pete harris Archives - The Blogging Factory

Blogging Topics For Beginners

Pete Harris — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 14:08:18 +0000

If You Are New To Blogging An Don’t Know What To Write About, Here Are Some Blogging Topics For Beginners

Starting a blog can be daunting especially if you don’t know what to write about, so here are some blogging topics for beginners.

Sometimes when starting a blog, individuals get stuck on just what to write about. This may be the position you find yourself in and that brings back memories for me. I came across blogging purely for commercial reasons because of a new venture that I entered.

The trouble was I still didn’t know what to write about because I didn’t know what my purpose was. I got sucked into writing about topics that other people were writing about in this industry. What I should have done is work out what the purpose of my content was and then write my own unique perspective.

It took me a few years to work this out but now I know why I want to write the content I do, and it is now much easier. Most of my content revolves around the blogging, content creation and online business niches. What you must understand that your blog and the content you create will fall into a niche.

This is very important to remember because you niche will contain individuals that are aligned with you. Most people won’t be interested in what you write and that is in no way meant to sound negative. It is a simple fact and you must become thick skinned and not take to heart any adverse comments.

The First Three Blogging Topics For Beginners

When it comes to niches, I have found over the years that there are three main and broad niches. They are Health, Wealth & Relationships because they encompass everything that is essential to our daily lives.

These are referred to as broad niches because they are a 35,000 feet hight view of what goes on in the world. So, they would be my first three blogging topics for beginners to look at but then you must drill down.

You know when you go onto Google and look for a location and the search results give you a map. When you click on the map it is the overview like the analogy of 35,000 feet up. It is only when you click on the + sign that the map then becomes clearer and more detailed.

Each time you click on that + the main road networks appear, then cities and town become prominent. The more times you click the individual street names emerge so you can pinpoint where you want to go.

Every time you go through this procedure for the three main niches a whole world of blogging topics will appear. Here is an example.

I am going to look at health and try and break it down to a specific topic. I am going to use a resource that is available to anyone to do some blogging topic research on.

The Amazon Marketplace

That is the Amazon marketplace and specifically their bestseller section which is illustrated in the image below.

So, lets decipher the image below to see how effective Amazon is to generate blogging topics for beginners.

As you can see if we work from left to right the image shows the Amazon best sellers’ categories. These are all main broad categories or departments on the Amazon platform.

What I have done is look down the list of categories and selected the Health & Household niche. When I clicked on that option it generated a list of sub-niches within that main category. You will see that the list is shortened but I have taken the process one step further.

I have selected the Sports Nutrition sub sub-category so now I am two levels into the main best sellers’ categories. Within Sports Nutrition is another list of categories and the process can be taken down even more levels. This process drills down into micro niches, but it also gives plenty of blogging topics.

Drill Down For Micro Niches

If you decided that you wanted to create a blog on Health & Home could create categories shown in the middle of the image. Then create lots of blog posts under those independent categories.

Or you could micro niche down and create a blog on Sports Nutrition and then use the list on the right-hand side as categories within your blog. This would be my personal choice because when you get to this stage you are becoming very specific.

This process works for any niche on the marketplace. I would then look at the products within this sub sub-niche for ideas on what people are purchasing. Open each product and look at the customer reviews and note what people are saying about each product. Maybe they have further questions which again could be turned into blog posts.

Time For Some Keyword Research To Find Some Blogging Topics For Beginners

One of the best free resources to look for keywords is the Google Keyword planner. It is free if you have a Google account so if you haven’t got one the process is very easy to open one up. The following image shows the Google Keyword planner with the search term Sports Nutrition.

As you can see from the image the main keyword is Sports Nutrition. Once I have entered that the keyword planner gives me list of keywords that people are actively looking for.

The data suggest the monthly search volume, the CPC which is Cost per Click for paid advertising. It also suggests the level of competition for the keyword. This is not relevant for blogging specifically as it is for paid marketing purposes. The total number of search terms related to this main keyword is 617. As you can see this gives you plenty of topics that you could potentially blog about.

One Of My Favourite Tools Is Keywords Everywhere

The Keywords Everywhere tool is a tool that sits in your browser in Google Chrome. It may well be available for other browsers, but I use it on Chrome. So, I am going to enter the same search term Sports Nutrition.

I like this tool because it gives me the data that Google keyword planner gives me, but it is on the screen. This is far quicker than going into the keyword planner and when you have this extension installed you get other data. The two boxes on the right of the image gives me related keywords and what people are searching for. It also gives me the volume of search and advertising costs. All round a quicker process.

Answer The Public (H3)

My last research tool which gives lots of blogging topics for beginners is a site called Answer The Public.

