How to Start a Sports Blog And Make Money in 2024 | Step-by-Step

How to Start a Sports Blog And Make Money in 2024 | Step-by-Step

How to Start a Sports Blog And Make Money in 2024 | Step-by-Step

Starting a sports blog can be a challenge, but with this step-by-step guide, you can turn your passion for sports into WIFI money.

But first, let’s take a step back.

The worst thing you can do when starting a sports blog or any blog is to launch it like an amateur.

Like throwing a bunch of content and then sitting back to watch a truckload of traffic come flooding in. Sorry, that’s not how to start a sports blog.

Listen.

Sports blogging is more than that. You need a well-oiled blogging terminator plan loaded with research, sport blog ideas, engaging content, and marketing strategies. The works.

With that said.

If you’re a sports fanatic and you really want to share your views on your favorite teams, players, and games then here’s a no-nonsense step-by-step guide on how to create a sports blog in under an hour.

And transform it into a thriving online platform.

So let’s dive in so you can be a successful sports blogger. (As long as you give it your all.)

How to Start a Sports Blog And Get Paid in 10 Steps

Blog banner on how to start a sports blog

This page have some affiliate links. In other words, if you buy from my links, I may get a commission.

This step-by-step guide is lengthy but packed with the good stuff you need to launch a sports blogging business.

So I suggest you grab your favorite drink and snack.

By the way. I have a blog launch checklist guide posted here

If at any time, you feel confused, you can check out my blog launch checklist guide here.

Or feel free to reach out to me here.

I’ll help you as best I can so you can launch a successful sports blogging career.

1. What’s Your Sports Niche?

To start a sports blog, you must choose a niche that aligns with your interests, knowledge, and expertise.

Buy don’t go broad and cover all things related to sports. Don’t be the ESPN of sports. It’s just too hard for a new sports blogger.

Instead, cover a specific sport to launch your sports blog.

By focusing on a specific area within the broader sports landscape, you can establish yourself as an authority in that space and build a loyal audience that values your insights and opinions.

Choosing a niche for your sports blog has several benefits.

  1. It’s easier.
  2. It allows you to differentiate yourself from general sports blogs that cover everything from basketball to golf. By narrowing your focus, you’ll attract a more targeted audience interested in your specific niche.
  3. It helps you develop your unique voice and perspective on the topics you cover. By focusing on a laser-targeted area, you can offer more in-depth analysis that resonates with your readers.
  4. It makes it easier to monetize your sports blog by attracting advertisers and sponsors who are interested in your niche audience.
An image of a baseballer. How to start a sports blog and get paid online.

How to become a sports blogger in your niche?

To select the right niche, consider your interests, knowledge, and expertise.

  • Ask yourself the following.
  • What sports do you follow closely?
  • Will you cover the major leagues, college, or a local league?
  • What teams and players are you most knowledgeable about?
  • What topics and angles do you enjoy writing about?
  • Will you cover a sports team or the entire league?

By answering these questions, you’ll be able to narrow down your focus and identify the niche that aligns with your passion and expertise.

And one more thing. It’s a big one. Know who your ideal readers will be. Here’s why.

Knowing your target audience matters because it enables you to tailor your message and approach to connect with and engage them effectively.

By comprehending their demographics, interests, and needs, you can create content that resonates with them and directly addresses their concerns.

When you can deliver what they want, not what you want. You will grab their attention and slowly build trust.

And guess what. With more trust, you can lead your readers to take the next action, such as purchasing a product, signing up for a service, or engaging with your content.

Moreover, understanding your target audience can help in identifying new growth and expansion opportunities by utilizing your insights to develop new products or services that satisfy their needs and desires.

Ultimately, knowing your target audience can enhance the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and facilitate building stronger, more meaningful relationships with your customers.

That said.

Some More Brainstorming Ideas For Starting a Sports Blog:

  • You can start a sports blog by covering a sports team locally. It can be high school, college, or the professional level.
  • You can blog about the players in the teams by highlighting their strengths, weaknesses, achievements, upbringing, and more.
  • You can blog about the recent rounds of matches and play.
  • You can blog about the fitness and nutritional programs used by top-performing individuals.
  • You can provide the latest updates on the team, player movements, and the league. A good example is Transfer Tavern.
  • You can provide a sports blog (like WhoScored) on stats and analysis.
  • You can blog about a team.
  • You can blog about the equipment, merchandise, and uniforms.

Here are some popular sports blog ideas to consider:

  • Fantasy Sports: If you’re an avid fantasy sports player, consider starting a blog that covers strategy, rankings, and analysis for popular fantasy sports leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB.
  • Team-Specific Blogs: If you’re a die-hard fan of a particular team, consider starting a blog that covers news, analysis, and opinion pieces about your favorite team.
  • Sports Betting: If you’re knowledgeable about sports betting and want to share your insights and strategies, consider starting a blog that covers sports betting tips, trends, and analysis.

(I like to say here that I’m no gambler and I have no idea how betting works. I don’t want to know. But some of you may have some knowledge that can help people who are into sports betting. You do your thing. As always, gamble responsibly.)

  • Sports Technology: If you’re interested in the intersection of sports and technology, consider starting a blog that covers sports gadgets, wearables, and data analytics.

By choosing a niche that aligns with your interests and expertise, you can establish yourself as a trusted authority in your space and build a loyal audience of readers who value your insights and opinions.

2. The You.

Image of a sports bloggers learning how to set up a sports blog on WordPress.

Now that you’ve decided to go all in and make a name for yourself in the blogosphere. This means you need to build a killer brand so you can set yourself apart from other sports bloggers.

However, it’s not just about having a fancy logo or trendy color scheme – it’s about creating a unique identity that resonates with your readers.

Here are 2 strong reasons to establish a strong brand for your very own sports blog:

A. Why Do You Need a Brand?

Building a brand is the key to making a name for yourself in the blogosphere. It’s not just about your logo or color scheme – it’s about the overall image and perception your readers have of your blog.

With a strong brand, you’ll be able to connect with your audience, stand out from other sports bloggers, and attract new readers.

B. Establishing Your Brand Identity

First things first, figure out what makes your blog special.

Define your mission, vision, and values, and figure out who your target audience is. Once you have a clear idea of what makes you unique, start developing your visual brand.

This includes your logo, color scheme, typography, and more.

Make sure your brand is consistent across all your online channels, from your blog to your social media profiles and email campaigns.

Side note: Look. I’m all for the branding and pretty logos, but don’t spend hours on it trying to be perfect. Most likely, it will take some time before your blog gets any decent traffic.

Your time is best spent on creating epic content and then promoting your sports blog so you can drive eyeball traffic to the content soon.

Worry about the fancy stuff later.

3. Leverage You to Attract Readers.

Now that you have your brand identity sorted, it’s time to make it work for you!

But I like to point out that Step 3 is not the next step of launching the blog itself. Confused?

Let me explain.

This step here is prepping you that high-quality content plays a huge part in becoming a successful sports blogger.

When you create high-quality content that aligns with your brand values and your readers, you are positioning yourself as an authority in your niche.

Using your personal brand, you can collaborate with other bloggers and influencers in your space, and engage with your audience on social media and via email.

You need to keep promoting your brand, and your sports blog and establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche to attract new readers and build a loyal following over time.

