As of 2024, about 800 million blogs exist on the internet.
And you can bet a lot of bloggers are covering the same topic as you.
So, you need to create a blog that stands out among the hundreds of other blogs in your niche, if not thousands.
But how do you compete with other blogs that already exist?
It all begins with one BIG GOAL.
Why Bloggers Fail To Make Money in 2024
When you start a blog, you must have a BIG GOAL. It describes the ultimate goal of your blog. When most people start a blog, they don’t have a plan.
But how are you supposed to start a blog that makes money if you don’t know the blog’s ultimate goal? How can you succeed if you don’t perceive what you’re trying to do?
It’s impossible.
And it’s a big reason why a lot of bloggers fail.
It’s ample reason why I have failed many times.
With the One BIG Idea, you know what your mission is. It’s your north star, guiding you to a successful blog.
So in this guide, rather than help you start a blog first, I’ll also focus on the essence of what makes a blog a blog.
What’s a blog?
Etymologically speaking, the word “blog” is derived from the amalgam of the words “web” and “log.” In fact, from the early 90s, this popular 21st-century digital entity’s naming underwent quite a bit of metamorphosis.
First, it was referred to as “weblog.” It later morphed into “we blog” before the word “blog” finally stuck.
Blogs grew out of online journals, which were fast becoming rampant in the mid-90s. As the internet grew, many internet users started to run personal webpages where they published general information about their lives and their views about happenings in the world around them.
Even today, in 2023, blogs still serve this function.
So, you may think of a blog as an online equivalent of a traditional diary. Like a traditional journal or diary, a typical blog is written in informal language that characterizes day-to-day personal communication.
A vital clarification here: It isn’t just individuals who run blogs. Businesses and corporations own and run blogs too. Later, I will discuss different types of blogs, their purposes, and their benefits but suffice to say that all blogs are not created equal.
Blog vs. Website: What’s the difference?
Although every blog is a type of website, not every website is a blog. Unlike a typical website, a blog contains frequently updated information in reverse chronological order. The information shown on the site ranks from the most recent to the least recent.
This feature is a major distinguishing characteristic between a blog and a website. Whereas most websites are updated only occasionally, some blogs update their content even multiple times per day.
You may also wonder which is better; a blog or a website. The answer to that query is determined by what you aim to achieve with your site.
A blog is a frequently updated informational website characterized by posts arranged in reverse chronological order.
The comments feature and social sharing icons are two other features common to a blog but absent on a website. The comment feature allows a visitor to comment on a blog posting. In contrast, the social sharing icons will enable the blog audience to share any blog post on their desired social media platforms.
The Types and Purposes of Blogs
For many individuals, blogging remains a form of public, online journal. But the question remains, “why are many more people choosing to go public with their thoughts and opinions?”
One obvious benefit is that thanks to several technological advancements and modifications, making bank just by owning a blog is now possible.
Perhaps, the goal of reaping a harvest of huge dollars is the reason you’ve read this post. Nonetheless, beyond making money, there are many underlying reasons why people blog.
When you know the different types of blogs that exist and the diverse purposes they serve, it guides you in structuring your blog to achieve your predetermined intentions.
1. Personal Blog
Just as the name implies, this blog is focused on the blogger. These blogs have stuck entirely to the purpose blogs originally served. A personal blog is poised to communicate anything that interests the blog owner.
The blogger writes about his hobbies, beliefs, interests, feelings, experiences, and frustrations. The blog’s success depends on whether or not the blog owner can find other people whose thoughts resonate.
From there on, a community is built. It’s important to know that the content of a personal blog is not niche-specific. The blogger may write about anything that pleases him.
2. Personal Brand Blog
People often run blogs as part of their branding endeavors. Personal branding refers to the coordinated and intentional efforts of creating a brand around a person.
The individual makes conscious efforts to market her skills and abilities and cause the public to perceive her as an authority in her field.
The process of personal branding involves employing all the tools that a business would use when building a brand, including a website, social media, and of course, a blog.
A personal brand blog is similar to a personal blog because they both have much to do with the blog owner. But, while the personal blog has many topics he can write about, the personal brand narrowed his focus to fewer topics.
A personal brand blogger’s goal is to establish herself as a thought leader in the field where she writes. A few brilliant examples of a personal brand are the personal brands of Kylie Jenner- the billionaire girl of the Kardashian family, and Gary Vaynerchuk, an American-Belarusian entrepreneur.
3. Business Blog
Many businesses that own websites have also built dedicated blogs as part of their overall marketing strategy. There are many benefits to this decision.
When a business runs a properly SEO-optimized blog, it generates more organic leads to its website. The approach to a business blog is to write on topics worth to their ideal clients.
More savvy businesses even go as far as giving freemiums. A freemium is a valuable piece of information that the prospective client would be happy to pay for it, but it is offered for free.
An ever-flowing stream of relevant information, in turn, allows a business to build trust and nurture its relationship with its audience. Doling out high-quality content is only the first step. The idea is to convert these visitors to leads and convert them into paying customers through a series of processes.
4. Niche Blog
Niche blogs are highly specific blogs. Rather than dabble into a broad range of topics, a niche blog tapers down the options and focuses on it.
Examples of niche ideas are home décor blogging, parenting blogging, fashion blogging, religious blogging, lifestyle blogging, food blogging, etc.
Some blogs get even narrow into the niches and concentrate on a small segment of a broader niche. An example of this would be a seafood blog. The overarching niche is food, but this blog focuses exclusively on edible sea creatures.
There’s a similarity between a personal brand blog and a niche blog. They are both tailored to a niche market. There’s a major difference, though. While the personal brand blog is built around the blogger, discussions on the niche blog are focused more on the niche itself.
When choosing a niche, it is essential to pick a topic that you find fascinating. It’s also essential to ensure that your niche market will attract loads of souls. Your success as a blogger is connected to how much traffic you have on your site. As such, a niche in a topic that doesn’t appeal to a massive number of internet users is to see your business up for failure.
5. Affiliate Blog
Affiliate bloggers review products that are produced by other businesses. They create content that encourages visitors to their blog to purchase a product. The blogger earns a commission when a web user buys a product using any of the blogger’s site’s affiliate links.
Success in affiliate blogging requires many SEO efforts since web users will only be engaging with links they can see.
These are five primary types of blogs that exist.
Keep in mind that a blog may, however, overlap in its functions and models.
For instance, a personal blog could as well be an affiliate blog. You have seen that a blog can serve many purposes.
Some use it to exercise their artistic muscles and showcase their creativity and talents; some use it to establish themselves as industry authorities. Some also use it to connect and socialize with fellow hobbyists or persons with similar values and interests.
And many businesses likewise have found a way to cash in on the benefits of a blog. They now incorporate it into their marketing strategies and use them as a channel for lead generation and customer acquisition.
Which sort of blog is perfect for you?
Take a step back…
And picture the goals you want to accomplish in the long term.
Your goals will be your guide.
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