By Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links on this website. There is no expense to you.

In the future, marketers could face unique challenges that will change how they approach digital marketing.

The top content marketing strategies are still personalized marketing, extended use of multimedia, and exploring new…

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Try this viral mailer that pays

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links on this website. There is no expense to you.

What are some tips for blogging success?


Here are a few ways to approach blogging.

1. Prioritize speed

If you have an idea you want to publish, work on it as soon as possible rather than taking several weeks to get the idea just right.

If you’re a new blogger, remember that a blog post isn’t something that has to break new ground, or is a thesis, or a dissertation.

2. The more you write, the easier it becomes because you’ll get more ideas.

3. You’re writing should be to answer a question.

4. Writing helps you to think.

5. Some writers are addicted to lists. Know you’re style (and if you don’t writing may help you find one) and go with it.

6. Don’t be concerned with your favorites getting views. Have fun and write what you want.

7. When just starting, or building a social media presence, don’t expect much regarding views or social engagement.

Blogging (or podcasting or creating a community) is a long-term game. It might take years to build an audience.

8. If you write a lot, expect to make mistakes. Some typos are bound to slip through.

9. Don’t worry about people not understanding you’re point. You can’t write something that everyone will not understand the same way.

10. Don’t try to optimize your posts for social media platforms that you don’t understand.



Now, more on how to write blog articles that get more engagement.

You should first determine what you want to write about, your area of expertise, or a niche.



What are the best niches for blogging?

Following are the most popular blog niches in which to make money.

Niche 1: Digital Marketing.

The rapidly evolving field of Digital Marketing involves the strategies used to promote products and services online.

It includes:

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Techniques to make your content more visible to potential visitors which in turn improves your website’s ranking on search engines like Google.

Content Marketing: Creating valuable content (blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc.) to attract and engage your target audience.

Social Media Marketing: Effectively leveraging platforms like Facebook, Twitter (now “X”) Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn to build a following and promote your blog or services.

Email Marketing: Building an email list for nurturing leads, direct outreach, and selling products or services.

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) which involves placing ads in search results or on relevant websites and paying when someone clicks on them.

Niche 2: Tech and AI.

Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are constantly altering the world around us.

A blog centered on this niche can cover:

Tech Trends and Innovations – that explain emerging technologies, groundbreaking gadgets, and future tech predictions.

Software Reviews – that provide in-depth reviews and comparisons of popular and new software, apps, and productivity tools.

AI Applications – that explore the impact of AI on industries from healthcare to finance, offering insights and future possibilities.

VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) – that demystify these immersive technologies and their increasing adoption.

Web3 and Blockchain – which unpack the world of decentralized technologies, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs.

Tech-savvy bloggers with a passion for innovation can position themselves as an authority in this field. By riding the wave of technological development, you can consistently have fresh content ideas and opportunities to tap into a curious and engaged audience.

Niche 3: Blogging and Making Money Online.

There’s a massive audience interested in learning how to build a profitable blog and how to navigate the world of online income generation. This niche offers the opportunity to share your expertise and to guide others on their blogging journeys.

Here’s what you could include:

Building a Blog includes choosing a profitable niche, finding a web host, setting up your website, and creating your first pieces of content.

Finding Your Audience which involves identifying your ideal reader, understanding audience demographics, and building a community.

Monetization Models that explore different income streams like affiliate marketing, sponsored content, memberships, digital products, and advertising.

Side Hustles which share ideas for diversifying income through consulting, freelancing, and selling services related to your blog.

Niche 4: Health and Fitness.

The health and fitness industry is vast, with consumers constantly seeking guidance and inspiration for healthier living.

Here are some possible subtopics:

Nutrition – Sharing reliable information about healthy eating, searching out different dietary trends, and dispelling diet myths.

Exercise – You can provide workout routines and exercise tutorials for various fitness levels and explore different workout styles (HIIT, weightlifting, etc.).

Mental Health and Wellness in which you discuss mindfulness practices, meditation techniques, stress management, and strategies for improving mental well-being.

Holistic Health where you promote a balanced approach to well-being and cover alternative therapies, lifestyle practices, and natural remedies.

Niche 5: Personal Finance and Investing.

People are increasingly concerned about their financial health. You can dedicate your blog to personal finance and investing and offer valuable guidance that empowers individuals to take control of their financial future.

You could cover:

Budgeting and Saving by providing strategies for managing expenses, building emergency funds, and creating a budget.

Debt Management to help readers understand different types of debt and offer strategies for becoming debt-free.

Investing Basics that explain stocks, bonds, ETFs, and retirement accounts to help beginners see how to build wealth through investing.

FIRE Movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early) explores the concept of extreme saving and investing strategies aimed at early retirement.

Real Estate Investing – Examine potential income opportunities through rental properties, real estate platforms, and flipping houses.

Niche 6: Recipes and Food.

As people are always seeking delicious recipes and inspiration for meals, food blogs consistently enjoy widespread popularity.

The potential scope of this niche includes:

Specific Cuisines and Dietary Trends that focus on a particular cuisine (Italian, Mexican, etc.) or cater to specific diets (vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo, etc.).

Meal Planning and Prep – Provide tips on meal planning, smart grocery shopping, and batch cooking.

Food Photography and Styling where you share how to beautifully capture food on camera to create an enticing blog and social media presence.

Food Trends and Reviews where you explore the latest food crazes and review food products or popular restaurants.

Sustainable Eating where you promote mindful consumption, locally sourced ingredients, and waste reduction.

Niche 7: Personal Development and Self-Care.

In today’s fast-paced world, people are seeking ways to improve themselves and prioritize their well-being.

This niche encompasses a broad variety of topics:

Goal Setting and Motivation: Provide techniques for outlining goals, staying motivated, and overcoming obstacles.

Mindfulness and Stress Management explores meditation, breathing exercises, and strategies for reducing stress.

Relationships and Communication – Help readers communicate effectively, build strong relationships, and manage conflict.

Happiness and Self-Esteem – Share insights into cultivating positivity, boosting self-confidence, and gratitude practices.

Self-Discovery and Purpose – You can guide readers on a journey to understand their values and strengths and find meaning in life.

Niche 8: Lifestyle.

Lifestyle blogs cover an array of subjects that offer inspiration and advice on how to live well.

Here’s the potential scope:

Travel: Share travel guides, trip planning tips, itineraries, destination highlights.

Fashion and Beauty – Showcase personal style, review on-trend products, and provide makeup and skincare tutorials.

DIY and Home Improvement – Offer easy-to-follow DIY projects, interior design inspiration, and home organization tips.

Gardening and Sustainable Living – Share techniques for composting, growing your own food, and eco-friendly practices.

Special Interests and Hobbies – Explore specific passions like music, photography, crafting, or gaming.

Niche 9: Parenting.

The scope of parenting is vast and ever-evolving. A successful parenting blog can provide resources, support, and a sense of community for new and experienced parents alike.

What you could address:

Pregnancy and Baby Care – Offer guidance on prenatal care, newborn development, baby gear essentials, and feeding.

