Blogging is something that has created hype nowadays. Work-from-home culture also increased the curiosity among people to know more about blogging.
So, if you want to explore blogging more, then you’ve come to the right place.
In this beginner’s guide, I’ll explain to you what is a blog, and how can you create a blog and generate passive income online.
What is a Blog?
Blog Definition-
A blog is an online journal that displays information on a variety of topics. So, as per the definition of a blog, it is a shortened version of “weblog” which means web blog. The first blog was introduced in 1994. In 1997, a blogger Robot Wisdom coined the term “weblog” which was shortened to “Blog” in 1999.
In simple terms, if you ask what is the meaning of a Blog, then it is a platform where an individual or a group of writers share their views on a particular subject or niche.
If we talk about the number of blogs at present, then there are about 600 million blogs available on the internet. These stats include blogs from WordPress, Tumblr, Wix, Blogger, Medium, etc.
It’s more interesting to know that Tumblr powers around 400 million blogs, while WordPress powers only 34% of blogs, which are around 60 million blogs.
What is the purpose of a blog?
The purpose of a blog varies from person to person. People use a blog to grow their businesses. Some use it as a hobby, while some use it for sharing information with others.
Another reason could be money. Yes, many use it as a source of passive income.
Earlier, business owners use a static website for their businesses. But, nowadays, it has become a necessity to include blogs on their websites.
Why is it necessary?
A static website only displays a specific piece of information to users that do not fulfill users’ intent. A user wants to explore more about the company, what are its plans, roadmaps, and services. He wants to know the latest updates on the products and services offered by the company.
Business owners now understand it very well and started building blogs for their businesses. The blogs expand their business reach and provide a target audience for their business.
The next main purpose of blogs is money. Bloggers create blogs to generate extra income by publishing ads, sponsored posts, and recommending products on their blogs.
Blog Structure
Though blog structure differs from individual to individual. Each person has different needs and different preferences, so you may see a unique blog layout over the web.
But, most webmasters use the basic blog layout with common features like-
- Header with logo and navigation menu
- Main body with the latest posts and content
- Sidebar with widgets like social profiles, call-to-action forms, featured content, etc.
- Footer with quick links like contacts us, about us, disclaimer, copyright batch, etc.
The above picture denotes the basic structure of the blog. Each person has a different need, so you may find different blog layouts according to the customization of webmasters.
What is Blogging?
Blogging has emerged since the 2000s. We can see a lot of differences in blogging now and then. Initially, it started with political blogs, and then how-to blogs appeared.
Definition of Blogging-
Blogging is simply a skill to run and manage a blog. It includes creating a blog, writing, posting, linking, and sharing the blog content across different platforms over the Internet.
Where a blog is a type of website that published content regularly, Blogging is the skill of publishing content, managing the blog, and implementing SEO strategies to rank higher on Google.
It is important to notice that with each passing day, the popularity of Blogging is increasing.
But, why is blogging so popular?
Let me give you some reasons that describe why so many people do blogging.
Why are many people blogging today?
Earlier, blogs were the prime source of sharing the news, but nowadays they are not just limited to the news but have become a necessity for every business.
Do you want to start a blog?
Yes! Many people want to start their blog for various reasons. Each person has a different reason to blog.
After the pandemic, the lockdown has also created an opportunity to work from home, so most people will have their own blogs for connecting to a mass audience.
I’ve listed down some main points on why people blog-
Why Is Blogging So Popular?
If a business owner needs customer satisfaction, then blogging is indeed necessary. It keeps the customers up to date and increases brand value.
On the other side, niche bloggers find it a talented medium to make money blogging. They use affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and displaying ads to earn money from their blogs.
What are the benefits of Blogging?
There are many benefits of blogging, I’m mentioning a few of them for your interest-
Who is a Blogger?
Nowadays, you often heard about bloggers. The reason is that Blogging is so popular among people that it inclined everyone toward it.
So, who are bloggers? How would you define a blogger?
Actually, a blogger is an individual who manages, publishes, and shares information on blogs. It is the person who implements various SEO strategies to increase the blog’s rank on Google.
Bloggers live on the Internet and don’t need to sit in a particular office. They are mobile and can work from anywhere.
What does a blogger do?
A Blogger usually publishes a blog post and tries to maintain its ranking on Google.
What is Blogging? How to Become A Blogger And Earn Money?
How to Become a Blogger?
So, now you know who is a blogger and what does he do? It is very curious to know how to become a blogger.
You should follow these steps to become a blogger-
If you need help in any of the above steps, you may follow this beginner’s guide on how to start a blog in 2023.
How do Bloggers Make Money?
Most people think bloggers do blogging as a hobby. But, many bloggers make money blogging.
Yes! There are many bloggers who quit their day jobs and build their brands online.
Most successful bloggers are making 6-figure and 7-figure incomes through blogging. For instance, Adam Enfroy generates more than $200,000 per month while Harsh Agrawal is generating more than $80,000 per month.
I’ve mentioned a few ways through which bloggers make money online-
How do bloggers be paid?
There are many payment methods that bloggers can use to receive payments. I’m providing some major payment methods through which bloggers are paid-
What is a Blog Post?
A blog post is a web page on a blog that contains information about a particular topic.
For Instance, let’s say you have a blog on the Food niche. Your blog post may be titled “10 Tips to Eat Healthily“. So, the blog post includes information about how to eat healthily, what should you include in your diet, etc.
Blog posts include target keywords. If you have optimized your post around those keywords, your blog post may rank easily on Google. Keyword Research tool like Semrush is perfect to find all relevant keywords so that you can easily target the blog post around that keyword.
