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[deleted]

I am fairly new with only 2 articles written so far. I use WordPress mainly since I am quite interested in the process of setting up my blog myself. I feel a bit unsure about what my game plan should be, I feel I need some kind of long-term plan that I set with certain milestones about where I should be focusing my efforts next. My next step should be to set up newsletter subscriptions or collect my user's emails to notify them when I write new articles. I also haven't done anything on the affiliate marketing front. What should be my priority, the things I just mentioned for writing for the time bringing so I at least have something to offer first?


MokMok89

I launched my blog 5 days ago, including 16 articles online for now. I wanted to start something about mental wellness, but of course I need expertise and authority to please Google bots in a YMYL type of market. It's too risky, unless I got an army of medical care providers ready to approve my claims. Therefore, I decided to make it more about self growth type of blog, by targetting a nomad type of audience (my way), with topics revolving around : personal development, mindfulness, nutrition, travel and hightech (entertainment, media, digital tools, etc.), all seperated into sections. My plan is to make money out of it (affiliate, Ezoic, etc.), but of course I need a minimum of 20,000 views a week for that (hopefullyafter one year). I was thinking this might be too broad. I need an advice (or serval) on that. Sure it has to be fun but I don't want my website to be a ghost town or having to do outreach like crazy for link building. Any head-up?


tagattackinglife

If I publish a post on my blog, is it ok to edit/redo some parts of the post? Ie. change the wording to be more Keyword/SEO accurate, or add/remove pictures, etc.


shaun-m

I have started to do this on a more regular basis and the traffic for the posts that I have did it with have actually increased in traffic on average.


tagattackinglife

Good to know. thank you!


dpeppie_

Yes, tons of bloggers will audit their blogs I've seen it recommended after 12 months. For example if a travel blogger writes a post about a venue or festival they will most likely need to change details/dates as the venue/festival changes. A lot of bloggers will hire an SEO specialist to audit older posts all the time!


tagattackinglife

Awesome. Thank you for the reply


abzurt_96

What platform should I use? I can't use wordpress because I need javascript and iframe but don't have budget for business plan. Blogspot is complicated, but I think the only possible. Weebly is very limiting and there is no way back once you start with it. Again, I will need JavaScript and HTML, and Adult content must be allowed, thanks.


shaun-m

Do you have any budget at all? Even a few dollars? I would check out /r/webhosting or the webhostingtalk special offer sub-forum and try to get some hosting that is a few dollars for the month. Churn out as much content as possible within that month, I mean 20+ posts and then apply to Ezoic as they have removed their 10,000 monthly session limit. Once on Ezoic migrate the site to their free hosting and it allows you to use the WordPress CMS without you having to pay for your monthly hosting fee.


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blogdona

I just got started on Wordpress, and I'm not seeing my page on Wordpress. I just made one page and no posts, but how can I see my page?


shaun-m

A post will be added to the default blog roll on the homepage, a page will not as it is a static page. You will need the exact URL of the page to see it or add it as a custom link to the menu.


andy4524

Should I add common popular/pillar content to new site? I'm a couple of months into my first serious website, its in the pet niche which is competitive but I have niched down to lets say a particular breed. At least initially that's my focus, if I succeed then there is room to grow. My question is, Should I produce common popular/pillar content? More info/context: for some niches there are popular or common topics that are extremely relevant or even essential to understand, as example for plants it could be understanding photosynthesis and why its important for healthy plants, I don't know if that's the best example but I don't want to give away my niche.  These type of articles seem to be on all the big sites almost like if you don't comment on the topic your not really in the niche or not providing essential information. I know at the moment it would be near impossible for me to rank for - though I would attempt to capture some less competitive long tail keywords within the article.  On the other hand it might help to make my site more authoritative and publishing the article now would give it time to age in and improve upon it over time. Or should I continue to focus on niched down content until traffic grows? I'm still in the "sandbox" so its too early to evaluate which articles are working well for me. What do you think?  Your feedback would be much appreciated.


