Blogging is the art of regularly creating and publishing content on a website or platform. The content can take the form of articles (blogs), videos, or images, usually focusing on a specific topic or niche. And if you’re wondering how or where to get started, this article has the most actionable blogging tips and tricks for beginners, including mistakes to avoid and resources. Starting a blog is very important for your business, especially if you do it the right way. For instance, it helps establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. That way, you can improve your search engine rankings and drive more traffic and leads to your business. A blog helps you engage with customers, improve brand awareness, and increase the chance of converting your website traffic to paying customers. So, if you’re a beginner willing to start, grow or monetize your blog, this article has everything you need to know to succeed. Before you Start Blogging, do this… There’re some things you need to know before starting a blog. First, choose an interesting niche you’d be more than willing to dive into. Doing so will help focus your content and target a specific audience from day one, increasing the chances of your blog’s success. By identifying a nice, you can also identify the needs and interests of your target audience and create content best suited for them. For instance, if you’re a marketer, you can start a blog about digital marketing success tips, aiming to drive clients to purchase your services. Before settling on a particular niche, brainstorm some list of topics you’re passionate about and have good knowledge of. Then explore the level of competition and demand for each topic. You can use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest to identify low-competition keywords. Finally, pick a niche that aligns with your business goals, and learn how to differentiate yourself from competitors. Be sure to set realizable short-term, medium, and long-term goals for your brand, and make a plan on the topics you’ll write content about, and your blogging schedule. Mistakes to avoid: setting unrealistic goals, creating content for everyone instead of targeting a specific audience, and not researching the market and demand for your content. Blog Writing Tips for Beginners By now, you already have a niche and some topics you can start writing compelling content on. Now, writing your blog doesn’t have to take forever, and it isn’t that complicated. I wrote this article in less than 4 hours, and you can too if you follow these blogging tips for beginners. Mistakes to Avoid: Focusing too much on keyword research and SEO, neglecting your audience, and plagiarism. If you use AI tools like ChatGTP, make sure you polish your content as much as possible. After all, you’re creating content for people, not machines. Effective Marketing Tips for New Bloggers In addition to failing to understand their audience and market, bloggers fail to succeed by not marketing their content online. These blogging tips help beginners to avoid these mistakes and promote their content online to form a more active readership: Mistakes to Avoid: Focusing too much on promotion and neglecting your audience needs, not engaging with other bloggers in your niche, or spamming other people’s blogs. Blogging Monetization Tips for Beginners There’re any ways you can make money as a blogger, whether you’re in Kenya on any other part of the world. Here’re the 9 ‘Proven’ Ways You Can Make Money Blogging Today. After writing a few articles, open a Google Adsense account and apply for monetization. If successful, Google will place ads on your blogs. Then you can earn per every 1000 impressions (cost per mile) and for every click (cost per click). Drive more traffic for more earnings. You could as well head to affiliate marketing networks like ShareaSale, CJ Affiliate, and Amazon Associate. They connect publishers with marketers. Then apply for affiliate programs relevant to your audience, include affiliate links on your content, and start promoting. More so, start promoting your services, or products, whether digital like ebooks and online courses, or physical, like woodwork. Then increase website traffic and start selling online. For instance, a digital marketer can write a few ebooks, and offer internet marketing services. When your reach increase, brands can start reaching out to you to post sponsored posts on your website for a fee. So when that time comes, only accept brands that are relevant to your audience. Offer solutions to your audience’s problems, while still making money online. Mistakes to Avoid: not focusing on driving enough traffic to your blogs, and failure to disclose sponsored content. Or not providing value to your audience. Conclusion: Now What? In summary, this article offers practical and actionable blogging tips for beginners. Specifically, it shows you what you need to do before starting a blog, and during the writing process. More so, the article insists on the need to promote your blog online, and how to earn from your blog. Before starting a blog, find a specific niche, and identify your audience. And list a few topics you can start writing content on. Then, while writing your articles, start by preparing an outline. And bear in mind the target keyword and search intent while writing your blog posts. You should also promote your content through different marketing approaches. Use email marketing tools to create an email list, and send notifications to subscribers when you post a new article. You can consider other strategies like media, PPC, and influencer marketing. For blog monetization, you can consider selling your products and services, Adsense, and affiliate marketing. Or even accept sponsored posts on your blog – whichever works for you.

