Blogging has evolved so far from what we used to know in the last few years, and has gotten even more affordable and of course, easy.
Thanks to various Content Management Systems, affordable domain names and hosting plans, and the abundance of free and paid tutorials, it is also currently one of the easiest web-based jobs you can do.
However, a lot of people interested in launching and making money from their own blogs are still in the dark on how exactly these things work, and this article is for them.
What Is Blogging?
Blogging, simply put, is the art of running a blog. A blog is a discussion or informative media website, and it is managed and constantly updated by a person or group of persons.
There are a lot of blogs in Nigeria, and currently over a thousand active bloggers in the country.
The number of inactive bloggers and blogs will be far above the number of active ones, and we have the affordable annual maintenance costs to thank for that.
How Can You Launch Your Own Blog In Nigeria?
Launching a blog is almost as easy as starting a YouTube channel, or possibly setting up a Facebook account, depending on the platform you use.
The two most popular CMS platforms for bloggers are WordPress and Blogger, and they all have their own pros and cons. You can build it yourself (with the help of online tutorials if you’re still new) or hire someone to do that; most people don’t charge more than a hundred dollars.
- Buy your domain name: The domain name is the most important part of your website, and you should be careful when choosing it.
- You can include your name in it if you need a personal blog, like IkennaObiNews.com, or go for something generic, like EveningNews.com. Some of the best names don’t even have meanings, like Twitter.com, and don’t worry; you’ll be the one to give it the meaning!
Here’s a quick domain name check from one of the best hosting companies – Bluehost. Punch in your desired domain name, and get it for free, as Bluehost gives you $15 worth of your .com domain name for free.
I prefer to use the Bluehost domain name availability checker:
When you register a domain at Bluehost, you should choose a .com extension, and you’ll also be able to see which domain extensions are available.
- Get a hosting plan: If you don’t have a budget for the website hosting, you can build your site on Google-owned Blogger.com. It is a great choice and hosts millions of blogs. But it comes with some limitations, that’s why it’s recommended to go with a self-hosted option.
- Create The blog: After purchasing your domain name and hosting plan, the next step is creating the blog.
It shouldn’t take you more than two days, and there are tons of YouTube and other blogs’ tutorials to help you across the stage. You can follow this quick guide on how to create your own blog, to get started in 6 easy steps. - Choose a Niche: Your blog niche is what your blog is all about. You can start a blog on anything from entertainment to business and even technology. For example, you can write about how to make money selling Okrika.
You can even launch a blog on religion, writing about Christian events like Easter, or Muslim leaders, and more. - Start writing: Once the blog is down, the next step is to start writing. Avoid copying other people’s articles as it will affect you negatively. Here are 8 superb content creation tips that will add value to you.
- Monetize: When you’ve put a few articles together, you can easily monetize the website.
Some of the best ways of monetizing your website include affiliate marketing, where you promote other people’s products and services, and information marketing, involving the sales of digital products and services.
Others include:
- Ad networks: Making money from displaying ads through ad networks like Google Adsense, MGID, and Taboola.
Learn how to make money with Google Adsense in this detailed guide.
- Sales of ad spaces: You can also make good money from the selling ad spaces if you get some good traffic.
- The offering of sponsored posts: If your blog stats are good enough, people can pay you to publish their posts for a fee.
You can also make good money from your website selling your own products and services.
There are almost unlimited opportunities to monetize your blog, and all you need is to consistently work hard and build the statistics.
This guide on 30 ways to make money blogging will be a true source of value to you.
About The Author:
Igbo Clifford Chimaizuobi is a Nigerian born writer and video maker. He has worked with some of the biggest media websites including Huffington Post and Blasting News and is the co-founder of the Information Guide Africa.
You can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
