{"id":2170,"date":"2023-04-27T05:14:29","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T05:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/how-to-start-a-blog-that-makes-money-and-gets-free-traffic\/"},"modified":"2023-04-27T05:14:29","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T05:14:29","slug":"how-to-start-a-blog-that-makes-money-and-gets-free-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/how-to-start-a-blog-that-makes-money-and-gets-free-traffic\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Blog That Makes Money (And Gets Free Traffic)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>Reality check: Not all bloggers earn\u00a0money.<\/p>\n<p>Of those who make money, not all make a living. And not even all make a decent side income.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But what\u2019s also true is that a lot of bloggers succeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The opportunity you\u2019re looking at\u00a0is:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Joining 31% of bloggers who make a decent side income of $6K a\u00a0year.<\/li>\n<li>Joining the 15% who make at least $30K a\u00a0year.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Joining the 6%\u201310% of bloggers who make over $10K a\u00a0month.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>$100K a month? That\u2019s also possible with blogging, but only the most hardworking and patient bloggers get\u00a0there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Without further ado, let\u2019s get you started in creating a profitable blog. We\u2019ll also look at some ways to attract free traffic from search engines.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Find a profitable niche\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Here are some niches proven to be profitable:\u00a0<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-182\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-182 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n<th class=\"column-1\"><b>Niche<\/b><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-2\"><b>Typical content<\/b><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-3\"><b>Blog example<\/b><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-4\"><b>Last monthly income report<\/b><\/th>\n<th class=\"column-5\"><b>Pageviews (from last income report)<\/b><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Food and cooking<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Recipes categorized by type of meal and diet, cookware reviews, tips and tricks, listicles<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pinchofyum.com\/\">Pinch of\u00a0Yum<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$95,196 <a href=\"https:\/\/pinchofyum.com\/november-traffic-income-report\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">4.245M<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Health and wellness<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Food, relationships, fitness, beauty, psychology<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hotbeautyhealth.com\/\">Hot Beauty Health<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$9,655 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hotbeautyhealth.com\/blogging\/september-2018-blog-income-report\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">208.6K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Parenting<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Pregnancy, child-raising advice, product reviews, food recipes, stay-at-home parent jobs, kid activities, household tips<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thesoccermomblog.com\/\">The Soccer Mom\u00a0Blog\u00a0<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$11,288 <a href=\"https:\/\/thesoccermomblog.com\/blog-income-report\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">500K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">News<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Anything newsworthy in one niche or multiple niches (also gossip)<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/\">HuffPost<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">Acquired by AOL in 2011 for $315M, then acquired by BuzzFeed <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2020\/11\/19\/buzzfeed-acquires-huffpost\/\">(source)<\/a>. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/robertadams\/2017\/03\/02\/top-income-earning-blogs\/?sh=5e76fdbd2377\">this source<\/a>, it generates $14M\/mo.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">5.8M (monthly organic traffic March 2023, via Ahrefs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Tech<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Software and hardware reviews, exclusive deals, how to use software tools, comparisons, listicles, making money online, tech news, buying guides, gaming<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.99signals.com\/\">99signals<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$5,242 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.99signals.com\/income-report-july-2019\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">18K (monthly organic traffic on the date of the report, via Ahrefs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Personal development<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Life hacks, financial freedom, wellness, psychology, motivation, spirituality, fitness<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/letsreachsuccess.com\/\">Let\u2019s Reach Success<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$6,652 <a href=\"https:\/\/letsreachsuccess.com\/blog-income-how-i-made-6652-blogging\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">115.5K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Pets<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Pet health, product reviews, activities for pets, traveling with pets, pet adoption, training, tips, listicles<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com\/\">You Did What With Your Weiner<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$7,720 (includes income outside of the content, <a href=\"https:\/\/nicheblogbiz.com\/can-you-make-a-living-as-a-full-time-pet-blogger-income-report\/\">source<\/a>)<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">40K (monthly organic traffic on the date of the report, via Ahrefs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Entrepreneurship<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Making money online, starting a business, interviews, complete courses, how-tos, inspiration<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartpassiveincome.com\/\">Smart Passive Income<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$166,559 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartpassiveincome.com\/blog\/my-december-2017-monthly-income-report\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">68K (monthly organic traffic on the date of the report, all blogs, via Ahrefs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-10 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Finance<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Investing, saving money, retirement, financial product reviews, buying guides, family finance, mortgages, gig economy, debt, career advice, entrepreneurship, financial freedom<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/millennialmoney.com\/\">Millennial Money<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$33,473 on average <a href=\"https:\/\/millennialmoney.com\/2017-blog-income-report\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">1.5M visits in\u00a02017<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-11 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Fashion<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Outfit ideas, home decor, beauty, style tips, gift ideas, listicles, buyer guides<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chicpursuit.com\/\">Chic Pursuit<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$11,376 <a href=\"https:\/\/chicpursuit.com\/january-blog-income-report\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">135.3K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-12 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Lifestyle<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">Anything related to solving life\u2019s problems and living a happier life<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/justagirlandherblog.com\/\">Abby Organizes<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$41.7K <a href=\"https:\/\/justagirlandherblog.com\/december-2016-income-report\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">Over 400K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-13 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Travel<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">City guides, listicles, traveling tips, gear and location reviews, life on the road, digital nomadism<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/localadventurer.com\/\">Local Adventurer<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$41K <a href=\"https:\/\/localadventurer.com\/blog-income-report-october\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">541.8K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-14 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">DIY\/crafts<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">DIY decorations, DIY weekend projects, handcraft tutorials, life hacks, product reviews, food recipes, DIY repairs, renovations<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jennifermaker.com\/\">Jennifer Maker<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-4\">$15,158 <a href=\"https:\/\/jennifermaker.com\/blog-income-report-september-2017\/\">(source)<\/a><\/td>\n<td class=\"column-5\">125.4K<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Is your ideal niche not on the list? Check these things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Search for affiliate programs in your niche. A simple search like \u201cboard games affiliate program\u201d should do\u00a0it.<\/li>\n<li>See if there are enough products on Amazon you could recommend through an affiliate program (that are not excluded by the program).<\/li>\n<li>Look at other blogs in the niche and see if they run ads. If they do, check their organic traffic with our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/traffic-checker\">free website traffic checker<\/a>. That blog\u2019s income will range from $0.1 to $0.5 per pageview from organic traffic per month. If they\u2019re active on other marketing channels, then the total sum will be higher.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Go to a similar product in your preferred niche and use a tool like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> to see sponsored links\u2014these will be the deals you could potentially get as\u00a0well.