Blogs are a great way to share information with the world. But before you start writing post after post, you need to know if it’s the right thing to do.
Do you really want to share your thoughts and ideas with the world? If your answer is “yes” then by all means continue on with your blog but if not then it’s time to start looking into other options.
A blog is nothing more than a website that is specifically set up to promote a particular brand, website, or author.
You can find many different types of blogs today, from personal blog sites that are simply you and your ideas, to high-end blogging services that offer their own original content as well as professional blog services.
Whatever type of blog you decide to start, we understand that there are certain things you will need to consider in order to ensure that your blog is successful. Here are some things you should know before setting up your first blog:
1). You need to have a passion for blogging
Blogging in Nigeria is not something you should do just to make money or because you think it will be easy.
If you are going to start a blog, then you need to want to share your thoughts with the world.
Going into blogging with the right mindset can help you build a successful blog that can be enjoyed by thousands of people.
2). Understand the basics of blogging
Blogs are basically websites, so before you get started with setting up your own blog site, it’s important that you know how websites work in general.
For example, most blogs are set up using HTML coding and there are certain things that must be included on each page of your site in order for it to work properly.
3). Make sure that your blog topic is interesting and relevant
The topic of your blog should be something that interests you as well as others who visit your site regularly.
Don’t just choose a topic because other sites are doing well with it – if it is not interesting to your audience then no one will want to read about it!
If possible try and find something unique about what you have chosen for your blog so people will visit more often because they won’t find anything like it anywhere else on the Internet today!
4). Decide on the design of your website
When starting a new blog in Nigeria, one thing most bloggers don’t realize is how important website design is when promoting their content. You need to make sure that your blog design is appealing and professional looking.
Don’t just choose something because it looks cool – it should also be easy to navigate and read.
A lot of blogs are set up with a custom design, so if you want yours to look unique, you’ll have to spend a little time finding the right one.
5). Create a blog content plan
Once you have decided to start a blog in Nigeria, it is time to create a content plan. You need to know what you are going to write about on your blog and how often you will post new information.
If you don’t have any ideas, then it might be time to brainstorm or interview someone who is knowledgeable in the topic that your blog will focus on. Once you have an idea of what your blog is going to be about and how often you will post information, it’s time to create an outline for what each post will include.
6). Research blogs in your niche
If you are going to start a blog in Nigeria, it helps to know what other blogs are out there that have similar topics.
Doing research on your competition will help you learn what types of things people like to see in a blog and how popular different types of content are.
You can also see if there are any major blogs in your niche that you would like to collaborate with or guest post for.
7). Find a nice blog domain name and register it
Once you have a good idea of what your blog is going to be about, it’s time to find a nice domain name.
You may have heard that choosing a domain name is one of the most important aspects of blogging. While it is true that choosing a great domain name can improve your search ranking, it’s also important to consider how your domain name will look in the URL. Choosing a short and memorable domain name can help you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of getting found by targetted traffic.
8). Don’t rely on a single traffic source
The best way to get traffic to your blog is through a combination of many different sources instead of just one. If you rely on just one source, you might find that your traffic is inconsistent and unpredictable.
In order to make sure that your blog stays active and healthy over the long term, it is important to find multiple sources of traffic.
That said, there are many ways to get traffic, which includes:
- Social media – Social media is a great way to get your blog in front of new eyes. It’s also an easy way to get instant feedback on your blog posts from real people. The downside is that social media might not always be the best source of traffic for your blog, especially if you don’t have a following on any of the social networks where you share your content.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) – One of the best ways to drive traffic to your blog is by using SEO. SEO allows you to get found by new readers who are searching for information related to your niche. There are many different ways that you can improve search engine rankings and drive more traffic, but it comes at a cost (free or paid).
- Email marketing – Email marketing is another great way to grow a targeted audience and drive more traffic back to your site. The key with email marketing is that you need an email list in order for it works properly. Some bloggers choose not to collect emails during their first few months in order to avoid spamming their readers or being spammed themselves.
- Paid ads – If you have the money, paid ads can get you instant traffic to your blog. You can buy ads on search engines, social networks, and email newsletters. The trick is to figure out which ads work best for your niche and how to get the most value out of each ad campaign.
It is important not to neglect your other marketing activities while you focus on driving traffic to your site. You can’t rely on just one method if you want to be successful.
9). Build links to boost your rankings
Links are a very important part of SEO. Links on other sites drive traffic to your site and help your site rank higher in search engines. You can also use links to build relationships with other bloggers and website owners.
Here are some link building strategies:
- Ask for links. This is a popular strategy among bloggers and website owners here in Nigeria. You can ask for links from other bloggers, search engine experts and social network users to boost your site’s ranking. If you don’t know how to do this, you can hire a link building company that will do it for you.
