How to Make a Successful Blog in 2022

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So the year 2022 is right around the corner. I think it’s safe to say that blogs aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon. If you are considering starting a blog but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place. In this post, I’ll walk you through step-by-step how to start a successful blog in 2022.

Is Starting a Blog Worth It in 2022?

So you’ve probably heard different numbers about how many blogs are being published or are already published. And you may conclude that blogging is too saturated and so are the niches.

You’re probably thinking that there is no way you can have a successful blog in the year 2022. You’re starting much too late. It may seem that starting a blog is not worth it.

I’ll be the first to tell you that it is worth it. Starting a blog can serve a number of different purposes. It can be a hobby blog and an outlet for you to speak on a certain subject.

Or it can definitely become a money making business for you. If you decide that is what you want from your blog.

I own several blogs and this blog I have actually erased all of my old posts. I’m currently starting from scratch with everything. I have set a goal of making at least $1,000 a month from my blog by the end of 2022. If I can do it then it’s true that mostly anybody can.

I’m smart but I’m not a blogging whiz and I don’t know everything about blogging. However, I have the 3 d’s… Desire. Drive. Determination. To put forth some really hard work and see where this blogging thing takes me.

To sum it up, I would say that blogging is totally worth it. Whether you have a hobby blog or a business blog, it’s worth really depends on you as an individual.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you should give up on the idea of starting a blog because the market is too saturated. Yes, it is saturated actually but there is room for everyone. And what this shows is that there is a need and want for blogs.

A lot of people actually love to read blogs. So all in all, it is worth it to start a blog in 2022. Not only that but you can be successful.

How to Make a Successful Blog?

1. Research

Before you can start a successful blog, the first thing you need to do is do your research. I can’t tell you how much research I did before I finally went through with starting my second blog and every blog after that.

I’ll admit, my first blog I started on a whim. I had an idea and I just went for it. Not much thought went into it and it was certainly a flop, not a bop. This is because I was clueless. I had no idea what went into a blog.

I can say now that I’ve dedicated a lot of time and energy to learning what I must do to have a successful blog. Now, I know a lot more than I did before but it is still some trial and error.

Always, always do your research. You may be surprised at what you find out.

Now it is time for me to show you how to make a successful blog!

2. Choose a Niche

Now, here comes the fun but sometimes stressful part. You need to pick a niche. This is the topic (s) you want to write about.

Whatever you choose, it should be something specific. Not only that but it should be a topic that you can see yourself writing about a lot.

During the research phase, you’ll hear people say a lot to, “niche down” and “niche down some more.” While I feel it is important to have a niche or two on your blog this is not a one size fits all kind of thing.

Some people decide to start lifestyle blogs and on those lifestyle blogs they talk about any and everything as it relates to their life from makeup, to fashion, to parenting. Those topics are not all directly related but it works for a lot of people.

I do think it is possible to niche down so much that your target audience is too small to really see a lot of interested people. For example, dog walking companies in Phoenix, Arizona. You will have people most likely in Phoenix, Arizona who are looking for dog walking services and that could work out great.

However, I think you may see more traffic with a blog about starting a dog walking company in general. It really depends on several factors and there is really no way of knowing just how well your blog will do until you’ve tried it.

And I know that you’ll probably come across some of the highest paying niches, I know I did. If you find something on one of these lists that you really like and have experience with this may be the niche for you.

But you should not choose a niche simply because of it’s earning potential. In my opinion, you can make just about any blog successful. Even a blog about how to learn bird watching. I think bird watching is cool but I know nothing about it. So a blog on this would definitely be really cool.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to know everything there is to know about your topic to be able to write on it. But you should have some experience with it and know how to do good research without copying anyone’s work.

3. Choose a Business Name

You now know what topic or niche you would like to explore. It is now time to choose a name for your blogging business.

The name you choose should be short, easy to remember, and easy to spell. You may want to work backwards when it comes to this. Later on in this article I will tell you how to choose a domain.

But you may want to choose a name that describes what your business is about but that also has an available domain. So if I wanted to name my business, The Moneycoaster, I would take that name idea and search it’s availability in a domain search system.

If it is available, great I now have a name. But if it is not available I would either try to add a word or two to make it different and then try again or I would eliminate something. You could also try spelling things in a different way than the traditional spelling.

I recommend using a .com suffix just because it is the most popular and people are quicker to trust these kinds of sites over .net or something else.

4. Purchase Paid Hosting

When you get a paid hosting plan you are making the best moves for your blog. Having your site on a paid hosting plan versus free hosting like blogger or blogspot, has the most benefits.

The hosting plan that you should look into is SiteGround. They have reasonable plans. I’m going to do an entire review on SiteGround so you can make an informed decision on what hosting you decide to go with.

I would not recommend skipping this step and going with a “blogging company.”

If you are going to go to a site like Squarespace, because you totally could. And I’ve heard great things about Squarespace from one woman in particular and that is Jennie Leigh. I found her on Pinterest and checked her out. She seems to know her stuff and she says she makes $30,000 a month from her Squarespace blog.

This really clears up the myth that you can’t have a good paying blog on Squarespace. Based on her evidence, I would say you definitely can succeed and make a lot of money with a Squarespace blog.

So you should purchase a hosting plan if you are planning to use WordPress. If not, you can skip this section and go straight to the next step.

5. Find a Domain

We kind of touched on this in an earlier step but I’m going to go into more detail here.