Do that and you’ll be well on your way to creating an amazing brand for your sports blog. (More on the marketing stuff later.)

So keep this in mind as you learn how to start a sports blog.

Moving on.

4. Sign Up for a Blogging Platform.

Image of magnifying glass zooming in on a chalk board. with the word WordPress written on it. Another step to starting a sports blog.

So you’ve got your niche and brand identity all sorted out – that’s awesome!

Now it’s time to get on a blogging platform. A blogging platform is basically a tool that lets you create, publish, and manage your blog content.

Which is great.

Also, you have a huge number of blogging platforms to choose from. Some are free, and some are not.

Look. While the free ones sound great and all, it isn’t.

That’s because.

  1. Free platforms will have their own sponsored ads on your blog.
  2. You will have less flexibility in the creative design and look of your blog. In other words, you will look unprofessional.
  3. You will have less room to grow your sports blog, and or any blog.
  4. Worse still, you don’t own your sports blog.

I don’t want to spout on too much, but if you want to be a successful sports blogger then you need to invest in a platform that will allow you to grow.

And when you invest in something, you’re investing in a business. This is why starting a sports blog for money is all about. Right?

So what’s the best place to start a sports blog?

I recommend using WordPress (the dot org one).

You have the flexibility to customize your sports blog and do loads more with it.

Although there are a bunch of options out there, I reckon WordPress is the bee’s knees for starting a sports blog. Here’s why:

A. Why Use a Blogging Platform?

Using a blogging platform has loads of benefits, including:

Ease of use: Most blogging platforms are super user-friendly, even if you’re a total newbie.

Customization: Many blogging platforms offer different templates and design options, so you can make your blog look exactly how you want it.

Scalability: Blogging platforms are designed to handle a ton of content, so it’s easy to grow your blog over time.

B. Why WordPress is the Best Platform for Sports Blogs

WordPress is the most popular blogging platform in the world, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. There are heaps of reasons why we think WordPress is the way to go for your sports blog:

  • Easy-peasy: WordPress is so easy to use, even if you’re new to blogging. You can create and publish posts in a jiffy thanks to its user-friendly interface.
  • Make it your own: With thousands of templates and design options available, you can give your sports blog a unique look and feel that’s all yours.
  • Search engine-friendly: WordPress is built to be SEO-friendly, so it can help your blog rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

C. Stats to Back Up WordPress

Chart on WordPress usuage. Best platform to become a sports blogger.
Well, well. Just look at the numbers above.

According to Technorati, 48% of the top 100 blogs are WordPress.

Here are some more stats that show why WordPress is the real deal for your sports blog:

By using WordPress for your sports blog, you can make the most of its ease of use, customization options, and SEO-friendly features to create a blog that looks great and draws in readers, all while building your brand over time.

5. Setting Up Your Sports Blog.

Image of a female blogger. How to start a Sports blog.

Well, well, well! You’re on your way to setting up your very own blog. Congrats! Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of what you need to do:

A. Snag a Domain Name

First things first, you need to score yourself a domain name – this is the web address people will use to find your blog. Make it snappy, memorable, and aligned with your niche or brand. Don’t worry, you can register your domain name with a domain registrar like Namecheap or GoDaddy.

B. Pick a Hosting Provider

Next up, you gotta choose a hosting provider for your blog.

This is the company that’ll store your blog’s files and makes ’em accessible online.

Our top pick? Bluehost.

It’s budget-friendly, dependable, and super newbie-friendly, which makes it an ideal choice for folks who are new to this game. and it has a one-click WordPress installation.

That’s right, you can create a sports blog on WordPress in one click! (More on that in a moment.)

Better still, it has a fast loading speed and very high up-time and for new customers, you get a free domain name in the first year and a free SSL.

You can check out Bluehost here.

C. Install WordPress

Once you’ve got your domain name and hosting all setup, it’s time to install WordPress on your blog.

But don’t sweat it – it’s a piece of cake and can be done via your hosting provider’s control panel.

Once WordPress is installed, you can log in to your blog’s dashboard and start playing around with the design and settings.

Setting up a blog is a major milestone, and it’s gonna be a game-changer for you as a sports blogger.

By grabbing a domain name, selecting a hosting provider, and installing WordPress, you’ll be well on your way to creating a blog that’s not only visually stunning but also full of juicy content that’ll keep your readers coming back for more.

Reminder – you can easily start a WordPress sports blog on Bluehost in one click. More on this next!

How to Create a Sports Blog With Bluehost in 7 Steps.

Image of a male blogger. How to start a sports blog on Bluehost.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide on how to start a sports blog on Bluehost.

Bluehost Pricing plan.  Step 1 on how to start a WordPress blog on Bluehost

Step 1:

Sign up for Bluehost, head over to their website here, and select a hosting plan that suits your needs and budget.

For rookie sports bloggers, I suggest the ‘Basic’ or ‘Plus’ plan.

The Basic plan itself is cheap, starting at $2.95 a month.

You get 10G of space, 1 FREE domain name (first year only), a FREE SSL, a FREE CDN, customer themes, and a one-click WordPress installation.

You can always upgrade to a bigger plan later.

A Bluehost WordPress tutorial on choosing a domain name.

Step 2:

Once you select a plan, you’ll be taken to a page to set up your domain name – this is the web address people will use to find your blog.

If you haven’t decided on one, you can always come back to finalize a domain name.

Real quick on the domain name.

I suggest coming up with a name that is not too specific, like englishroses.com.

Not only is it too super specific, but you’ll also find it very hard to come up with consistent content over time. So go broad with the choice of a domain name. Or use your name as the brand.

You see. When it is a broad domain name, it gives you the flexibility to pivot into other areas of the sports niche, should your first plan goes pear shape.

Bluehost offers a free domain name for the first year, so take advantage of this offer if you don’t already have one.

A Bluehost WordPress Tutorial on choosing and signing up on the registration page.

Step 3:

On the next page is the account information. Go ahead and fill in the details.

Then the next bit is to choose the “Package Extras”. This is optional.

But for more privacy, you can opt for a Domain Name + Protection offer. This just gives you a layer of protection where your name is not tied to your domain name.

When you get to the “Package Information”, you have the choice to opt for a 12-month or 36-month plan. I suggest going for the 12-month plan.

Bluehost Package information. Another step to starting a Bluehost blog.

Step 4:

Bluehost WordPress tutorial advise on the welcome page from Bluehost.

After you’ve filled in the Payment Information and clicked submit, you’ll get a welcome message from Bluehost.

So click on the Get Started button to enter your password (make it complicated).

And when you have completed that part, you’re ready to start a sports blog.

Step 5:

Next, choose a theme for your blog – the design and layout of your website. Thousands of free and paid themes are available, so find one that fits your style and content. (You can start with the FREE option first.)

Preview and customize different themes to find the perfect one for you.

WordPress Login page. Bluehost WordPress Tutorial about the login page.

Step 6:

Log in to your Bluehost account, go to the “website” section, and click on the “install WordPress” button. Follow the prompts and you’ll be done in no time!

Customize your site by adding pages, creating menus, and adding widgets to make it more engaging. WordPress has an intuitive interface that makes it easy to do all of this.

how to build a wordpress website with bluehost using the post tab.

