Do you want to become a professional blogger in 2022?
Make sure not to miss these 28 awesome tips.
Here is a list of tips I have used to build my first blog which has reached 50k monthly views in less than 6 months.
1. Focus on Producing a Ton of Content
The most important thing when starting a blog is to produce a lot of new content.
Do not focus on anything else in the beginning.
Preferably you should produce 1–2 long-form blog posts, usually with 1000+ words, every single day.
Yes, this can take anywhere between 3 hours to 8 hours a day.
Usually, it takes a couple of months before you see any kind of traffic from Google.
So be patient, and focus on writing!
2. Always Do Keyword Research
Keyword research means trying to learn what your target audience types into a search engine when searching your content.
Keyword research is the only way to avoid writing content no one is searching for. Thus it is really important you do keyword research before writing a single piece of content.
There are many ways to validate/research keywords.
For example, you can check if Google Search suggests your keyword or keyphrase when you start typing it.
You can also use Google Trends to see how a keyphrase is performing over time.
Then you can also perform a simple Google search to get an idea of how many other articles are there on the topic.
For example, to see how many titles have the words “blogging tutorial 2022”, search forallintitle: blogging tutorial 2022
More importantly, you should analyze the quality of the content of your keyword. The goal is to write better articles than any of the top-ranking pages to out-rank them.
These keyword research methods give you an idea of whether your keyword is searched for, how much competition there is, and what type of content you should write to perform well.
This is something you should always do before writing a blog post.
3. Match the Search Intent
Every Google search has an intent.
The number one Google search result is a page that Google thinks matches the search intent the best.
Here is an example. Let’s say someone types “How to see northern lights” on Google.
A low-quality blog post briefly explains “Visit Lapland and look at the night sky when there are no clouds”.
However, this is something that the searcher probably already knew.
To match the search intent, your blog post has to bring in every piece of information that could be useful for the user, which in this case is someone chasing the northern lights.
A high-quality blog post around that topic would cover at least the following aspects:
- What time of the year do northern lights occur?
- At what time of the day do northern lights occur?
- How likely are northern lights?
- Northern light forecasting sites
- Weather forecasting sites
- Characteristics of an ideal spot to see northern lights
- How to prepare for the freezing weather?
- Northern light camping sites?
4. Follow IncomeSchool on YouTube
Income School is a go-to resource for any blogger on YouTube.
They make great free tutorials that cover everything you need to know about blogging. Unlike most of blogging advice these days, IncomeSchool is not trying to sell you any useless information or tools that you do not need.
5. Do Not Focus on Useless SEO Advice
SEO is a buzzword you have probably heard before.
It stands for search engine optimization.
Many SEO experts suggest using expensive SEO tools, spending hundreds of hours building backlinks by outreach, and much more.
However, this is useless.
In the beginning, you should only focus on producing as much quality content as possible.
I have sent 0 outreach emails and used 0 SEO tools. Instead, I’ve spent that time producing quality content and reached 30k monthly visits in no time
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6. Use the Chrome Incognito Trick to Find Keywords
The best way to find relevant topics to write about is by using Google’s own data.
However, Google does not make this data publicly available.
But, there is a trick you can use.
If you open up Google in Incognito mode, you are going to get unbiased search suggestions.
If you hit search on the first suggestion and scroll down the page, you are going to see even more suggestions.
Both of these suggestions are topics Google thinks you want to see.
Google makes these suggestions based on what people have searched in the past.
These suggestions are really great blog post candidates backed up by Google.
7. Write to an 8th Grader
Keep it simple and readable. Do not try to outsmart your readers.
A good blog post should be clear enough for a child to understand.
Think about trying to find an answer from Google. Do you want it to be as simple as possible? Definitely yes!
Do not drive your visitors away by using cryptic language.
8. Always Add to the Web
Do not write an article with the same information as all the other articles on the Internet.
Google does not show your article on the #1 page if the content has already been covered on multiple occasions.
Always add something new and useful to the conversation. Do not just copy others.
