If you are reading this, you’ve probably heard the word ‘blog’ a hundred times and not really known what it means.
You see, when most people hear the word ‘blogging in Nigeria’, their first impression is usually one of dread or regret.
Well, you might be thinking, that’s because most people associate blogging with the digital sphere and don’t necessarily see it as something that can be lucrative.
But in this article, I hope to clear up any misconceptions you might have about what blogging is and its potential rewards.
What is blogging?
Blogging is the act of posting content (usually articles) on a website or blog. It’s also the act of promoting your products or services through written content.
It is a great way to grow your business organically and earn a passive income from your writing.
Blogging may be a lucrative profession in itself, with thousands of people doing it full-time.
But does it require substantial amounts of time and money? In order to find out, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of blogging.
Why become a blogger?
There are many different reasons people decide to start a blog in Nigeria and promote it.
Some people are interested in blogging for their own personal reasons as it could be a great way to share their thoughts and learn from others.
Other people are interested in starting a blog in order to promote their businesses, increase their profile, and increase their chances of getting discovered by the right people.
They are looking for new ways to get more clients and promote themselves as an expert in their field.
One of the most popular reasons why people start a blog is to make money online.
In fact, most of them are looking for a way to earn passive income from the Internet.
And turns out, blogging in Nigeria is a great way to make money in your spare time while doing what you enjoy.
So, if you are interested in blogging, you should know what it takes to start and promote a blog on the Internet successfully.
How to start a blog in Nigeria
Here are 5 simple steps to get you started as a blogger.
Step 1: Decide what kind of blog you want to have
Is it going to be a personal blog, a business blog, or both?
You need to decide what kind of blog you want to have and what content you want to post on your blog. You can start a personal blog about your life or interests. You can also start a business blog about your business and its services or products.
Step 2: Choose a blogging platform
There are many blogging platforms out there today.
The most popular are WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, and TypePad. You can use any of these platforms to start your own blog.
Step 3: Decide on a domain name for your blog
You have to register your domain name before you can use it.
Once you have registered the domain name with the hosting company, you have to configure the name servers of your domain (for example, ns1.something.com and ns2.something.com).
Step 4: Install WordPress on your hosting server
WordPress is a blogging platform that you can use to add content to your blog and manage it easily.
You can install WordPress by downloading the software from the WordPress website and installing it on your hosting server or directly on your web host’s server.
And you can use any of the free WordPress themes or create your own theme to customize it further, as well as add custom CSS code so that it looks attractive on a website.
Step 5: Download a theme for your blog
You can download free WordPress themes from websites like ThemeForest and CreativeBits, which are specialized websites for finding free and premium WordPress themes that you can use to customize a website better than using just one theme for all kinds of websites (businesses, personal blogs, etc.).
Step 6: Start publishing content
After you have installed and set up WordPress to your liking, you can start publishing content on your blog.
To do so, go to the WordPress dashboard at: http://yoursitename.com/wp-admin/
On the WordPress dashboard, click on “Posts” in the left sidebar menu and then click on “Add New”. You can now add new posts by typing in the title of a blog post and adding a short description to it. You can also add images, videos, links, and other elements that you want to use in your blog post.
Step 7: Drive traffic to your Blog
You can drive traffic to your blog by posting blog posts on different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Use blogging tools like WordPress SEO by Yoast and Rankmath. To do so, you need to make sure that you use the correct keywords in your blog post titles and content so that users will see relevant content on their newsfeeds.
Step 8: Analyze your traffic and increase your rankings
To analyze your traffic and increase your rankings for search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and other search engines, you can use the WordPress SEO tools mentioned above.
You can also analyze all of the different types of keywords that are related to your niche or industry using tools from SEMRush or Ahrefs (it is a paid tool).
Pros of Blogging
The pros of blogging include the following:
- Blogging is a great way to share your knowledge and expertise with the world.
- Blogging is a great way to increase traffic to your website.
- Blogging can help you to establish yourself as an authority in your niche or industry.
- Blogging can help you to get new customers and build a loyal online following.
Cons of Blogging
There are many challenges that come with starting a blog:
- Blogging is time-consuming. You need to spend time researching and writing your blog posts.
- The amount of time you can spend on blogging depends on your blog’s niche. If you have a blog about a specific topic, you will have less time to spend on it as compared to a blog that is about general topics and interests.
You’ll have to find a way to make your blog profitable, attract new readers, and get them to return every week.
Blogging takes time and effort, and it is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
You will have to put in the work to be successful, so don’t expect to walk into financial success straight away.
And then you’ll also have to create great content and publish it on a regular basis to make a real impact.
How to earn from a blog in Nigeria
There are many different ways to make money with your blog. Here are some of the most popular ways:
a). Earn money from AdSense
AdSense is Google’s advertising system. It allows you to earn money from adverts that appear on your blog.
Adsense will pay you per click, which is how much money Google will pay every time someone clicks on an advert that appears on your blog.
This can be anywhere between $0.01 to $2 per click. The more popular your blog, the more money you will make from AdSense, but it all depends on the number of people who visit your blog and how often they visit it.
The first step is to sign up for a Google AdSense account. If you already have a Google account, just log in and follow the prompts to set up an AdSense account.
If not, create one here. After that, go through the steps for setting up your blog and add some content to attract readers, and start earning money from Adsense ads!
b). Sell products through your blog
This is another popular way of making money with a blog. You could sell products directly via Amazon or eBay, or use an online store such as Etsy or Shopify.
You could also sell e-books through these sites too.
c). Sell your images on stock photo sites
You could also sell your images on stock photo sites like Unsplash.com, Pixabay.com, or Canva.com. This is another way to make money by selling your images!
d). Sell digital downloads of e-books or e-courses
When you create an online business, one of the things you will need to do is set up a website to sell your digital downloads.
One of the easiest ways to do this is by using WordPress.
e). Make money from affiliate networks
Affiliate networks are a group of websites that allow you to sell products or services on your website, and then get a commission for each sale you make.
How does it work?
When someone purchases something from an affiliate link on your website, you will earn a commission. This can be as little as 5% or as much as 15%. You choose the percentage that is right for your business!
How do I join an affiliate network?
You can join affiliate networks by going to the affiliate network’s website and following the instructions to join. Most affiliate networks will have a sign-up form or email list form, so just fill in your details and submit. It’s very easy!
What products can I sell through an affiliate network?
Almost anything! You can sell anything from books to digital downloads, e-courses, digital downloads of e-books, e-courses, digital downloads of e-books (you get the idea), images, and videos.
Final Thoughts
Blogging is a great way to share your thoughts, ideas, and content with the world. You can start your blog with a simple WordPress blog post and make it your primary source of content for the rest of your life.
When you blog, you are basically putting your thoughts on paper and sending them out into the world. You could either do this manually or have your blog automatically generate the content for you. This way, you don’t have to think about it and can just focus on growing your business.