Step 7:

Finally, start creating content! To create your first post, go to the “posts” section of your WordPress dashboard, click on “add new,” and start writing. Format your post with headings, images, and more. And make sure you apply the best SEO practices for blogging. (More on that below.)

Once you’re happy with your post, hit the “publish” button, and it will go live on your blog!

Congratulations, you’re now the proud owner of a WordPress blog on Bluehost!

Can you see how creating a sports blog on Bluehost is super easy?

Of course, there’s a lot more you can do to customize your blog and make it your own, but these steps will give you a great starting point.

So start creating content and share your thoughts with the world!

5. Designing Your Sports Blog.

Image of a male sports blogger

Great work on setting up your blog! Now it’s time to give it some pizazz and attract readers like a moth to a flame.

A well-designed blog can make all the difference in building a loyal audience. It’s like creating a trendy hotspot where people can come to unwind. So let’s get started!

A. Choose a Killer Template

First and foremost, you gotta pick a template that’s just right for you. It’s like picking an outfit for a night out on the town.

Fortunately, WordPress has got you covered with tons of free and paid templates that can personalize your blog’s design.

Make sure to select a template that matches your brand identity and niche. You want something that looks great and is easy to navigate.

But, like all “FREE” stuff, it is limited. If you want more customization and flexibility, a premium theme like Elegant Themes comes in really handy.

Not only can you create a sports blog design of your taste, but you will also get fantastic customer support.

B. Add Your Personal Flair

Now it’s time to put your own spin on the template!

Think of it as accessorizing your outfit to express your unique style. This involves adding your own logo, selecting colors that complement your vibe, choosing fonts that are easy on the eyes, and tweaking the layout and design elements of your blog.

You can use WordPress’s customization tools or enlist the help of a web designer to create a custom design that’s tailored to your blog.

C. The Must-Have Pages

Image of a happy guy who is ready to be a sports blogging star.
In addition to having a killer design, you’ll also need to create essential pages that provide your readers with important information about your blog. These pages include:

Home Page: This is like the front porch of your blog. It should give readers a sneak peek of what they can expect to find on your blog.

About Us Page: This should dish on who you are, where you’re from, and why you’re passionate about your niche.

Privacy Policy: This page should explain how you collect and use your readers’ data and what measures you take to protect their privacy.

Terms of Use: This page should spell out the rules for using your blog, like what’s cool and what’s not.

(By the way, if you need a legal template to get your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use nailed down, check out these easy-to-use ready-made templates.)

Contact Us Page: This particular page should make it simple for readers to get in touch with you. Maybe they want to give you some feedback or ask you a question.

And guess what, you can do all this with Elegant Themes and add your personal touch and brand to your sports blog design.

By customizing your template and creating these essential pages, you’ll have a blog that’s visually stunning and user-friendly.

It’ll be a place where people want to hang out and keep coming back for more. So let your creativity run wild and make your blog shine brighter than a diamond!

6. Installing Plugins

Image of a happy sports blogger.

Whoop whoop, let’s talk about plugins!

They’re like little wizards that can help your blog perform miracles and be super cool.

With WordPress, there are thousands of plugins at your fingertips, and sports bloggers, listen up – there are some that you won’t want to miss. Check out everything you need to know to get started:

A. Why Plugins Are The Bee’s Knees

Plugins are a real game-changer, providing benefits such as:

Expanded functionality: Plugins can add a ton of features to your blog, such as those trendy social media buttons or some wicked fancy contact forms.

Improved performance: Plugins can speed up your blog’s loading times, keeping your readers engaged and happy.

Personalization: Plugins can help you to customize your blog’s design and layout, making it stand out from the crowd.

B. Essential Plugins for Sports Bloggers

If you’re a sports blogger, you need these plugins in your life:

WpRocket: This plugin is like a superhero, speeding up your blog’s performance, helping you climb the search engine rankings, and keeping your readers from bouncing away.

Updraft Plus: This plugin saves your blog’s files automatically, saving your bacon if anything goes wrong. Phew!

OptinMonster: This plugin lets you create pop-up forms that invite your readers to join your email list and join your sports-loving community.

And more.

Here’s a list of other top WordPress plugins you can use when starting a sports blog.

C. How to Install Plugins on Your Blog

Wordpress dashboard for installing plugins for starting a sports blog.

Installing plugins is a breeze and can be done via your WordPress dashboard. Just find the plugin you want, click “Install,” and activate it once it’s done.

Be sure to only use plugins from legit sources to avoid any potential hiccups.

With plugins, you can turn your sports blog into a real gem, providing your readers with a top-notch experience. So, give it a whirl, test out some plugins, and have a blast making your sports blog the best it can be!

7. It’s The Plan.

banner image for exclusive content. Another answer as to how to monetize a WordPress blog.

“Content is what the search engines use to fulfill user intent.” – Jes Scholz, Technical SEO Analyst at DeepCrawl

This is the real deal now.

Let’s get down to business and talk about the meat and potatoes of your blog – the content!

It’s what’s going to reel in your readers and keep them coming back for more. So, what’s the deal?

How do you create great content that engages and informs your audience? Here’s what you need to know:

First things first, let’s talk about keyword research. Yeah, I know, it sounds pretty dry, but trust me – it’s crucial.

By identifying the topics and keywords your readers are searching for, you can optimize your content for search engines and get more eyes on your blog. And who doesn’t want that?

But make sure you stay away from broad keywords (topics) like sports, soccer, basketball, etc. It’s way too competitive.

Instead, go after keywords that are low-hanging fruit because you want quick wins. (like south carolina women’s basketball
yale basketball, etc).

Although these low-hanging fruit keywords have less traffic, it’s less competitive. This means you have a higher chance of getting your sports blog read and seen.

Again. Who doesn’t want that?

Now, if you want to consistently produce killer content, you need a plan. A content plan, that is.

This should include the topics and keywords you want to tackle, as well as a schedule for when you’ll publish new posts.

Speaking of which.

Here are 4 FREE Ways to Generate Sports Blogging Ideas

As a blogger, generating new and engaging sport blog ideas is key to keeping your readers interested and growing your audience.

But sometimes it can be hard to come up with fresh ideas on your own. Luckily, there are several FREE tools and resources available to help you generate ideas to start a sports blog.

So let me show you how to start a sports blog with these four tools now.

Google Keyword Planner. A nice source of ideas for sports bloggers.

1. First up is Google Keyword Planner.

It’s a free tool that can help you find relevant keywords for your blog. With it, you can see the search volume and competition for specific keywords in your niche. (You can even find potential keywords by spying on your competition.)

This will help you decide which topics to focus on based on how popular certain keywords are.

Google keyword planners search results. A free tool for sports bloggers.

Example: If you have a fitness blog and want to write about weight loss, you can use Google Keyword Planner to see which related keywords have high search volume, such as “best weight loss tips,” “fast weight loss,” “How to lose weight and keep it off” “or “how to lose weight quickly.”

Of course, the idea here is to find keywords (the low-hanging fruit ones) that are not too competitive and have good search volume.

2. Next up is Google Search. This is one of the simplest ways to generate ideas for your blog is by doing a Google search on your topic or niche.

Pay attention to the autocomplete suggestions that appear as you type your search query, as these can give you an idea of what people are searching for.

Additionally, scroll down to the bottom of the search results page to see the “Searches related to…” section, which can provide you with even more ideas.