You will need a domain for your blog. This is the url or website that people will type into the search bar to find your blog.

For example, my domain for this blog is https://themoneycoaster.com. If someone were looking for my blog directly, this is the address they would type in the search bar to find me.

You want to choose a domain that is descriptive, meaning it tells people what your blog is about in as few words as possible. So if I had a blog about hair styles I like to do (I do not do hair for a living) I would name it hairbybrittanie.com or brittanieshairstyles.com.

These domains are descriptive and tells everyone that my site is about hair or hairstyles. Another thing is that although descriptive, the domain is not super long. You want to choose a domain that is easy for people to remember.

So an example of what I wouldn’t do is this, hairstyles4Ubybrittaniethatyouwillluv.com. Lol! This is not what I mean at all when I say descriptive. I hope no one has a domain that long. But if they do, kudos to them.

Another issue with this domain name is that not only is it extremely long but it also has some different spellings. This may be okay if the domain was shorter but it’s not. This is a no-no.

Create something simple and specific to your business but it really doesn’t have to be too niched down if you don’t want it to be.

If there is any chance that you’ll want to widen out your topics or niche then I wouldn’t be too specific.

For example, with a lifestyle blog, you’ll likely be talking about different things from day to day.

So you could simply use your name like heatherwishker.com (I totally made that name up.) By doing this, you can switch up your niche, add or takeaway topics as you please without any drastic changes.

6. Create a Logo

Now, I don’t know how many people are out here telling you that you don’t need a logo and that is true but you should have one.

You don’t actually need a logo but a logo does help you to stand out and look more professional. People are likely to take you and your blog more seriously if they see a good looking logo.

Before you say you can’t afford it, there is a free option to creating logos. I am going to write a post in the next few days, showing you step by step how to create your own starter logo for your blog. It’s really simple.

Once I show you, you will be so surprised and want to jump right in to creating your own logo.

Once you’ve created your logo, you want to save it and put it to the side for later because you’ll need it as you setup your website.

So far you have:

Did your research

Chose a niche
Chose a business name
Found a domain

Created a Logo

Let’s move on to the next step.

7. Setup WordPress

You’ll want to sign into your SiteGround account and proceed to setup your WordPress account.

Start by going to the website section in SiteGround and you’ll want to setup either a WordPress account or a WordPress + WooCommerce account if you ever plan to sell items on your blog.

Once you have created your WordPress login and entered your dashboard, you want to go ahead and install some plugins. I’ll be doing a separate post on the best plugins that you’ll want and need for your WordPress blog.

8. Choose a Theme

It is time to setup your site. To get started you want to find a theme that you like and download it.

You can find themes practically anywhere but some of the places that I recommend for finding nice, clean, and feminine themes is Restored 316 Designs and 17th Avenue Designs. In the next week or so, I will be doing a post on the best place to find feminine WordPress themes so be on the lookout for that.

Finding good looking themes is not hard. However, you do have the option of a free theme if you’re strapped for money or just aren’t ready to invest in a theme right now.

When I started my blog, I didn’t have a lot of money to spend. But I had tried free themes for so long that I became fed up with how hard it was to setup a good looking site with the free themes.

They just always seemed to be lacking in one department or another. But you get what you pay for, right?

I’m not saying you can’t create a good looking blog with a free theme, I’m just saying that it was hard for me and didn’t work out for me. But it could work for you.

So it is definitely your choice whether you’ll buy a theme or use a free one.

How to make a successful blog is that you should pick a theme and get it setup before you can move forward.

9. Write

Now it is time to write since you know how to make a successful blog. I recommend you start your blog as soon as possible. Some people will say you should wait until you have 20-40 articles but I would say you could start with 5-10 articles.

Don’t wait too long to start your blog because the sooner you start that is when the game begins. You’ll constantly be working on your blog and improving it. However, it is all about starting.

If you are waiting on the perfect time to start your blog, you’re going to be waiting forever. So don’t wait on perfection but just start.

Things will be rough starting out. You’ll feel like you’re doing a whole lot of work for nothing. You probably won’t see any real results for 6 months – 1 year. But don’t stop and don’t give up.

I felt the exact same way when I started my blog and actually I sometimes still feel like I’m writing but no one is listening.

But I now realize that the more I write and publish articles, the more I am putting myself out into the world as a blogger and the readers will eventually come.

It is all about consistency. You have to show up in one way or another every single day. Whether that’s posting a pin on Pinterest, doing some research, or writing a new post. Just make sure you show up and show out!

Final Takeaway

Now that you know how to make a successful blog, it is time to celebrate! This is the beginning of something so special. If you put in the time and effort you will see success. No matter how hard it may seem, keep going, keep pushing through.

You will not regret it in the end. When you see people streaming into your site and actually reading what you have wrote, it will be the best feeling ever. And remember that you are not on this journey alone. There area so many people like you and like me who are starting from scratch but we’ll be where we would like to be in no time if we have patience and be consistent.

If you have any questions about starting a blog please leave them in the comments below! Where are you in your blogging journey, just starting, halfway there or something different? Let me know in the comments below! What is your blogging goal for the upcoming year? Let me know in the comments!

I’ll start us off. My blogging goal for 2022 is to write 200 posts and to get accepted into Mediavine. Sounds like a lot but I’m up for the challenge. I’m excited to hear what your goals are!