There are many reasons to start a blog right now. You’re a wealth of information and you want to share it with the world. Or perhaps you’re looking for a creative outlet. Perhaps you’re thinking of starting a blog that makes money. Maybe you see an opportunity to position your expertise and create an online business.
Perusing the blogging sub-Reddit on Reddit recently I saw a recurring question: is it a good time to start a blog?
The people raising the question had this idea that blogs are no longer popular, or that it’s difficult to be successful in a niche because there are so many great blogs out there.
It leads to the next question: “Should I start a blog?”
YES! I’m always a proponent of starting your own blog and making it successful on your own terms. If you have the drive to stick to blogging for the long term, you will make it a success.
In this post I’ll share:
- 10 reasons for starting a blog
- Popular niches for 2024
- A guide to starting a blog in one week
- How to go about starting a blog that makes money
DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.
Why Blogging Is Important
There are many reasons to start a blog. For some, it’s a personal creative outlet, and for others, it’s a marketing tool for starting their own business.
Blogging is important for a number of reasons, many of which we’ll explore in just a moment.
However, one of the key reasons why I think blogging is important is that it allows you to say “I created this”.
There is pride in building something and making it successful.
Let’s look at answers to the question: “Why should I start a blog?” and I hope you’re going to be excited to begin your blogging journey.
Reasons To Start A Blog And A Few Things To Think About In Advance
So you’re asking yourself – “Should I start a blog?” My goal is to help you answer this question, and to inspire you to get started… today!
Before you delve into all the reasons to start a blog, I want you to grab a notebook and pen or pencil.
Write down all the reasons why YOU want to start a blog.
Ask yourself:
- What or who inspired me to start a blog?
- Why do I want to start a blog?
- What will the purpose of my blog be?
- How much time can I devote to my blog on a weekly basis?
- Does my current lifestyle allow the time needed to create a kick-ass blog?
If you can’t answer some of these questions, that’s fine.
We’ll go through some tips in this post, and I’ll share links to other posts I’ve written, that will help you. Read them! Learn what goes into making a fantastic blog.
The good news is that there are many blog tools and resources out there for you. The bad news is that success will probably not happen overnight. It will take time.
Now that you’ve got these notes scribbled down, let’s get onto starting a blog in 2024 and why it’s the best time to do so.
| RELATED: The Pre-Launch Essential Task Checklist: 5 Things To Do Before You Launch A Blog
1. You’ve Got Time To Devote To Building A Blog
Are you a bit of a homebody?
Then starting a blog is a great hobby for you. Blogs take time to start and grow. So if you’re somebody who has to always be out doing things, it may not be the best activity.
If you love spending time working on something at home, this is an ideal activity.
Consider this:
- The time to go from planning to launching a self-hosted blog (I recommend you use NameHero for a beginner self-hosted blog as it’s budget-friendly for the first year and it has great support staff. Big Scoots is another fantastic alternative for long-term blogging, and you get consistent pricing (no jumps after the first year).
- Setting up the theme and branding
- Creating blog posts and social media content to promote them
It takes time to get started.
There are many blogging skills you’re going to need to learn to be a successful blogger.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither is a successful blog.
So with extra time on your hands, this is an awesome opportunity to do something creative like start a blog.
2. People Are Still Reading Blogs
Stats show that Millennials are spending more time online than ever before.
People are still visiting blogs: 77% of internet users read blogs.
Even with dips in traffic during the summer, there’s been an overall increase in traffic for specific niches.
People are still looking online for solutions to their burning problems: stress, financial issues, career development, activities with kids at home, etc.
If you’re creating fantastic content that informs, inspires or entertains, people will want to read it.
3. You Have Solutions To Reader’s Problems
Know how to save money like a boss?
Or how to switch careers quickly with an amazing resume?
Maybe you know how to manage busy schedules and how to get organized.
These are some of the challenges today’s readers are facing. Look at the trends you’re seeing in the news, or just the general complaints you see on X, and you’ll see how you can answer key questions people have.