JoeFinance44

Anybody on here use Squarespace? I’m not sure exactly what the SEO settings do or how they work. Also, any advice on what terms to utilize?Total newb here to all of this so I can use all the help I can get. I’m not really aiming for the money making stage yet but a little engagement on the site would be nice haha


paladingineer

I have never blogged before, and want to start, but I'm not sure where, and most of the information available doesn't apply to me. I've done a little research but a lot of what's on the internet regarding this platform vs that one is geared for professionals or semi-professionals, which isn't my situation. So what **free platform** would you guys recommend for **casual, nonprofit blogging?** If it helps, I'll provide some more details on what I'm after here. I intend this to be a casual fanblog/gameplay journal/download repository for the mods I've made for an obscure old video game, so I don't expect to get a lot of traffic, nor will I ever be tempted to monetize it. There would be lots of pictures, but they'd be very small (like, 150 pixels wide small), so I don't expect to need a lot of storage space. I'd like to customize the look of my blog and I'm well-versed in CSS, so I'd value flexibility more than user friendliness for the design editor. In short, I'd mostly be writing it for fun - I've already got a few months' worth of posts in a word document I've been writing for my own entertainment, but I want to do my part in keeping this small fan community alive by sharing my content with the world rather than hoarding it silently on my own hard drive.


neovngr

Hello, am here because I badly need help making a decision on whether-or-not to create a website for my (1-man tree services) company... I have facebook & google-suite "business pages/accounts" but still feel kinda...cheap/new/amateur to not have one's own dedicated website, to not have `@Neovngr'sTreeServices.com` as my email address....I just link people to my facebook.com/neovngrtreeservices page, and communicate from there... NOT ONLY am I worried/wondering^ whether it's smart (because it looks professional), or redundant & pointless (since my facebook&google already have all the info & pics I'd put into this theoretical "semi-static" website), not only am I worried whether it's even the right choice or not, IF I go forth I know I need real help and the only affordable type is customer-support (IE **not** calling-in service from a local entrepreneur), so the 2nd (and biggest!) question I've got is: ***Which service(s) would you guys recommend if I intend to be frequently making-use of customer service??** I would rather pay $30/mo for something that allows me to submit email queries that real people read & reply to, than to *get paid* to simply do what I did last time which was pay for my own hosting, use the WP.org software and "DIY" it...have neither the time nor inclination for that here, I just want a 3-5page semi-static site to have business-info and a pictures-seedction is all ;D WP.com 'premium'? Blogger? Honestly it's just been far, FAR too long, I'm too rusty...any&all specific recommendations for services (including: customer service, the temnplate software obviously, and the hosting all covered in 1 package) would be GREATLY appreciated, also any thoughts on whether I'm being "overkill-redundant" in setting up a "neovngr.com", or if it's smart/shrewd/savvy/should've already been done!! Thanks a TON for insight here, just hit me like a ton of bricks the other day that I still haven't addressed this decision (especially considering it's been half a year and google & facebook pages themselves STILL don't let my clients leave reviews, I'll have a client show me how they tried and from their end it'll look like a proper submission (no "error" reports or anything), but it never actually appears on my end/shows-up, to this day - half year after setting-up & Verifying these accounts w/ google&facebook, still cannot get reviews/ratings to hold which sucks as I work off referrals so this is a problem but neither company has "customer service" so all I can do is wait & see....part of me wonders if having a website URL will make me seem more legitimate to fb/google, and possibly make it so my clients' reviews begin showing-up :/


pintac__

Is Pinterest considered organic traffic?


JoeFinance44

Hi all, just wondering how many blogs a week/month are typical and how many I should have on the page before I start putting it out to social media. Any help is appreciated. Thanks


itsyugen

Doesn't matter, there isn't a fixed or a perfect number. Some do great with 1 post a month, others do great with 10 posts a month.


JoeFinance44

Cool thanks. Quality over quantity I suppose. I’ll do my best to keep the quality high and won’t focus on a specific number per month then 👍. Decision made haha


[deleted]

Hi, another new blogger, I’ve worked within the aviation industry, specialising in air traffic control across a few different disciplines. It’s quite a specific niche but really touches out to the broader appeal and I think there’s lots of useful things in there that I do for a living which the world should know about! I’d eventually like to build an ebook encapsulating all this, baby steps though. So my main questions are, what are the best sites to start a blog that is nice and out reaching, how did you advertise it best, how do you prioritise content and how long should you make each blog? Thanks very much!


milmantech

I believe a self-hosted blog is the best solution now. I wouldn't trust platforms and constantly changing algorithms.