Again, I have entered in Sports Nutrition and what this site does is categorises the search term into questions that people are asking online. Questions starting with “who”, “what” and “why” and because I have Keywords Everywhere installed in my browser, I still receive the data that I have mentioned previously.

It is always good to have posts on your site that are question related because it means people are looking for solutions. I wouldn’t have all your posts as question related keywords, but it certainly is a great way to add value to your blog.

Your Go To Blogging Topic List

Using all these resources I suggest you make a list or spreadsheet of 100 keywords. This may take you a few hours, but it is time well spent because you will have 3 months of ideas at your fingertips. Then each day write a blog post and tick the search term of your list. When you list is exhausted do the exercise again. It is a rinse and repeat process.

As you can see the process to generate blogging topics for beginners is quite straight forward. It means that you will always have fresh ideas to blog about and provide value to your audience. If you are just starting out, then I have a resource that shows how to create a blog from scratch. Within the book I cover specific techniques on how to find high value keywords for your blog. Click here to register and download the book.

As always, I wish you every success.

Pete Harris

Professional Blogger & Information Publisher

The post Blogging Topics For Beginners appeared first on The Blogging Factory.

How To Build A Blog On WordPress

Pete Harris — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 13:50:56 +0000

Free Webinar Shows The Process Of How To Build A Blog On WordPress

Free webinar shows business owners the process of how to build a blog on WordPress to reach your target audience.

Hey, Pete Harris here, founder of The Blogging Factory and today I want to focus on how to build a blog on WordPress. There are many platforms that you can use to create blogs and websites. However, in my opinion there is a standout platform which puts all the rest into shade. That is WordPress because it is intuitive, user friendly and has a host of features to create professional blogs.

I must admit in my early days of trying to build an online presence I tried some other platforms before I became aware of WordPress. Blogger was my first port of call because it is linked to a Google account for convenience. I found it ok to start with and cut your teeth but back then the functionality was limited.

Then I attempted Dreamweaver but found it so technically challenging that on many occasions my laptop nearly went flying out of the window. I first became aware of WordPress around 10 years ago. I must point out here that there are two sides to WordPress.

The Two Sides To WordPress

WordPress.com is online platform where you can create your own blog and have your file stored on their servers. Admittedly its ha changed a bit from back in the day went I first found it. Back then it was more for personal bloggers and didn’t really invite business users to sign up to.

They seem to have altered their practices since then and have various price plans depending on what you need. Based on my experience 10 years or so ago I then found you could have a WordPress script installed on your domain. You did need your own domain and hosting. The great feature for me was that I could install WordPress through my hosting via WordPress.org.

This is what I did and continue to do to this day. Because I have it installed on my domain through my hosting, I have total control over the blogs I create. So, for the purpose of this post I will only talk about WordPress.org.

The beauty of WordPress is that it is a creative website building tool that complete beginners can use. They can pick it up and run with it and let their imagination run wild. Really the only limits you have is what you create yourself.

The fact is that 35% of the web is powered by the WordPress software so when you start you will be in good company. I realise that you maybe here because it is the first time you have thought about building your own blog. The thought of using technology may be the thing that is holding your back.

WordPress Is A Game Changer

I felt the same because of my previous experience with other software options but to me WordPress was a game changer. It wasn’t long before I realised that I didn’t need to be a tech wizard with a degree in computer science. So hopefully that will set your mind at rest in some way.

The way it is set up makes the process simple as much of it is point and click. Once you know the technical set up it is rinse and repeat and learning this to me is the fun part of the challenge.

I am not great at things like DIY and my wife cringes when I get the hammer out along with all the other tools. I have a low tolerance level when it comes to patience and it isn’t long before things get thrown about. A bit like my Dreamweaver days.

You Can’t Break WordPress

WordPress isn’t like that because in many respects you can’t break anything however hard you try. Honestly now I spend hours building blogs and websites for myself and other people because WordPress makes it enjoyable. The construction part of it though is only a small part of the process and not the most important thing.

The reason I say this is because it is what goes inside the framework that makes your blog the powerful resource that it will become. Many people overlook every other element that it takes to build a blog on WordPress, and I wanted to address that.

Register Now For My Webinar On How To Build A Blog On WordPress

I felt very humbled to host a webinar on how to build a blog to business owners from all around the world. I live in Cyprus although I am originally from the United Kingdom. On the webinar I had some of my native country members along with people from the USA, mainland Europe and Australia.

It amazes me just what we can do with technology when we leverage it correctly. A WordPress blog is also something that you can leverage as an important part of your overall business structure.

So, I took control of the webinar and laid out the exact process to build a blog. In all there are 9 steps, but they are contained within 3 cornerstones or pillars which you can see below.

This is how you create an online presence in the form of a blog or website for your business. Within the webinar I broke down each pillar and the psychology behind what you need to do.

