What is a blog? How to Write a Blog

Introduction

What is a blog? The term ‘blog’ comes from the contraction of ‘web log’ and refers to a website page consisting of numerous separate units known as ‘posts’. The term ‘log’ originally referred to the historical nautical navigation of a ship.

What is the Main Purpose of a Blog?

With all this information, therefore, a blog refers to a record of posts ordered chronologically about topics on the website’s niche. Blogs cover numerous topics, including art, travel, security, professionalism, personal, and so much more. Bloggers, therefore, utilize blogs for publishing knowledge online, distributing research findings, establishing social networks, recording personal affairs, and for career development.

What is a Blog?

A blog is a tool that allows experts in a domain of knowledge to communicate ideas with their audiences and receive feedback from the same audiences. Blogs take the appearance of journals ordered in reverse chronology, where the newest posts appear first, while the oldest appear last. Blogs cover a wide range of topics that an expert specializes in and may include topics such as diets, furniture, housing, technology, societies, travel, politics, parenting, security, and so much more, composed by a single author or numerous authors. Therefore, blogging software is easy to train on and allows users to customize the appearance.

Why are Blogs Important?

People perceive social media as mere tools of social interaction rather than educational tools. Blogs allow experts to disseminate information, improve communication skills, and enhance engagement with audiences. This section elaborates on the importance of blogs.

First, blogs create spaces for formal and informal communication through different media forms, including videos, pictures, audio, and text. Blogs perpetuate communication concerning topics of interest through comments and discussions with stakeholders and individuals on the internet.

Secondly, blogs allow educational experts to engage in consolidative learning. Blogs create spaces for experts to engage with audiences in real-time and let experts see value in their work. Additionally, experts establish connections that help boost personal, professional, and academic expertise.

Thirdly, blogs allow experts to implement and experiment in a relaxed environment outside the educational system. They provide expert writers with the freedom of expression that educational institutions may limit for various reasons.

How to Write a Blog Post: Seven Steps Involved

An expert has to recognize that a blog post seeks to invite readers and sustain them over the long term. An outstanding blog post comprises interesting information, visual appeal, insight, and thoughtfulness. Therefore, a blogger must perceive every post as an independent project that will not only create an audience but also hold the attention. The seven steps elaborated below depict the article-writing process.

Finding a Topic/ Purpose

An expert has to find an interesting topic that all blog posts revolve around. It is essential to recognize that the decision to engage in blogging is akin to developing a long-term relationship. Blogging is sometimes a full-time pursuit that will last the course of time. Therefore, many enthusiastic bloggers seek the initial thrill, which eventually dies out.

One must find a topic that they are interested in to center the blog. Blogging is an intense activity that requires consistent writing. Should you find it challenging to find a topic, seek the guidance of content writing experts. An aspiring blogger must be willing to dedicate consistent time, stay up-to-date with trends in their field, and educate themselves. There are several questions to ask oneself about the topic to gauge one’s interest. They include:

• Will I maintain my interest in writing about such a topic in 5 to 10 years?
• Will I be able to write about this blog in a decade?
• Will the topic be relevant in the future?
• Does the topic present growth opportunities?
• Will the topic allow me to grow?

Topic Examination

Audiences have to be interested in the blog topic. Otherwise, an expert would communicate with themselves if the audience shows no interest in the subject. One can assess interest in a topic by using traffic assessment tools like Mozbar or Google Keyword Planner to examine search traffic for the blog title. One can also search the internet for the blog topic to see if other bloggers are writing about it and determine if the topic is interesting.

The search traffic reveals the competitive nature of the topic selected. A topic with high levels of traffic is similarly competitive. This introduces the concept of long-tail keywords, where a blogger breaks down the blog topic into sub-topics and smaller areas to research and write.

Assess the Target Audience

An aspiring blogger has to determine the potential audience for the blog. This process involves centering the blog on solving problems for the people, providing support, teaching, and adding value. Audience determination is an expansion of topic examination in that a correspondence between the blog topic and audience interests, numbers, locations, age, etc, shapes the content creation process.   

A blogger has to recognize that they have to create a persona for the target audience. A persona represents the qualities of the target audience, such as gender, their interests, habits, and many other details. A more thorough understanding of the target audience persona creates the atmosphere where a blogger can effectively solve the target audience’s problems and therefore live up to the blog’s purpose or topic.

Blog Software Determination

Thousands of blogging software exist. Each blogging software comprises unique challenges and opportunities. Some of the technical aspects to think about include naming the blog and whether to utilize free service providers such as WordPress.

The decision to have an independent domain often corresponds with creating a business or company around the blog topic. The blogging software should allow you to implement different informative and visual features that communicate with the target audience. Some of the standard software includes WordPress, Jumla, and Drupal.

Installing the Blog

Installing a blog involves:

• Finding a blog name
• Finding a web host
• Setting up the theme using a placeholder or auto-installing themes, and then editing the information
• Determining the plugins to use
• Creating a portfolio for prospective visitors to access

Creating the first post

Creating the first post involves keyword research and writing relevant information that solves the target audience’s informational problems. This entails putting oneself in the target audience’s shoes and developing pertinent information. Moreover, one has to know the technical aspects of search engine optimization, including page categories, tags, breadcrumbs creation, keywords, and ranking factors, to succeed in the blogging venture.

Activities after Publication

 Bloggers often have to update information about the blog and interact with audiences through comments and interactive features such as chat. Other activities might involve promoting the blog post and creating call-to-action initiatives for the blog. Such activities seek to attract new audiences and keep the attention of the existing audience.

Do Bloggers Make Money?

Yes, bloggers make money. However, this depends on the call to action(CTA) initiatives, the relevance of the information, the goals of the blog, and many other factors. Making money from a blog necessitates consistent and authentic action over sustained periods.