Starting a Blog

10 years ago

Thanks for asking. Firstly I'd say don't even think about monetizing it or what types of ads to use until you have your topic and a few posts.
That said, an 'ideal' theme has to come from you. As a starting point:

1.) Think of 3 things you're really good at
2.) Think of 3 things you really love to do
3.) Think of 3 things you're pretty sure you could teach people about.

Write 'em all down. Look for the items that appear on more than 1 list. That's your starting point.

Hope this helps!

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JRJWrites 10 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Tandan

Firstly I'd say don't even think about monetizing it or what types of ads to use until you have your topic and a few posts.

Bad idea. Know how you're going to monetize from the very beginning, and put those wheels in motion. Why wait?

OP: There is no "ideal" theme - it depends on YOUR requirements and YOUR niche.
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- Andre Slater 10 years ago
  
  I would say pick whatever you have a passion for... Whatever it is you like. Just don't pick from a list of IM terms that you don't know. Example:
  
  List building
  Product creation
  Amazon
  Keyword selection
  
  What happens is if you pick something you don't really know then it will be hard to create a worthwhile blog and you will get bored quick and probably quit.
  
  The whole point of a blog is to get traffic and what better way to get traffic, then to talk about something you love and know so you can provide value.
  
  You can pretty much monetize anything nowadays. Don't worry so much about monetizing your site... Just find something you like and blog about that.
  
  Simple
  
  Thanks
  
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st0nec0ld

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Mark Tandan

Thanks for asking. Firstly I'd say don't even think about monetizing it or what types of ads to use until you have your topic and a few posts.
That said, an 'ideal' theme has to come from you. As a starting point:

1.) Think of 3 things you're really good at
2.) Think of 3 things you really love to do
3.) Think of 3 things you're pretty sure you could teach people about.

Write 'em all down. Look for the items that appear on more than 1 list. That's your starting point.

Hope this helps!

Will always be a good start, and will definitely works for you.

Thanks

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TatiW3B

10 years ago

That's completely personal and up to you to figure out. Starting a blog, and making it interesting enough to gain momentum and traffic can take a lot of effort. Unless you're just planning to outsource all of the content (and even then, you still need to review the content you're buying)

Here are some questions to ponder to get you started:

What are your hobbies and interests? What are the hobbies of your friends that you find intriguing? Do you have any special skills, talents, expertise? If you don't, are you willing to make an effort to work towards acquiring some? Do you feel you can regularly create content for it?

Once you come up with a list (mental or written) ask yourself... Can any of these be monetized?

Then, go out and do some research to find anything related that you can sell, that has a profitable market.

Thanks

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figuringmoneyout

10 years ago

Originally Posted by bmw040

I am looking at starting a brand new website/blog. And in time once it gets enough unique viewers, adding in some banner ads etc. The thing is, I don't have any fresh ideas...

What would you suggest to me as an ideal theme/starting point? And what kind of ads?

It's going to be really hard for you to keep up a blog if you don't have any fresh ideas! How will you continue to create content?

Before you do anything you need to come up with a theme/idea. Without this to tie your blog together you won't get very far. Themes and the look of your blog can all come later and is stuff you will have to tweak and play with as you go along anyway. You really need a strong foundation to build on.

I might have misinterpreted your question and you have an idea? It was a bit unclear. If we knew the general idea it would be easier to give ideas for the rest.

Thanks

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ephicil

10 years ago

the first place to start off is things that you are passionate about: sports, politics, wood craving etc.

the next place I would look is problems that you deal with that you would like an easier solution: how to change a bike tire, best ways to get better sleep, etc.

Good luck!

Thanks

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RetireWithMel

10 years ago

Originally Posted by bmw040

I am looking at starting a brand new website/blog. And in time once it gets enough unique viewers, adding in some banner ads etc. The thing is, I don't have any fresh ideas...

What would you suggest to me as an ideal theme/starting point? And what kind of ads?

I definitely agree with many of the other posts. I would suggest writing non-stop for 90 days straight without even thinking about money. Focus on providing nothing but valuable content. You're going to need the practice. Every day seek to learn something new about blogging and how to make your posts better. YOU MUST FOCUS ON QUALITY CONTENT! Another thing you want to get used to is syndicating your posts to social media daily. Get your name and face out there, create a following and have fun with this thing. Write about what you love. The money comes later. Give and then receive! I'm excited for you. Keep us in tune with your progress!

Thanks

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a2hosting

10 years ago

I agree with coming up with the ideas about what you enjoy. Once you do that, I would run the topic through WordTracker so you can get some niches. This way you can see how competitive is. Once you get your idea, I would certainly recommend finding relevant affiliate programs to advertise for, or just using an ad program like AdSense.