Parenting Styles and Child Development – Discuss different parenting approaches, navigating milestones for various age groups, and child psychology.

Family Activities and Education – Provide ideas for homeschooling, educational resources, and fun activities.

Product Reviews: Review baby gear, toys, and family-friendly products or services.

Parent Self-Care and Relationships – Emphasize the importance of parents caring for themselves, maintaining strong relationships, and managing the challenges of parenthood.

Niche 10: Technology, Software & Gadgets.

In our rapidly changing digital world, there’s always a demand for information and insights on the latest tech advancements.

Here’s the potential scope for this niche:

Gadget Reviews and Comparisons: Provide in-depth assessments of smartphones, cameras, laptops, wearables, smart home devices, and other cutting-edge technology.

Software Reviews and Tutorials: Unpack popular software applications, productivity tools, and emerging cloud solutions.

Tech News and Trends: Stay ahead of the curve by reporting on new releases, industry shifts, and groundbreaking technologies.

Gaming: Plunge into the world of video games with reviews, walkthroughs, and insights into upcoming releases.

Tech Troubleshooting and How-To blogs help readers solve common tech problems with step-by-step guides.

This is just a sampling of how to write blog articles that get more engagement. Building a profitable blog takes time and dedication. It’s about consistent effort and providing genuine value to your readers.

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By Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links on this website. There is no expense to you.

The method for approaching visibility and growth in the rapidly evolving digital landscape has changed. It’s no longer totally about SEO for ranking higher on Google.

Google isn’t the first place people check for answers anymore. They’re turning to social media, Amazon, YouTube, and ChatGPT which basically have become search engines themselves.

Today you need to be in a discoverable search everywhere optimization mindset wherever your audience searches—on social media platforms, niche industry forums, or e-commerce marketplaces.

SEO (Search Everywhere Optimization) extends beyond traditional search engines. It’s the strategy of optimizing your presence across all platforms where users might search for your products, brand, or services.


This approach guarantees:

1. Maximum visibility – Wherever your audience is searching your brand appears.

2. Consistency – Your messaging and brand identity stays consistent across all platforms.

3. Engagement – You meet potential customers in the right context and drive meaningful communication.






What is the new SEO?

The new SEO is search everywhere optimization which optimizes your brand’s organic presence on all platforms your customers use.

SEO is now about optimizing your presence everywhere and thinking beyond Google search for organic traffic. While this concept is not new, it has become a must instead of an afterthought.



What platforms do you need to optimize for besides Google?

Google is still the number one player among search engines and Bing is second. You should still use time-tested tactics to improve your visibility such as:

Creating high-quality backlinks

Cleaning up technical SEO so you show up on the front pages of the SERPS

Creating quality content


Don’t forget about traditional search engines when implementing a search everywhere optimization strategy.


YouTube

Improve your YouTube SEO by using keyword-rich transcripts, titles, and descriptions.
Identify content gaps for videos that answer specific queries, to fulfill search intent.

To research the questions consumers have about your topic use search listening platforms like AnswerThePublic.


1. TikTok


The TikTok app is changing the search terminology model. New search terms come from coined phrases that users show in video captions or specific product names that go viral within the app.

While TikTok has gained significant attention, especially among younger users, established platforms like Facebook and Instagram continue to play crucial roles in the social media environment.


2. Facebook and Instagram

Before anything else, know your audience. Who are you trying to connect with? What are their problems? What are their interests? Use listening tools and hashtag research features on both platforms to explore relevant keywords and trending topics within your niche.

Capitalize on trending topics and integrate them into your content calendar to improve discoverability. Authenticity is critical so don’t hop on trends that are not aligned with your brand and don’t steal exact ideas or captions from other creators.


3. YouTube

Although keywords are still important, YouTube’s algorithm now prioritizes audience engagement metrics. You have to create videos that keep viewers’ attention from start to finish.

Here are a few suggestions:

Grabbing attention in the first few seconds with a strong introduction, captivating visuals, or a thought-provoking question.

Breaking your video into clear sections, with timestamps in the description, to enable viewers’ easy navigation.

Optimizing titles, descriptions and transcripts with relevant keywords for search discovery.,

Make compelling storyboards to structure your video. Use high-quality visuals, audio and editing techniques to hold your audience.

You’ll want to focus on your content itself. A single YouTube video has numerous chances for optimization strategy. You can insert search-friendly keywords in many places.

Craft compelling yet concise video descriptions that accurately reflect your content and include relevant keywords and links to relevant pages on your website. Remember to use timestamps!


4. Amazon

To drive organic success on Amazon use keyword research with nuance. Although keywords are still crucial, you should prioritize relevance over pure search volume. Understand your target audience’s intent behind searches and create your product titles, descriptions, and backend keywords accordingly. Use tools like Amazon PPC to help with research.



SEO is no longer about just Search Engine Optimization but it’s about search Everywhere Optimization,’ ensuring your audience finds you wherever they look.

If you have limited resources, focus your efforts on the platforms your customers most often use.

Search everywhere optimization doesn’t require a completely different approach, although it takes a little more effort to reach users on more channels.

This article presents an overview of only a few of the new search engine optimization options and descriptions. There are many more that you can research and use in your online marketing.


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by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links on this website. There is no expense to you.

What is tone of voice in marketing?

Tone of voice is the personality a business creates to communicate with its target audience. If done well, it should build brand recognition and promote a connection with your audience.

Tone includes the language used, sentence structure, and how your words are delivered. It takes into consideration gender, cultural aspects, and the pace at which the language is delivered.

Think of it as one person communicating with another. When you want someone to do something, how do you ask them?

Your tone of voice depends on the audience, how you want them to perceive you, and what communication will best achieve the outcome.

Building your brand’s tone of voice is all about the words you use to appeal to the right people.



What are the benefits of a great tone of voice?


1. Brand Recognition

A great tone of voice builds a brand’s recognition. Your audience will always know it’s you when you use a specific, distinctive tone of voice that’s consistent throughout all your marketing channels.


2. Trust and Credibility

In business, credibility is everything, and your tone establishes trust and credibility. Customers instantly turn their backs on brands that they perceive as insincere or untrustworthy. Over 80% of consumers need to be able to trust a brand before they will even consider purchasing from it.

A well-defined, consistent brand tone of voice comes across as more genuine, which can help you build trust with customers.


3. Differentiation

Your brand tone of voice can be what, sometimes, differentiates you from competitors who sell the same products and services.

It’s easier for customers to connect with you on an emotional level when your brand has a distinct personality. Thus, building trust and loyalty, upping the odds that they choose you over the competition.

A unique tone of voice also makes your brand more unforgettable. This helps your company stick in people’s minds, which can lead to inquiries, leads, and sales.


4. Customer Relationships

When your brand has a distinct tone, it’s easier to enhance customer relationships. Customers want a personal connection with the brands they buy from. They want to know that you understand their needs, values, and concerns. And, they also want to know that the brand will be around for them if something goes wrong.

You can create stronger customer bonds by speaking to customers on their terms and level, which makes you authentic and relatable.

Customers who feel seen and heard are more likely to stay around for the long term.


