple methods. Here are some straightforward ways to make money from your blog:
- Advertising: Join networks like Google AdSense to display ads on your blog.
- Selling Products: Offer e-books, courses, or merchandise directly through your blog.
- Affiliate Marketing: Promote products or services and earn a commission for sales made through your referral link.
- Consulting Services: Provide expertise to your audience, especially if you have a large following.
- Email Marketing: Build an email list to deliver personalized promotional content.
- Sponsorships: Partner with brands for sponsored content or product placements.
- Membership/Subscriptions: Offer exclusive content or perks to subscribers for a recurring fee.
Suggested reading:
Can a Personal Blog Be Successful?
Personal blogs can be successful. It must be made clear that success in the blogging world is not limited to professional or business-oriented initiatives. In fact, many personal blogs have thrived and achieved substantial success in audience reach and revenue generation—the essential lies in understanding the factors that contribute to this success and leveraging them effectively.
Here’s a look at some of the critical factors that can help a personal blog thrive:
| Factors to Success | Description |
|---|---|
| Longevity | Longevity is a critical factor in the success of personal blogs. Blogs that have stood the test of time, remaining relevant and authentic over the years, tend to attract a loyal following. |
| Personality | The blogger’s distinct voice, perspective, and tone create a memorable and engaging experience for readers. Blogs infused with personality, humor, and empathy stand out amidst generic content, attracting and retaining followers. |
| Adaptability | Adaptability is crucial for success in the blogging realm. Personal blogs that adapt to technological changes, user preferences, and platform dynamics remain engaging and accessible across various devices and mediums. |
| Lifestyle | Personal blogs that authentically share experiences, interests, and values resonate with readers who identify with similar lifestyles. This sense of relatability cultivates a loyal and engaged community. |
| Consistency | Consistency is vital in maintaining audience interest and engagement. Personal blogs that adhere to a regular posting schedule demonstrate commitment and reliability, establishing trust with readers. |
Suggested reading → The Future of Blogging.
Empower Your Blogging Journey – Signup With HNK!
Now that you’ve learned all about personal blogs, what they are, the different types, and how to start one, it’s time to give it a go. Just remember these three simple rules:
- Keep things simple
- stay true to yourself, and
- engage honestly with your audience.
That’s our short and sweet formula for success.
If you need more help, reach our support today. At HNK, we are passionate about helping people like you bring their blogs to life. Whether you need help with designing your website, creating content, or figuring out marketing strategies, our team is here to help you every step of the way. Don’t hesitate to contact us today – it’s time for you to start building your blog empire!
FAQs
How can I make my blog?
To create your blog, choose a name no one else has used, get a blogging platform to host it, and start sharing your thoughts and stories there.
What can I write about in my personal blog?
You can write about many things in your personal blog, such as food, places you have visited, things you are good at, stories about your life, reviews of books or movies, things you’re passionate about, or just events in your life that you want to remember.
How often should I post on my personal blog?
The posting schedule depends entirely on you. Some people post daily, while others only post once a week or even less. It’s up to you and what feels comfortable.
Do I need to be good at writing to have a blog?
Nope! Your personal blog is your space to express yourself however you like. You don’t need to be a perfect writer; just write from your heart and be yourself.
How can I get people to read my blog?
You can share your blog posts on social media, tell your friends and family about it, and even reach out to other bloggers who write about similar topics to see if they’d be interested in sharing your work.
How long should my blog posts be?
There’s no strict rule about post length for personal blogs. Some posts might be short, while others could be longer and more detailed. Just write as much as you need to get your point across.