Get started as soon as possible with creating content. Beautify your blog when you have time.
It takes a long time for a blog to gain domain authority and start generating organic traffic.
So you have to think long-term with your blog. I mean, like five to 10 years from now.
My original lifestyle blog is 14 years old and it’s already gone through two re-brands.
Consider evergreen problems your readers have and will continue to always try to solve. This is how you can stay relevant with a blog post without having to update it too often.
Things will change eventually. Are you a person who loves to help others with finding problems for their solutions? Then start a blog that helps them get answers to their questions.
PRO TIP: Consider starting a blog to support a coaching or consulting business! Make sure you read up on all the key online coaching tools you’ll need in conjunction with a blog as a promotion tool. Before you launch your business, go through my checklist of key things you need to start a coaching business.
| RELATED: Why It’s A Great Idea To Start A Blog Or Online Business If You’re Over 40
4. You’re Looking To Start A Blog That Makes Money
For some people starting a blog that makes money is a key goal. However, it shouldn’t be their own goal. You need to love writing and sharing information with others too!
Many bloggers start out blogging for the sake of blogging. Some have the goal of starting a blog that makes money. The most important thing is that they start.
The best is to do a bit of both.
Starting a blog in 2024 means you will be up against a whole lot of competition, especially if you’re seeking to make it into an online business.
However, it’s doable.
- Create quality content. Position yourself as a credible expert with a focus on personal branding.
- Do product or service reviews with your feedback and affiliate links.
- Create valuable freebies for download to build your email list – if you’re providing top-notch information, people will follow your blog
- Design courses and other digital products that you can sell on your blog
For the longest time, I avoided monetizing my blog, but since then I’ve made it a profitable side business.
So yes, starting a blog that makes money is doable. Again, it takes a bit of time. But you can do it. As the saying goes – where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Check out how I’ve used this blog to promote my blogging courses, e-books and template.
| RELATED: The Reality Of Starting A Lifestyle Blog: Can It Actually Make Money?
How To Pitch Brands For Sponsored Blog Posts And Monetize Your Blog
5. You’ve Got Blogging Skills And You Can Prove It
Did you know you can include your blog on your resume, with key skills that you learn from blogging?
I recently started a new job that taps into all of my blogging skills and more. Digital marketing is something that you can do if you know how to run a blogging business.
Think about what you have to do:
- WordPress skills (if you do a self-hosted site)
- Content generation (writing blogs, researching content, editing etc.)
- Marketing and promotion (using social media, Pinterest, and other resources)
- Course or e-book creation
- Newsletter list management and e-mail marketing
- Analytics
- Writing with good SEO practices
- Graphic design (Canva, Photoshop)
- Article writing (I got many freelance writing jobs through my blog!)
You can showcase your skills by providing a link to your blog.
I’ve used it in the past for my marketing and PR career and it’s helped me boost my career.
Why? Because I knew what bloggers needed, and in my line of work, I was pitching bloggers for product review opportunities.
Starting a blog in 2024 will be a great way to add to your resume and make you stand out from other potential applicants.
6. You Love To Write And Need A Creative Outlet
You’ve got extra time on your hands, and you have the opportunity to get creative with your writing skills.
The best thing is that you’re in control of the content. YES! You aren’t writing business emails. You’re writing for yourself and your reading audience.
The only time you write business emails with your blog is when you’re pitching brands and public relations representatives for sponsored opportunities.
With your blog, you can let your own voice shine through. So if you have a wicked sense of humor now’s the time to let it show.
As you can see from my writing style, I lean towards being educational with a bit of my conversational tone seeping in occasionally. It’s my style.
You make your blog your own and it will be a way for you to express yourself.
| RELATED: How To Find Your Blog Brand Voice And Use It To Shine As A Blogger
7. Challenging Yourself Is Satisfying
Creating a blog from scratch is a challenge. There were times over the years when I was so frustrated with the mistakes I made while trying to improve my blog.