5. Brand Values

Your tone of voice reinforces brand values. For example,

Your brand tone of voice should always reflect your values. For example, if you pride yourself on being a compassionate business, your tone of voice should be warm, friendly, and approachable.



So, how do you develop your brand’s tone of voice?


1. Understand Your Audience

You really need to get to know your target audience before creating your brand’s tone of voice. It needs to resonate with people who are most likely to buy your product or service.

You can start by researching your target audience’s preferences. Think about their age, where they live, what they do for a living, and their hobbies and interests.

You can develop a customer persona, if you don’t already have one, by using tools like Google Analytics.


2. Competitors

Analyze and research your competitors for the tone of voice they use. This will help you come up with a tone of voice that’s distinctive and unique.

Who is your competitor and what language, words, and phrases do they use? Who is your competitor’s biggest customer and what are their pain points? How does your content solve their problems? And how can you best speak to them?


3. Analyze Your Communication

Next, look at your current marketing materials to see if you have a brand tone of voice in place. It might be that you already favor a specific tone or your use of brand voice and tone is inconsistent across your content.

Consistency is imperative when establishing your tone of voice. A consistent tone branding can get you more growth overall.

Review everything from existing content, customer personas, brand tone of voice guidelines, and messaging to help you identify what’s working and what you need to change.


4. Clarify Values

To ensure consistency and help your tone of voice resonate with the right people, clarify your brand values.

If you already have a values page or a mission statement on your website, that’s a good start.

If you don’t have brand values in place, think about the characteristics that shape your brand identity, like:

What purpose does your business have?

What problems does your business solve?

What characteristics do the people who work for you share?

What are your long-term goals?

What qualities do your existing customers say define you? Check out previous reviews for valuable insight.

You need to reflect your values in your brand tone of voice.


5. Define Your Tone

Now, use the data you gathered from the previous stages, and choose four or five adjectives that best describe how you want your brand to sound.

Examples:

Authoritative
Optimistic
Informative
Conversational

If you’re stuck, you can use.


6. Create Brand Tone of Voice Guidelines


Brand tone of voice guidelines help with consistency. That way, everyone knows how your brand speaks across different scenarios and platforms. If you work with a third party like a digital marketing agency, guidelines are very useful. This helps anyone who creates content on your behalf use the right tone of voice.

Your guidelines should include specific examples of your brand tone in action, as well as how you don’t want to sound. Here’s an example. Your brand tone of voice guidelines can be a stand-alone document or a part of your company style guide.


7. Test and Repeat

When you’ve decided on your brand tone of voice and revised your content, make sure it drives the right results.

Start with your engagement rates.

Are you getting more likes, shares, and comments than before on social media?

Are you seeing more website traffic or longer viewing times on your pages?

Are there more click-through rates on your email newsletters?

If so it’s a sign that your new content aligns with audience expectations.

Ask your customers what they think of your content—you can do this through a short feedback form. They can advise if your new brand tone of voice clicks with them and offer advice on how to make it even better.

Remember to audit and update your tone of voice annually. If your target audience changes or your local rival updates its brand tone of voice, you need to change to stay relevant.

The most effective result of having a strong tone of voice is that it fosters trust and builds relationships with customers. They interact with your brand in the same way people would with a friend or trusted person.

More and more, people want to interact with brands online rather than call customer service, and they are more inclined to do so if the tone of voice is strong. As already stated in this article, building your brand’s tone of voice is critical to your marketing success.


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by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links on this website. There is no expense to you.

In recent years, consumer expectations have significantly shifted. With developing marketing trends like voice search, influencer marketing, and augmented reality taking the lead, businesses must quickly adapt. A strong digital marketing strategy isn’t just a part of your overall efforts, but the core of your business growth. Whether you’re an experienced marketing professional or new to the field, understanding and applying these trends is key to your success.

The emphasis on an improved customer experience, integration of AI and personalization in marketing campaigns, and the continued increase of short-form video content on social media platforms are reshaping the marketing world.

Keeping up with these changes isn’t straightforward. You have to plunge deep into industry reports, engage with marketing leaders and industry experts, and carefully monitor consumer behavior and social media trends.

To improve customer service and optimize web traffic, you have to focus on many aspects like SEO, user-generated content, video marketing, and effective use of digital ads.

Since the decline of third-party cookies, content marketing trends, first-party data, and email marketing has risen.

To maintain brand credibility and customer loyalty, there’s a shift toward more responsible use of data and an emphasis on social responsibility.

Let’s take a look at some future marketing trends.


What are some future trends in marketing?



1. Capturing Your Audience’s Attention


With the evolving consumer preference for high-quality content, the struggle for consumer attention has intensified. If you’re producing content that not only entertains and is informative, and adds value to peoples’ lives you emerge on top. Your content can be blogs, videos, podcasts, or social media posts.



2. Nano- and Micro-Influencer Partnerships

As businesses recognize the higher engagement rates these smaller influencers typically offer, there will be a persistent shift toward nano- or micro-influencer marketing. Nano- and micro-influencers boast more niche-dedicated followings which leads to more authentic and impactful endorsements.

This trend indicates a broader move toward personalization and authenticity in marketing, with brands leveraging the close-knit communities these influencers have developed. They regularly enjoy higher levels of trust and engagement which makes their recommendations more effective.
These smaller yet more influential personalities offer authentic engagement over sheer reach.


3. Generative AI


Generative AI is transforming the marketing landscape. Developments in AI technology and the future release of Sora mark a significant milestone. Sora’s promise of changing generative AI text into captivating video content has marketers eagerly waiting to harness this technology.

This is expected to streamline content creation, allowing for the production of high-quality, engaging video content at an exceptional scale and speed.


4. Event Marketing

In-person events are becoming the focus of marketing strategies, reflecting a broader desire for authentic, memorable experiences.

To cut through the digital noise, brands are recognizing the power of live events, offering tangible ways for consumers to engage with their stories and products.

This trend indicates a balanced marketing approach where digital and physical strategies coexist, each amplifying the strengths of the other. Moving forward the integration of innovative technologies and creative content in live events will further increase their impact, making event marketing an essential part of the modern marketing mix.



What are some social media marketing trends?



Trends in social media marketing are key to connecting with audiences, driving conversions, and building brand loyalty.

Here are some trends that will change your thinking about how to execute your future social media strategy.


1. Short-Form Video


Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts will probably maintain their position as the top platforms. So, prepare your best quick, engaging content. Short-form video is the heart of social media and it will continue to be so.

As brands push the boundaries of what’s possible in 60 seconds or less, you’ll see a flood of creative techniques that deliver maximum impact in minimal time. Expect reactive content, humor, and bloopers to be front and center. Those who succeed in this space will be the ones who can consistently create content that doesn’t feel intrusive but more like a welcome break in users’ feeds.


2. Unfiltered Content

With the arrival of AI, social media has been inundated with AI-generated imagery. Although this has made the creative process faster and more efficient, it’s also created distrust. Now the trend is toward unpolished, authentic content that feels real and human. There will be less overproduced AI-polished visuals and more real relatable experiences. Authenticity will be the top requirement for building trust and loyalty with your target audience.