When I first started out in blogging nobody old me any of this and I was left to my own devices to work things out. This caused me a lot of frustration because there were times that I would never work this out. Thankfully after trial and error I created this system which I use every time I create my own blogs or for my clients.

Therefore, I wanted to do the webinar so that I could take away a lot of the barriers that stop people. So, if you want to learn more about this process, see examples of the blogs I have built for my own business along with content creation ideas, register for the webinar.

Register Now For The Webinar

Click here or on the image below to pick a time that is convenient with you. It is recorded so you will be able to go over it as many times as you need but you need to register now!

The webinar will show the process on how to build a blog on WordPress. You will see that having your own online presence is something that can be achieved very easily. You just need a plan in place and then follow it to the letter. Register now and I look forward to connecting with you in the future.

As always, I wish you every success.

Pete Harris

Professional Blogger & Information Publisher

The post How To Build A Blog On WordPress appeared first on The Blogging Factory.

Blog Market Research

Pete Harris — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 08:58:12 +0000

To Find Out If There Is A Demand For Your Blog You Must Do Some Blog Market Research

There are blogs for every niche online so you must do some blog market research on what your competitors are saying to keep up with the times.

Now that you have defined your purpose for starting a blog you must be clear on what the market is saying. This is where blog market research is important to gain clarity on several things.

You don’t want to start to put hours and hours into creating your blog and content if there is no interest or demand. Also, you must pinpoint who your competitors are and just what they are saying in their message. By doing this you can filter out all the rubbish people are saying and model all the good content that is being published.

I emphasis model other people who are creating engagement and a conversation and not copy. You are unique and have your own story that should be the resource for the content that you create. I will cover content and the creation of content in further posts.

What you must do is be your own person and not follow the herd so to speak. Competition is high and there is a lot of the same that is being published so you must stand out. You must look at other people in your niche and do a better job to provide more value than what they are.

So, you first port of call would be to search online to see what the competition is up to and who they are. To do that head over to good old Google because this is the playing field you will take part on.

Blog Market research On Google

Google is thee biggest search engine online and the process I am going to show you is the same on other search engines. You will have a niche for your business, so this is what you look under first. Go to Goole and type in what your niche is and then blogs as illustrated in the image below.

As you can see, I have chosen the golf niche and there is a lot of information just by doing this one action. First is that Google are listing different blogs and websites related to the term “golf blogs”. The first few listings are articles that are summarising the best golf blogs online but further down the page are independent blogs as well.

What I would do is open the first 5 search results and explore the content inside of each article. You can see that if this was your niche then the third result down has an article on the Top 100 Golf Blogs. This is more than enough data for your research.

I have an extension in my browser called Keywords Everywhere and this gives me more data around my search. Under the search box you can see volume which is the amount of times this keyword is searched per month. Also, it gives me the cost per click if I targeted this keyword for paid advertising and the level of competition.

Also, the boxes on the right-hand side gives me data on related keywords and what other people have searched for. Go into Google and do this exercise for your own niche and then study the data provided.

Look At Magazines In Your Niche

By starting your own blog, you become a publisher of information, so you need to look at other publishing platforms. One of the best ways to gain information on the demand for your niche is to look at magazines both online and offline.

Go to your local newsagent, convenience store of dedicated book shop and look at the shelves. Look for publications in your niche and buy some of the publications for research purposes. This is a good blog market research exercise because if there are printed publications in your niche then there is a demand.

Even in today’s world where printing has evolved to the digital age it is still an expensive way of publishing. If it wasn’t worth the publishers while do create their magazines, then they wouldn’t. They must be making money out of their publications to go to the effort.

Then when you look inside of the magazines it can give you a true indication of the information people want. Magazines are also a great resource because they will have advertisers promoting their products and services. At some point in the future you may have your own or promote these products on your blog as an affiliate. More about revenue generating strategies in the future so look out for them.

Another thing to remember is that these magazines will also have an online presence. Look on their websites because some of them may have subscription payments for their online version. This is another great indicator of a niche that is potentially profitable.

Amazon Bestsellers Is Another Blog Market Research Tool

Amazon started out as a book shop back in the late 1990’s and has since grown to become one of the biggest retailers. Their book section is a wealth of knowledge for researching your blog’s niche. Like Google it is a search engine and if you type a search term in their search box, they will show what people are looking for.

Start of typing in your niche and see all the products they have on their platform. These products will give you limitless ideas on topics to create content around potential income streams for yourself. Again, more on this strategy in a further post.

Once you have done a general search it is time to get more specific and look at the book section. Type in your niche and see what books are being published around that niche. Then take it another step and search for magazine subscriptions and you will see what information people are paying for. They will range from monthly, 6 monthly or yearly subscriptions which is a model you may incorporate into your blog at a future time.