Image of people also asked. A free resource on how to start a blog.

Example: If you run a food blog and search for “easy dinner recipes,” some of the autocomplete suggestions include “easy dinner recipes for two,” and more.

Also, you can use modifiers like what, when, where, is, what does, best, and top to expand your search. Refer to this sports blogging seacr below.

Image of a Google search result. Another way to find ideas to start a blog post.

3. A third cool feature of Google that can help you generate blog ideas is the “People Also Asked” section.

It appears in the search results and provides related questions to the query that people frequently ask. You can use these questions as inspiration for your blog content.

A look inside Amazon. A free tool for sports blogging ideas.

Example: If you run a travel blog and Google search using the terms “best things to do in Paris,” you’ll find under the “People Also Asked” section the following useful questions you can answer. “What should I not miss in Paris?” and “What is the coolest thing in Paria?”. Why not plug in some of your sports blogging ideas to find some great topics to discuss?

4. Lucky last, Amazon. You can browse through books in your niche and read the table of contents or chapter headings to see what topics are covered.

Another great source of sports blogging ideas includes reading customer reviews for any gaps or angles you can fill.

Image of Amazon Look Inside. A way to get ideas for a sports blog.

Example: If you run a blog on helping content creators to start a blog, you can browse through the best-selling blogging books on Amazon, and check out the ‘Look Inside’ feature of each book for blogging ideas.

Try it and you’ll see some nuggets in there to write a sports blog.

These are just some of the ideas. So why not give it a whirl to kickstart your creative mojo as a sports blogger?

Remember, consistency is key when it comes to building a successful blog. So don’t flake out on your plan!

When it comes to actually writing your posts, you have to apply the best practices for sports blogging.

8. Here’s How to Write a Sports Blog Post.

Image of a female sports blogger

Remember step 3? You know the one about putting your audience first by focusing on quality content that helps your readers.

This leads us to the pointy end of actually writing a sports blog.

First and foremost, write attention-grabbing headlines that accurately reflect the content of your post. No reader wants to click on a boring or misleading title – that’s a surefire way to turn readers off.

Next up, break up your content into bite-sized paragraphs with subheadings to make it easy on your readers’ eyes.

And write an introduction that will draw your readers in.

And, of course, include plenty of visuals like images and videos to add some pizazz to your posts.

(Real quick. Label your image file name using the main keywords and other related keywords. For example, take this post as an example, my main keyword is how to start a sports blog. Instead of some alphanumeric numbers like 34gg3432fc6676.jpg, I would name the image how-to-start-a-sports-blog.jpg.)

Last but not least, write like you’re talking to a friend. You want your readers to feel like they’re part of a community, so keep that conversational tone going strong.

By creating high-quality content that speaks to your reader’s interests, you’ll establish yourself as a bonafide authority in your niche.

So, what are you waiting for? Get cracking on that content plan and start writing your sports blog!

Side on image of a female sports blogging fan.

Here are a couple more tips to optimize your Sports Blog.

When you create a sports blog that your readers will enjoy, you have to make sure to get traffic to your blog from the search engines.

So how do you do this? It’s actually no biggie.

All you gotta do is optimize each page of your blog so that it reflects what readers would type into Google when searching for info on that topic.

This way, you’ll help Google understand what your page is all about and rank it accordingly in search results.

Here are six more key SEO pointers for your sports blog:

  1. A key element of on-page optimization is your SEO title tag. This is the title that appears in search engine results and lures people to click on your blog. To make sure it’s relevant to the article, use the main keywords that you’re targeting. But keep in mind that search engines will truncate it to around 160 characters, so be brief and straightforward.
  2. A crucial on-page SEO factor is your meta description. This is the text snippet that appears beneath your blog post in Google search results. Make sure to create a compelling meta description that accurately depicts what readers can expect from your blog. That way, you’ll have complete control over what Google thinks your post is all about.
  3. Add internal links that will direct readers to other blog posts within your sports blog. This helps keep your readers longer on the blog.
  4. Throw in a few external links that will serve as resources readers may find useful.
  5. Optimize your blog URL: before you publish your post, be sure to add the main keyword as the URL. For example, instead of your-domain-name.com/post-id, you configure it as your-domain-name.com/your-main-keyword
  6. Nail down your blog post format is vital for ranking high on search engines. Make sure your target keywords appear in the H1 (title), the first H2 as a question, the introduction, and throughout the content.

Follow these tips and you’ll improve your on-page SEO and elevate your rankings on Google.

9. Your Sports Blog Needs To Be Read.

Image of a blogger creating a sports website!

“The best source of a link is a website that is both considered authoritative and relevant to your website.” – Helen Pollitt, Lead SEO at Arrows Up

Alright, you’ve poured your heart and soul into creating killer content for your sports blog. Now what?

It’s time to get your sports blog there and start promoting it, my friend!

Without any promotion, it’s like throwing a party and no one shows up.

So, let’s talk about some effective strategies for getting the word out:

First and foremost, let’s talk about the importance of promotion.

You can have the best darn blog in the world, but if no one knows about it, what’s the point?

By promoting your content, you can attract new readers, build your brand, and establish yourself as a valuable resource in your niche.

So, how do you go about promoting your sports blog?

Here are some tried-and-true strategies to consider:

Pinterest Marketing: This is a search engine that can help drive some serious traffic to your sports blog.

What you need to do here is.

  • Start a Pinterest Business Account.
  • Knuckle down on your keyword research using Pinterest search.
  • Create keyword-rich boards (and board descriptions).
  • Whip up some eye-catching graphics using a 2:3 aspect image ratio for your Pins.
  • Add eye-catching text that is click-worthy.
  • SEO your pin titles and descriptions
  • Share your pins on Pinterest and point them to your sports blog.

If you want a step-by-step course on how to start a sports blog on Pinterest and attract high-quality traffic to your blog, I recommend you check out this course here.

Image of a laptop and camera. A blog on how to start a sports blog and get paid.

Guest Blogging: Reach out to other sports blogs in your niche and offer to write a guest post for them. This can help you expand your reach and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

Email Marketing: Create an email list and send out regular newsletters to your subscribers with links to your latest blog posts. This can help you build a loyal following and increase engagement with your readers.

Social Media: Pick one social media platform to focus on and become a master of it. When you pour your energy into one platform, you’ll get really good at it and attract your ideal audience. Once you’ve conquered one platform, you can branch out to others.

Quora and Forums: Participate in online forums and Q&A sites like Quora to answer questions related to your niche and share links to your blog posts.

Link Building Strategies: You can get back-links from broken link building, link reclamation, link partnerships, and guest post link trading.

And more.

Now, let’s talk about some best practices for successful promotion.

To make the most of your promotion efforts, keep these tips in mind:

Consistency is key: Promote your blog and engage with your readers regularly to build a loyal following over time.

Quality over quantity: Focus on producing high-quality content and promoting it effectively, rather than trying to churn out as much content as possible.

Personalize your efforts: Tailor your promotion efforts to the interests of your audience. For example, customize your email newsletters to suit the preferences of your subscribers.

By promoting your sports blog effectively, you can attract a bigger readership, build your brand, and establish yourself as a go-to authority in your field.

So don’t be shy – get out there and start promoting your sports blog!