- Use guest posting. Guest posting is when a blogger or website owner allows you to post on their blog and also link back to your own blog. The blogger or website owner will usually give you some valuable information in exchange for the link back to your blog. You can use this strategy as much as you like and it is free of charge. Just make sure that the quality of content published on another site is high enough so that your readers will want to click and read the post on your blog.
- Build relationships with other bloggers by commenting on their posts, linking back to them, and sharing their content via social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. This strategy works well because it helps build trust between you two bloggers which will help increase traffic to your site.
Remember, it is not about the quantity of the links. It is the quality of the links.
Only focus on getting backlinks from quality websites.
10). Add Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools
Google Analytics is a free tool that you can use to track your blog traffic. It will tell you how many visitors you get on your blog, how they found your blog, how they use your blog, and what pages they prefer to read.
Google Webmaster Tools (now known as Google Search Console) is a free tool that you can use to check if your site is indexed by Google. It will tell you the number of indexed pages on your site and the number of indexed pages that are not showing in search results.
You do not need to have a professional web developer to help you set up these tools. All it takes is a few minutes of time and you can be tracking your traffic and getting reports on how people find you.
11). Format your blog post
When you publish a blog post, make sure to format it so that it will be easily readable. Use different font sizes, bold and italicize the text, and use bullet points for your content.
You can also link to other blogs in your post as long as you include a link back to your blog.
Here’s a simple blog post format:
- Start with a strong title
- Use headers and subheaders
- Keep sentences and paragraphs short
- Add strong visuals
- Break up the text with bullet points
- Don’t ignore small details
- Include bold text for emphasis
- Add a table of contents
12). Update your blog frequently so that people will see new content
The number one rule in blogging is to keep your blog updated. You can do this by creating new posts, adding new pictures and links, or just adding new content to your existing posts.
If you are a blogger who has an e-commerce blog, then you need to create a lot of new content that is related to the products you sell. If you don’t add new content frequently then people will start getting bored and they will stop visiting your blog.
13). Use social media networks to promote your blog
You should use every social network on the planet to promote your blog because it helps with SEO, which results in more traffic coming to your website.
The most popular social networks for blogging are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. These networks have their own objectives and features, which should be used correctly so that they get results, but here are some tips for using these networks:
- Facebook – Use Facebook as a way of promoting all of the other blogs out there because it is one of the most popular social networking sites today and everyone uses it. Use Facebook’s Timeline feature so that people can see all of the posts from all of the other blogs out there. Facebook can be used to post images and videos of your blog posts as well. You can also use Facebook to create groups for other blogs that you want to link up with. If you want to start a Facebook fan page for your blog, simply click on “Create Page” from the “Pages” menu in the top right corner of the Facebook site. This is a good way of drawing more attention to your blog because it shows up in people’s newsfeeds.
- Twitter – Use Twitter as a way of promoting all of the other blogs out there because it is one of the most popular social networking sites today and everyone uses it. You can promote your posts on Twitter by sharing them through text messages and tweets. Twitter is also great for creating contests, posting short messages, tweeting links to specific posts, and even retweeting someone else’s tweet!
- Pinterest – Use Pinterest as a way of promoting all of the other blogs out there because it is one of the most popular social networking sites today and everyone uses it. Use pins from other people’s boards so that you can gain more followers on Pinterest. You should make sure that your pins are relevant so that they get noticed by people who are interested in what you have to say!
14). Create an email list
Creating an email list is one of the best ways to grow your blog because once you have one, you will be able to communicate with your readers. You can use this list to send out newsletters and other promotional materials, as well as provide discounts and special offers to your readers.
Here are some strategies you can use to build an email list:
- Offer free eBooks, white papers, and e-courses.
- Provide free software and tools you can use in your blog.
- Provide free or discounted services to your readers.
15). Think of the best ways to monetize your blog
If you want to make money from your blog, there are a lot of ways you can do it. You can set up a blog as a business, or you can work with an affiliate network to promote other people’s products. You can also sell your own products, or you can ask your readers to pay for your services.
Here are some strategies you can use to monetize your blog:
- Sell your own products.
- Sell advertising space on your blog.
- Ask your readers to pay for your services
- Add affiliate links to your blog posts
Final Thoughts
The best way to start a blog in Nigeria is to have an idea of what you want your blog to be about and then create an outline for each post.
If you are unsure of what type of content you should be writing on your blog, then it might be time to ask someone who knows more than you do.
Once you have decided on the topics that interest you, it’s time to research blogs in your niche and find out which ones are popular. Once you have found those blogs, use them as inspiration and build a content plan for each post that will help drive traffic back towards your site.
You can also use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter if they interest you but make sure that it’s not just posting links from there!
Most importantly, don’t forget about paid advertising! If there is money to be made here, then go for it!