3. UGC Content

Now that audiences are craving raw and authentic content, the human touch of user-generated content (UGC) will prove more valuable than ever. We expect social media marketing trends to favor consumer content, offering a refreshing contrast to all the overly polished or AI-generated videos and photos.

UGC will become the foundation of successful social media strategies. Instead of just being encouraging, brands will build complete campaigns around it, leveraging its power to create authentic connections and drive engagement.

There will be collaborative campaigns, influencer partnerships, and branded hashtags to dominate every social media platform. Also exciting to see are more community-driven product development, customer story showcases, and UGC-powered social proof making their way to brands’ social media channels.


4. Static Content

Because it offers a break from the constant stream of video content dominating social media, static content is making a comeback. Viewers are looking for more diversity in their feeds. Static content like infographics, images, and carousel posts provide visual variety that can capture attention differently than videos.


Smart brands will adapt by balancing both dynamic and static formats. Static content complements video instead of competing with it, by offering an additional format that can reinforce the message, add context, or provide detailed information that video might not cover effectively. By doing this, brands can cater to different audience preferences and maximize engagement across various touchpoints.


5. Privacy and Ethics

As data regulations continue to tighten globally, you’ll need to adhere to increased privacy and data use laws. Transparency and trust will become critical components of any successful social media strategy.

Modern consumers care about the heavy emphasis on brands’ ethics and purpose, especially when it comes to data privacy.

Trends in social media marketing will go beyond simple compliance with data protection laws. Brands must prioritize ethical data practices, emphasizing user consent and value exchanges.  For smart marketers, this will be an opportunity to strengthen consumer relationships. For example, brands can offer tangible value (personalized experiences or exclusive content) in exchange for data. This way, they can transform data collection from a potential liability into a mutually beneficial exchange.


This article has given you a look into some future marketing trends, the emphasis being on “some.” Of course, there are many more.

Try this viral mailer that pays

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links on this website. There is no expense to you.

Blogs are evolving even as video content is gaining more attention. They’re not stagnating, just adapting by offering a fuller experience that may now include:

Podcasts
Videos

Infographics


This keeps readers engaged and offers different content preferences. Offering a media mix helps people find the detailed information they want.

Blogs have a continuing place in the digital world. Millions of people still read blogs every day, including younger generations. Even with the advancement of AI and other technologies, they aren’t going away. They’re adapting and staying relevant.

Some benefits of blogging are:

Boosting Your Visibility with Google

Blogging is essential to get noticed. Google holds over 90% of the search engine market where most people start their online journey. You can rank in top positions with a blog and receive more organic traffic, as blogs sit in the top five spots about 23% of the time, according to Search Engine Land. This means more eyes on your brand and more organic traffic.

Building Trust with Your Audience

A blog is a powerful way to show your expertise by sharing well-researched and insightful content that positions you or your company as an authority. This is essential in a digital environment where people can’t see or touch products before buying. Blogs clear confusion, answer customers’ questions, and build trust.

Creating Community Loyalty

Although community engagement is key, as companies with solid communities see more customer loyalty, social sharing and encouraging comments turn your blog into a place where readers can connect with you, your brand, and each other.

As loyal customers are worth more over their lifetime, it’s vital to keep them engaged.

You can extend your reach and deepen relationships by sharing blog content on social media.

Leveraging Networking and Collaboration

A trustworthy blog can provide new opportunities. Influencers, industry experts, and like-minded professionals often want to collaborate with authoritative businesses and a compelling audience.

This can lead to:

Guest posts
Joint ventures
Interviews

Expanding Your Reach and Building Relationships

To diversify and bring new voices into the mix, you can collaborate with others, which broadens your reach and creates more growth opportunities. Your blog can become a hub for industry knowledge and thought leadership which makes it a valuable tool for building lasting professional relationships.

Establishing Thought Leadership


Blogging is a unique opportunity to show your expertise. Your blog is your place to share your knowledge and perspective on business advice, product insights, or DIY tips.

Publishing relevant and valuable content helps you become a go-to source for information in your niche. This authority turns into higher sales, stronger customer loyalty, and better engagement.

Customers are more likely to buy from brands they trust, and a blog that consistently provides value can build that trust without being too focused on sales.

Enhancing User Engagement

Blogs offer an in-depth method of engaging with your audience, while short videos and social media posts grab attention quickly. Blogs allow you to showcase your personality, explore topics more deeply, and create meaningful connections.

Readers can have a more immersive experience with blogs than video or social media alone. They can engage with your content at their own pace, explore related articles, and re-read sections that interest them.

Building Lasting Impact

This degree of engagement makes blogging especially valuable for businesses looking to create a lasting impact with their content. A well-written blog can resonate with readers on a deeper level, fostering long-term loyalty and trust in your brand.



Do people still read blogs?


Although AI like ChatGPT is surging, blogs remain important players in the digital world. They’re not out of the picture but are thriving. Blogs are assets for building brand awareness and connecting with consumers. They offer a way to put out content that feels genuine, unlike the polished nature of news articles.



Why do people still prefer reading blogs?


Blogs are efficient, user-friendly, and accessible, which keeps them popular. When people need information, reading is sometimes quicker than watching a video. Users can skim through headings and skip to what they need, which is how people naturally use information. It’s easier to click around for more details or to go back to certain sections. This keeps them popular.

Blogging is profitable although it’s not a shortcut to success. When launching any business, you must have dedication, planning, and consistent effort.


Your blog can be a powerful platform for promoting products or services, developing a stream of revenue, and building an audience. Making money through blogging takes time and commitment. You have to invest hours writing high-quality content, optimizing for SEO, and building an engaged community. But, blogs are still relevant.


Try this viral mailer that pays

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links on this website. There is no expense to you.

Affiliate marketing is a revenue-sharing arrangement where businesses work with content creators and influencers (affiliates) to promote their products or services. Here are the trends.


1.  Traditional Advertising Issues

Digital ad spending slowed to single-digit figures for the first time in 2 decades, a trend that will continue. Marketers, using traditional forms of digital marketing, are struggling to succeed in this new environment defined by customers looking for more genuine, humanized content, and personalized support.

Studies show companies are wasting billions on programmatic media spending that doesn’t lead to results. As new user growth continues to plateau, ads on social media channels are not leading to results.

More and more, brands looking for ways to protect themselves from diminishing ROI, are turning to direct collaborations with creators, such as influencers and affiliates. Major brands have all launched large-scale affiliate marketing programs in the last year, tying brand awareness-building activities to tangible financial success.

This trend is expected to continue, which helps to counter platform-dependent risks and rising customer acquisition costs. This relationship also represents a positive shift for creators, who are looking for more reliable incomes, especially since TikTok canceled its creator fund.

Moving forward, companies might need to take a closer look at their marketing budgets and decide where they’re getting the biggest return on investment. If you’re not getting positive results from paid social media and search ads, you might consider switching to affiliate marketing as a great way to optimize your marketing budget.



What is Affiliate Marketing?