10. Sports Blogging Wifi Money.

Image of a blogger learning how to start a sports blog and make money

By this point, you have an awesome WordPress blog, you’re generating traffic, and you might be wondering how you can make some cash from it.

Well, fret not my friend, because I’ve got some tips for you on how to start a sports blog and make money:

A. Get that Money, Honey: Ways to Monetize Your Sports Blog

Advertising: You can slap some ads on your blog using programs like Google AdSense or work directly with advertisers. This can bring in a steady flow of cash to your blog.

Affiliate Marketing: By promoting products and services that are relevant to your niche, you can earn a commission on any sales made through your unique affiliate link. Cha-ching!

Sponsored Content: Brands are always looking for ways to promote their products or services. You can work with them to create sponsored content that aligns with your niche and promotes your brand.

Digital Products: Create and sell digital products like ebooks, courses, or webinars related to your niche. People are always willing to shell out some dough for quality information.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can check out this article on how bloggers make money blogging from home I posted not so long ago.

B. Making that Money Grow

Image of a blogger learning how to start a sports blog.

To maximize your earnings, you’ll need to focus on growing your readership and building a loyal following.

This can be achieved by consistently producing high-quality content, promoting your blog effectively, and engaging with your readers.

After all, the more people you can reach, the more opportunities you have to make some serious moolah.

Now that’s how to start a sports blog and get paid.

C. Don’t Mess it Up

Image of a man stresses about his sports blog.

When it comes to monetizing your sports blog, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid. These include:

Stuffing your blog with too many ads or sponsored content, can turn off readers and damage your brand.

Promoting products or services that don’t align with your niche or that you don’t genuinely believe in. Your readers will see right through that, and it can hurt your credibility.

Focusing solely on making money and neglecting the quality of your content or engagement with your readers.

Remember, you started this blog because you’re passionate about sports. Keep that passion alive and let the money come naturally.

By monetizing your sports blog effectively, you can turn your passion into a profitable business and establish yourself as a leader in your niche.

So, go ahead and explore these different monetization options to find what works best for you and your blog.

It’s time to make some money moves!

11. Email Your Sports Blog Fans.

Image of a man learning how to start a sports blog
Worship your email list. Why?

Because those email addresses you will be collecting and growing will be your most avid readers.

And having an email list of the best subscribers allows you to communicate with them whenever you want.

But. I would suggest you worry about growing your email list when you have the first nine steps sorted and settled.

I only say this because as a rookie blogger, your time and energy will be consumed with content creation and promotional stuff.

Plus the headaches that come with starting a sports blog.

That is the reality.

Build an email list when you see traffic coming in (or as soon as you can). Again, building a list of your best sports blogging fans is a must-have.

A Summary of How to Start a Sports Blog 2024

Great job! You now have the knowledge you need to transform your sports blog into a top-notch online platform that people will love to read.

So, let’s recap what we’ve learned on starting a sports blog:

First and foremost, finding a niche is crucial to attracting a specific audience and giving your blog a unique identity.

Creating a strong brand is essential to standing out from the crowd and establishing your blog’s reputation.

Using a blogging platform like WordPress can save you a lot of trouble and make your life easier.

But you’ll need a high-quality web host like Bluehost.

It will give you a fast loading speed, a very high uptime, and a simple WordPress install. (Now that’s how to start a sports blog in a click!)

Creating a sports blog with a customizable template and essential pages can give your blog a professional and polished look.

Installing the best WordPress plugins can help boost your blog’s functionality and performance, so don’t forget to do that.

Planning and creating high-quality content is the key to attracting and retaining readers. Remember, quality over quantity!

Promoting your sports blog is crucial to building a readership.

Make sure to utilize all the effective link-building strategies we’ve covered, such as Pinterest marketing, guest blogging, email marketing, social media, and forums.

Last but certainly not least, monetizing your sports blog can help turn your passion into a profitable business.

There are tons of ways to do this, including advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and digital products.

Building a successful sports blog takes time and effort, but armed with the knowledge you’ve gained from this guide, you’re well on your way to achieving your goals.

So keep creating amazing content, promoting your sports blog, and monetizing it to reach your full sports blogging potential.

Over to you now to start creating a sports website in 2024.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

You Might Want to Check This Out Too

Resources To Grow Your Business With

Bluehost

Bluehost is a great starting point for beginners or bloggers who want to switch to a reliable web hosting service. And it gives you the best bang for your buck - starting at $2.95 a month*.

With the entry-level hosting plan, you'll get a high up-time, reliable customer support, FREE domain name (first year) and 30 day money back guarantee.

You can sign up with Bluehost here.

WPX Hosting

It's a web-hosting service I love using.  It specializes in WordPress hosting, and depending on what package you opt for, you can host 5 or more sites on one account. The best bit is - the quick turnaround in support is top notch.

For bloggers who have an established blog, this is a fantastic option.

You can learn more about this service here.

Aweber

Building an email list of a growing audience is essential for the longevity of any business.  This autoresponder service is easy to use, and it is a great starting point for someone looking to kickstart their email campaign.

You can try their free account here.

17 Blogging Best Practices That Will Help Your Blog Thrive 2024

17 Blogging Best Practices That Will Help Your Blog Thrive 2024

17 Blogging Best Practices That Will Help Your Blog Thrive 2024

Blogging best practices and tips for getting more traffic to your website.

Not long ago, my seven-year-old daughter told me, “Dad, I’m going to use the internet and write stories all day to earn money.”

Easy said than done kid. Because blogging is fantasy.

Wannabes think it’s easy to pump out content and then realize it isn’t.

Then there are other factors. Like algorithms, driving traffic and leads. And more. Plus a few mess-ups in between.

That’s normal for blogging beginners.

That said, if you’re looking to get a leg up, here are the proven blogging best practices you should sink your teeth into.

Ignore them and you risk being a wannabe who tried for years. Get them right and you can kickstart a serious business.

And if you’re wondering if my daughter ever started blogging. Not yet.

I think she completely forgot it because, after her off-the-cuff comment, she was off playing with her rainbow pony toys.

Anyway. Before I pull the curtains on the best practices for blogging, I like to cover this point.

[lwptoc]

Why Do Bloggers Fail?

Bloggers fail for a lot of reasons. But the biggest reason is that they treat blogging like a hobby instead of a business. 

And when you don’t treat your blog like a business, you’ll never see it reach its full potential.

Blogging takes effort, time, and attention if you want to be successful. Not only do you need to write killer content, but you also need to promote it too. That’s why so many bloggers fail.

They don’t realize that they need to put in the work if they want to see results.

Other blogging mistakes to avoid.

  1. Not planning and researching.
  2. Not getting what the audience wants to read.
  3. Ignoring blogging SEO best practices.
  4. Not promoting your blog to potential readers from other platforms like social media, email, and so on.
  5. Not growing an email list of the best prospects.

Look. I believe anyone, including my daughter, can launch a blog.

But you need to be in it for the long haul and give it the attention it needs to thrive.

So get off the silly fantasy train and focus on these SEO blogging best practices and tips.

17 Essential Blogging Best Practices 2024

1. It’s Not About The PJs?

The goal is not about working from home. It's about the purpose. Have a purpose and apply the top blogging best practices for a thriving business.

Image courtesy of Pexels

If you want to be a successful blogger, it’s important to know the goals of your blog before you start writing.

No. I don’t mean working from home in your PJs full time and having more time with friends and family.