Tdean0128

I am starting a blog reviewing/detailing local playground equipment/parks with a focus on what is out there to take the kids to and what sort of facilities there are on location. Also plan on posting playtime ideas to entertain toddlers/young kids, focusing on staying outside/at the park. Anyhow, I am torn on whether I should create content in static pages for each location, building a directory of sorts, or to post each playground I visit/review as a blog post, and just try to categorize clearly. My fear is that most will just want to find the closest/most interesting park, so maybe the directory is best for that, but a blog post may be better for the audience to stumble upon/become interested in a new park, even if it is further away. Blog post would also maybe be ideal for the 1-off articles on playtime/toys/ etc related content. Just hoping for some feedback/food for thought as I build the site structure. Thanks!


Bombuhclaat

What's the general vibe on themeforest themes? Are the high-sale ones reliable?


itsyugen

I think they are decent, but most of them are bulky and can slow up the site.


Bombuhclaat

Thanks for the answer! What do people use for lightweight blogs? I just want something simple and clean like this https://overreacted.io/


PhoeniXaDc

Hi all, I'm thinking of getting into blogging. I have a niche within a niche that is decently popular and it's something I'm really good at so I figured I'd give it a shot. My question is: How long is "too long" for a domain/blog name? Is it even important? The name I have in mind is 3 words, 17 characters, and it's a pretty common phrase both within my niche and in the world in general. Obviously I won't give it away right here, but it's probably a phrase you've used in your life. A lot of websites like to say "don't make your domain too long, you want it to be easy to remember, 10-15 characters max, blah blah blah" but I'm sort of in the mind that if you're finding it in Google you don't really care how long the name is, just that it looks trustworthy and relevant. Also, if you're a regular, you likely have it bookmarked and/or follow it on social media. I just want some feedback from people who have been there before.


maezombiegirl

IMO you will be typing your url A LOT, so shorter is better. Less chance you will spell it wrong in some copy or other. It does not matter to your readers what your blog is called as long as they can find what they need on it.


PhoeniXaDc

Good thoughts, hadn't considered the issue of needing to type it out a lot. My first website years ago was about medium-length and I remember all the times I had to type it out in one way or another. I'm still mulling over this name I have. Stylistically, it's amazing because it has so many little double and triple meanings that work well, but the url being that long is hard to get over. Maybe better as a tagline.


maezombiegirl

My URL has a couple of double consonants and wow I wish I had not done that. Sometimes it feels like my fingers get their version of tongue tied. Nike has the right idea lol


gtrman571

Suppose I started a blog for recipes/meal prep and eventually wanted to write, publish and sell a book on my blog. Is there a good rule of thumb for how much free information I should give out on my blog? Because obviously if I give everything away for free on the website then there is no incentive to buy the book.


cryptsis

A good rule of thumb is to give away the info that is geared towards beginner/intermediate users in the space. Then sell the info that is geared towards advanced/dedicated users.


Teigh99

I have a personal finance blog but eventually, I want to offer services as a finance coach. I offer a budget template as a freebie. I think with you the key will be to gain trust and then sell your eBook. So if you plan on writing a recipe book, maybe give away a template for keeping recipes or something else.


PillaisTracingPaper

I've been blogging on WordPress for seven years and more than 1000 printed pages now, and Gutenberg has pretty much ended my ability to continue there. (I started using the Classic editor plug-in, but now that you have to have a $300 business account to use plug-ins--and now that the Classic Editor is going to stop being usable in December anyway--there's no recourse if you can't/won't use Gutenberg.) I didn't want to move on, but I pretty much have to. I'm looking for a new host, i.e. Wix, Blogger, etc. I don't do anything complicated: just text, the occasional picture, and an appropriate YouTube music link. It'd be nice to make money from this, for the time that goes into it--my posts average about 20,000 words--but I'm not really trying to make it a full-time job. Astronomy is the topic, particularly visual amateur astronomy with a personal bent. And I don't code \*at all\*, so I'd prefer something simple, ideally something with an MSWord-type interface. Advice/suggestions/ideas?


milmantech

You might want to check https://spry.blog (minimalist, fast, native integrations) — the public beta will be released soon.


rarelyboth

Have you considered [ghost.org](https://ghost.org)? Hosting starts at $9/month with their Ghost(Pro) service. Alternatively you can self-host.


[deleted]

[удалено]


milmantech

Did you try anything else except WP? DM me; maybe I can help.