As already stated, affiliate marketing is a revenue-sharing arrangement where businesses work with content creators and influencers (affiliates) to promote their products or services.

Affiliates earn a commission for each visit, signup, or sale they make for a merchant.

This strategy allows businesses to outsource part of the sales process and gain a wider reach while affiliates earn income, and customers discover valuable products or services.



2.  Cookie Depreciation

Attribution models shift with cookie depreciation. Affiliate marketing has always been a form of performance-based marketing. However, the way companies track affiliate performance will need to change.

Many attribution models, including the multi-touch, last-click, and time-decay models rely on cookies. Google has finally begun denying these third-party cookies in the Chrome browser.

Now, business leaders can no longer depend on cookies to accurately measure affiliate performance. As an alternative, some companies are adopting server-to-server tracking, but many are struggling to get the right technology to enable end-to-end monitoring.

In the future, business leaders will need to leverage technology that not only enables them to track important metrics like conversion rate, click-through rate, lifetime value, and monthly recurring revenue but also maintains a complete view of the customer journey.

New and improved affiliate marketing platforms will deliver remarkable results for business leaders. Intuitive platforms that offer tracking, metric management, and automated payment processing should present businesses with more of the data and support they need.



3.  AI Will Influence Marketing Trends

Artificial Intelligence will influence affiliate marketing trends. AI has become deeply integrated into the marketing environment. Businesses are making use of artificial intelligence for everything. It’s essentially the next generation of content personalization, enhanced by artificial intelligence.

If you’re employing an affiliate marketing strategy, find out what concerns your audience has. Avoid using AI to completely eliminate the “human” aspect from the affiliate marketing method, because this will make it more difficult for you to connect with your audience.

As a content creator, you’ll be able to scale your production efforts, increase productivity and creativity, and also offer access to new tools that support the creation of unique resources like AI images. Keep in mind the fact that there will also be challenges to overcome.



4.  Partnerships Evolve

Affiliate, partner, and brand partnerships evolve. B2C and B2B partnerships have grown increasingly crucial. Companies rely more on partnerships for the collection of data, understanding their customers, and building better relationships. In the years to come, there will be a greater focus on affiliate marketing overlapping activities throughout entire organizations.

Affiliate strategies not only drive leads for sellers, but they can help to gain the attention of strategic partners and improve employee acquisition. Then companies will be forced to take a more holistic approach when implementing their affiliate strategies.

Companies will begin to organize joint webinars and events with their affiliates, co-creating content, and studying different revenue-sharing models.5.  The TikTok and Amazon Turf War

The evolution of the digital and technology landscapes is one of the major factors driving new affiliate marketing trends. As larger tech companies continue to grow, they’ve started scrutinizing each other for ideas to increase revenue.

So, we’re seeing more overlap between previously dissimilar brands. Amazon was once just the world’s leading shopping marketplace. However, it’s now promoting ad space and investing in new ways to help customers find inspiration for what to buy.

On the other hand, TikTok, used to be a place purely for entertainment, which also offered customers insights on what kind of products they might want to purchase. Now, people can buy products directly from the platform, thanks to TikTok’s shopping features.

These two companies are in direct competition with each other, and both appear to be reliant on affiliates. Affiliate marketing has always been a core part of Amazon’s growth strategy, and TikTok has always relied heavily on its creators.

This new landscape will force brands to rethink their approach to affiliate marketing. Do they want to drive customers to a marketplace like TikTok or Amazon, where they can purchase products? Or do companies want to be sure they’re driving customers back to their actual website to learn more about the brand and possibly make additional purchases?

If companies choose the latter, they’ll need to focus heavily on enhancing the customer experience by creating unique assets, like ‘live shopping,’ only available on their websites.



5.  The TikTok and Amazon Turf War

The evolution of the digital and technology landscapes is one of the major factors driving new affiliate marketing trends. As larger tech companies continue to grow, they’ve started scrutinizing each other for ideas to increase revenue.

So, we’re seeing more overlap between previously dissimilar brands. Amazon was once just the world’s leading shopping marketplace. However, it’s now promoting ad space and investing in new ways to help customers find inspiration for what to buy.

On the other hand, TikTok, used to be a place purely for entertainment, which also offered customers insights on what kind of products they might want to purchase. Now, people can buy products directly from the platform, thanks to TikTok’s shopping features.

These two companies are in direct competition with each other, and both appear to be reliant on affiliates. Affiliate marketing has always been a core part of Amazon’s growth strategy, and TikTok has always relied heavily on its creators.

This new landscape will force brands to rethink their approach to affiliate marketing. Do they want to drive customers to a marketplace like TikTok or Amazon, where they can purchase products? Or do companies want to be sure they’re driving customers back to their actual website to learn more about the brand and possibly make additional purchases?

If companies choose the latter, they’ll need to focus heavily on enhancing the customer experience by creating unique assets, like ‘live shopping,’ only available on their websites.



6.  New Landscapes

Interest in affiliate marketing grows in new landscapes.

Previously, affiliate marketing was widely respected as a popular choice for B2C companies, focusing on advertising products to a broad audience. That’s starting to change. B2B companies and enterprise-level brands, particularly those in the software space, are also seeing the value of affiliate marketing. In the B2B enterprise world, the growth of affiliate marketing is being driven by the increasing intricacy of the buyer journey.

This trend will continue to gather speed, making it more important for B2B affiliate marketers to help guide customers toward buying decisions. Establishing strong relationships with content creators will allow B2B companies to boost the visibility of their solutions early on and start building trust. These efforts will support good SEO, helping companies draw more traffic to their websites from relevant backlinks.



7.  Influencer Relationships

There’s an increasing focus on influencer relationships. In recent years influencer marketing has become a leading strategy for both B2C and B2B companies. Purchasers want to see more real, authentic, content from online creators they already love. There will probably be an increase in companies leveraging influencers and affiliate marketers in tandem to capitalize on this push.

Influencer marketing strategies are already common among 93% of brands, and trends like working with nano-influencers, micro-influencers, and video influencers to boost awareness will continue to grow with the main shift being the type of influencer content created.

Influencers and affiliates will need to take a more understated, relatable approach, and create content for a variety of platforms, including TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube to push the correct results.

There may be more teams co-creating content with other organizations to help increase reach and improve growth and allow affiliates and influencers to create in-depth, educational content connected to the products they’re promoting, thus delivering more value to customers.



8.  Content Diversification

Content diversification will be one of the most significant affiliate marketing trends to watch in the future. First, affiliate marketers will need to start creating content for all segments of the customer journey. This means focusing not just on driving sales but on increasing engagement and customer lifetime value with educational content, onboarding videos, and related solutions.

And secondly, these creators will need to test different content formats.

A short time ago, most affiliates relied on blog posts and the occasional social media strategy to promote brands. While these forms of content still have value, the flood of content on the web and changing search engine algorithms connected to written content will require many to take a more all-inclusive approach. For instance:

Video content
Podcasts
Long-tail search content



9.  The Community in Affiliate Marketing Trends

Online communities are everywhere, and they represent an incredible opportunity in affiliate marketing trends. They are more niche-focused, and provide access to more engaged users. Using affiliates to drive attention toward communities could help companies collect more valuable, first-party data about their customers, their preferences, and their needs. Developing a community will give companies an excellent way to find more highly qualified affiliates for their team.