Social media evolved to help people connect with their friends, colleagues, family, or like-minded individuals, bridging the geographical gap. However, today, people use sites like Facebook and YouTube to earn money online. This guide explores how Facebook pays. You can turn your social media into a sustainable online business by selling your products (physical or digital) and services. You can also apply for Facebook monetization, sell online courses, offer coaching and consulting services, or create subscription-based content. However, please remember that making money on Facebook requires hard work, commitment, and consistency. So, I do not intend to show you how to become a millionaire overnight. And most importantly, you must comply with Facebook monetization policies and terms of service. That being said, let’s explore 10 proven ways to earn money on Facebook. How to Monetize your Facebook Content Like YouTube Monetisation, you can monetize your Facebook content and make money online. Creators eligible for monetization programs, like Facebook Ad Breaks, Facebook Stars, and Facebook Gamming, can apply for it. Then, you can earn on this popular social media platform through Creator Fund or creators partnership on Facebook Watch. The monetization options available depend on location, audience size, and engagement. You must attain certain requirements and adhere to the policies to qualify for monetization. The requirements and policies (explained below) are subject to change, so you keep updated. Facebook Monetization Eligibility The monetization requirements vary depending on factors like location. And the type of monetization option you’re interested in. Here’re a few of the key requirements: Check out all the requirements here, and remember that the policies and guidelines are subject to change. Thus, you should always be updated and comply with the most recent ones. Also, confirm which monetization options are available to you in your Facebook Studio. Other Ways to Earn Money on Facebook Besides joining the Facebook monetization program and earning money through ads, there are more ways to make money on this awesome platform. So, these options do not have a minimum audience or engagement to get started. The most common ones include the following: 4. Stet up an Online Shop One of the many ways to earn from your Facebook page is to set up a Facebook or Instagram shop and start selling your products online. Meta gives you practical insights and case studies to help you customize and promote your online shop. And even use ads to reach more audiences. While customizing your online shop, you should write concise product descriptions and titles. Share high-quality images, especially with a 360-degree view, to help your audience have a close look at the products. And feature the most exciting products in the most premium spaces. 5. Affiliate Marketing Another yet popular way to earn money on Facebook is through affiliate marketing. It involves promoting other products and services through unique links in exchange for a commission. So, I want you to sign up for ShareASale (an affiliate network) and find products to promote. Or check these 20 awesome affiliate programs for beginners and find which is suitable for your audience. Remember to find products that are suitable for your audience. Apply for their affiliate programs, get unique links, and share them with your Facebook content. You can also share the links to relevant Facebook groups and pages and earn more money. 6. Create Sponsored Posts Besides promoting products and services through affiliate marketing or selling your own, you can also create sponsored posts for brands. Suppose you create content about digital marketing. You can partner with brands to share their digital products and services with your audience. However, this option requires you to have a larger and well-targeted audience. And also high engagement and performance on your page. Remember to partner with brands and share products and services relevant to your audience, as your aim should be to solve their problems. 7. Sell Online Courses Other than selling products on your Facebook shop, you can create an online course in your niche and promote it on your social media pages. And even use paid ads, or share them with other relevant groups and pages, and reach a larger audience and target customers. Creating an online course isn’t that complicated, but you need to follow these steps: Courses are best for people who have already established themselves as leader in the industry. And you have to conduct extensive research before creating your course. Find out what people are interested in learning, and create a high-quality course for your audience. 8. Crowdfunding You can raise money for a cause, project, or business through Facebook crowdfunding campaigns. Create a crowdfunding campaign and then promote it across Facebook to earn the money needed to start a business or speed up the product development process. You can also use this means to fund business growth and access a network of potential investors and customers. However, unlike platforms like GoFundMe, Facebook does not offer advanced fraud protection guarantees, and the campaigns can are limited to Facebook only. 9. Paid Virtual (Online) Events The paid online event is a Facebook monetization tool available to specific markets to eligible pages. It allows creators to create, host, and monetize their virtual events. It is a way to increase the audience, earn more money, and eliminate the inconvenience of in-person events. You should first ensure your page is eligible for paid online events. And your page must be at least 30 days old and reside in a supported region. Then review and accepts the terms and conditions, and set up a payment account. Then promote your event and charge admission fees. 10. Sell your Services You can earn money on Facebook by acting as a consultant or offering mentorship services. And the choice of your services will depend on the issues your audience is facing and your expertise and interests. You can charge for time and expertise as a specialist in your field. For instance, if you’re a public speaker or a motivational speaker, you can