What I mean is. What’s your purpose for blogging?

Are you looking to build an audience for an existing business?

Do you want to make money from your blog through ads, affiliate income, or selling products?

Do you want to increase your email subscription?

Knowing the reason or reasons why you need to blog will give you a purpose and help you achieve your objectives.

Without a clear purpose, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of blogs out there and your blog will quickly become just another forgotten corner of the internet.

So take the time to figure out what you want to achieve with your blog, and then start crafting content that will help you reach those goals.

2. A Niche That Doesn’t Pay Sucks.

It’s no good deciding to make money from ads and then picking a small niche like this particular post, Blogging Best Practices.

Display ads need a huge amount of traffic to make a good income.

You need to be writing about topics that will generate views and clicks.

Otherwise, you’ll just be wasting your time.

To have a successful blog, you must be crystal clear about how your blog will make money.

If you’re unsure, check out other bloggers in your niche.

You can learn plenty from researching your competition.

So study how their blog is making money.

And if their methods don’t fit with what you’re trying to do, move on to another niche.

Because you want to make money blogging.

3. It’s Not About You.

Everyone has a story to tell or product to sell. Know your audience before you open your mouth. – April Sims

It’s about your readers.

One of the most important aspects of creating a successful blog is understanding what your audience wants to read.

  • What are their dreams and aspirations?
  • What keeps them up at night?
  • What are their pain points or struggles?
  • What topics do they devour?

Identifying what moves them is essential in creating content that will grab their attention.

It’s also important to make sure that your posts are relevant to the overall topic of your blog.

If you have a digital course on clean eating, for example, write tips for clean eating or the basics of clean eating.

This will help ensure that there is a match between what you’re promoting and what you’re writing about.

By creating content your audience cares most about, you are putting your audience first and building trust.

Pinterest banner for the best blogging practices

4. Write Kick-Ass Content.

Before I dive in, I want to clarify one of the blogging best practices.

How often should you blog?

Should you post daily or should you post X time a week?

A lot of people get confused about this and think that they need to publish multiple times a day, or even multiple times a week, in order to be successful.

But that’s not true at all!

When I first started, I was stumped by it too.

The mistake I made was to post every day. It was a huge struggle because I found it too hard and too difficult to maintain the quality of each post.

I felt overwhelmed.

It was only when I decided to focus on one blog post each week that I found my sweet spot. It was a schedule I could stick to.

Here’s the point. It’s more important to focus on quality over quantity.

Here’s what Hubspot has to say.

If you’re a marketing team of one, don’t feel the need to constantly pump out content. If you do, you’ll probably find yourself getting burned out and releasing content that’s not beneficial to you or your audience.

Keeping a schedule when blogging is important for two reasons. First, it builds organic traffic. Next, it helps with brand awareness.

Let’s be honest–you’re not going to become the best writer ever just because you start a blog. Or magically have this ability to design jaw-dropping graphics for your blog posts (unless you’re a graphic designer).

But you do need to show up with your best work.

Writing the best content possible is more important than churning out mediocre posts just for the sake of it.

So if it takes you a week to write one great post, that’s totally fine.<

Just make sure you’re being consistent with your posting schedule. And if you can only post once a month, that’s fine too!

Just make sure each post is awesome. 🙂

And if you are not confident with your writing, here are a few content marketing options that don’t require writing.

5. Don’t Lose Those Eyeballs.

Once you’ve got eyeball traffic coming to your blog, what’s the next step?

You have to convert those visitors into leads.

Why?

Because a first-time visitor to your blog will have no idea who you are and will be skeptical.

And that’s normal.

So it’s our job to try and build trust.

One effective method is to offer a free lead magnet.

A lead magnet is something that you give away for free in exchange for a reader’s email address (using an automated marketing system).

It could be a white paper, an ebook, a checklist, or anything else that would be valuable to your target audience.

By offering a free lead magnet, you can entice people to sign up for your email list.

An email list provides you with a way to stay in touch, lead with more free content, build a relationship, and then make promote to later.

The sweet thing. The email subscribers are yours.

If you take anything away from any of the best blogging practices, an email list is a must-have!

So don’t ignore the power of an email list.

6. Cherry Pick Your Keywords.

Choose your cherry keywords well. It is an important blogging best practice.

Image courtesy of Pexels

It’s no secret that blogs can be a great way to drive traffic to your website. But if you’re not carefully choosing the right keywords for your blog posts, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

In other words, you will have zero chance of ranking on google and driving organic traffic to your blog.

And when people can’t find your blog posts when they’re searching for relevant information, they’re not going to bother reading them.

And if nobody’s reading your blog posts, they’re not going to do you any good.

So what are the best practices for blogging when it comes to picking the right keywords?

First of all, you have to understand that keywords are simply phrases people use when they search on Google.

And second of all, you need to pick keywords that are relevant to your blog post topic.

If you try to rank for keywords that are too general, like blogging, you’ll have no way in hell to get your blog noticed.

But if you choose keywords that are too specific, nobody will be searching for them. So it’s all about finding that happy medium.

Take for example this post, the main keyword I’ve targeted is Blogging Best Practices.

According to Ahrefs, a keyword tool I use shows that a keyword, like Blogging Best Practices, has a difficulty score of 13.

This keyword is something that I could potentially rank for.

Because I can see a few sites have low DAs, and a low number of one-way links, and overall, it is not that competitive.

Here’s a snapshot below.

Choose a less competitive keyword to blog about so you can rank higher.  This is tip 6 of the blogging best practices.

For a new blog, I suggest starting with less competitive keywords and then working steadily up over time.

More importantly, it has to be a blog topic that will benefit your readers.

I like to say this again.

Once you’ve picked the perfect keywords, focus on writing compelling blog posts that will encourage people to stick around and read what you have to say.

If you can do that, you’ll be well on your way to driving some serious traffic to your website.

Blog SEO Best Practices – On Page

7. The Bones.

Ok, before we move on. I’m assuming here, you’ve nailed down some of the blogging best practices above. That is.

  • You are in a profitable niche.
  • You have cherry-picked a few non-competitive keywords to go after.
  • You’re focused on blogging the best content for your readers.
  • You’re ready to build an email list of high-quality leads.

But, that’s just one part of the blog post.

However, this is where rookie bloggers make this common mistake.

They think being a successful blogger is just about posting content, so they ignore the SEO stuff.

Wrong.

Without it, your blog will disappear into some dark abyss of the web.

So don’t fall for this blogging for beginners thinking.

On-page SEO is one of the most crucial blogging best practices you can do for your website.

Think of it as the solid bones of a blog post.

This means you have to optimize your website for the search engines so you have a chance to rank higher in the search results.

But Jason, what about social media?

Yes, you can drive traffic to your blog with social media.

But for long-term success, SEO trumps social.

You see.

When you get your SEO right, you’ll get a steady stream of traffic to your blog from Google for a long, long time.

But with social media, it’s short-term because what you post today will become yesterday’s news. It is temporary.

With that said. Here’s a 9-foot view of blogging SEO best practices.

a 9 foot view of the blogging seo best practices.

Image courtesy of Pexels

Keyword selection:

Choosing the right keywords is essential for on-page SEO. You need to choose keywords that are relevant to your niche and that people are actually searching for.