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13.jpg\" alt=\"How to look up sponsored links in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-158195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13-680x348.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13-1536x787.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13.jpg\" alt=\"How to look up sponsored links in Ahrefs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13-680x348.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image4-13-1536x787.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">You can look for affiliate programs used on any site with these four\u00a0steps.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But what about blogging about something you\u2019re actually passionate about?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, the best scenario is that your interests or hobbies match a profitable niche. Otherwise, it\u2019s easy to lose interest in your\u00a0blog.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But you can also look at it in a different way. If you treat your blog merely as a business, you don\u2019t need to be passionate about the niche in order to succeed. You can, for example, set up blogs in all of those niches and hire someone to create content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are more than 600 million blogs out there (<a href=\"https:\/\/hostingtribunal.com\/blog\/how-many-blogs\/\">Web Tribunal<\/a>). There is likely a lot of competition for what you want to create, so a good idea is to find a way to differentiate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are some\u00a0ideas:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Write from your personal experience <\/strong>\u2013 For example, people could be interested in parenting product reviews from a parent with formal medical education.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cater to a specific segment<\/strong> \u2013 People with tight budgets, left-handed people, people with food allergies, etc.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cover complex topics in simple words <\/strong>\u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@OverSimplified\">Oversimplified<\/a> is a good example.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Offer more thorough knowledge than others<\/strong> \u2013 For example, you can go really in-depth with your product reviews.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use a lot of custom visuals<\/strong> \u2013 Most people skim content. Infographics, videos, and original graphics can help catch readers\u2019 attention.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fill the gap in the blogosphere<\/strong> \u2013 For instance, if a food blog in the no-waste spirit is what you think is missing, that could be your ticket to success.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Think of the angle of your blog as a long-term investment. It will help you to establish a brand that people will want to come back to and recommend to others.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Choose a monetization method\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Below are nine ways to monetize a blog. Depending on your chosen niche, there may be additional opportunities (for instance, food blogs can develop recipes for other companies).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Usually, bloggers use several methods at the same time. Keep in mind that some methods (or advertising platforms) will be available only for eligible blogs (usually, it\u2019s about having enough traffic), and some are reserved for bloggers who have already made their name in the industry (speaking, coaching).\u00a0<\/p>\n<table id=\"tablepress-185\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-185 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n<th class=\"column-1\">Method<\/th>\n<th class=\"column-2\">How it works<\/th>\n<th class=\"column-3\">Typical rate<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Advertising<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You display ads on your blog and get paid based on the number of clicks or impressions the ads receive.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">$0.1\u2013$0.5 per pageview.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Affiliate programs<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You promote products on your blog and receive a commission for any sales made through your unique affiliate link.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">5%\u201350% (up to 90%) per\u00a0sale.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Sponsored content<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You receive payment for publishing content that promotes a specific brand or product on your\u00a0blog.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">$25\u2013$1K per article.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Selling products<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You sell physical or digital products on your blog and keep the revenue generated from\u00a0sales.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">Depends. For example, if you\u2019re selling books, that could be $9\u2013$30.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Online courses<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You create and sell online courses on your blog, and students pay to access your course content.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">Usually $400\u2013$1K per sale. Depends on the market. If there is a lot of competition and your blog is not yet popular, you should consider a lower price\u00a0tag.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Subscriber-based memberships<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You offer premium content or services to subscribers who pay a monthly or annual fee to access it.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">Usually $20\u2013$100 per subscription.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Events and speaking<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You generate income by speaking at events, conferences, or workshops related to your\u00a0niche.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">Usually starts at around $10K and goes up to $100K for high-profile speakers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9 odd\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Coaching and mentoring<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You offer one-on-one coaching or mentoring services to readers.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">The usual rate in the U.S. for an hour of coaching is between $50 and $250. Running a blog can contribute to your popularity and allow you to raise the\u00a0stake.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-10 even\">\n<td class=\"column-1\">Selling the\u00a0blog<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-2\">You sell your blog to a buyer who is interested in acquiring your content, audience, and monetization methods.<\/td>\n<td class=\"column-3\">The average price of a content site is $101.4K, according to Empire Flippers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>This is the part where you need to get creative. My advice: It\u2019s just like choosing a name for a business, i.e., the same rules\u00a0apply:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make it simple<\/li>\n<li>Make it easy to remember\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Make it relevant\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Make it unique<\/li>\n<li>Think for the long term; avoid trends\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now for the big question: Should you choose a \u201csearch engine optimized\u201d name and domain? Does that even\u00a0exist?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Google says that there is no SEO boost for exact or \u201cpartial match\u201d domains, so it discourages doing this (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/google-no-seo-bonus-for-keyword-based-domains\/438324\/\">source<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What this means is that you should choose a domain name for reasons other than\u00a0SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You can use a domain with a relevant keyword, such as \u201cbike blog,\u201d if the content of the blog is relevant to bikes. But you can also choose a more abstract name. Google will still mostly evaluate the content quality and\u00a0links.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Choose a blogging platform and set up the domain\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>You basically have two choices here:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Self-hosted platform <\/strong>\u2013<strong> <\/strong>You get the hosting (a piece of your own server) and the platform separately.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hosted platform<\/strong> \u2013 Get everything you need to start publishing in one\u00a0place.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While the second option may sound like the best, there are many good reasons to go with the first option.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The most popular self-hosting option is <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/\">WordPress<\/a>, which is run by some 40%-45% of websites globally. You get this platform for free, but you need a server, a domain, and an <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/secure-sockets-layer\">SSL certificate<\/a> to run\u00a0it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sounds a tad technical, but it\u2019s quite easy to set up, and you can be ready to go in less than an hour. What\u2019s more, some hosting companies have solutions tailored for WordPress, which makes the process even easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In my opinion, the main reasons why so many people go with WordPress are that it\u2019s easy to use, free, customizable, and has plugins for everything, including SEO which is important if you want free traffic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hosted platforms like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wix.com\/\">Wix<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weebly.com\/?lang=en\">Weebly<\/a> offer everything under one roof, but you won\u2019t have the same degree of customization (fewer plugins and probably fewer templates to choose from).