There’re plenty of freelance writing jobs you can secure online and make a living out of it, whether you’re a seasoned writer or a newbie writer with zero experience. This article first explains what freelancing means and the skills you’ll need to succeed. Then, it presents the easiest ways to hunt for content writing gigs, including a list of websites that hire writers daily. If you’re a beginner, you probably could be wondering what freelance writing is or how it works. And if that is the case, freelance writing, in simple terms, means a practice where clients outsource writing work on a temporary or contract basis instead of employing full-time authors. Therefore, a freelance writer can produce whatever written text the client needs, either working from home or in a rented office. You can opt to be an academic content writer, technical writer, business writer, institutional writer, ghostwriter, or website or blog writing expert. Alternatively, you can write your stuff, like blogs and eBooks, or start a website for your business and promote your services online (we’ll come to this later on). Check out how to write and earn as little as USD 1000 per month as a freelance writer or college student in this guide: Before I show you different ways to secure content writing gigs or jobs as a freelancer or a student, let’s explore what you need to get started. Then we can get into the details, okay? Getting Ready for Freelance Writing Jobs Questions like what one needs to start with content writing as a beginner, websites to find work, or why most copywriters fail are all over the web. So, before I show you how to hunt for work, here’s a list of 10 things you need to do to increase your chances of securing jobs. Best Ways to Get Content Writing Jobs There are paid and free unlimited ways you can get freelance writing jobs. In this section, let’s explore nine of the best free ones. So, you can choose one approach or combine a few of them. The bottom line, these are some of the unique ways you can be sure to get work online: 11. Start a Writing Agency There’s no better website or place to get freelance writing jobs than a platform you own or are part of, like a blog or writing agency. Not even freelance marketplaces like Fiverr. Because you get to work on your terms, earn all the commissions, and have much control. And starting a blog or writing a website doesn’t have to be as complicated as you think. You can start a blog for free, get reliable hosting for $2.59/month, and launch your site. Then you can write some fantastic blog articles in your niche while marketing your services. Check how to write a blog that will bring you more visitors that you can turn into clients. 12. Start Cold Pitching Another way you can run into your next content writing deal is through cold pitching. And if you’re unfamiliar with the term, cold pitching means sending targeted emails to strangers explaining how you have solutions to their needs. Mark the words targeted and solutions. Let’s say you offer blog writing services and you’re actively looking for clients. In that case, you can find a site that doesn’t have an active blog and offer to write an excellent content for them. Then, you can include a link to your portfolio or samples to prove your qualification. You can automate your email campaigns and follow-ups using a bulk email sender. 13. Start Warm Pitching Warm pitching uses the same approach as cold pinching. The only difference is that the former targets people you’ve interacted with, while the former focus on strangers. These can be your previous clients offering them an irresistible offer or your followers or friends on Twitter. Since you’re engaging with people you have relationships with, warm pitching is much easier to land a freelance job than cold pitching. But still, you’ll need to share your samples or portfolio and be confident while approaching your potential clients. Of course, be respectful. 14. Exploit Q&A Sites One of my favourite Q&A (question and answer) platforms is Quora and, sometimes, Reddit. You can use these platforms to market your writing services and direct visitors to your website. And you can answer the most followed questions or share links to your service. You can locate writing gigs through the Search bar or by creating/joining related spaces. 15. Offer Referal Deals In freelancing or any other form of business, referrals work like crazy. But that only happens when you offer quality services or products to your clients to make them confident enough to refer you to their close ones. So, I want you to give people incentives (gifts) for every referral. You can let them share unique codes or referral links in exchange for discounts or free services or products. Clients will be willing to bring you more customers when they’re assured of a certain reward. In the long run, you get more customers through ‘word-of-mouth’ marketing. 16. Say You’re For Hire Have you said you’re available for hiring across all your social platforms like Linkedin, Facebook, or even your blog? Do your readers, followers, or even friends know you offer writing services? Let people know in your bios all over the web that you’re available for work. My Linkedin profile reads I’m available to offer SEO and Content Marketing remotely. 17. Use a Job Search Website There’re many job search websites where companies seeking freelancers post writing opportunities. Take Bright Monday, for instance – they post permanent, temporary, part-time, or even contract-based job opportunities in Kenya. Make sure you check it out. Then, you can make your application (or post your jobs for free) to get an opportunity to reach your potential clients or brands. Engage with the web to discover more sites that post jobs. 18. Guest Post (For Free!) Guest posting, a process of sharing