There are always goals you want to achieve when you start a blog:
- Grow your blog traffic
- Become a respected expert with your blog as a top resource
- Monetize your blog
It all takes time and it’s a challenge to stand out from all the other blogs out there.
However, that’s all fine with you, because you rise to a challenge!
| RELATED: How To Get Past Impostor Syndrome As A Blogger And Solopreneur
8. You Like Working On Your Own
Another great reason to start a blog is that it’s fulfilling and fun for people who want to build something on their own.
Blogging is a solitary thing for the most part. It’s a fantastic work-from-home job for introverts. One of the reasons to start a blog in 2024 is to keep yourself doing something productive.
You don’t have distractions. Your friends aren’t asking you to come over to socialize. Going out to a restaurant or bar isn’t going to happen any time soon.
Although you will want to network with other bloggers through Facebook groups ( one of the key ways to promote your new blog) and other niche communities, you’ll mostly be doing the work on your own.
You’re in control. It’s your baby. Nobody is telling you how to run your blog, when to blog or how to promote it. It’s all you.
| RELATED: The Best Facebook Groups For Bloggers To Join To Grow Their Blog
9. You Enjoy Learning New Things & It’s The Perfect Time To Do So
As soon as the pandemic hit, companies had to pivot their focus to online sales. This required that employees understand digital marketing, content generation and the ins and outs of the online world.
One of the reasons to start a blog in 2024 is to learn some of the skills that will continue to be needed beyond this year.
Online shopping is expected to continue growing as consumers like you and me, have adapted to shopping with our fingers.
So if you’re the type of person who loves to always learn new things, I suggest starting a blog in 2024 to begin mastering online and digital concepts.
As I noted, you can easily add these new skills to your resume!
Check out my course Grow It: From Blog To Business, which takes you through the key skills you need to learn as a new blogger.
10. You’re Seeking A Community
The last reason to start a blog is the desire to be part of a community during these lonely self-isolated times.
The blogger community is great! One of the top reasons for starting a blog in 2024 is to feel connected with others who have the same common interests.
Where do you find this community?
- Facebook groups (both those for promoting each other’s content and others like the ProBlogger Facebook Group for learning new things)
- Reddit subreddits on blogging
- Membership groups
These are places to ask questions, learn from others and share your knowledge with others too!
One thing to be careful of is the rules surrounding self-promotion. Some of these communities allow you to share links.
With Reddit and some of the forums, you need to be super careful to not get booted out of the community for over-promotion with your links.
Popular Niche Blog Topics In 2024 And Beyond
Before you all of a sudden start clicking on the NameHero link below to get a self-hosted blog started, consider what your blog niche will be.
What are some blog niche ideas that you should consider for 2024 and onwards?
- DIY – home decor, home renovations, crafts, furniture hacks, etc.
- Food & Drink – cooking and home recipes
- Parenting
- Cleaning, Organizing, Housekeeping Hacks
- Finances And Money-Saving Tips
- Education And Career Strategies
- Relationships
- The Family and The Home
- Self-Care, Wellness & Mental Health
- Fitness & Sports
- Hobbies and Games
- Video Games
- Gardening & Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Preserves, etc.
- Travel
- Entertainment
These are all niches that are popular with thousands of searches per month – meaning you have the opportunity to succeed in the long term.
| READ MORE: The Most Profitable Blog Niches For 2024
Tips For Starting A Blog In 2024 Quickly
If you are determined to make a go of blogging and make it profitable, you will need one dedicated week to get your blog up and running.
However, don’t beat yourself up over it if it takes longer. This is just a quick start-up guide if you’re going to solely focus on launching a blog.
Before you read my guide to launching in one week, I recommend my How To Start A Blog post that goes into much greater detail.
Also, read my post on what to do right after starting a blog.
Or you can enrol in my FREE Launch It: Start A Blog Course & Toolkit, which takes you step-by-step, and gives you a whole lot of cool goodies (printables, worksheets and templates).