This could mean images, research results, videos, alternative approaches, or anything that makes your blog post stand out.
Be unique and always add to the web!
9. Use the Skyscraper Technique
To rank #1 on Google, you need to write the best piece on that topic.
This is where the skyscraper technique kicks in.
If your competitor built a 10-meter building, you build a 100-meter one.
This applies to blogging. When you write an article about a topic, make sure it is 10 times better than any of the top-ranking articles.
Otherwise, your chances of ranking high are slim to none.
10. Produce Long-Form Content
Google prefers long-form content.
According to a study conducted by Backlinko, the average first-page result contains 1,447 words.
And according to a HubSpot study from 2021, the ideal blog post length should be 2,100–2,400 words.
Of course, these are just numbers.
But also, the numbers do not lie.
Usually, it is a 2000+ word comprehensive blog post that stands at the top of the rankings.
11. Use Images
People are attracted to visual content. No one wants to read a 2000-word-long wall of text.
Make sure you use images. Preferably ones that add value to the story. Try to insert one image per 150 words.
There are great resources for free images, such as Unsplash.com.
By the way, you can also try AI text-to-image solutions. They are really impressive and can create unique and original images based on your text input.
12. Write About Something You Like
Blogging can be difficult for a beginner.
There are many different things you need to keep in mind all the time.
Your first blog should be around a topic you are either interested in or familiar with. This makes the landing to the blogging world smoother for you because at least you like what you are writing about.
Keep in mind you do not need to be an expert in the niche. Just do not pretend to be one.
As you gain more experience as a blogger, you can choose topics you are less and less familiar with.
13. Inter-Link Your Articles
Interlinking your articles is important.
To rank blog posts on Google, Google’s web crawlers need to find your posts somewhere.
This happens through links.
If no page is linking to your blog post, then there is no way for Google to find that page. Thus it will be left out of Google rankings.
Also, internal linking is good for keeping visitors on your site longer.
If you link your blog post to a related article, the viewer might jump to it instead of bouncing from your site.
More importantly, a solid interlinked web page suggests to Google that the page is an authority in that niche because the posts are related to one another.
14. Add Links to Useful Resources
Link out to other sites to back up your facts.
This way you build trust with your readers and Google.
Both internal and external links create a strong network in the eyes of Google. This increases your chances of ranking higher on Google.
15. Do Not Try to Be Perfect
Do not try to write perfect articles. There is always something you could write better in another way.
Trying to write perfect articles drains your productivity, motivation, and pace.
Hit the publish button early!
16. Be Realistic with Your Goals
Do not expect results overnight.
It takes a long time before you see your articles rank on Google. For new sites, it takes months or even up to a year.
As a matter of fact, there is no guarantee your blog post will ever appear on Google.
To make matters worse, there is nothing you can do to guarantee this.
Be patient and realistic!
On my first blog, it took 2 months before Google started picking up my articles. During that time, I wrote 8 hours a day without seeing any results.
17. Create Social Media Presence
Social signals are one of the ranking factors of Google.
A social signal means your site has some social media activity, such as accounts, article shares, links, or so.
However, do not spend too much time on your blog’s social media accounts. Especially if you do not have a following yet.
Just make sure your blog can be found on common social media apps, such as TikTok, Youtube, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.
18. Do Not Spend Money on Design
When you are getting started as a blogger, do not spend money on anything except for the domain + hosting.
No one is going to visit your website for a long time.
It does not make any difference whether you have a strong brand or not when you are just getting started.
The blog posts are going to drive traffic to your site. Focus on the quality of those.
When you have a solid number of monthly visits, perhaps you can monetize your blog. And when you have monetized your blog, maybe you can hire a designer to revamp your outlook.
19. Produce Evergreen Content
Write some content that does not get old.
People will link to that content even after years, which will bring you more and more visits over time.
However, not all content needs to be evergreen. It is good to write trendy short-lived content too.
I suggest you write 5–10 comprehensive, long-form, and evergreen articles to begin with.