Take The Time To Do Your Research

Blog market research is a time-consuming process, but it is one you must do because you are at the planning stage. There is a saying that if you “fail to plan, then you plan to fail”. What is the point of creating something if no one wants to read it or learn from it?

Do this work once by following the steps I have shared with you in this post and there are other resources. Once you have done this it then time to start putting things together on screen through constructing your next blog. Look out my next post where I will share some tips on how to build your blog. Also, I will look at some barriers that may be stopping you starting and how to overcome them. For now get your blog market research done and check out a webinar that I hosted with some business owners. In it I cover the exact 9 step process to creating a business blog. Register here for the webinar and choose a time that is convenient with you.

As always, I wish you every success.

Pete Harris

Professional Blogger & Information Publisher

The post Blog Market Research appeared first on The Blogging Factory.

Why Start A Blog?

Pete Harris — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:05:41 +0000

If You’re Asking Yourself Why Start A Blog? Then You Must Define Your Purpose

So why start a blog? A blog gives you a platform that you control 100% and can attract customers to your business through your message.

Oh my, if I had a pound, dollar or euro for every time someone had asked me why start a blog? I wouldn’t be a millionaire, but I would have a few of them in the bank by now. My answer to that is why not? The blank expressions I receive tells me one thing which is that the person hasn’t got a purpose to start a blog.

Maybe it is because they don’t really understand what a blog is or what it can do for their business. Or maybe they think it is too much time and effort to create content around their business.

When I start to explain the benefits of what a blog or website can have for their business, I can see the penny starting to drop. The expression in their eyes tells me that the cogs are turning, and ideas are starting to flow.

At this point I always then ask them what their purpose for would be for creating an online presence. That then depends on the type of business they have because there are different types of blog websites. Different industries would have a specific look and feel but they all require content to be added.

This then brings up the question of purpose again for content. All content is not equal and has specific reasoning behind it. So, this whole purpose debate applies to two things. The purpose of the blog structure and the purpose of the content. Before I look at different examples, which are my own blog websites, I want to focus on the main purpose of a blog website.

Why Start A Blog? – To Deliver Your Message

As a business owner you must attract people to your business and nurture them into becoming customers. In other words, it is all about relationship building so eventually they know, like and trust you. People buy from people who they trust and who will look after them for a long time.

To build this relationship you must provide value first. One of my mentors summed it up perfectly by saying ”always put purpose and people before profit”. Your blog website is a place where people should feel at home when they visit. Just like you feel in your own home and the people you invite round.

To create that feeling depends heavily on the message that you publish within your content. It should be crafted around your story so that people can relate and connect with you. First impressions last forever and you only get a few seconds to create it. If you don’t make a good first impression, then you will lose that person forever.

That first impression stems from what your blog website looks like but more importantly what is inside. The content is the element that will create an experience for your visitors which then creates lasting memories. One of the experiences you must create is a feeling of safety and security, so they know they are in the right place. You understand them and you are there to help them in any way that you can.

So, I think this is the appropriate time to show you some examples of my own blog websites and the purpose behind them. I have constructed each one and created all the content which is centred around my tone and language. This creates authenticity along with establishing authority in each respective industry I am involved with.

My Authority Blog Website – Pete-Harris.com

This is what’s referred to as an authority blog website because I am an information publisher in the home business niche. The purpose of this blog website is to provide information to people who are looking for work from home ideas.

There are currently around 350 blog posts on this blog website, and they are the core element of this blog. Each one is designed to deliver value first and address problems that people are experiencing. I speak to people visiting this site as though I am speaking to a friend. I like to use conversational tone and view the screen on my laptop as the person who will be reading the post.

On this blog website people can also learn more about me as a person so they can get to know me, like me and trust me. They can then make an informed decision on whether they want to work with me in the future. I do provide home business solutions and another purpose of this blog website is to collect leads.

This is a value driven website first and foremost to help build relationships. When those relationships are formed, I can help them with various products and services for which I do receive compensation. This illustrates the principle of putting purpose and people before profit.

My Cleaning Business Blog Website – PeteHarrisCleaning.com

The purpose for this blog website is to inform people of the cleaning services that I provide within my business. I live in Cyprus and I offer these services to the local community around the Paphos region. Originally, I am from the United Kingdom and I operated my cleaning business there for 25 years.

I have incorporated my story within the “About” section as this establishes my authenticity and authority. This blog website gives information of my experience and what I am specialised in and it gives clear calls to action. My contact details are prominently positioned to give an element of trust and transparency. There are links where people can contact me by email and make an appointment.

I have designed this blog website so that people can find the information they need very easily. There are no grey areas and people can make the decision as to whether they want my services or not. In my opinion this is a personal yet business looking blog website without having a corporate feel about it.