Then research and back it up with content that is relevant to the search query. Again, it is putting your audience first.

Here’s what I normally do.

I would write the first draft without any keywords in them. The next day, I would edit it and improve the content. Double-check for spelling and grammar errors. Then add the keywords.

Add your main keyword strategically in your text:

Once you’ve selected your keyword, you need to add them strategically to your blog post. This means using them in the right places, such as in the title, URL, and meta description.

And adding them within the first 100 words, the content, and the last paragraph.

For an idea, check out where I strategically placed my main keyword, blogging best practices.

Add your related keywords strategically within your text:

This is a chance to get additional traffic from related terms that Google could potentially rank your blog post for.

Just add those terms within the body content and, if you can, within a subheading. But only do so if it makes sense to.

So, no keyword stuffing.

Take this post as an example. Some of my related keywords include best practices for blogging and blogging for beginners.

Side note: In this blog post, I have compiled 12 related keywords.

Creating click-worthy blog titles:

Think of your blog title as a little advert. It needs to be attention-grabbing and relevant to the topic of your post.

When done right, it can hook the reader in and compel them to click through to your blog post.

But creating catchy headlines takes practice.

For inspiration, geek over popular magazines and grab some ideas from their copywriters.

I suggest brainstorming 5 to 10 blog titles before you decide on one. Because you have to make sure your blog post gets seen and read.

And two more things. Make sure the title includes the main keyword and is less than 70 characters.

Does your post have the right length:

Not every blog post has to be super long.

For an idea of the length of a post, check out the blogs that are on the front page for your keyword.

As well, get a feel of the kind of posts that are being produced so you can come in at a different angle and fill in any gaps.

If it is between 800 to 1000 words, your article length should be in that range, or better still longer. Again, your article needs to be useful for the reader.

Make it count.

That said. Here are six blog writing best practices.

  1. Your blog post title needs to make readers curious and give them the benefits of reading the article.
  2. The opening sentence has to pull the reader into the rest of the post. Make the first sentence count.
  3. Stay away from big chunks of text. It’s a big turnoff.
  4. Write one to three-line paragraphs.
  5. Break up your text with images, videos, infographics, and subheadings to keep your readers engaged.
  6. Have a call to action on the blog post.

Meta matters:

Your meta description is what appears in the search results beneath your blog title. It needs to be enticing and relevant to the topic of your post.

Again, include your main keyword and if possible, your related keywords in the meta description.

Optimize your blog post URL:

For SEO, I suggest adding your primary keyword to your blog post URL. But keep it short.

For example, check out this blog post URL. I have my main keyword, blogging best practices, in the URL.

Does your post have the right length:
Not every blog post has to be super long.

For an idea of the length of a post, check out the blogs that are on the front page for your keyword.

As well, get a feel of the kind of posts that are being produced so you can come in at a different angle and fill in any gaps.

If it is between 800 to 1000 words, your article length should be in that range, or better still longer. Again, your article needs to be useful for the reader.

Make it count.

Boost your page loading speed:

Page speed is a crucial factor for both SEO and user experience.

Make sure your website loads quickly by optimizing images, using caching, and minifying code.

A caching plugin like WP Rocket can help speed up your loading time.

Internal linking:

Linking to other pages on your website helps users navigate your site and most of all, keeps them engaged on your blog longer.

It also tells search engines that your site is comprehensive and informative.

External linking:

Linking out to high-quality websites helps improve both your SEO and reputation. Only link to websites that are relevant to your post.

HTTP:

If you want your blog to get noticed by Google, then HTTPS is a must-have.

You see. Securing your website with HTTPS helps improve both security and SEO. Plus, Google favors HTTPS websites in their search result.

Plugins:

Some awesome WordPress plugins can help boost the performance of your blog. You can read some of the best blog plugins for WordPress here.

Mobile Responsive:

Be sure to choose a mobile-ready theme. Because …

As of August 2022, 62.06% of all website traffic comes from people using mobile devices. – ExplodingTopics

Blog SEO Best Practices – Off Page

8. Skip Link Building.

Because you have to scour the internet for the right blogs in your space to work with.

It’s difficult.

It’s time-consuming.

It’s hard to get a link with a low domain authority.

It’s even more challenging to get a high DA link.

Even if you outsource this part of the work, it’s going to cost you. Big time.

9. But, It is Currency.

Love it or hate it, link building is essential for driving traffic to your blog.

Think of a backlink as a vote for your website.

In a nutshell.

The more one-way quality links you have, the more Google will pay attention to the blog post, rank it quickly, and the more people will find your site.

The most effective backlinks are those that are relevant to the content on your site.

For example, if you have a blog about gardening, then a backlink from a gardening forum would be more effective than a backlink from a general-interest website.

If you’re looking to increase the number of backlinks to your blog, then there are a few things you can do.

First, try guest posting on other blogs in your niche. Although you will have to do some outreach and relationship-building, the long-term benefits are huge.

When you can provide value to their readers, not only can you build links and drive referral traffic to your blog, you’ll be showcasing your expertise and getting your name out there.

And develop relationships with other content creators.

Second, you can try broken link building. This is where you reach out to bloggers in your niche, email that their external link is broken and your post is a viable option in their resource.

Finally, another form of link building is passively getting links without any active involvement on your part.

But you have to be sure that your blog post is link-worthy by providing relevant and useful content that other bloggers will want to link to.

To level up the blog post, you can even include statistics, visuals, videos, case studies, and other unique information

This is worth repeating. Your content needs to be unique and informative for website owners to share.

That’s just some of the best blogging practices for link building.

Before I cover the rest of the best blogging tips, I need to point out that your SEO results will take time.

Depending on the keyword choice and the rest of the SEO geeky stuff you have to carry out, you’ll have to give your post between 6 to 8 months to see any kind of results.

So even if you feel frustrated with your lack of progress, keep up with the blogging best practices!

The work you’re putting in now will pay off later.

Don’t Puss Around

10. Stick to It.

There are a couple of reasons why you should blog consistently.

First, Google likes updates. When you have a new post, it shows that your website is active.

Second, your readers like to see new content. If they see that you’re regularly posting new and interesting articles, they’re more likely to come back and read more of your work.

Finally, consistent blogging helps to build up a database of content that you can use in the future.

If you have an old post that’s getting some traction, you can always update it and repost it.

This way, you’ll get the benefits of consistent blogging without having to come up with new ideas all the time.

Of course, consistency isn’t always easy. Life can get in the way, and sometimes it’s hard to find the time or inspiration to write.

But if you commit to being consistent, it will pay off in the long run. Your readers will appreciate it, and your blog will be all the better for it.

11. Be Engaging.

As a blogger, it’s important to encourage engagement on your blog.

This can include replying to comments, writing content that keeps readers on the page, and keeping the writing light and friendly.

Why is this worth doing?

Well, engagements are one of the factors that can help with your rankings.

The more engagements you have, the higher your blog will rank. And if your blog ranks higher, that means more people are likely to see it.

So encouraging engagement is a great way to get more eyes on your blog. Plus, it’s just good manners!

If people take the time to comment on your blog, the least you can do is reply. So take the time to interact with your readers and make them feel valued.

It’ll pay off in the long run.

12. Let People Know About It.

Your content is useless if no one is reading it now.