The next step after that is to take a step back and focus on learning key blogging skills and adopting a growth mindset. For that, I recommend my Grow It: From Blog To Business course.
The Key Steps To Starting A Blog Quickly
Before you start, check out my 50+ Blogging Tools and Resources for New Bloggers. It’s full of the tools and sites expert bloggers use to make their blogs look professional.
After all, one of the reasons to start a blog is to present yourself to the world as an expert in a niche subject. So let’s do it right!
Day 1: Getting The Essentials Set Up
- Choose a blog niche and a blog name – something you’ll want to keep post-pandemic
- Figure out a unique URL and set up a self-hosted site (I like NameHero and use it for this site – fast servers, great customer service for support when you need it, and options for bloggers of every level). Research hosting providers before you choose!
- Decide whether you want to keep your free theme provided by your hosting provider or purchase a better one (check out my list of top 10 favourite feminine blog themes and favourite web designers with WordPress themes on my blog tools page).
- Get the basic free plugins set up for your site to speed up your blog and make it run amazing
- Invest in customizable and easy-to-add legal pages that EVERY blog needs (Privacy Policy, Disclosure, Terms & Conditions). Read up on why this is a worthwhile way to protect yourself and your blog from potential lawsuits.
| RELATED: Five Ways To Legally Protect Your Blog And Yourself From Potential Lawsuits
Day 2: Start Producing Content
- Connect your blog to Google Analytics and Google Search Console to get your analytics in place
- Start writing great blog posts!
- Get your About Me page and Contact page set up. Read my guide to writing an awesome About Me page.
- Figure out the categories and tags that you’ll be using. Set them up in WordPress.
Days 3 – 5: Publish Your First Blog Post
- Start publishing posts, ensuring you have your formatting and good on-page SEO in place. Write a kick-ass first blog post!
Day 5: Get Your Social Media Accounts Set Up And Join Communities
- Get your social media channels and Pinterest business account set up. Start populating them with behind-the-scenes posts, and adding friends to your followers to start.
- Join relevant Facebook groups (like mine – The Blog It Better Society – to promote your published posts, ask questions, and grow your blogger network!)
Day 6 – 7: Officially Launch Your Blog!
- Officially launch your blog – celebrate it!
- Promote the launch of your new blog on your social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
- Start promoting your blog posts on Pinterest, and amplify your Pinterest pins by using Tailwind
| RELATED: How I Used Tailwind To Jumpstart My Blog Traffic With Pinterest
Blogging Activities For The Following Week
Get started on your email newsletter list! This is going to be an ongoing activity that will help you grow your very own community.
It will take time. You’ll need to create enticing freebies (downloadable printables, worksheets, free mini e-books, and other useful materials) for opt-ins.
Take your time in learning the ins and outs of email marketing.
Add visuals to your site: use free online photo editing tools to edit and tweak stock photos for your blog.
PRO TIP: I use Mailerlite, as it’s free for up to 1000 subscribers, and it’s very easy to set up and use.
Get A Head Start With Your Blog Content
A great tip to get your new blog to look like it’s got some content is to get a head start in writing posts.
Begin fleshing out ideas for blog posts well in advance of starting a blog. Write them in Microsoft Word or another publishing program and transfer them over to the blog when you’re ready.
Consider what you will write for your big cornerstone blog post – the one that will WOW your readers.
There you go… creating a new blog in 2024 in one week is doable. You just need to dedicate your time to creating it!
As for starting a blog that makes money… just hold on. I’ll get to that in a moment.
| RELATED: The Truth About How Many Blog Posts You REALLY Need Before You Launch A Blog
Starting A Blog That Makes Money
You’ve launched your blog, published some posts and are promoting them.
Your blog traffic is growing and you’re constantly writing new blog posts. You’re also doing product/service review posts (this is KEY if you want to do affiliate sales) for products you love.
However, one of your key reasons to start a blog is to create one that makes money.
So what do you do next?