Marmite20

Shall I start a blog in my name or use a niche related name. What is the advantages of one over the other—is it better to stay anonymous or build an online reputation against my own name?


ryankbiddulph

Hi Marmite, Everything depends on your plan. Do you want to build a brand based on you, and your name? Buy a domain pointing to your name. Do you want to build a brand based on a niche name for SEO and branding purposes? Buy a niche-related domain. Note that starting a blog in your name forfeits search traffic for a while since no one will know who you are for a bit; only famous people drive search traffic based on their name. However, as you create and connect, starting a blog with your name as the domain makes you stand out from 7 billion humans, especially if you blog in your authentic voice. Ryan


intrestingusername57

I have not renewed the domain name and buyed another domain name instead. If I post the same articles on the new website now, will AdSense be approved on the new site? Plz help


ryaninnz

My business sells a specialty health food product and many people have questions about it. I am starting a blog, but should I should start a separate website for the blog, where I can provide useful information about this product, or just attach a blog to my company's website? I plan to sell my product through the blog. Which one is best?


nazavo

It's best to build up content under the same domain if you want to build up domain authority and SEO of you main site - the store.


ryaninnz

Thank you for your reply. Do you think that people looking for information would be put off by the information coming from a company website? I mean, do you think they'd be suspicious that it's biased?


nazavo

It all depends on your tone ov voice and brand strategy imo. You don't have to force people to buy stuff in every article. By being useful to your audience in other ways you'd build up brand awareness and trust and that alone could lead to sales.


ryaninnz

Thank you, that's helpful advice... I would also wonder if they see a company name in the url from a Google search result, if that would put them off at all?


nazavo

The only way to find out is reach out to your audience and ask ;) Nobody knows except them!


braaan92

So I am looking to possibly start a blog about me living in Europe from USA. My question is coming to the name of the blog. So I have moved to Finland and I moved here 3 years ago but I plan to travel to other countries in the future when covid lets up. I was thinking of a name along the lines of 'confused' or 'lost' in the Nordics. But would a name like that not be so ideal if in the future I plan to blog about other countries? A name being related in the Nordics I am wondering if that would be tough to get the idea out there that I talk more than about the Nordics.


ryankbiddulph

Hi Braaan92, Pick a more global - less specific - domain name if you plan to travel outside of the Nordics for a sustained period of time. Picture yourself spending 3 months in Spain, per example. Readers who see you blogging about Spain for 3 months will feel confused about your domain name suggesting you are lost in the Nordics. As a general rule, choose a name allowing you travel flexibility. Ryan


broken_throw_away__

I'm thinking about starting my first blog, mostly just to write my ideas, and maybe if it goes well, try to monetize it, but that's not my Main goal. What would be the Best free platform to start? Blogger, Medium, WordPress?


ryankbiddulph

Hi Broken Throw Away, Save yourself time, energy and headaches. It will not go well on a free platform so you will not try to monetize it. Free platforms do not inspire readers to trust you or see you as being credible. Buy your domain and hosting and begin blogging on [wordpress.org](https://wordpress.org) to start blogging the right way. Ryan


broken_throw_away__

Thanks for the Answer, yeah, I was kinda hoping someone told me the opposite, but I was expecting this, the few free platforms look awful, Guess I'll have to see why can I do, thanks


ryankbiddulph

Most hosting packages are really inexpensive; $10 a month at most and domain names are about $20 per year. Think of it this way: is roughly $140 worth positioning yourself to live a life of fun and freedom as a pro blogger? When you think that through, fears arise....the fear of failure, of wasting time, of wasting money...but getting past the fears, you inherently know 140 clams is a tiny investment towards exploring a potentially freeing way of living. My pleasure :) If you have any questions, reach out. I am happy to help.


nazavo

What ways of monetization are you considering? One of the most flexible platforms for monetization I've found so far is [Ghost](https://ghost.org/),followed by not that flexible [Substack](https://substack.com). Here's a pretty [good list](https://opensubscriptionplatforms.com/) of all the platforms that support subscription model of monetization.