So why not get your blog noticed via your social media page, post on another blog, answer questions on Quora, use paid ads, Pinterest marketing, or even syndicate your content so you can drive traffic to your website?

Because with SEO, it will take at least 6 months before you see any kind of search results.

Here’s an interesting statistic from Statista. According to their online survey.

90% of bloggers worldwide used social media to promote their blog posts in 2021.

Start driving traffic to you blog as soon as it is published.

13. Think Amazon.

It took Amazon around nine years before it made its first profit.

The point. Don’t start a blog if you can’t commit to it.

It’s not a hobby.

If you want to make money online, treat your blog as a real business.

Like any business, building an online audience will take time.

You just have to keep on giving and posting epic content to attract more readers, later.

This means. You have to be patient before you see significant results.

14. Where Are They?

Why is it important to find out where your audience hangs out online?

Because you want to be where they are!

You don’t want to waste your time on a social media platform that no one in your target audience is using.

When I started blogging, I made the mistake of trying to be everywhere. It was time-consuming and I wasn’t nailing down the strategy needed to move forward.

And I found myself thinking, how useful were all these?

Since then I’ve focused on two platforms, mainly Facebook and Pinterest.

So do yourself a favor. Think about where your audience is spending their time and focus your efforts there.

Join them. Add value to the group, the forum, or whatever platform it is by answering questions they need help with. Then direct them to your blog.

15. Plan Future Content.

When you blog, it’s a good idea to plan your posts ahead of time.

This way, you can make sure that you are writing about topics that people are interested in and that you have enough content for a while.

You can do this by thinking of keywords that people might use to search online and then planning posts around those keywords.

Before deciding which keywords to target, consider how popular the keywords are (search volume), how difficult it will be to rank for them (difficulty scores), and your gut feeling about whether you can rank high for a keyword.

Stay on top of your content management.

16. Get Horny With The Numbers.

Keep an eye on the numbers and stats so you can improve your blog's content performance. It is one of the best blogging practices..

Image courtesy of Pexels

I mean the PG stuff.

Of all the blogging best practices listed here, you should get excited with the numbers and the statistics.

Analyzing your content’s performance is essential if you want to understand how effective your blogging strategies are. Knowing what works and what doesn’t work can help you improve your blogging skills and create content that resonates better with readers.

First, analyzing the performance of your blog posts can provide insights into which topics are most interesting for readers, as well as what strategies you should use for SEO and other blogging efforts.

You can also look at how many visitors are clicking through to your blog posts from search engines, social networks, and other sources.

Second, analyzing content performance can help you identify opportunities for improvement.

For example, if you find that certain topics do particularly well, you can focus more of your blogging efforts on those topics, or if certain posts are not doing well, you can tweak them to make them more effective.

Finally, analyzing your blog posts allows you to measure the success of specific blogging strategies over time. By tracking how readers engage with your blog posts, you can adjust your blogging tactics and make sure that you are meeting your blogging goals.

If you want to view detailed statistics about your website traffic, Google Analytics and Ahrefs are great tools.

To gain an insight into your blog performance, you should already have Google Analytics installed. With it, you’ll be able to access metrics like the total number of site visitors, average time spent on each page, and overall page views from the dashboard.

You can even check the traffic for each blog post and see how it changes over time. This lets you know if your readership is going up or down.

Analyzing your content performance is key to understanding what works and how to improve your blogging efforts for better results.

So get high on numbers.

17. Ditch Blogging.

Have fun blogging. Don't ingnore this blogging best practice.

Image courtesy of Pexels

It’s ok to forget about blogging for one or even 2 days. You’ve got a life.

So hang out. Play golf. Watch K-drama. Have sex on the couch. Whatever.

Rejuvenate and get inspired for the next day.

FAQs – Best Practices For Blogging?

Why blogging is important?

Blogging has become an important part of marketing for small and big businesses, and it should not be overlooked.

As well, blogging can provide your business with multiple advantages, allowing you to create meaningful connections with potential customers and help your ranking on search engine results pages.

Other great reasons to blog include

  • It builds loyalty and trust with readers.
  • It can help you establish yourself as an industry expert and thought leader.
  • It is a great way to drive traffic to your website, which can lead to more sales and revenue.
  • It drives engagement.
  • It increases your visibility on search engines, multiplying the potential for more visits and leads.
  • It allows you to understand your readers’ needs.

Here’s a recent article I wrote about benefits of blogging for your business here.

How many blog posts before launch?

When you’re first starting a blog, it’s important to have a backlog of at least 10-15 posts ready to go before you launch.

This will give you a solid foundation to start attracting meaningful traffic to your site.

Of course, once you’re up and running, you’ll need to keep adding new content regularly to maintain a good following and sustain decent traffic levels.

But getting those initial blog posts written is essential to get things off to a strong start.

And don’t forget to promote each blog post so you can generate traffic to it.

So if you’re thinking about starting a blog, make sure you have a good selection of blog posts lined up before you launch! And apply the best practices for blogging.

What are the best practices for blogging?

Here are 17 blogging best practices.

  1. What’s The Goal Of Your Blog?
  2. Pick a Niche That Pays.
  3. Plan your future content.
  4. Write for your readers and be helpful.
  5. Blog Kick-Ass Content You Can.
  6. Build an email list of red hot leads.
  7. Cherry Pick Your Keywords.
  8. Apply on-page SEO to optimize your blog post.
  9. Build one-way links to your blog through guest blogging, broken link building, and so on. (Here’s an article I wrote on how to get your blog noticed by the search engines.)
  10. Building an audience online takes time.
  11. Encourage engagement on your blog.
  12. Promote your blog on social and other platforms, like Medium and Quora.
  13. Think long-term.
  14. Hang out where your audience is, and add value to the group.
  15. Use Google Analytics and analyze the performance of every post.
  16. Have fun blogging.
  17. Enjoy some time away from blogging.

Round Up of Blogging Best Practices 2024

What I just mentioned have been true and tried best practices for blogging.

For rookies or struggling bloggers, if you want to limit the mistakes and turn your blog into a passive business-building machine, then don’t skip any of the best blogging practices.

Need an assist with your blog? I’ve got you covered. Here’s a simple 7-step blogging checklist to help you launch a blog. Download your copy now to become a smarter blogger.

You Might Want to Check This Out Too

Looking for the best email marketing software so you can build a highly targeted email list? – Here’s a list of the best email marketing platforms.

Want to get traffic to your blog but you hate the idea of social marketing?  – Discover the best ways to generate red hot leads to your website without social.

Resources To Grow Your Business With

Bluehost

Bluehost is a great starting point for beginners or bloggers who want to switch to a reliable web hosting service. And it gives you the best bang for your buck – starting at $2.95 a month*.

With the entry-level hosting plan, you’ll get a free domain name for one year, free SSL, free CDN, reliable customer support, and 30 day money back guarantee.

You can sign up with Bluehost here.

WPX Hosting

It’s a web-hosting service I love using.  It specializes in WordPress hosting, and depending on what package you opt for, you can host 5 or more sites on one account. The best bit is – the quick turnaround in support is top notch.

For bloggers who have an established blog, this is a fantastic option.

You can learn more about this service here.

Aweber

Building an email list of a growing audience is essential for the longevity of any business.  This autoresponder service is easy to use, and it is a great starting point for someone looking to kickstart their email campaign. You can try their free account here.

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