My Ecommerce Blog Website – DarkVelvetCoffee.com

The purpose of this blog website is to provide a platform where people in Cyprus can buy my products online. There are payment processors attached so the transaction can take place but there is much more to this blog website.

The home page contains information about my wife and I. Who we are and what are mission is, and to showcase our products and services. After that people can explore the site and gain information about the products we have.

I do not publish blog posts on this site as I see each product as a micro blog opportunity and provide information on the sale page. Like with all my blog websites I am totally transparent with contact information to establish trust.

My Blogging Authority Website – TheBloggingFactory.com

This is the blog you are currently on and it is another authority blog website that I own. The principle is the same as my other authority blog website Pete-Harris.com because this is designed to provide information. The information I provide here is all around the blogging industry, so it is a very specific niche blog.

My main purpose for this blog website is to provide a central hub for people who want to learn about blogging. This will be a home online for people to enter and get the information they need.

When I started blogging back in 2014, I was like a fish out of water with no clue what to do. At that time, I found it very difficult to find the information I needed. It resulted in going off in many different directions to various resources. The trouble with this is that you get many different perceptions which in many ways contradict each other’s.

So, it is a process to extract what is right from those perceptions and over the years I have pieced things together. As this blog website grows it is my intention and purpose to remove any uncertainty about what to do and when to do it.

TheBloggingFactory.com will grow and evolve over time but the main purpose is to give people the confidence to publish their message.

When people ask me in the future why start a blog, I will direct them to this blog post. The reason is because It identifies the need to have purpose before you start. Without purpose you don’t have a plan. Without planning you don’t purpose!

As always, I wish you every success.

Pete Harris

Professional Blogger & Information Publisher

The post Why Start A Blog? appeared first on The Blogging Factory.

How To Create A Blog Step By Step

Pete Harris — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 15:32:02 +0000

Discover How To Create A Blog Step By Step With This Simple Formula

Blogging is a powerful strategy for businesses so find out how to create a blog step by step and be up and running in now time.

Hi, Pete Harris here, creator of The Blogging Factory and in these troubling times you must have an online presence. Business blogs are very powerful because people are online searching for solutions. Long gone are the days that you can just put up an advertisement and expect people to buy your products and services.

You have more competition than ever before, so it is important that you differentiate yourself to make you stand out. You must give people a reason to trust you before they part with their hard-earned cash. Relationships with potential customers must be formed and you do that by providing value first.

Individuals must feel safe and secure within an environment that feels home from home. It is my opinion that you must provide that environment through an online presence in the form of a business blog or website.

Your blog is your home online and you want to create a feeling like you have in your own home. The first thing people will see is the structure of your blog which can be compared to a house. It is a structure just like your neighbour’s house or your competitors blog, but it is what’s inside that counts.

You will have had some great times and created some fantastic memories in your house, and this is what makes it a home. This is what you must do within your blog or website and create an experience for anyone who comes and visits. When they do visit your blog, it has an open front door.

First Impressions Last

There is no need for them to knock as they can simply step inside so they must feel they are in the right place. The content you create is the important element that will help create the experience they are looking for. They are looking for solutions along with being informed, entertained and inspired which transpire from you.

You are the face of your business and behind that face is your story. Individuals want to know who you are and how you can help them and that all comes from your content.

Say for example you are holding a dinner party and you have some people coming who you don’t know that well. You need conversation to break the ice so to speak so you need to start a conversation with your blog visitors.

Tell them what your purpose is, why you want to help them and then how you can help them. There is a psychology to creating your content, but you also must make it easy for them to navigate around.

To achieve all of this you must follow a process which is what I want to focus on today. I am going to show you how to create a blog step by step following a simple 9 stage system. This system helps you go from a blank screen to a fully functioning blog ready to publish content and attract visitors. I am going to give a brief overview of each stage and over the next few days I will go into the finer details of each stage.

How To Create A Blog Step By Step Starts With Creating 3 Pillars

As you can see from the image above the centrepiece is what will become your blog or website. Just to clarify that a blog is a website with a facility to regularly add content in the form of articles, or blog posts. Technology and platforms allow you to create stunning and professional looking websites with ease.

The surrounding pillars house the elements that must be put in place to create the centrepiece. They themselves are broken down into 3 sub-pillars which I will cover in detail shortly. For now, I will give a brief overview of each main pillar.

Setting The Foundations

This is where the analogy of a house and your blog becomes apparent. Your house will not stand firm unless it has foundations in place, and neither will your blog. The underpinning comes from psychology and mindset and then you use technology to create the structure, just like you would use bricks.

Content

As I have mentioned this is the most important element in the creation of your blog. This is where you will create those experiences and memories for your visitors, but all content is not equal. Here I show you how to create the correct mindset before creating the content. Then there are strategic elements to make that content work for you and have the most impact.