<\/p>\n<p>As for the cost, I was able to get the full package needed to run WordPress for a whole year for approximately $18 with a local hosting provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12.png\" alt=\"Invoice from a local hosting provider\" class=\"wp-image-158197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12.png 790w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12-680x69.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12-768x78.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12.png\" alt=\"Invoice from a local hosting provider\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12.png 790w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12-680x69.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image1-12-768x78.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Total: $18.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A server where I can have up to 50 different WordPress blogs (or any type of site as long as it is based on WordPress).<\/li>\n<li>No transfer limit (unlimited visits).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>A super easy way to set up WordPress.<\/li>\n<li>A domain for a\u00a0year.<\/li>\n<li>An SSL certificate for a year (SSL is important for safety, credibility, and ranking).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And I set everything up in minutes. Of course, once my visitor count reaches the threshold, I\u2019ll need to get a more expensive plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s compare that with hosted solutions. All of them have free tiers, but let\u2019s assume we don\u2019t want their branding and we want our own domain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are the prices:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wix<\/strong> \u2013 Starts from $264 per year (for a comparable package).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weebly<\/strong> \u2013 $144 per\u00a0year.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>WordPress <\/strong>\u2013 Has a <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.com\/\">hosted option<\/a> too at $38.5 per\u00a0year.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Pro Tip<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re going with the self-hosting option, choose a provider with servers located in the country you want the most traffic from. This will give your site a speed boost for that country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Two choices: You can either have a custom-designed template or get a generic one for free (or a couple of bucks for a premium one).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you go with a custom template, you\u2019ll get something original and tailored to your needs. On the downside, you\u2019ll need to wait to get it done, and it\u2019ll cost you more. You\u2019ll also need to make sure you\u2019ll get the support for at least a\u00a0year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So what most bloggers do when starting out is use a free template or pick one from a marketplace like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.envato.com\/\">Envato<\/a>. As long as your blog doesn\u2019t look <em>exactly <\/em>like your competitors, you\u2019re going to be fine. With time, you can invest in something custom to make your blog look unique.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In web design, usability trumps aesthetics. So try to keep these things in mind when choosing the look of your\u00a0blog:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clarity<\/strong> \u2013 Avoid flashy and distracting designs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Speed<\/strong> \u2013 Nobody likes slow websites.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Architecture<\/strong> \u2013 For example, some templates start with a big intro header, while others go right into the latest blog\u00a0posts.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Responsive design<\/strong> \u2013 Needs to look good and work well on all devices.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>A place for ads<\/strong> \u2013 Browsing through different templates, think about where your ads can go (if you choose this monetization method).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most content management systems (CMS), such as WordPress, allow you to jump between templates with a few clicks. So do try a couple of looks and see what fits\u00a0best.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1104\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7.jpg\" alt=\"Trying out templates in WordPress is quick and easy\" class=\"wp-image-158199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7-680x376.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7-768x424.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7-1536x848.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1104\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7.jpg\" alt=\"Trying out templates in WordPress is quick and easy\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7-680x376.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7-768x424.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image23-7-1536x848.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Find topics with search potential\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>By this time, everything is set up to start creating content. But we won\u2019t simply start writing post after post on random topics\u2014our approach will be strategic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We will do two things here:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Find topics that can bring you free traffic from search engines like Google\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Find enough topics to fill an editorial calendar for months ahead\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Naturally, since it\u2019s your blog, you can write about anything you want. But if you want your content to be profitable, content designed to rank is your best bet. Basically, it\u2019s the kind of content that people are looking for in search engines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So instead of just \u201cbrainstorming\u201d ideas, we\u2019ll do keyword research to see what people search for, how much traffic we could get, and how hard it would be to\u00a0rank.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For this, you\u2019ll need a tool like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>. And since our blog is new and we want to rank relatively quickly, we\u2019ll try to find easy keywords to target. Here\u2019s how the process works. You\u00a0can:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Enter seed keywords related to your niche. For a food blog, that could be as simple as \u201crecipe\u201d or include more ideas like \u201cpaste, pita, recipe, sauce, soup, taco, wrap,\u00a0etc.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Matching terms<\/strong> report.<\/li>\n<li>Set filters: <strong>KD<\/strong> max. 20; <strong>Lowest DR<\/strong> up to 20 in top 10; <strong>Traffic Potential<\/strong> and <strong>volume<\/strong> min. 200. This way, we\u2019ll filter out tougher keywords that may be out of our league for now but still get keywords that can bring considerable traffic.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1017\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12.png\" alt=\"How to find low-competition keywords in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-158202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12-680x346.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12-768x391.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12-1536x781.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1017\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12.png\" alt=\"How to find low-competition keywords in Ahrefs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12-680x346.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12-768x391.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image6-12-1536x781.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Since there are over 8K keyword ideas in that list, there\u2019ll be plenty to fill up your editorial calendar for months. You can also make the list more manageable by increasing the minimum volume, further decreasing KD, or excluding unwanted keyword patterns (like keywords related to brands).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And here are some examples of relatively easy keywords from that\u00a0list:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14.png\" alt=\"Example keywords\" class=\"wp-image-158204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14.png 1128w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14-680x414.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14-768x467.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14.png\" alt=\"Example keywords\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14.png 1128w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14-680x414.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image5-14-768x467.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">TP refers to the Traffic Potential of a keyword.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can also get keyword ideas from competitors. It\u2019s a great technique to find the less obvious keywords. In our case, those are food and cooking-related keywords that don\u2019t contain the word \u201crecipe.\u201d Here\u2019s the process in Ahrefs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Enter the <strong>URL<\/strong> of the blog (make sure it\u2019s set to Subdomains)<\/li>\n<li>Open<strong> <\/strong>the<strong> Organic keywords<\/strong> report<\/li>\n<li>Set filters: <strong>position<\/strong> 1\u201320, <strong>KD<\/strong> max. 20, <strong>volume<\/strong> min. 200, <strong>Keyword doesn\u2019t contain <\/strong>\u201crecipe\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"829\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9.jpg\" alt=\"How to do competitive keyword research in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-158201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9-680x282.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9-768x318.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9-1536x637.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"829\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9.jpg\" alt=\"How to do competitive keyword research in Ahrefs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9-680x282.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9-768x318.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image13-9-1536x637.