How to Start a Personal Blog in 2023
What is a Blog?
A blog is a website that is regularly updated with new content, typically written in an informal or conversational style.
The earliest blogs were online diaries, but blogs quickly evolved into powerful entities that fulfill several personal and business-related blogging goals, like:
- Sharing your passion with the world
- Brand awareness
- Driving traffic to the “money pages” of your website
- Building relationships with customers or other like-minded people
For a more detailed look at what a blog is and what differentiates it from a website, read my in-depth article here.
Ready to Start Your Blog Today?
Check out my ultimate guide How to Start a Blog (on the Side) that’s been featured on Forbes, Inc and Entrepreneur.
3 Reasons to Study the Best Blog Examples
Here are three solid reasons every blogger (newbie and professional) should study examples of blogs that are popular in their niche.
Inspiration
Blogs that are doing well in your niche help you get inspired. Not only will you be inspired to start your own blog, but you’ll also come up with ideas for what you want to do (or avoid!) on your blog.
Insight
Another reason for studying these blog examples is so you can learn from them. For example, you can get insights on:
- What kind of content works in driving traffic
- What types of blog designs are favored by your audience
- Which kinds of blog post ideas are resonating in your blog’s niche
- The tone your audience prefers
Income Generation Ideas
Over the past couple of decades, blogs have become effective income generation platforms. By studying examples of blogs in your niche that are successfully monetizing, you can build a money-making blog of your own
What Makes for a Successful Blog?
Why do some blogs drive tons of traffic while others don’t? Understanding what makes these blog examples successful will help you start and run your own profitable website. All the sites on our list have:
Relevant Content
One of the biggest contributors to a successful blog is content — relevant content. As much as the blog is yours, the content you publish is meant to cater to your readers. Successful bloggers need to:
- Pick a niche. A niche is a particular carefully selected topic area that you plan on focusing your blog content around.
- Study their niche. Understanding your niche is critical in ensuring the success of your blog.
- Understand their target audience. That way, they know what pain points to address, thus creating content that resonates with their readers.