10. The Metaverse in Affiliate Marketing Programs

Already, many companies building their own metaverse experiences with a focus on enhancing customer experience and increasing brand loyalty. Soon, many more companies will see the opportunity to leverage affiliate strategies for promoting both physical and virtual products.

It’s hard to know what affiliate marketing in the metaverse will look like. Still, the rise of metaverse experiences is likely to have a major impact on affiliate marketing trends and business growth in the future. The largest challenge for businesses is likely to be in finding affiliates who are familiar with the metaverse, and digital landscapes.



11. More Affiliate Content

Many companies investing in affiliate marketing have been cautious, In the past, about promoting how frequently they invest in ‘paid sponsorship.’ Many companies want the recommendations made by affiliates on their social media channels and blogs to seem like genuine, user-generated content.

Most consumers won’t buy the idea that someone would post a 20-minute video about a new email marketing platform or set of wireless earbuds without any reward. Also, many areas have imposed new regulations that require affiliate marketers and influencers to label their content as ‘sponsored.’

That represents an opportunity for brands to earn the trust of their customers through honest, transparent disclaimers, and it also means companies don’t have to back away from promoting affiliate content on their platforms.



12. Publishers Demands

Publishers will demand greater support from advertisers.

One of the most significant affiliate marketing trends, going forward, is the demand for greater support from advertisers. Brands that want to drive excellent results from their affiliate programs, will need to give creators a greater level of assistance.

They’ll need to support these creators with everything from figuring out how to navigate the new SEO landscape to ensuring they understand which types of media to use for different promotions.

The challenges facing affiliates are growing just as the demand for affiliate marketing might be increasing in a complex promotional environment. Business leaders can’t expect to provide their affiliates with a custom link and leave them on their own anymore.

Comprehensive affiliate marketing strategies will require that business leaders build ‘enablement resources’ to give affiliates more of the tools they need to succeed. This could include providing them with digital marketing training tools, branded photography, pitch decks, and more.

They’ll also need to rethink the commission structure. Building a tailor-made arrangement that prioritizes retaining and rewarding your best affiliates will ensure you can constantly scale and optimize your program.


Adjusting to the 12 new trends in affiliate marketing discussed here will require taking a comprehensive approach to changing strategy. However, investing enough time and effort into a holistic plan for modern affiliate marketing success will pay off.



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by Rahimah Sultan

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You shouldn’t be overly concerned about word count when writing content. The quality is what really matters.

Due to recent algorithm updates, shorter articles are ranking better. But this is also related to changes in the way we consume content. The ideal length also changes significantly across industries.


Tech websites use fairly short articles that are commentaries on a product, technology development, or an event.


Fashion is another industry that uses short posts. These readers don’t care about the history of a trend or how garments are made. What you’re going to see are thousands of articles about which looks are hot and how to recreate them.


Job recruitment topics usually range from 900 – 1,000 words. Job hunters don’t have the time to read thousands of words. They want to find new employment quickly.


Food Bloggers can use around 1,200 words to cover an introduction and an in-depth recipe.


Finance, sales, and healthcare are some industries that still benefit from the comprehensiveness and depth of long-form content. As these industries cover fairly complex topics, it’s almost always necessary to go beyond 2,000 words in order to satisfy readers’ interest.


Retail, manufacturing, marketing, food, and travel use mid-length articles of 1,000 – 2,000 words to cover information. This remains the most common article length.



Keep your target audience in mind at all times, as you choose your blog topics and how much content to write for each. If you know their needs can be met with less than 1,000 words, don’t waste their time with fluff.


While doing research for this article, I came across this quote from Ryan Velez, freelance writer and editor:

Ideal blog length has always evolved over time. As a response to the wave of 750-word content, things expanded to be a lot more comprehensive, 2,500 words-plus. Now, with the wave of AI-generated content flooding the internet, word count doesn’t guarantee quality to the same degree. Combine that with the ‘TikTok Effect,’ and ideal content size is smaller now and quicker to get to the point. Think 1,500 to 2,000 words.



What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a long-term strategy used with the goal of building relationships with your target audience by methodically delivering high-quality, relevant content that educates and ultimately makes sales.



Long-Form Content vs. Short-Form

Web users are becoming smarter. Searches using long-tailed keywords increase daily. These users want specific answers to specific questions. So, your content strategy needs to match their increasing knowledge.

Creating content with a high word count allows the you to feel a sense of achievement you don’t get when writing 500-word articles. Marketers are feeling like they have to create long-form content to get a toehold in the SERPs.

But the times are changing. Users are falling in love with short-form content. It’s part of the reason U.S. adults spend up to an hour on TikTok.

Over 50 percent of business videos are less than two minutes long.

Combine these statistics with the fact that more and more adults believe attention spans are getting shorter, and it’s easy to see why consumers are placing greater emphasis and trust in concise articles that quickly answer their questions.



So, back to the question, how long should your blog articles be?


Two decades ago, the average article length was between 500-800 words. By the mid-2010s, articles were in excess of 2,000 words.

There are multiple reasons for this which include the way readers scan articles online and the psychology of equating length with quality.

Now, more concise articles are the trend. Although these aren’t quite as short as 800 words, they are short enough to quickly answer readers’ questions.


As you can see, longer is not necessarily better, neither is shorter. There is no one correct answer for blog article length. It’s dependent upon the industry. Your focus should be on quality not quantity or rankings.

Focus on top-quality content and promote it effectively rather than on how much to write.

Try this viral mailer that pays

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

It can be embarrassing when somebody else finds a grammar mistake in your work, but don’t let it get to you. We all make grammar mistakes.


What is a grammar mistake?


A grammar mistake is any incorrect usage of a word or a deviation from established grammatical rules.

As language continually evolves, a phrase or word choice that’s used today may have been a grammar mistake in the past.

We’ll view 13 common grammar mistakes to avoid in writing so you’ll know how to identify, fix, and steer clear of them.

Your goal is to have clear, polished, mistake-free writing. So, we’ll look at 13 common grammar mistakes and show you how to fix them.


1.   Who vs. that


Use who when referring to a person. That is used for inanimate objects.

Example          My brother is the one who wrote the book.

Example          I bought a purse that is light to carry.

Example          They’re part of an organization that promotes organic farming.


2.   Affect vs. effect

Affect is a verb that means to cause something to happen. Effect is a noun that indicates a result.

Example          How will the continuous rain affect construction?

Example          The increasing layoffs will have a major effect on the economy.


3.   Who’s vs. whose

Who’s is a contraction of who is. Whose is a relative pronoun; a possessive form of who.

Example          Who’s ready to go?

Example          Whose bookbag is this?

4.   Who vs. whom

Who is the subject in a sentence, while whom is the object.

Example          Who will be going to the banquet this weekend?

Example          To whom shall I address the package?


5.   Less vs. fewer

Less is used to describe an abstract or otherwise uncountable amounts of items. Fewer is used for countable numbers of items.