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Doing that research on the Pinch of Yum blog resulted in nearly 2.5K keywords. Let\u2019s look at some examples and their Traffic Potential:\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1192\" height=\"1084\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5.png\" alt=\"Keyword examples\" class=\"wp-image-158207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5.png 1192w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5-467x425.png 467w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5-768x698.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1192px) 100vw, 1192px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1192\" height=\"1084\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5.png\" alt=\"Keyword examples\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5.png 1192w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5-467x425.png 467w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image24-5-768x698.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1192px) 100vw, 1192px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>An important thing to check when choosing keywords is the dominating content type. This is the key part in identifying search intent: what users expect when they search for something.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you see that the first page on Google is dominated by a content type you can\u2019t create or one that doesn\u2019t make sense for your website (for instance, a product page), skip that keyword because your chances of ranking will likely be\u00a0low.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"912\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6.jpg\" alt=\"Keyword comparison in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-158208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6-680x310.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6-768x350.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6-1536x701.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"912\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6.jpg\" alt=\"Keyword comparison in Ahrefs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6-680x310.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6-768x350.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image22-6-1536x701.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A food blog that doesn\u2019t offer salad bowls as a product probably shouldn\u2019t target the keyword \u201csalad bowl\u201d\u2014top\u00a0results are dominated by product pages. \u201cSalad bowl recipes\u201d is a whole\u00a0different story.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Check out our in-depth guides to master keyword research:\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Note<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">What about non-SEO content? Is it worth it if it likely won\u2019t bring organic traffic? I think the answer is yes, but the decision is up to you. If you think that a given topic will be interesting to your readers, you can still distribute it on other channels (email, social). That kind of content can still generate pageviews and increase engagement on your\u00a0blog.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, non-search-based content can still help you with SEO. If it gets links, it can help your site increase authority and make it easier for you to rank for all your keywords.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Create an editorial calendar\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-calendar\/\">content calendar<\/a> (aka editorial calendar) is a system used to organize, manage, and schedule content production.<\/p>\n<p>Why do you need\u00a0one?\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>By doing keyword research, you\u2019ll come up with a lot of topic ideas. This keeps them all in one\u00a0place.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It helps you to stay on track of hitting your content quota goal (you should have\u00a0one).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It helps to organize work with contractors and guest bloggers (once you have\u00a0them).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As a beginner blogger, you likely won\u2019t need a complex calendar. You can get everything organized using a free tool like Notion, Asana, Trello, or even a Google Calendar. So here are some ideas for logging in useful information in your calendar:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keyword<\/li>\n<li>Due date<\/li>\n<li>Progress status<\/li>\n<li>Category\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Author (if there are multiple authors)<\/li>\n<li>Any tags you find useful in your workflow like \u201csponsored\u201d or \u201coutsourcing\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Traffic potential<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While we\u2019re at it, I think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notion.so\/\">Notion<\/a> offers great (and free) functionality for creating content calendars. You can create a database of topics and switch between views to get the perspective you need at any given moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"709\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7.png\" alt=\"Example content calendar made in Notion\" class=\"wp-image-158210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7-680x241.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7-768x272.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7-1536x545.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"709\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7.png\" alt=\"Example content calendar made in Notion\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7-680x241.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7-768x272.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image18-7-1536x545.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Create optimized blog\u00a0posts\u00a0<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Google wants to serve relevant and helpful content for any search query. So our job as bloggers is to understand what a searcher is really looking for and how to make that content stand out from the rest <em>while<\/em> still serving what is expected. That\u2019s what content optimization is all\u00a0about.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll look at four things here:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Content format and angle, i.e., remaining parts of aligning to search intent<\/li>\n<li>What SEO can tell us about the points we could make in content\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>What quality content means for Google<\/li>\n<li>On-page SEO technicals: titles, meta descriptions, alt text, and\u00a0more<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Content format and\u00a0angle\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Choosing the content format is basically about deciding whether any given blog post is going to be\u00a0a:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Listicle<\/li>\n<li>Recipe<\/li>\n<li>Guide\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Definition post\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Tutorial\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As for the content angle, it\u2019s the unique selling point of a page. It should catch the attention of the searcher and indicate what is special about the page. For example: \u201cbest, free, in 2023, top,\u00a0etc.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How do you come up with both of them? Just like we did with content format during content research\u2014turn to the search engine results pages (SERPs).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, for the keyword \u201chow to make money online,\u201d we can see that listicles dominate the SERPs, and some of the interesting angles already used are \u201cat home, realistically, quickly, easy, for beginners.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1358\" height=\"1344\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10.png\" alt=\"SERP analysis\u2014content format and angle\" class=\"wp-image-158212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10.png 1358w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10-429x425.png 429w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10-768x760.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1358px) 100vw, 1358px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1358\" height=\"1344\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10.png\" alt=\"SERP analysis\u2014content format and angle\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10.png 1358w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10-429x425.png 429w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10-768x760.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image12-10-120x120.png 120w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1358px) 100vw, 1358px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>What this SERP shows us is the kind of content that best serves the search intent. So if we align with search intent but still offer something unique and compelling, we likely stand a good chance of ranking. In other words, we need a listicle and an angle that hasn\u2019t been used yet\u2014something like \u201c5 Tried and Tested Ways to Make Money Online.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to include in your\u00a0post<\/h3>\n<p>The talking points and the assets you include in a post matter not only for the reader but also for search engines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They can help make your content more relevant for the target keyword, rank for secondary keywords, and attract more\u00a0links.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First comes the structure of your post. You can get a good understanding of how the top content is structured by using our free <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo-toolbar\">SEO Toolbar<\/a>. Just go to any top-ranking article for your keyword, open up the toolbar, and go to the <strong>Content<\/strong> report.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, here we can see that one of the articles on \u201chow to make money online\u201d mentions a number of ideas that we could cover. Moreover, it offers an interesting way to categorize money-making ideas, which is something we can work with\u00a0too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1380\" height=\"1128\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5.png\" alt=\"Content report from Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar\" class=\"wp-image-158213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5.png 1380w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5-520x425.png 520w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5-768x628.