Starting a blog is important, as research shows businesses with blogs get 55% more website traffic than don’t. You can start a blog for free, generate backlinks for your business, and increase the number of indexed pages, improving your performance on search results. A blog helps you share content on diverse topics within your niche, thus attracting more readership. However, you may consider starting a youtube channel for even better results. But that’s not all. Here’re some of the reasons you should consider creating a business blog. Many people, especially beginners, constantly wonder how to start blogging or the tools and costs involved. And lucky for you, this article takes you through the entire process of starting a business blog and gives you success tips. How to Start a Business Blog Starting a business blog from scratch does not have to be a complicated process. You need to follow the steps and best practices discussed herein. And then start publishing your content. Specifically, follow these steps to get started the right way: 1. Find a Niche and Name your Blog You have to be specific about what type of blog you want to create. Is it a blog about food, digital marketing, online business, or celebrity gossip? Or news or educational websites? While finding a niche, ensure it is appropriate to your business (potential online business) goals. Find a niche our interested in and can make you money. Then, based on your niche, select a domain name. You’d want to ensure the domain you’re choosing is available, and it’s not more than 10 characters or two words. And confirm the availability of social media usernames. You can use Namecheck.com for that purpose, and it’s free. Or use hosting websites like Dreamhost, Namecheap or Bluehost to check the availability of your preferred name. Then choose an available domain name, and proceed to the following stages. 2. Buy Domain and Hosting Now that you have a domain name (website name), you have to purchase it. Remember, you should renew your domain name annually. Find a company that you’ll buy the domain from, as well as website hosting. One thing I love about Dreamhost is that you can get a free domain for the first year if you purchase a hosting package for 1 year or 3 years. The company sells a .com domain for $7.99/year. You can as well get an affordable hosting package from Dreamhost. Web Hosting is the process of renting or buying space to house a website on the World Wide Web. DreamHost charges a monthly fee of as little as $1.99 per month (a limited-time offer). Or check out BlueHost as well, which charges hosting from $2.95/month. The good thing about these two companies is that you can install WordPress and create your website for free. These companies are best for WordPress blogs. Here’s a compassion of the 10 best hosting companies, including their prices and whom they are best suited for. But if you’re on a tight budget, you can create a free blog on any of these free blogging platforms, including blogger. Before you settle on any domain registrar or hosting website, check their reviews on Trustpilot or social media pages like FaceBook to understand what its users say. Or consult an expert or web developer in your region for more guidance on the most suitable package. So, how much does buying and hosting a domain cost? Or how much does it cost to start a blog? If I settle with DreamHost, I’d need $7.99 for the domain name and $1.99/month ($23.88 per year) for a shared hosting package. That’s $31.87 (Ksh 3,500) in total. However, the final cost depends on your domain extension (.com, ..net, .org, .co.ke), available offers, and your hosting package. And whether you intend to hire a developer. 3. Start Creating your Blog You have options when it comes to building a blog or website. For instance, you can learn coding skills and create your site independently or hire a freelancer to do it for you. But you can avoid all that struggle and save money by installing a free blog with WordPress. Do you know how many websites use WordPress today? As of 2021, over 455 million websites use WordPress builder, and the number continues to grow. Yet there are about 1.3 billion websites across the internet. So, over 30% of the sites use WordPress – that’s impressive. The good thing is that most hosting packages have preinstalled WordPress, so all you have is to activate it and start to create or build your blog for free. But you’ll have to find a WordPress theme that interests you or meets your website’s requirements. There are over 4,700 WordPress themes that you can choose from. Alternatively, you can install Starter Templates and use builders like Elementor to create your website. You’ll have some templates to choose from, some of which are paid and others are free. Now, that depends on your budget. Although I suggest, you start with the free ones. 4. Write High-Quality Blog Posts After customising your blog and dealing with the technical issues, you’re set to write your first blog. There’re best practices to follow while writing your articles. For instance, see how I wrote one on making money online in a conversational tone, short sentences, and paragraphs. As seen above, Yoast SEO is very helpful while writing your website content or blog. It tells you whether you have used outbound links (linking to other websites), images, internal links, and key phrases in the introduction (first block or paragraph). The plugin also shows you whether you have used the target keywords a few times and included them in title tags and meta descriptions. Write in short paragraphs and include visual aids like videos and images. I prefer writing a maximum of 3 sentences per paragraph – to make my blog readable and organized. If you’re new to writing, you can read other blogs to get ideas on how to