Example          The students had less time to practice today.

Example          If fewer people used disposable water bottles, there would be less plastic in landfills.


6.   I.e. vs. e.g.

I.e. which is short for, id est, is used to clarify statements. E.g., short for exempli gratia, is used to provide examples.

Example          I’ll be off again tomorrow, (i.e., I’m still very sick).

Example          I’ve read lots of books over the past year (e.g., Undaunted, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and How Green was my Valley).

Always add a comma following these abbreviations, and enclose them in parentheses.


7.   Then vs. than

Then indicates when something will happen. Than is used to compare things or people.

Example          First we’ll have lunch; then go to a movie.

Example          All my brothers are taller than me.


8.   Each and every

Each refers to two items or the individual items in a group. Every refers to three or more items or to the group as a whole.

Example          Each of my children came to visit me this year.

Example          Every one of my coworkers is going to the restaurant.


9.   May vs. might

May is generally used in the present tense to ask for permission and to indicate something that is likely to happen. Might is used with the past tense and to describe things that either didn’t happen or are unlikely to happen.

Example          May I bring a guest to the party?

Example          There might have been time for review, but the fire alarm went off.


10. Farther vs. further

Farther refers to literal distance. Further means “more.”

The mountain looked farther away than ever.

We’ll have no further communication.


11. Past vs. passed

Past can be a noun, an adjective, a preposition, or an adverb. It refers to something that has already happened. Passed is a verb.

Example          My cousin told us stories about the past.

Example          The bus passed on our right side.


12. Passive voice

While not inherently incorrect, many writers use the passive voice when the active voice would be a more correct, clearer choice.

Passive voice: The layout was prepared by me.

Active voice: I prepared the layout.


13. Possessive nouns

Possessive nouns are versions of nouns that show ownership. They often use apostrophes.

Example          That’s John’s letter opener.


For a plural possessive noun, the apostrophe goes after the s.

Example          The marchers’ instruments.

There are different schools of thought about what to do when a singular possessive noun ends in the letter s. Some say the apostrophe goes at the end, without adding an s.

Example          That’s Jonas’ car.

The Chicago style requires that when a name ending in s becomes possessive, you add an apostrophe and an s.

Example          That’s Jonas’s car.


These are just 13 common grammar mistakes to avoid in writing, but there are many others that people make. Practice, reading extensively, and using grammar-checking tools will help you spot mistakes and make corrections. With time, practice, and patience, you’ll be able to improve your grammar skills and become a more confident writer.

I recommend Grammarly as a checking tool. It’s free.


Try this viral mailer that pays

by Rahimah Sultan

Advertising Disclosure: Marketing Success Review may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. There is no expense to you.

You like most people, can spend months or years creating a blog that has no chance of succeeding, then you start another one that fails or a third and fourth.

You’re not dumb or lazy. You’re just choosing the wrong topic.

1. Choose the Right Topic

First, make a list of topics that interest you. They can be your hobbies, topics you think are highly profitable, or something random you saw in a magazine.

Now ask yourself these five questions:

1. Do any current blogs on this topic have a Facebook page with more than 10k fans?

2. Are there any blogs on this topic that have more than 50k followers on Twitter?

3. Are there any books on Amazon with more than 30 reviews on this topic?

4. When you look for words and phrases connected to this topic, are there any Google ads?

5. Do any words or phrases related to this topic have more than 100k searches in Google’s Keyword Planner tool?


By answering these questions, you’ll know if there’s an existing audience for your topic.

Don’t try to be too unique or clever by hunting for an audience that no one else is serving.

It’s counterintuitive, but the more competition you have in a blogging space, the easier it is for a new blogger to find success there.


2. Choose the Right Platform

Choose the right blogging platform

There are several free blogging platforms like Tumblr, Blogspot, Wix, or Squarespace. These are fine to test your ideas and content to be sure they’re workable before creating a full-fledged blog.

But when you’re ready to build an audience and make money online, a self-hosted WordPress blog is the way to go.

WordPress is open source and technically free, but you have to buy a hosting plan to install WordPress on your own web host and purchase a domain name.

If you’re serious about blogging, you need to set up your blog on a firm foundation.

3. Choose a Domain Name

When choosing a custom domain name for your blog, consider using these three strategies:

Name the audience. The simplest way is tocall out the audience in the domain name. (Examples: SmartShopper.com, FashionDesign.com, AFineParent.com)

Name the topic. (MakingJewelry.com, EasyCasseroles.com, PaleoHacks.com)

Name the benefit. (BeABetterWriter.com, BeABetterPainter.com, Woodworking.com)


Use these strategies to make a list of 10-20 domain names. Use a blog name generator tool like NameStation to get many ideas at once.

Once you’ve decided on a name, use Namecheap’s Beast Mode to check availability.

Give yourself a few days to a week to make a decision.

4. Get Web Hosting

You pay a small fee to keep your website online, handle all your visitors, provide customer support, back up your website, manage the security of your website, etc.

Although website hosting costs money, a good bit comes along with it.

It’s possible to get blog hosting and a registered domain from the same place, but it’s not recommended because if you ever decide to switch to a different web hosting company, the process can be complicated. You can save yourself future headaches by keeping your domain registrar and blog host separate.

You can do a Google search to compare and determine the best web hosting for your needs.

Once you have your web hosting set up, you need to use a registrar like NameCheap to register your domain.

5. Install WordPress

Now that your domain and web host are connected, it’s time to install WordPress. It’s not complicated.

These days most hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installation.

To log into your WordPress dashboard use your favorite browser and go to WordPress login URL by appending /wp-admin (or /admin or /login or /wp-login) to the end of your domain name.

Examples:

yourdomain.com/wp-admin

www.yourdomain.com/admin

yourdomain.com/login

www.yourdomain.com/wp-login

You’ll be taken to your WordPress login page.

Enter the username and password you created earlier.

Click Log In.

6. Choose a WordPress Theme to Design Your Blog

Don’t get bogged in details. Focus on making your site functional. You can always make changes later.

Content is the important thing to focus on.

Enter the username and password you created earlier.

Click Log In.

Your theme is the design of your website and dictates how your blog looks to the world.

If you want a free WordPress theme, choose Astra (https://wpastra.com/?bsf=2922&campaign=how-to-start-a-blog).

If you want a premium blog theme, choose Astra Pro which has an advanced page builder that lets you customize your design.

Choose the theme that best fits your needs and situation and download and install it.

First way: To install a free theme from WordPress.org:

Enter a theme name or a chosen feature (Example: “minimalist”) in the Search themes… field
Click the Install button


Second way: If you want to install a WordPress theme you downloaded from a third party, click the Upload Theme button and:

Click the Choose File button
Find the third-party theme you downloaded to your computer (Example: premium-theme.zip) and select it
Click the Install Now button


To activate a WordPress Theme

Immediately after installing your WordPress theme, you’ll be given the option to “Activate” or “Preview” it.