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1380\" height=\"1128\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5.png\" alt=\"Content report from Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5.png 1380w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5-520x425.png 520w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image25-5-768x628.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>This is already enough to get a sense of what relevant content looks like. To go a level deeper, you can check secondary keywords the top content ranks for and the words used frequently.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Enter your keyword<\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Related terms<\/strong> report\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Also rank for<\/strong> tab will show you secondary keywords, and <strong>Also talk about<\/strong> will show you frequently mentioned words (you can also set it to <strong>All<\/strong> to combine the tabs); make sure to set the report to <strong>Top 10<\/strong> too<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1010\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7.png\" alt=\"Related terms report in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-158215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7-680x344.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7-768x388.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7-1536x776.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1010\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7.png\" alt=\"Related terms report in Ahrefs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7-680x344.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7-768x388.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image17-7-1536x776.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Here are a few examples from that list that could make good points or subtopics for an article on making money online:\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1412\" height=\"864\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4.png\" alt=\"Example talking points for an article based on research in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-158217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4.png 1412w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4-680x416.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4-768x470.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1412px) 100vw, 1412px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1412\" height=\"864\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4.png\" alt=\"Example talking points for an article based on research in Ahrefs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4.png 1412w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4-680x416.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image26-4-768x470.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1412px) 100vw, 1412px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Naturally, this doesn\u2019t mean you should <em>copy<\/em> articles you see ranking on Google.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Despite the outcomes, Google is constantly trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/creating-helpful-content\">reward the best-quality, most original content<\/a> and demote the copycats. So treat these reports as inspiration for creating a unique piece that brings something new to the\u00a0SERPs.<\/p>\n<p>Besides common points, it\u2019s a good idea to include <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-bait\/\">link-worthy content<\/a> (aka link bait): original research, infographics, free resources, original thoughts, inspiring stories, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Not only will they make your content more interesting, but they can also entice people to link to it. Links amplify the reach of your content and improve your link profile (if they\u2019re quality backlinks).\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>Tip<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">If there\u2019s a featured snippet showing for your keyword, it\u2019s usually a good idea to optimize for it. This could be your shortcut to the #1 result on the\u00a0SERP.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, a featured snippet might be a hint to include a definition of the target keyword or to structure your post in a certain way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1362\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10.png\" alt=\"Example featured snippet\" class=\"wp-image-158219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10.png 1362w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10-680x259.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10-768x292.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1362px) 100vw, 1362px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1362\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10.png\" alt=\"Example featured snippet\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10.png 1362w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10-680x259.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image16-10-768x292.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1362px) 100vw, 1362px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Our article on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for SEO ranks with a featured snippet because\u00a0we included a definition of the general term of\u00a0SOPs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To learn more, check out our full guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/featured-snippets\/\">how to optimize for featured snippets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Create quality content<\/h3>\n<p>Producing quality content is the best way to engage readers and make them come\u00a0back.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you have an idea of how to create better content than the competition, you should definitely try\u00a0it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But besides that, you need to know what Google deems as \u201cquality content.\u201d After all, your content should bring you traffic from that search engine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So according to <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide#optimize\">Google\u2019s guidelines<\/a>, quality content is interesting and useful, and that means it\u2019s:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Easy to\u00a0read.<\/li>\n<li>Clearly organized.<\/li>\n<li>Unique and\u00a0fresh.<\/li>\n<li>Providing essential information to solve a searcher\u2019s problem. We already touched on that in the previous chapter.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Aligned with Google\u2019s E-E-A-T guidelines. In short, you should clearly demonstrate what makes you qualified to serve helpful content on a given topic, i.e., why should readers trust you. To learn more, check out our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/eat-seo\/\">E-A-T<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/eeat-seo\/\">latest update to the concept<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technicals\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s not forget about the \u201cboring but necessary\u201d technicals of optimizing for search engines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are some easy best practices worth following:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Include the target keyword in the title<\/strong> \u2013 The easiest way to make your title relevant to the topic but still fit within 60 characters.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Write a compelling meta description<\/strong> \u2013 Probably won\u2019t help you rank higher but can help you attract clicks from\u00a0SERPs.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use short, descriptive URLs<\/strong> \u2013 It\u2019s enough to use your topic as the slug (as you can see in this very article). You\u2019re optimizing this with the user in mind to help them understand where they\u2019re located on the website (plus, URLs are visible on the\u00a0SERPs).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Add alt text to your images<\/strong> \u2013 Be concise and accurate. Google uses alt text (and the surrounding content) to understand images.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Link to internal and external resources<\/strong> \u2013 Cite other pages where relevant and when you want to direct people to helpful content.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Optimize for rich results<\/strong> \u2013 They are the special content formats found on the SERPs beyond standard blue links. For example, recipes can be displayed on top of blue links as a carousel with a large image, ratings, and prep time. Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/appearance\/structured-data\/article\">Google\u2019s rich results guide<\/a> to see eligible rich results for your type of content.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this section, I want to show you a few ways you can effectively promote your blog for\u00a0free.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, none of the ways are about investing in\u00a0ads.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The reason for this is that unless you sell some high-ticket product through your blog, like a course, physical product, or community membership, you likely won\u2019t get a positive ROI with ads. Simple math: If the average cost of the ad is higher than what you get paid for displaying ads on your blog, you lose\u00a0money.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s dig\u00a0in.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Build an email\u00a0list<\/h3>\n<p>Building an email list sounds like a set-and-forget cliche tactic, but don\u2019t underestimate it. Let\u2019s hear from Abby Lawson of <a href=\"https:\/\/justagirlandherblog.com\/december-2016-income-report\/\">Abby Organizes<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Our email list has become one of the biggest if not THE biggest contributor to our business\u2019s success, and if I had started growing it earlier, it would be even bigger than it is today. Our email list allows us to keep in touch with our followers more easily and get to know them better. It has helped us to sell more products and grow our traffic. Without it, I don\u2019t know that we would have been able to make the leap to both Donnie and I blogging full time, and we are so grateful to our subscribers for following along on our journey.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Email is going to be your direct line to readers. You pay next to nothing to reach an audience that you know is interested in your blog (or actually nothing if you get a free email tool), and you can use the list to offer products or services.