Starting a blog has never been easier. Thanks to WordPress, you can set up your blog in minutes with a few clicks and minimal technical knowledge. But, there are a few things that separate professional bloggers that make money from those that don’t.
Here are six things to keep in mind if you’re striving to become a professional WordPress blogger:
1. Know what you are blogging about
The first thing you want to figure out, whether you’re just starting out or already have a few blogs under your belt, is what type of content you want to publish. The content should focus on something you’re passionate about so you don’t burn yourself out quickly. But, if you’re doing this professionally, you should also consider how popular the topic is and whether it will resonate with others. Being an expert on the subject will make it easier to attract viewers, as your voice garners authority.
2. Choose a good theme
Providing quality content is the most important part of a successful blog. However, there are other factors that contribute to success and reader attention. Having an aesthetically-pleasing website that matches your blog theme can be the difference between someone reading a blog and leaving or staying to read more. The navigation should be easy to see and use and mix well with the overall theme.
With WordPress, you can choose between free and paid themes. Paid themes cost around $80 per year. As a professional blogger, you should consider investing in a paid theme as they often come with a higher-quality design and good support.
3. Secure your blog/site
If you’re making some money from your blog or it’s already your entire income, it’s in your best interest to protect it. Cyber threats are increasing in sophistication and frequency and will target your blog no matter its size.
The easiest way for someone to crack your website is through the login screen. Everyone can access your site’s admin dashboard; all it takes is a lucky guess for someone to enter your website. But a lucky guess can only do so much against a strong and long password. Set a complex password for your site and enable two-factor authentication to block off attackers. A password manager is an excellent tool for generating strong passwords and storing them securely for easy access.
4. Use plugins
Plugins are one of the most exciting features of WordPress. They can add a ton of functionality to your site and allow you to customize it in whichever way you like. Like themes, plugins are also paid or unpaid. Free plugins are available on the WordPress plugin repository, while paid ones can be bought all over the web. Most paid plugins cost anywhere from $20 to $100 per year.
Security-wise, plugins can be a bit dangerous as they are made and published by independent developers. That’s why it’s best to limit the number of plugins you use to only what’s necessary or crucial for your site.
5. Put yourself in the minds of your readers
As a blogger, you might be urged to write about whatever comes to your heart. However, to make a job out of blogging, you must consider what your visitors will be interested in seeing. An excellent technique to try is to put yourself in the shoes of a reader and think neutrally about what you would want to read about. Scattering the web for trending topics is also a good way to come up with exciting blogs and retain readers.
6. Monetizing your blog
As you grow your audience, you can start looking into ways to monetize your blog. The simplest way to monetize is by enabling display advertising on your site. However, this approach isn’t very effective as it requires thousands of clicks to be worthwhile, which is hard to reach for any blog. A far better way to monetize is through affiliate marketing, where you promote products through your content. Just be careful not to turn your audience off with too many affiliate product placements.
Conclusion
Running a profitable blog is many people’s dream. However, few people get to experience it. To be a professional blogger, you need a good sense of quality content and passion for what you’re writing about. You should also be strategic in how you monetize your blog.