If you want to publish the theme immediately to your website, click the Activate button. If not

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, go to Appearance
2. Choose Themes


Then you’ll see every theme you’ve installed and the default “themes” that are automatically installed by WordPress. Find the theme you want to use and click the Activate button.

You’re done.

Now your new blog design is visible to the world but not yet ready.

You need to adjust its functionality by installing a few WordPress plugins.

7. Install WordPress Plugins

WordPress is filled with features, and plugins offer even more.

There are thousands of free and third-party plugins—virtually a plugin for everything. There are specific types or categories you need, but there’s no such thing as an essential plugin.

There are six types of plugins you need to install.

1. Performance Plugins
2. Security Plugins
3. Backup Plugins
4. SEO Plugins
5. Social Sharing Plugins
6. Email List Building Plugins


You need a good performance optimization plugin to “cache” your content so it loads faster. If your blog is slow, your readers will bounce and Google will rank you lower in search engine results.

For a performance plugin, WP Super Cache is simple, maintained by the company behind WordPress, Automattic, and it’s free.

You can easily protect your site with the security plugin iThemes Security which has a one-click setup wizard. The cost is free, and there’s also a pro version with extra features.

UpdraftPlus strikes a good balance between features, flexibility, and ease of use. It has a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating on the WordPress plugin repository, and it’s actively updated by its developers.

There’s a free and a $70 pro version.

For SEO Yoast SEO is the gold standard of WordPress SEO plugins. It has both free and premium versions. The free version offers everything you need.

Social Warfare doesn’t slow down your website and offers unique features like “Click to Tweet” boxes and Pinterest-specific images and infographics.

The free version has all the basics you’ll need, and the pro version is only $29 annually.

Use Convert Pro to turn blog traffic into leads so you can continue to engage with them.

You can get it for free or pay $99 annually or $399 for a lifetime license.

To activate a WordPress plugin you can click the Activate button that appears immediately after you install it or:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, go to Plugins
2. Choose Installed Plugins
3. Find your plugin and click Activate

8. Blog Set up and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

If you want to start a blog that brings in traffic or if you want to drive your content to page one of Google, you have to learn SEO.

To guarantee search engines like Google and Bing can find your blog, make sure the following are unchecked:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over Settings
2. Click Reading
3. Confirm “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked

Create an XML Sitemap (and Submit Your Sitemap to Search Engines)

“A sitemap is a file where you provide information about the pages, videos, and other files on your site, and the relationships between them. Search engines like Google read this file to crawl your site more efficiently. A sitemap tells search engines which pages and files you think are important in your site, and also provides valuable information about these files. For example, when the page was last updated and any alternate language versions of the page.”

A sitemap helps confirm Google can discover the new content you create, when your blog is new and has few external links pointing to it.

To create an XML Sitemap using the Yoast SEO plugin recommended earlier:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over SEO
2. Click General
3. Click the Features tab
4. Scroll down to the XML sitemaps option and make sure the switch is toggled to On

Now you have an XML sitemap for your blog. Next give it to Google, Bing, and other search engines.

Before leaving the Yoast SEO plugin, copy the URL of your sitemap:

1. Click the question mark icon next to XML sitemaps
2. Click the See the XML sitemap link

Your sitemap will open in a new tab in your browser.

Copy the URL in the address bar and save it.

The steps for submitting your sitemap are different from search engine to search engine.

Here are the most popular ones:

To submit your sitemap to Google Search Console

1. Go to Google Search Console and sign in using your Google account
2. In the left-hand pane, select your website

If you haven’t added your website to Google Search Console, you’ll need to click “Add property” and follow the steps provided before continuing below.

3. Under Index, click the Sitemaps option
4. In the Add a new sitemap section, enter the URL you saved earlier and click Submit


Bing Webmaster Tools

1. Log into Bing Webmaster Tools. Create an account if you haven’t done so.
2. Under the My Sites section, click your website

If you haven’t added your website to Bing Webmaster Tools, enter your blog’s URL in the Add a Site section and click the ADD button.

That’s it.

You’ve submitted your sitemap successfully to Google and Bing.

Permalinks structure


WordPress sets the links on your blog to the following format by default:

yourdomain.com/?p=123

No one knows why, but you need to update this link structure before you publish ANY content.

Here’s how:

1. In the left-hand navigation pane, hover over Settings
2. Click Permalinks
3. Under Common Settings, set the option to Post name


Install an SSL Certificate so Your URL Begins with https Instead of http. Here’s why:

Readers will know your website is safe
Your website will be safe thanks to the encryption of readers’ sensitive data and personal info
Google sees it as a ranking signal, which means not having an SSL certificate will hurt your content’s rankings in search results.

How to Install an SSL Certificate

Log into your account
Click the Go to cPanel button
In the Security section, click Let’s Encrypt
Select your domain name, choose the Let’s Encrypt SSL option, and click the Install button

A few moments later, your SSL certificate will be up and running!

9. Your First Blog Post

To start your blog post in WordPress

1. In the left-hand pane of your WordPress dashboard, hover over Posts
2. Click Add New


You’ll be able to add a post title— aka headline, write your post, choose your category, tweak HTML and CSS, add free stock photos, etc.

The steps are alike for adding a new blog page in WordPress, an About page, a Contact page, etc.:

1. In the left-hand pane of your dashboard, go to Pages
2. Click Add New

For detailed instructions on how to navigate the classic content editor, WordPress offers a detailed support article.


10. Boost Traffic, Promote Blog, and Master Social Media

You should spend as much time promoting your posts as you do writing them. Preferably, you’ll spend more time promoting than writing them.

Here are 4 Tips for promoting your posts

1. Focus on one Social Platform, as There are too Many out There.
For now, pick only one. As there are only so many hours in a day.

2. Avoid These Traffic Mistakes That are a Waste for Beginners.

a. Commenting on Popular Blogs
b. Submitting Your Site to Directories
c. Trying to go Viral on Redditt, Hacker News, etc.
d. Paying for a Unique Design

3. Reach out to Influencers to Make Powerful Friends.

4. Pay for Facebook Ads

Wait until you have a solid foundation in place like reaching 1,000 email subscribers and you have traffic rolling in. Then consider supercharging your efforts by learning the ins and outs of Facebook’s ad network.

11. Build Your List

Get started now with building your email list. Start building it on day one!

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re an email marketing pro, there are numerous email marketing services available to meet your needs. You can go to Google and check and compare services and pricing.

12. Make Money

When you’re just starting out, whatever you do, DO NOT cover your blog in Google Adsense, because:

1. Blog ads pay peanuts
2. They distract your readers
3. They make your blog look sleazy and cheap

The best monetization method for bloggers is to build an audience that trusts them and then offer high-quality products or services that will genuinely help that audience.

Affiliate Marketing helps with this process by:

letting you introduce your readers to a product or service from a trusted source
Your readers looking at the product/or service, deciding if it will help them, and purchasing it
You earning a commission on the sales

With affiliate marketing you win in multiple ways. You help your audience, you earn money, and — most importantly — you learn what types of products and services your audience buys.


This article covers a lot but it’s only a beginning. Besides these twelve steps to starting a successful blog, there’s so much more you’ll learn as you go along.