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Do you need to reach for some hacks to get people to sign up? I doubt it; it\u2019s a surefire way to get unengaged subscribers. The best way to get people to subscribe is to set up a sign-up form next to really good content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sure, you can offer some kind of special deal for your subscribers, such as exclusive content. But make sure to make it relevant.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1866\" height=\"730\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12.jpg\" alt=\"Simple sign-up form on a blog\" class=\"wp-image-158221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12.jpg 1866w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12-680x266.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12-768x300.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12-1536x601.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1866px) 100vw, 1866px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1866\" height=\"730\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12.jpg\" alt=\"Simple sign-up form on a blog\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12.jpg 1866w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12-680x266.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12-768x300.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image8-12-1536x601.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1866px) 100vw, 1866px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>By the way, let me mention an important yet counterintuitive practice. Once you get your list growing, delete contacts that haven\u2019t opened your emails for the past couple of months. It will help you achieve better email deliverability and keep your email app costs\u00a0lower.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Build links\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Since you want free traffic from Google, you\u2019re going to need links. The more competitive the keywords you go after, the more quality links you\u2019ll need.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Why links? Links are one of the most impactful <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-factors\/\">ranking factors for Google<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1740\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15.png\" alt=\"Backlinks help pages rank higher in Google SERPs\" class=\"wp-image-158223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15-440x425.png 440w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15-768x742.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15-1536x1485.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1740\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15.png\" alt=\"Backlinks help pages rank higher in Google SERPs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15.png 1800w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15-440x425.png 440w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15-768x742.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image10-15-1536x1485.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>There are two ways to build links to your content:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Organic way <\/strong>\u2013 People link to your content because they think it\u2019s useful and\/or they link to a specific part of your blog post that carries information they want to refer to (such as data from your research). It\u2019s why you should include link bait in the first place (as explained in the previous section).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Outreach<\/strong> \u2013 You reach out to other websites and ask for a link. It makes sense to do so when you\u2019re confident your link will make that piece of content more helpful.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>It\u2019s actually best if you combine both tactics. This is so that when you contact people and pitch your content, you\u2019ve got something compelling to link\u00a0to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There are quite a few techniques for outreach link building. Let me show you an example: broken link building. It\u2019s where you find broken links pointing to your competitors, then you contact a referring website and ask to include your link to relevant content instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Input your competitor\u2019s <strong>URL<\/strong> (this can be the entire site or a particular page)<\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Broken backlinks<\/strong> report and see the broken pages along with the sites that link to\u00a0them\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9.jpg\" alt=\"How to find broken backlinks in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-158224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9-680x348.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9-1536x786.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1023\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9.jpg\" alt=\"How to find broken backlinks in Ahrefs\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9.jpg 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9-680x348.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image11-9-1536x786.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>To do this at scale, use Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-explorer\">Content Explorer<\/a>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Type in your topic and set the mode to <strong>In title<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Set filters: <strong>Only broken,<\/strong> <strong>preferred language, <\/strong>and <strong>DR<\/strong> min. 20 (optional, to filter out websites with lower authority)<\/li>\n<li>Choose a broken page from the results and click on <strong>Backlinks<\/strong> to learn which pages have linked and why (look at the anchor and surrounding text)<\/li>\n<li>Contact these websites and see if they can link to your content instead<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1626\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9.png\" alt=\"Finding broken pages for link building with Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9-522x425.png 522w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9-768x625.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9-1536x1249.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1626\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9.png\" alt=\"Finding broken pages for link building with Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9-522x425.png 522w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9-768x625.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image9-9-1536x1249.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s the basics. Since we live in times when links are the currency of the web, it can be tough to earn a link. Check out our guides on link building and outreach to increase your chances (without spamming people):\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Repurpose your content\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Your target audience is dispersed across multiple channels, each with distinct outreach potential. So by repurposing, you can extend the reach of your content:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blog posts can become Twitter threads.<\/li>\n<li>Blog posts can become videos (and vice\u00a0versa).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Individual articles or videos can be put together and turned into a free course or\u00a0ebook.<\/li>\n<li>Ebooks can become email drip campaigns.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Ebook excerpts can become guest\u00a0posts.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Blog posts can become Quora answers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And so\u00a0on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, you can find some of our content from the blog repurposed on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/AhrefsCom\">YouTube channel<\/a>, and vice\u00a0versa.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1344\" height=\"306\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10.png\" alt=\"Number of views generated by a video\" class=\"wp-image-158228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10.png 1344w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10-680x155.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10-768x175.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1344px) 100vw, 1344px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1344\" height=\"306\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10.png\" alt=\"Number of views generated by a video\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10.png 1344w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10-680x155.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image20-10-768x175.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1344px) 100vw, 1344px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Blog post templates\u2014a video that got over 50K views on YouTube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1702\" height=\"526\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5.png\" alt=\"Estimated monthly organic traffic to a blog post\" class=\"wp-image-158229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5.png 1702w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5-680x210.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5-768x237.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5-1536x475.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1702px) 100vw, 1702px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1702\" height=\"526\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5.png\" alt=\"Estimated monthly organic traffic to a blog post\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5.png 1702w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5-680x210.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5-768x237.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image21-5-1536x475.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1702px) 100vw, 1702px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Blog post templates\u2014an article that generates an estimated 1.4K organic visits monthly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can do that with all your content. But if you\u2019re a team of one, you\u2019ll likely want to prioritize. Head over to our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/repurposing-content\/\">guide on content repurposing<\/a>, where we show how to estimate if your time investment will be worth\u00a0it.