Welcome to Day 2!
Today’s lesson is a hot topic. Choosing the category for your blog as well as your name and niche is where the rubber meets the road.
1. Choose your topic
The first step is to take action towards choosing your topic and then move forward with your decision.
If you are passionate about something, you can start a blog about it. You don’t have to have a degree or be an absolute expert on the topic you choose unless you are wanting to give legal, medical or tax advice.
People want to read your personal story and hear your advise.
Download the Blog Niche Worksheet or go to the Google Sheet if that’s more your preference, make a copy to your Google Drive or print it out and let’s get started.
- Write out topics that you are passionate about and/or that you are an expert in.
Some of the top blog niches are:
Politics, Agriculture, Business/Entrepreneurship, Events, Lifestyle, Health, Tech, DIY, Fashion, Relationships, Entertainment, Jobs, News, Sports, Reviews, and Food.
- If you are not sure what topic to choose, you can decide to do a lifestyle blog and see what connects most to people who read your blog.
- If you want to run a successful monetized blog, choose a topic that is of interest to others and one where you could really lend a helping hand to your audience.
- Narrow your list down. Google top bloggers in these areas.
- Write out what you like about those top blogs. Note what interests you from content to branding and voice or more importantly, what will connect with your target audience.
- Now, choose one or two of those niches and write out different subtopics and categories within that niche. Are the wheels turning yet?
Choose the niche that has you the most excited, and has the most potential. Go with it. Even if it’s broad now or you feel like it’s not perfect, don’t worry. You can start out more broadly as a new blogger and narrow down when you see where readers are flocking.
2. Name your blog
Keep in mind, your name isn’t what matters most! It’s your content. You could spend weeks figuring out a niche and then months on the perfect name.
In the end, your content will be the absolute driving force of your blog. So, don’t get stuck here!
Download the Blog Naming Worksheet or go to the Google Sheet and let’s dive right in.
With a background in branding, I can be of assistance!
I’m going to send you to the lesson: How To Name Your Blog and Choose Your Niche.
Be sure to use the sheet alongside this lesson. There is invaluable content within that lesson for each step.
3. Choose your domain name
Note domain name front running. When you search for open domains freely, these searches get picked up. Host sites jack up the prices and even purchase them from under you. You can Google how to look up your possible domain names to avoid front running.
Try typing in your domain ideas into whois.domaintools.com because they are unaffiliated.
Now that you have your topic and name chosen, it’s time to snag your domain with proper hosting and set up your blog the right way.
I will walk you through proper hosting, set-up, and themes in tomorrow’s lesson, but if you do want to skip ahead and buy your domain right now, head over to How to set up your blog EASILY. You will be able to start a blog for just $3.95 a month through that link.
See you tomorrow!
Day 1: Is blogging right for you? How to succeed as a blogger
Day 2: Successfully name your blog & find your niche
Day 3: How to set up your blog EASILY
Day 4: How to brand your blog
Day 5: Make money from your blog right now
Day 6: Drive organic, engaged traffic to your blog
Day 7: Create your editorial calendar, 50+ post ideas and start blogging!