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topnichewebsites

10 years ago

Brian,

Hard to answer that question. If has to be something you are interested in so it will be more ez to write about it and focus on it. Once that is done, you also have to find a blog theme that you manage to work with. Writing posts and brainstorming for the next 30 days will help a lot. Once you get the blog running and page views then you can add whatever ads you want. PM if you have any questions what I posted.

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RHarper

10 years ago

Hobbies/interests are good places to start. What's are you passionate about? If youre not passionate, or at least somewhat interested in the subject, it's going to be a long uphill slog, and you will almost certainly throw in the towel.
Hobbies/interests are good entry points because you probably have a network ready to tap into; in the form of forums, groups, social scenes etc.
Nobody can really tell you what to blog about. Just get creative, and the rest will fall into place.

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Slin

10 years ago

Do you have any magazines at your house? Most magazines make great websites as well, so if you have any subscriptions to magazines, well that shows that you have a profitable niche right there.

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jbsmith

10 years ago

Take it from someone who operates dozens of blogs...

1. Have a good sense for how you will monetize up front...otherwise you will most likely end up with a "hobby" blog (nothing wrong with that, but you will only bring in a trickle of profit if any at all) or even worse, a blog you don't really care about AND doesn't make any money. Earning money from ads is probably the toughest way to make money with a blog...what I would look to first are interests/passions you have directed into a market niche where there are plenty of affiliate products and/or where you can create your own products, that's where the profit comes from.

2. Have an idea where your strengths are...do you connect with people? Is it through writing or is it more through video, audio, etc...? Play to your strengths, that's where marketers really win

Jeff

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hbhanot

10 years ago

Just go with what you like and love doing. By doing so you will never get bored and will be interested in your blog.
Blogs don't fail because they were not just in good niche but they fail because we start them sometime opposite to our nature.

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bmw040

10 years ago

Thank you guys for all the comments!

And what if I start writing about something I love, get alot of great quality posts/entries, show myself to the media etc, but I get no visitors. Then what?

Thanks
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savidge4

10 years ago

Originally Posted by bmw040

Thank you guys for all the comments!

And what if I start writing about something I love, get alot of great quality posts/entries, show myself to the media etc, but I get no visitors. Then what?

Then what? well you are out your time doing something you enjoy. You are out the expense of your website ( Name & hosting ) and through the process you have gained more than you lost. You have gained the experience. You have gained one less no to a yes. You will be able to say what most wont "I Tried". Through the writing process you will learn a lot about yourself. If you spend half the time in front of a computer as I do, you will have a new comfy chair.

Don't worry about all that... enjoy the process, learn how to start a list and write your tail off man. we are talking what $100 for a year or 2's worth of web space. That's the cheapest investment in yourself you will ever make. If you have a heart beat and a credit card go to gator host and get it done!

GO NOW!

Hope that Helps!

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karolk

10 years ago

Originally Posted by bmw040

Thank you guys for all the comments!

And what if I start writing about something I love, get alot of great quality posts/entries, show myself to the media etc, but I get no visitors. Then what?

Sorry, but your signature links to the site trafficbuildingtips[dot]com - I assume it's yours. And if it is, asking any sort of "What if I get no visitors" questions looks very suspicious. Something simply doesn't add up here.

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Marian

10 years ago

Originally Posted by bmw040

Thank you guys for all the comments!

And what if I start writing about something I love, get alot of great quality posts/entries, show myself to the media etc, but I get no visitors. Then what?

Then there's no reason why to write if you're not having an audience. But I suppose more people are interested in what you say... but the question then would be: is there anything to be sold to such audience?

Marian

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absolutelee

10 years ago

I would absolutely make sure I could crank out the content on a regular basis before thinking about anything else.

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Stuart Walker

10 years ago

You're getting ahead of yourself.

The first step before starting a blog and thinking about banner ads (this isn't the most profitable method but can be used along side other means like affiliate marketing) is to figure out what niche your blog is going to be in.

Picking a profitable niche, preferably one which you have interest in, is the first step.

I've attached a 5,000+ word guide called 'The Ultimate Guide To Finding A Profitable Niche Market' that I created, it will show you EXACTLY what you have to do to find a niche....

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Forteam04

10 years ago

Hi,
You know there are websites about nearly everything imaginable, but that doesn’t mean that they are all good.
Some of the most creative ideas people came up with.
Health & Fitness for Busy People.
sex
fashion
sports.etc

your ads should be related to your blog's category.

Thanks

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Mateenyall

10 years ago

Writing a blog about something you're interesting in is a big commitment. I would definitely suggest write about something that you Love, but also, to some degree, you need to love writing.

Writing can be really boring if you don't enjoy it, even if you're writing about something you like, but if you make it interesting then it can work out.

Good lucK!