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Follow your audience\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Think other blogs, newsletters, podcasts\u2014these are the places where your audience likely hangs out. And before they come to you, you need to go to them. If you are featured in those places:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your blog can earn more awareness.<\/li>\n<li>You can get direct traffic to your\u00a0blog.<\/li>\n<li>You can earn a link that can help to boost your SEO (except for email-only newsletters; they can only get you links indirectly).\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Finding these places isn\u2019t hard. You probably already know some good ones, and you can use Google to find\u00a0more.<\/p>\n<p>To know which of them can give you the best link, use Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo-toolbar\">SEO Toolbar<\/a> while searching on Google and look at the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/domain-rating\/\">Domain Rating<\/a> of the website (the higher, the better). Keep in mind: The ones with DR &gt;80 may be harder to get\u00a0into.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1466\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar showing DR (Domain Rating)\" class=\"wp-image-158231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15.png 1466w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15-680x198.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15-768x223.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1466px) 100vw, 1466px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1466\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar showing DR (Domain Rating)\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15.png 1466w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15-680x198.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image3-15-768x223.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1466px) 100vw, 1466px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">DR is a 100-point scale.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One neat hack to do in Ahrefs is to look up articles by a prolific author and exclude that author\u2019s websites from the results. This way, you can find sites where the author has written as a guest and pitch those sites\u00a0too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-explorer\">Content Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Use search operators; example: <code>author:\"Grant Sabatier\" (-site:millennialmoney.com AND -site:bankbonus.com)<\/code><\/li>\n<li>Sort the list by <strong>DR<\/strong> to get the most authoritative pages\u00a0first\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1294\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11.png\" alt=\"A method for finding guest posting opportunities using Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-158233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11-657x425.png 657w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11-768x497.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11-1536x994.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1294\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11.png\" alt=\"A method for finding guest posting opportunities using Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11-657x425.png 657w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11-768x497.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image14-11-1536x994.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other tactics\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Here are more free and effective blog promotion tactics you should consider:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Share in communities<\/strong> \u2013 Communities always welcome the really good stuff, i.e., original and helpful to others in the community.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ping the people or brands you\u2019ve mentioned<\/strong> \u2013 Not to be confused with ego baiting. If you found someone or some site interesting enough to mention, tell them about it. Mention them on Twitter or just write to them. This tactic will likely get more effective as your blog\u2019s reputation grows.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Answer journalist requests<\/strong> \u2013 By providing a quote on a topic you\u2019re an expert on, you can get featured in relevant (or just big) media and earn a link. New to this stuff? Check out our full guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/haro-link-building\/\">how to use HARO for link building<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amplify your content on social media<\/strong> \u2013 Just like you, your audience will divide their attention among different social media platforms. Tip: cater to the platform; don\u2019t just share links to your blog\u00a0posts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Accept guest posts and do interviews<\/strong> \u2013 May not be the best tactic for beginners (since guest authors usually choose more seasoned blogs), but this is something you can do later on as you grow your reputation. Benefits: free pageviews, backlinks (see below) and, of course, great content for your readers.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1710\" height=\"1928\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14.png\" alt=\"Some of the most linked content on the popular blog makingsenseofcents.com are interviews\" class=\"wp-image-158235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14.png 1710w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14-377x425.png 377w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14-768x866.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14-1362x1536.png 1362w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1710px) 100vw, 1710px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1710\" height=\"1928\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14.png\" alt=\"Some of the most linked content on the popular blog makingsenseofcents.com are interviews\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14.png 1710w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14-377x425.png 377w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14-768x866.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image7-14-1362x1536.png 1362w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1710px) 100vw, 1710px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Some of the most linked\u00a0content\u00a0on the popular blog\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/makingsenseofcents.com&amp;sa=D&amp;source=docs&amp;ust=1682479016759420&amp;usg=AOvVaw2esNNzLwGwfqTD_CkWCENA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">makingsenseofcents.com<\/a>\u00a0are interviews.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">11. Keep your blog in\u00a0shape<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>There are other things you need to do besides pushing new content.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Monitor SEO health\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Ideally, you\u2019ll want your site to be free of any SEO issues. However, it\u2019s enough to stay away from the critical ones that can seriously impact your rankings or even prevent you from ranking.<\/p>\n<p>For this, you\u2019ll need SEO tools that will monitor your site automatically, report issues, and suggest solutions. These two should be more than enough:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Check out this short post on how to use these tools to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-issues\/\">spot and fix technical SEO issues<\/a> that really matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Update posts regularly for\u00a0SEO<\/h3>\n<p>Updating posts can help you reclaim lost rankings and improve pages that never ranked high enough.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1484\" height=\"820\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7.png\" alt=\"Organic traffic surge as a result of a content update\" class=\"wp-image-158237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7.png 1484w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7-680x376.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7-768x424.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1484px) 100vw, 1484px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1484\" height=\"820\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7.png\" alt=\"Organic traffic surge as a result of a content update\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7.png 1484w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7-680x376.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image19-7-768x424.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1484px) 100vw, 1484px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Underperforming content can be divided into two categories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ranking in the top 10<\/strong> \u2013 These articles will likely need a smaller update, such as refreshing outdated information.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ranking below the top 10<\/strong> \u2013 These articles will likely need a bigger redo. You may need to rewrite most of the content to get a higher chance of ranking.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To find articles worth updating, you can use two types of\u00a0tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The first one is our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/wordpress-seo-plugin\">free WordPress plugin<\/a>. If you\u2019re going to go with WordPress for your blog, this tool will monitor the rankings for the target keyword and, based on that, suggest the appropriate action.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"689\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' WordPress plugin suggesting updating certain articles\" class=\"wp-image-158239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12-680x234.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12-768x265.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12-1536x529.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"689\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' WordPress plugin suggesting updating certain articles\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12-680x234.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12-768x265.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image2-12-1536x529.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>You can also use a rank tracking tool like Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/rank-tracker\">Rank Tracker<\/a>. Track your main keyword targets, then use the position filter to find pages ranking from 1 to 10 (for updating) and from 11 (for rewriting).