Strategy

I will introduce you to strategies that will spread the word so to speak and then look at how you can monetize your content. For many people this is the stage they are fixated on, but I will explain why it shouldn’t. Then the strategy is to get as many visitors as possible to your blog.

As you can see there is more to creating a blog than putting words onto a screen!

The First Phase – Setting The Foundations

Purpose

Unless you know why you want to start a blog and what you want to achieve then there is no point starting. You must be crystal clear on the outcome you want to achieve. This then helps you to create the content later down the line.

Market Research

Your blog will form part of an industry or niche which stems from you, your experience and passions in life. So, you must research all aspects of that industry and your competitors to validate starting the blog.

Construction

This is where the rubber starts to hit the road and your structure and framework starts to take shape. This involves technology and software which must work together seamlessly and put together in a systematic way.

Phase 2 – Content

Purpose, Styles & Types

As I have previously mentioned all content is not equal but collectively it is king. You must know the purpose of the content you are creating which can be broken down into 4 categories. Also, there are many different formats that you can use when creating your content which adds variety to your blog.

Structure

There is a proven formula to work to when you are creating your content otherwise it will look messy. I am sure that you have been on websites and have found it hard to understand the content because it is not structured properly. Also, the structure has a big impact on the next element.

Search Engine Optimization

Your content must appeal to the search engines for them to list you in their results. Therefore, combined with structure it is very important that you get this right, so your content is picked up and consumed. There are various elements that must be incorporated into your content and there is a formula to follow.

Phase 3 – Strategy

Content Syndication

This is a process where the content you create is sent to all four corners of the internet. Many people think that all they need to do is write and publish content and then web visitors will find it. In some respects that is true but why stop there when there is so much more you can do with little extra effort!

Monetization

This is where most people get excited and it is the only thing on their mind. How can they increase their bank balance? You can’t start here because you must have the previous steps in place. Money is a biproduct of the value you provide, and you provide that by completing the work that needs to be done.

Traffic

Traffic is the lifeblood of your blog and business in general. If you haven’t got eyeballs on your content every day, then you are going to struggle. Regardless of how good your content is and the level of value you are providing. There are many strategies and many of them are free marketing strategies.

How To Create A Blog Step By Step Webinar

What I have done today is given you a bird’s eye view of the process to starting a blog. Over the next few days and weeks, I will dig a lot further into all these stages. What I have also done is host a webinar where I went through this process to a group of highly motivated business owners.

Also, on the webinar I reveal some content creation and blogging strategies live on screen. I received some fantastic feedback from the attendees, and I would like to make this available to you. By clicking here, you can register for the webinar at a time that is convenient for you. After watching the webinar if you have any questions you can contact me here and I will quickly get back to you.

Hopefully you have a clearer understanding on how to create a blog step by step and in the next post I will start to break every stage down in fine detail. For now register for the webinar above and I would appreciate some feedback below.

As always, I wish you every success.

Pete Harris

Professional Blogger & Information Publisher

The post How To Create A Blog Step By Step appeared first on The Blogging Factory.

Blog Niche Ideas

Pete Harris — Wed, 28 Aug 2019 07:40:54 +0000

If You Are Struggling To Come Up With Blog Niche Ideas, Then Here Are Some Simple Resources To Help You

An article from The Blogging Factory that looks at blog niche ideas and how to find them for your next blog.

Hey Pete Harris here and I am constantly asked how I come up with blog niche ideas. You are probably here because you are struggling to come up with blog niche ideas for your next blog.

What I usually say to people is to look closer to home so to speak, and look at what you are interested in. Also, you have knowledge and experience in many topics so that could be a place to start. Finally look at what you are good at and determine if this is something you could create a blog on.

I know that for many people blog niche ideas is the first hurdle to overcome. So, I thought it would be valuable to you if I shared some strategies and resources that I use. Hopefully I can make this exercise much easier for you so let’s get on with it.

Blog Niche Ideas – How To Come Up With The Perfect Topic For Your Next Blog

So, what is a niche? Well a niche can be broken down to three things and they are a noun, adjective or a verb. What we are interested in is the adjective and in this case a niche means the following. “Denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population”.

Now this is very important for you to understand. If you already have a business, then your industry is your niche and not everyone in the world is going to be interested in what you have to offer. So, the blog that you will be creating has to reflect the look and feel of that industry.

For an example. If your business was in the garden care industry you wouldn’t want to have pictures of cats and dogs on it. It wouldn’t be congruent and people landing on your blog would be confused.

So, if you have an already established business the best way to do some research is to simply go to our friend Google. In the search box simply enter the following term “(your niche) blogs” and Google will return hundreds of relevant results.