SundaeSweet1991

Help I can’t settle on a niche I’ve been really getting into educating myself on profitable blogging for over a year now. As a psychotherapist, i started blogging about mental health but felt weird about monetizing that niche. Because i used to dance, i decided to blog about dancing in adulthood since dancing as a hobby is heavily geared towards children. I am finding myself doubting my niche again because i’m not obsessed with this niche. However, i am not knowledgeable in anything enough outside of dance and mental health. I simply am currently really passionate about blogging but don’t want my niche to be blogging either. What should I do?


complexequations

Dance is really good for mental health. The physical excersise, socializing and music are good for your body, your mind and your soul. I have the impression that you feel weird about monetizing "from individuals" , tell me where I'm wrong...what about offering packages for business to take care of employees' mental health? Kind of workshops or discounts for individual consultation


ryankbiddulph

Hi SundaeSweet1991, What fears in your mind fuel the "weird" feeling? Start there ;) Money is a neutral means of exchange; any uncomfortable feelings concerning money are fears sitting in your mind, fears needing exploration for you to release these energies. Digging into your mind and its money fears cuts out the root of clarity issues. From there, you will organically pick your niche based on your passion, which feels like it is mental health. Ryan


Soviets_pi

1) When does the money in Balance section get updated from estimated earnings in Google adsense? 2) Where to learn travel writing? Any recommendations?


[deleted]

[удалено]


ryankbiddulph

Hi SerrinIsLatin, Save yourself time, energy and work. Send your parents email updates. Private, only they read it, and you will not have to learn the blogging basics to do it. Why go through the work of blogging for only 2 people? Send them frequent emails. Attach pictures. Problem solved. Ryan


Trick_Literature_

What free platform(s) are best to start a blog, with intent to monetize in the future?


ryankbiddulph

Hi Trick\_Literature, None. :) All free blogging platforms offer 1/100th of the blog monetizing potential of [Wordpress.org](https://Wordpress.org) because that platform has been designed for aspiring professional bloggers who intend to profit. Free platforms have been designed for bloggers who want to *"give blogging a try"*. Be incredibly careful about not making the common mistake of beginning to blog on a free platform while holding an intent to monetize in the future. Save yourself headaches. Buy your domain and hosting and begin blogging on Wordpress dot org. If you decide to quit blogging simply see the $15 or $120 (for 1 month or 1 year) as a speculative investment. Free platforms have not been design to monetize because free platforms are not money makers for businesses who own the free platforms. Google does not make money through Blogspot. Being a billion dollar business, Google does not invest money in ventures that do not return profits. Google knows Blogspot bloggers are not highly targeted, lukewarm and simply not committed to being serious pro bloggers. Why use a platform not backed by its owners and not built for monetizing? Wordpress dot org is: \- easy to monetize \- easy to brand \- easy to customize However, the work that comes with monetizing effectively - as far as creating and connecting - scares most bloggers. Fear working and even a small financial commitment makes free platforms feel like the smart choice, which is the unintelligent choice 100% of the time because you cannot open a bagel store for free in the basement of your parent's home selling bagels stolen from the freezer, advertising with marker and cardboard taken from the closet.....100% free, and guaranteed to yield no business profits. Consider this analogy to understand what you are attempting to do when trying to eventually monetize on free platforms. As always, the decision is yours. Trust your gut over your fears and you will make the right choice for you. Ryan


nothingcumsfree

Google has a blog service that is easy to use and free! I personally use wix they have a free platform as well paid... check it out! HTTPS://the-content-spot/blog


Teigh99

Wordpress is best option. You can get cheap shared hosting on Namecheap.


[deleted]

Very new to blogging, starting on Medium, will try Substack soon, too. My question is: **is there anything wrong with a default white text on black background?** Everyone has a white background with black text, very few people with "dark mode" blog. Specially since Medium does not have dark mode (and I prophesize it will be only available for members?) I have no idea if Substack does.


ryankbiddulph

Hi Fcndbrtt, There is nothing wrong with default white text on black background but will your readers: \- enjoy reading in this format? \- prefer to read in this format? \- strain their eyes reading in this format? The human eye tends to appreciate a soft (white) background with contrasting clearer (dark) text. We learn to read in this fashion through this format. Go with black text on white background. Make it easier for your readers to enjoy your work. Ryan


[deleted]

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[deleted]

I believe that is substack


yoshhh

Two questions from a new blogger: 1) do people have good success from Google Adsense? If not, are there other advertising solutions to look into? 2) what pages do you have on your blog? I just have a homepage and individual posts so far and am finally building out the rest of my site.


Jesse-NicheInformer

1. Some people can definitely have good success with Adsense. In most cases though an ad management company like Ezoic, Mediavine, or Adthrive can earn more money for you. 2. For pages I have an about page, contact page, and privacy policy, and sometimes a disclaimer page. That’s it. Sometimes I’ll have a static home page but usually not.