\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1468\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10.png\" alt=\"How to find content updating prospects using Ahrefs' Rank Tracker\" class=\"wp-image-158240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10.png 1280w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10-371x425.png 371w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10-768x881.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1468\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10.png\" alt=\"How to find content updating prospects using Ahrefs' Rank Tracker\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-158240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10.png 1280w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10-371x425.png 371w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image15-10-768x881.png 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Once you find your underperforming blog posts, there are a few things you can do, depending on the\u00a0case:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Changing the format (for example, from a listicle to a\u00a0guide)\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Adding a missing subtopic<\/li>\n<li>Updating old statistics, facts, etc\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Adding internal links from other\u00a0pages\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Adding more helpful resources: quotes, visuals, statistics, etc\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Demonstrating more first-hand experience on the\u00a0topic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2026 and more. Read our full guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/republishing-content\/\">republishing old content for SEO<\/a> for more tips on the\u00a0topic.<\/p>\n<p>Frequently asked questions about starting a profitable blog.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do bloggers get\u00a0paid?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Here are the most popular ways of monetizing a\u00a0blog:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Advertisements\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Affiliate marketing<\/li>\n<li>Sponsored posts<\/li>\n<li>Freelance writing\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Selling products, services, or memberships\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Depending on the monetization method, payment rules also differ. For example, for affiliate marketing, you can get paid even after 30 days from the purchase and only if the product hasn\u2019t been returned. Whereas for sponsored posts, you can expect advance payment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In this article, you will find nine ways to monetize a blog (as seen in the table earlier). But depending on the niche, this number can vary (for example, there can be up to 18 ways to monetize a food\u00a0blog).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to start a blog with no\u00a0money?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s possible to start a blog with <em>absolutely <\/em>no money using free blogging tools and free hosting. However, it\u2019s not necessarily the best way to start. Blogging is competitive, and the best blogs use paid services and tools to gain an\u00a0edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Instead, try to keep your costs low if you\u2019re tight on budget. For example, use a free blog template instead of a custom one, find cheap WordPress hosting, and use free tools where possible. Pay for tools only if you see them as a good investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Last but not least, if you\u2019re low on cash and you want to use blogging as your main income, this may be hard to achieve. Blogging can take time to return a considerable profit, so it\u2019s best if you prepare to have other sources of income before that happens (don\u2019t leave your day job just\u00a0yet).\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to start a blog as a beginner?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>If you want to start a blog that makes money, it all comes down\u00a0to:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Choosing a profitable niche, unique angle, and\u00a0name.<\/li>\n<li>Planning how you\u2019re going to monetize.<\/li>\n<li>Choosing a blogging platform and registering your domain.<\/li>\n<li>Creating content based on traffic potential and your audience\u2019s interests.<\/li>\n<li>Promoting your content.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You can start blogging on the very same day, and it doesn\u2019t require any special skills such as coding. Although, you\u2019ll need to fill in some \u201cblanks,\u201d such as your niche, name, and the topics you\u2019ll write\u00a0about.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What kinds of blogs make\u00a0money?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>There are essentially five types of blogs that make\u00a0money:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Niche blogs<\/strong> \u2013 Take a deep dive into a particular niche or theme. Examples of profitable niches: food and cooking, health and fitness, parenting, news, tech, entrepreneurship, finance, travel.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Affiliate\/review blogs<\/strong> \u2013 Blogs created with the purpose of recommending products and earning money via commissions from affiliate programs.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personal blogs<\/strong> \u2013 Blogs without any particular theme or niche other than the personal experiences and opinions of the author.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personal brand blogs<\/strong> \u2013 Their primary aim is to establish the author\u2019s name in a particular industry. These blogs differ from personal blogs in that the content is more specifically targeted toward the author\u2019s area of expertise.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Business\/corporate blogs<\/strong> \u2013 Promote products, services, and brands owned by the business.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do most bloggers fail?<\/h3>\n<p>Most common reasons why bloggers fail:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Giving up too\u00a0soon<\/li>\n<li>Lack of consistency in publishing\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Writing for themselves, not taking their audience and demand for the topics into account\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Never monetizing their\u00a0blog\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Failing to provide unique value\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Not investing in their\u00a0blog\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Ignoring SEO<\/li>\n<li>Not promoting their content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do people still read\u00a0blogs?<\/h3>\n<p>In all, 77% of internet users read blogs (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialmediatoday.com\/news\/the-benefits-of-blogging-20-stats-business-owners-need-to-know-infograph\/511816\/\">Social Media Today<\/a>) and nearly 26% of people in the U.K. aged 5\u201318 are reading blogs (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/299097\/blog-reading-by-young-people-in-the-uk\/\">Statista<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How many times a week should I post on my\u00a0blog?<\/h3>\n<p>Bloggers who publish two to six times per week are 50% more likely to report strong results (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitmedia.com\/blog\/blogging-statistics\/\">Orbit Media<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>But you can publish less and be successful. For example, Financial Samurai, one of the most prominent blogs in the financial niche, has been publishing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.financialsamurai.com\/how-much-do-bloggers-make-a-lot-more-than-you-think\/\">three posts per week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p>Taking a blog into profitability can be a tedious job. But if you\u2019re serious about committing your time to it and you like writing, blogging can turn your life around\u2014just like it did for these people:\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Carrie Forest started the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cleaneatingkitchen.com\/\">Clean Eating Kitchen<\/a> blog to help women recovering from chronic health issues after struggling with health issues herself. Her blog started to generate revenue when she started to do SEO. The blog makes $20K a month now\u2014you can read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.starterstory.com\/stories\/clean-eating-kitchen\">her founder\u2019s story here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Jennifer Marx from <a href=\"https:\/\/jennifermaker.com\/\">Jennifer Maker<\/a> started her blog when she was broke. She turned it into a business that earns six figures a month in a few years. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidehustlenation.com\/growing-a-blog-to-6-figures-a-month\/\">Listen to her story<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Michelle Schroeder-Gardner started Making Sense of Cents in 2011 to keep track of her financial progress. Now her blog earns $40K a month, and she works just a few hours every week off of her sailboat (or wherever she\u2019s currently at). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.makingsenseofcents.com\/2023\/04\/33-year-old-mom-makes-40000-a-month-in-passive-income-and-lives-on-a-sailboat-how-i-work-just-2-hours-a-day.html\">Read her story and get some of her blogging tips<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Abby and her husband made blogging a full-time family business. She explains how it happened and shares a few blogging tips in <a href=\"https:\/\/justagirlandherblog.com\/december-2016-income-report\/\">her last income report<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Got questions or comments? Let me know <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/m_makosiewicz\">on Twitter<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/seocommunity.social\/@mako\">Mastodon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/start-a-blog\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reality check: Not all bloggers earn\u00a0money. Of those who make money, not all make a living. And not even all make a decent side income.\u00a0 But what\u2019s also true is that a lot of bloggers succeed.\u00a0 The opportunity you\u2019re looking at\u00a0is:\u00a0 Joining 31% of bloggers who make a decent side income of $6K a\u00a0year. Joining [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}