Blog Niche Ideas – When In Doubt Turn To Google

From here I would open the first 6 in different tabs and take some time to study what they are talking about in their message. Also, what products and services are they providing. These are your competitors so gather the information together, see what they are doing well and model it, don’t copy because you need to differentiate yourself from them. What is unique about what you have to offer.

This information will be used later when we go through constructing your blog and the psychology behind creating your content. The following section will help you also so make sure you keep reading.

If you have not got an established business but you want to use blogging as a platform to create a home based business then I am going to go through some great resources to help you determine what niche you decide to base your blog on.

Before I go into these resources there is something that I want to bring to your attention. There are certain niches that are referred to as “Evergreen” niches. What this means is that there is a constant and established market for products and services that are offered.

Now these are huge niches and contained within them are sub-niches which in turn contain further sub-niches. Don’t worry I will explain more about this shortly.

Also, if you are looking to make money from blogging there are niches that contain more affluent people in general and the products and services you can offer are referred to as mid to high ticket. Meaning the retail price is higher but because these people have more disposable income they don’t really think or worry about spending it.

What Are Your Passionate About?

The easiest place to start is what you are passionate about. This could be hobby based, health related, wealth related, fashion the list goes on, but I am sure you get the point by now.

At this point if I was to base this on myself starting a new blog then I would go into the Golf niche. I am passionate about golf and like to play as often as I can but sometimes this work thing just gets in the way!

Also, there are a lot of wealthy people who play golf and they like to spend money on their hobby. Alas I would not class myself as wealthy in relation to the size of my bank balance. I am more of a journey man golfer and a normal person. Saying that though I have been known to spend a fair bit of money in my time walking the fairways. Which then brings me on to products and services which are available for golfers to purchase.

Equipment is the obvious one which can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars, pounds or euros depending on your currency. Then there is apparel closely followed by training aids, membership subscriptions, travel and holiday products. Now I know through experience that I could create products and services or leverage ready-made products and services and generate a sale through the content I create and publish on my blog. Are you starting to create a picture or vision in your mind as to what you can achieve?

Where Is The Best Place To Do Some Niche Research?

The first place I go to is Amazon. Why? Because they sell just about anything and everything that you can buy. I would start at their bestsellers section as it is potentially a gold mine.

You will notice that they have many categories so take some time to look at the general categories they have listed on their website. Now it is very important for me to be clear. Each category is a niche!

Click on the categories one by one and you will see the sub-categories, these are sub-niches and then you can drill down even further to the sub sub-categories. Very often there are veins of gold when you go this deep. One tip I will give is that you don’t want to be too broad, you must be specific. Is there a category that fits in with what you are interested in?

By doing this exercise you will also be able to gauge the products and services you could provide. Don’t try and invent the wheel because it will cost you time and money, the information is right there in front of you as to what the market for each category or niche wants. Base your business on this.

Blog Niche Ideas – Look In The Magazine Racks

Another great resource is magazines. Now you may not have been expecting this but here is why I use this research method. People buy or subscribe to magazines because they are interested in the content that is published. Again, don’t try and invent things as everything becomes clear by looking on the shelf.

Walk into your local newsagent or supermarket and take some time to look at what publications there are available. The reason I say this is because if magazines are prepared to spend money to have things physically printed then you can be sure that there are people buying them! These validates the demand.

So, once you have taken the time to see what magazines are available in your niche go and buy 2 or three of them. It won’t cost you much but could be very valuable for a couple of reasons.

The first is that you see what type of content people want to read. The second is there will be advertisements for products and services so you will see what people are buying. By the way people are buying them otherwise the product vendors wouldn’t be advertising!

You can also do this virtually as well. Just like before when I said enter “(your niche) blog” into Google only this time enter “(your niche) magazines” and Google will list all of the magazines in your niche so you can click on the links and explore online what they are publishing.

Digital Product Marketplaces

Most of these magazines will have a subscription that people pay so the same analogy can be applied as the printed version. These magazines would not be available if people weren’t subscribing!

My next port of call is a marketplace called Clickbank. Here you will find thousands of digital products again in hundreds of categories or niches. Use the same principle as I said for Amazon. Study the niches and then go and explore.

I like Clickbank because it gives me ideas for affiliate products and products, I can create to sell on my blog, but I will talk more about this later in this book. For now, we are just in niche research phase for validation.

So, there are three great resources to carry out your niche research. Don’t rush this, I can’t emphasise this enough. Once you have all your information together and decided on your niche it is then time to start building out your blog. That starts with your virtual real estate.