Interlinking blog posts helps in optimizing other blog posts of your blog.
👉 You know what is blog and how it works. Now, read our detailed guide on how to write a blog post.
What is the difference between a blog and a website?
Blogs and websites- people are often confused between both terms. Do these terms refer to the same meaning?
No! So, what is the difference between a Blog and a Website?
The basic difference between both is- A Blog is a type of website that publishes content regularly while a Website often has static pages that are hardly updated.
Normally, blogs update regularly, and you’ll see the posts in reverse chronological order. Websites are static and don’t update regularly.
Nowadays, many companies are integrating blogs into their websites to engage their audience.
SEOSachet.com is a blog where you will see content regularly. I’ve shared some examples below that will help you understand the difference more clearly.
Websites with Examples
Websites are static and have web pages that are updated frequently. For a better understanding, you may refer to the below picture.
This is Infosys company’s website and you may see that there is no blog associated with it. They have well-written information about the company on the web pages, and they update them rarely.
One more important thing to note is that a blog has a comments section where the audience connects with the author. While a website doesn’t have any such section, it rarely motivates user engagement.
Reports state that websites with a blog have more indexed pages and their chance to rank on Google increases more and thus receive more web traffic.
👉 Blog Description: 7 Effective Tips to Write a Perfect Blog Description
Blogs with Examples
You can target any niche for blogging and there may be many types of blogs. Let me give you some examples of blogs.
#1. Personal Blog
What is a Personal Blog?
You may have heard of a personal blog. Let’s discuss what type of content they display in this type of blog.
Actually, a personal blog doesn’t target a single topic. In fact, it covers a wide range of topics. This type of blog is author-oriented, he shares content about his life and daily activities.
The Dad Dude is a perfect example of a Personal Blog. Here the author uses the blog to share his parenthood.
#2. Niche Blog
A niche blog is a topic-specific blog. Here the author shares content around a particular topic like the Internet, Gaming, Health, Finance, Travel, Fashion, etc.
Backlinko is a perfect example of a niche blog. Here Brian Dean shares the content around Blogging like SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Digital Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, etc.
The above two types of blogs are just examples. You may start with any type of blog, such as travel, fashion, health, affiliate blog, etc.
Blog or Website- Which one is better?
You might think about whether you should start a blog or a website. To be honest, it really depends on your future goals and which is better for you.
Some people may start a website and publish a few pages just for information and navigation purpose. However, many business owners now realize the potential of integrating a blog with a website.
They make a separate blog section on their website to engage the audience and keep them updated about their new launches and ventures.
Also, the blog helps in increasing search engine optimization (SEO) and thus increases their website rank on Google for their target keywords.
They mostly preferred blogs as a source of passive income.
It doesn’t matter if you are an entrepreneur, blogger, or non-profit organization, adding a blog to the website is always fruitful to you and increases your audience and revenue.
Can anyone start a blog?
Of course, anyone can start a blog, and it is easy to create a blog. Earlier you should be techy to handle coding using HTML, PHP, etc. to update and run a blog.
But now you have many tools like WordPress, Tumblr, Wix, etc. that make it easy to make a blog and manage it.
Though it is important to choose a good blogging platform, I’d recommend using WordPress as it is widely used for blogging.
You may note that there are two types of WordPress i.e., WordPress.com and WordPress.org. You should not confuse between them.
WordPress.com is a limited hosting service that allows you to create a blog using their subdomain, for instance, yourdomain.wordpress.com
WordPress.org is a self-hosted blogging platform that allows you to create a blog using your custom domain, i.e., yourdomain.com
👉It is important to note that you have to purchase web hosting if you choose WordPress.org while it is free to host a blog on WordPress.com
Requirements of a blog?
There are a few things that you should keep ready to start a blog. I’ve compiled a list that you should consider before starting a blog-
- Niche
A niche refers to a particular field around which you are starting a blog. You can relate your niche to health, travel, affiliate marketing, education, fashion, lifestyle, etc.
- Blogging Platform
The other thing is the blogging platform. This is software that you need to run and manage your blog. WordPress.org is a CMS (Content Management System) that is widely used by bloggers to run their blogs.
- Domain Name
Now you need to purchase a custom domain for your blog that belongs to your niche. You may use Namecheap and GoDaddy to buy a domain name.
- Web Hosting
Now as you have a custom domain, you need reliable web hosting for data storage. You may use Bluehost or A2Hosting to start your blog and refer to this article for guidance.
These are some basic requirements of starting a blog, after that you need can start your blog and earn passive income online.
Frequently Asked Questions about Blog
Conclusion
I hope you have got to know about what is a blog and how to do blogging. If you are competent enough to start a blog, then you should focus on content marketing.
You may use SE Ranking for keyword research and write detailed and SEO-Optimized content.
There is a huge potential in blogging, so there is no better time to start it at once. For bloggers, it is a great opportunity to earn money blogging.
Check out our extensive list of blogging tools that help you grow your blog.
If you like this post, please share it with others too.
In terms of SEO What is the easiest way of SEO in 2022?
The easiest way of SEO is to implement what you learn. TO start with, you should use the focus keyword in the title, URL, meta description, headings, sub-headings, the first paragraph of your content, etc. You may use Semrush or Ahrefs for keyword research.
Consistently implement the new ideas and tips that you get, or it will take a long time to succeed.
Nice article, I must say you did a lot of research before creating this content.
Thanks for the lovely feedback.
Nitin this is a smart breakdown. Getting the basics down gives new bloggers confidence. Good work my friend.
Ryan