Do you have an idea you’re itching to share with the rest of the world? Starting a blog might be just the thing you need to get your story heard. Having an online space to call your own enables you to build a personal brand and share your insights on topics that you are passionate about. This can also pave the way for a potentially lucrative career in digital content creation, especially if you create a blog site that targets a specific niche or audience.
Building blog sites is no longer as complicated as it once was. With a website builder like Strikingly, it is possible to create a blog that can compete with the biggest influencer sites in the industry today. Armed with the right concept and a few choices for blogger templates, you can start building free blog sites in minutes.
With that being said, here are a few guidelines to think about when it comes to creating your own blog.
1. Identify your niche and target audience
If you’re creating a blog purely for personal reasons - i.e. to have an online journal for everything and anything that comes to mind - then it’s safe to say that you can probably skip this step and move on to designing your site out of one of the many blogger templates on Strikingly’s collection. However, if you are creating a blog with the view of creating content that you want other people to consume and follow closely, you will need to plan this project carefully.
Start by identifying your niche topic. If you intend to monetize your blog or pursue a career as a blogger, we recommend that you specialize in a topic that you feel strongly about. Building on a single niche allows you to better craft content that will speak to your audience directly. You have a better chance of building a loyal follower base when you establish yourself as an authority in a particular subject.
2. Your choice of blog templates is important
Here at Strikingly, we are all about providing our users with a strong start to their website projects. With over 3 million users from all over the world, we understand the importance of designing a website from a template that best suits your content requirements. There are so many blogger templates in our library and each one serves a particular purpose or caters to a specific aesthetic. The kind of image that you want to present to your audience, along with the kind of content you intend to create - e.g. blog articles, vlogs, photo journals or even an online store - will influence your choice of website template. Make sure to preview a few options that look interesting and appealing to you before you start editing.
Should you find that the design you chose is not working for you, it’s also okay to change your mind. You can switch to a different template at any point in the web development process or even after you have published your website.
3. Customize according to your personal branding
What kind of image do you want your blog to have? To make your blog site stand out, it’s important to build a brand that people can easily relate to and remember. This means implementing a color scheme that suits the personality you want your website to have. It also means experimenting with different fonts and design elements that will define your branding. You can also take this a notch further by creating a custom logo for your site and using this logo across your other online profiles.
4. Keep your blog updated
Once you have your blog site up and running, it is important to make sure that it is updated regularly - both for SEO purposes and to establish a loyal following. You have to keep serving your readers something new every time they come to your website. Create a content calendar and aim to add at least 2 articles per week.
5. Don’t forget about socials
If you have other online profiles, it would be great to integrate them into your Strikingly blog. Connect your social media accounts to your site to update your followers of your latest post. Share new content to your online profiles and encourage readers to leave comments or feedback. Make sure to respond to messages in a timely manner as well.
Ready to build your personal brand? Create a blog with Strikingly today.
