Answering Blogging Beginner Questions

Cover Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters / Unsplash

Under the subreddit /r/blogging, bloggers can exchange ideas and ask their questions. I also often pass the time there and exchange with like-minded people. Beginners, or those who want to become one, often ask the same questions there. Here you will find answers to some of these questions.

"Is it too late to start a blog? Are blogs still relevant?"

Of course, this question aims towards whether a YouTube channel or social media account should be started, instead of a blog.

Some social media apps and YouTube have certainly gained influence. The question is always, what do you want to achieve with the blog at all? Do you want to earn a lot of money in a short period of time? Then I would recommend looking for another job. Of course there are some exceptions, where people become extremely successful on social media in a very short time frame, due to the enormous amount of time and hard work that they put into it (and also a little luck), but most blogs, YouTube channels and social media accounts are built up over months and years. You won't find the quick money in any variant.

Instead, do you want to live out a hobby and, with a little luck, draw an audience by creating meaningful and appealing content? Then a blog is absolutely right for you. Blogs are still very relevant, depending on how much time and energy you can put into them. Texts still have something that videos cannot do: they paint a story in the mind's eye.

"I want to start a blog, but I can't think of a suitable name for my domain."

Many blogging beginners are too rigid on the details right at the beginning. It is not important that everything is perfect from start. The domain name can be important for some visitors, but a nice domain alone is useless as long as the content of your blog brings no value to the reader. In general, everything short, catchy and maybe even with reference to the topic is good as a domain.

In this context, website hosting and the structure of the website is also a common question. But these are all things that can be adjusted later if necessary. And yes, the entire blog with its content can also be moved to a new domain, if the name of the page is no longer appropriate to you.

But honestly: When you have invested lots of time in the blog and have written many blog posts, you also feel a certain emotional connection to the name of your domain and don't want to get rid of it at all.

"What niche should I cover on my blog?"

A similar question that is often asked: "Is a certain niche still good for blogging or is it already too saturated?"

If you don't have a topic for your blog yet, I can only recommend trying different things. At some point certain topics solidify.

Of course, there are more hits on Google for topics that are in demand. Still, that shouldn't stop you from starting a blog in that particular niche, especially if it treats your interests. As with the trade in goods, there is a certain dynamic of competition between internet pages, where many pages deal with the same or similar topics. As a result, the user has a wide range of knowledge available, while the blogs have to evolve and constantly improve.
So it is by no means wrong to take up a big topic and try to get involved in the competition. With innovative, new content, you can set yourself apart from established websites.

"How long does it take for my posts to get views?"

Depending on how much experience you already have, this can vary greatly. The number13 blog recorded a total of "only" around 500 visits in the first nine months.

This is completely normal, but still causes frustration for many beginners when there is little to no resonance with the given effort. The small number of hits comes on one hand from the freshness of your website, but also from the inexperience with the topic of blogging. Over time, you develop your own strategies on how to approach a blog post and also make changes to the website.

As a result of these optimizations, but also due to an increased frequency of new blog posts, the blog receives an increased influx over a certain period of time. How long it takes primarily depends on the time you can invest in the blog.

"How long does it take to make money from blogging?"

This is probably one of the most common questions about blogging. As mentioned earlier, it can be tedious for the blog to gain views. Various strategies and tools can be used to monetize a blog.

The most well-known tool is Google Adsense. Adsense is one of the few advertising tools that have no requirements for the number of visits to your page. This tool allows you to automatically place advertising banners on your page. If a visitor to your page is shown such a banner or even clicks on it, your Adsense account will be credited with an amount, depending on the page value.

Then of course the question is, how much money do you want? Because you start earning money from the time you set up Adsense. It's just tiny, tiny cents if the blog doesn't get a critical mass of hits.

Whether blogging should primarily be about money is another matter.

"I want to write a blog, but I don't know what about."

You can find inspiration for a blog post practically everywhere. Just think about yourself: When did you face a problem (on the computer or in real life) and how did you solve it? Can it be solved at all? Or do you even have a solution that many others could benefit from?

There are many approaches and types of blog posts, that alone would be worth a separate post. A blog can be entertaining, informative and exciting, maybe all three. In the end you have to think about what you would like to find if you google a problem. Nothing useful? Maybe then you will be the first to take up this topic.

You can also just write about your hobby, because there is nothing such as "that already exists, so I don't need to write about it". There is always something to tell and if it is only the new perspective that particularly appeals to the reader.

"Does X work, or can I make more money with Y?"

Try it. There is no one to take the step for you. You have to find out for yourself. Whether money should be the main intention at all is more than questionable, but if you are into it, there is nothing to be said against trying.

You will never get the quick money with a blog, but if you put enough time and energy into one thing, sooner or later you will be rewarded. The focus must always be on fun, otherwise it makes no sense. Blog topics that are of interest to you and for which you are passionate are particularly important.