- Sign up to affiliate networks and affiliate programs within your niche
- Consider doing product or service review blog posts with affiliate partners. you can often ask to see if they can send you a sample product or give you a discount to try their service.
- Consider display ads from affiliate partners for your sidebar, etc.
- Begin working on creating a digital asset, course or e-book that you can sell. This can be anything from printables, photography, design templates, guides, books, and courses (I love using Podia, and recommend it for the ease of set-up and use – read my Podia review to find out why).
- In some cases, if you can create physical items to sell, this is a great opportunity too! Use your blog to promote your products. I’ve seen jewelry, fun t-shirts and other gift items sold through blogs (with links to Etsy, Shopify stores or through the blog using WooCommerce).
You can take things a step further if you can provide your services such as:
- Coaching
- Consulting services
- Custom-made products
- Freelance design, virtual assistant work, social media strategies, etc.
So the sky is the limit for starting a blog that makes money!
| READ MORE: How To Make Money With A New Blog
To Summarize It All
Look back at your notes – what are your reasons to start a blog now? They’re probably more than the few you scribbled down.
With an audience that is online more than ever, there are many reasons to launch a blog in 2024 and make it thrive.
With hard work, dedication and a desire to succeed, you can make it a success. Learn from mistakes others have made – check out my list of 11 tips for new bloggers.
The key steps:
- Choose a blog niche that will be popular now and into the future
- Do your research and read up on blogging best practices
- Begin writing your blog post drafts
- Follow the key steps to starting your blog that makes money
- Launch it in style!
To help you along in optimizing your blog posts, download my free SEO Cheat Sheet & Checklist!
Finally, the next step on your journey to success is figuring out your personal branding strategies. Learn why personal branding is important for bloggers and solopreneurs, and get started to grow your blog faster!
Need A Blog Coach?
Need support as you plan and start your blog? Let’s connect! I offer blog coaching services to new and growing bloggers.
If you’re a travel blogger, read how to start a travel blog!
For aspiring food bloggers, read the guide to starting a food blog.
QUESTION: In your opinion what are great reasons to start a blog? If this is your reason, why are you considering starting a blog that makes money and how do you plan to monetize it?
Like this post? Share it on Pinterest – thank you!
Thank you for all of the great resources for blogging! I just dove into the blogging world in January and I’ve learned so much in such a short time. Your blog has really helped with that! I’ll check out some of your recommendations like ProBlogger, Warrior Forum, and Digital Point.
The more you learn, the easier it will be!
Amazing content! I’m learning so much about blogging and appreciate all the guidance you provide here. Saving to reference for later, too!
That’s fantastic – glad to help out!
The saying goes… the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
The same is true for starting a blog. I think people a getting worried that blogging is dying but in my experience this is simply not true… there will always be a place for blogs because people love to read.
My takeaway from your post Margaret is that you can still make blogging work for you but of course it takes commitment, patience and time. But you have to start a blog first!
EXACTLY! It doesn’t happen over night. But the time is right to start now.
Start a blog at any time. Just don’t try and wait for the perfect logo, the perfect name, the perfect theme, because perfection doesn’t exist. Obviously some planning is needed, but just start and learn and tweak as you go xx Also defo have your own idea of success and don’t compare to someone else. Comparison and counting stats can take all the fun out of it xx
For some, this approach works. It worked for me for a little while, but then I got ambitious (a few years too late) and had to catch up. 🙂
Lots of great information! I started my blog in September and absolutely love it. Still a learning process but the challenge is fun!
Yes, the challenge is always what keeps me going! I love learning new things and with a blog I set new challenges for myself all the time.
This is such valuable information! I wish it would have been around whenever I started my blog!
Wow lots of great info here! I’m gonna pin it so sometime soon I can pour over it more in depth and check out some of the links. But I do think a lot of things apply to me. I’ve faced some personal challenges this year, and it helps me to have something to keep my mind busy.
Glad to hear it! That’s another great reason to start a blog – to keep your mind busy with a creative, fruitful thing.