20. Narrow-Down Your Niche
Do not pick a too broad niche.
A bad example of a niche for a beginner blogger is: “Fitness”
A good example of a niche is: “Gym training 3,000ft+ above sea level”
If you pick a too-broad niche, you are going to be bashed by big companies and agencies that have hundreds of people competing against you.
However, if you narrow down your niche enough, you might be one of the only bloggers writing about that topic.
This increases your chances to succeed as a blogger.
When you have established authority on a narrow niche, then you can slowly broaden it up.
21. Keep Articles Hard to Replicate but Easy to Reference
If they cannot copy you, they will cite you.
If your content is of high enough quality, it can be infeasible for someone to reproduce it. If this is the case, it is probably easier for them to just reference your content as a source.
This means someone links to your website, which is amazing.
But if your content is easy to replicate, other bloggers will rather re-write your content on their own blogs rather than link to it.
22. Use a Simple URL Structure
The URL of a blog post affects rankings.
Although the impact is not huge, it is really easy to do right from the get-go.
By default, most blogs, such as WordPress blogs use a URL structure that looks like this:
site.com/blog/2021/03/12/blogging-tips
Usually, the /blog and /yyyy/mm/dd are redundant.
Instead, you should use a URL structure like this:
site.com/blogging-tips
You can change this in your website builder quite easily.
Just remember that this breaks all the existing links to your site!
Do not make this change unless you have no articles, or if your articles are not linked by anyone.
For example, in WordPress, you can change the URL structure by going to Dashboard > Settings > Permalinks, and selecting “Post name” option.
23. Know Your Traffic
Make sure you set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console for your blog.
These tools provide you with valuable statistics about your blog.
You can for example see:
- The number of visitors over time.
- The keywords your site ranks for.
- The demographics.
And so much more.
24. Add Social Share Buttons to Posts
Social share buttons are a must on each blog post.
It is unlikely anyone shares your post in the first couple of months. But once you start to attract visitors, it is important it is easy for them to share the post.
Social shares can give you a nice audience boost.
The social share buttons are easy to set up.
For example, in WordPress, there are many social share plugins you can use.
Once you have a plugin activated and set up, you do not need to worry about the social share buttons — they are automatically added to your blog posts.
25. Use Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
A call to action is what the name suggests. You ask a user to perform a specific action on your web page.
This could mean:
- Downloading a file.
- Joining a newsletter.
- Following you on social media.
- Reading related blog posts.
- Purchasing something.
With a successful CTA, a visitor either stays longer on your website or even converts to a customer/subscriber.
Needless to say, this is important when building an online business like a blog.
Make sure to include a CTA somewhere in your blog post.
26. Try Blogging on a Platform Like Medium.com
Are you overwhelmed by all the hassle of building your own blogging website?
If you are not ready to commit to maintaining your own website, use a blogging platform.
Medium.com, the very platform you are on right now, is the best choice to start your own blog.
Medium is one of the most popular blogging platforms in 2022.
Medium has an audience of hundreds of millions. This means you do not need to build the audience yourself.
As an example, one of my stories got 40k views when I only had 85 followers!
To get started on Medium:
- Sign up
- Become a member
- Read this comprehensive guide
- Start writing
27. Use Grammarly
You cannot avoid grammar mistakes.
When you are getting started, you want to spend as little time as possible with annoying issues. Grammar mistakes are one of them.
However, these days there are free grammar tools like Grammarly.
Grammarly constantly analyzes your writing and makes it easy for you to fix the issues.
Using the free version of Grammarly is more than enough.
28. Watch Your Competitors
The best way to learn to blog is by seeing what others do.
Watch the key players in your niche.
What do they do?
What kind of content do they produce?
By watching your best competitors you can get a good hunch on what you should do to succeed.
By the way, you can use this strategy already when picking a niche. Google articles related to your niche, and analyze them before you make a decision.
Conclusion
There you have it. A bunch of useful tips to start blogging in 2022.
I wish I could send these tips back to when I started!
Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you find it useful.
Happy writing!