Hopefully I have given you some valuable insights into researching blog nice ideas. If you are looking for additional help in launching your first or next blog, then download my free guide. My How to Start A Blog guide will take any element of doubt you may have about starting your own blog. It is a roadmap that if you follow step by step then you really can’t fail. I know that is a bold statement so why not take me up on my offer so you can see for yourself? Click here to download now!

I wish you every success.

Pete Harris

Professional Blogger & Information Publisher

The post Blog Niche Ideas appeared first on The Blogging Factory.

Blogging Purpose

Pete Harris — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:58:42 +0000

Unless You Know What Your Blogging Purpose Is Your Posts Will Become Virtual Dust On The Shelf

An article from professional blogger and founder of The Blogging factory which looks at your blogging purpose.

Hi, Pete Harris here, am I am the founder of The Blogging Factory. Over the next few weeks I am going to show you how to get your first or next blog online. Before we do that, I am going to ask you one simple question and that is. “What’s your blogging purpose?”

Now I can hear the groans and you saying “come on Pete, get to the good stuff”. Sorry, but as they say Rome wasn’t built in a day. Things take time and if you rush then you will in all probability fail. Then you will blame me for things not working. So, I am going to set the scene.

You must be clear in that space between your ears just what is your purpose to starting a blog. It is not that hard to work out in the grand scheme of things. There are in my opinion two directions to take because I like to try and keep things simple.

The first direction is if you want to create a personal blog which documents your life. What you do and what you get up to. What you are passionate about and where you can state your opinion. In many ways you can create a virtual journal of your life instead of the past where people used to use a pen a paper. Nothing wrong with that and I am sure some people like the old school methods.

We are though in the 21^st century and things have changed somewhat over the last 20 years or so.

Blogging Purpose – Do You Want A Blog For Your Business?

Now the other direction you can take is if you want to create a blog for your business. Or even use blogging as a business model. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of individuals all around the world, who earn their income from sharing their message through the powerful medium which is blogging.

Having a blog for your business really is a must in today’s digital environment. People use the internet to gather information for solutions to the problems they are suffering from. Your business offers solutions and creating a blog gives you a platform to deliver your solutions.

I will cover how to structure your blog in a later post. For now the main feature of a blog is the fluidity it gives you to create content on a frequent basis. Your blog basically tells stories about how your business, and the products and services you offer, can add value to people lives. If you take a moment to think about this, you will realise how powerful this is. To make an impact on someone for the better! What on earth can be better than that?

Now the other direction is to become a full-time blogger and create a home-based blogging business. Now you may be scratching your head and saying to yourself, “Pete what do you mean?” So, let me explain.

Fancy Being A Blogging Celebrity?

Have you ever what the news or factual show and seen professional bloggers get interviewed? Usually it would be fashion, health, show business or environmental issues where these people are interviewed on certain trending topics. Now they are not there to talk about their blogging business, more to get exposure for themselves.

You see these individuals create tons of content on their niche or industry. By doing so they create huge followings on their blog and through social media. This really is the holy grail but what do I mean by that? When you have a tribe of followers you become an influencer. Therefore your fans will take notice and take action on what you say.

These individuals are then attractive to big businesses who will pay them to be associated with them and endorse their products and services. As an example, a travel blogger will get paid to travel the world by travel companies, airlines, hotel chains etc.

Now that is just scratching the surface, but this principle can be relative to any niche or industry. Also, there is a business model that fits perfectly with blogging called affiliate marketing where you create content. Within that content you can promote other people’s products and services, and then receive commissions on any sales you make. I will be talking more about this towards the end of this series of posts when I give you tips on how to monetize your blog.

Blogging Purpose – Let’s Set Firm Foundations For Your Blog

All this good stuff is for later, but I wanted to create an itch that you need to scratch. That is, why do you want to create a blog? What is your blogging purpose? See there really is method in my madness and you may think that creating the right mindset is not necessary or even boring. Let me tell you there is a need for it before you start clicking buttons and building your framework. At the end of the day if your foundations are not firm then your framework and what you put inside of it will collapse!

I would suggest you take some time to gain clarity on what you are trying to achieve from starting your own blog. Many people think that having a blog is just about getting a domain name, which I will come onto shortly, and then publishing content. In layman terms a blog is a domain name which holds content but unless you know the reasoning behind creating the content your blog will just gather virtual dust. No one will find your blog or may not be interested in what you have to say. Now can you see where I am coming from.

If you want to fast track your success download my How To Start A Blog guide here or fill out the form to the right of this post. I will then send it instantly to your inbox for you to access.

As you can see, defining your blogging purpose is crucial in so many ways. Therefore, once you have purpose you will stand a better chance of creating a powerful platform for yourself. Come back tomorrow and discover how to do niche and market research for your blog.

As always I wish you every success.

Pete Harris

Professional Blogger & Information Publisher

The post Blogging Purpose appeared first on The Blogging Factory.