Last updated on November 2nd, 2022 at 12:47 pm
In this article, you will learn how to blog in Kenya.
In fact, these are the same steps I used to get started 4 years ago when I started my first ever website.
See, there is a ton of information out there about blogging in Kenya. But what they fail to give you are the exact tips you can implement immediately and have a website in under a day.
That is why I decided to cover this topic extensively. Within this website, you will find insanely helpful guides on hosting and how to start a website.
What is blogging in Kenya?
Blogging is the act of posting articles and sharing ideas over the internet. Often, on a blog (website) where people can access it easily online.
The blog can be your own or someone else’s.
I bet you have heard a lot of people calling themselves ‘bloggers’ in Kenya. Well, by the definition of this term, anyone who shares their opinions online consistently, is a blogger.
Question is;
Can you be a blogger in Kenya even without a website?
The answer is yes. You can start blogging in Kenya even if you do not have a website.
How?
Well, there are blogging platforms like social media platforms, free publishing sites like Medium and LinkedIn Pulse. With these platforms, you can start blogging in Kenya without spending anything.
What do you need to start blogging in Kenya?
To start blogging in Kenya, here are some of the essential things you need;
Step 1: Blogging niche
Don’t be scared, a niche is a fancy word for ‘topic.’
Every blogger has a topic he or she talks about all the time.
For example;
The topic (niche) of TechAndButter.com is technology. This means that most of the articles you will find here are all under the technology industry.
Under such a niche, you won’t miss things like
- How-to guides
- Reviews (phones, laptops, and other electronics)
- Overall technology news.
Back to you.
If you want to learn how to blog in Kenya, you need to decide on a topic. What will you be writing about?
How to pick your blogging topic
To help you decide on the topic, consider the following tips.
- Your passions – what are you passionate about? Do you love politics? Then writing about politics. Love technology? Start sharing tech stuff.
- Experience and knowledge – what skills do you already possess? Perhaps you have training in certain fields, maybe psychology for example. You can start blogging about that.
- What are you interested in learning more about? For example, are you interested in freelancing in Kenya? You can start exploring that topic and share your experiences.
Follow these tips to help you pick a perfect blogging topic in Kenya.
So, you have a topic, what next?
Step 2: Blogging platforms in Kenya
This is where you will be sharing messages from your chosen topic.
The best blogging platforms in Kenya in 2021
Here are the best blogging platforms in Kenya. They offer great features and benefits to bloggers of all levels, as well as a wide range of options for monetizing your blog posts.
1). WordPress
The most popular blogging platform out there. It’s free and easy to use if you want something simple, but also offers paid services with even greater capabilities.
2). Blogger
A very popular blogger option that is user-friendly.
Comes with different tools such as analytics built into it.
This way, you can monitor how much traffic you’re getting from specific sites or keywords on Google searches which is an indicator of popularity (or lack thereof).
3). Blogspot
A blogging platform that is owned by Google so it has all the tools and features you would expect from them like search engine optimization (SEO).
You can choose between a basic blog or a premium package.
This includes extra features such as ad monetizing through AdSense and eCommerce through Shopping Express.
4). Weebly
This site lets people create beautiful websites in minutes without any technical knowledge necessary.
With over 15 million customers worldwide there are tons of different templates available to customize your site however you please.
The prices are very affordable, starting at $12 a month for their most basic package.
5). Tumblr
A blogging platform with over 200 million blogs created on it so far!
You start off by creating an account and then selecting from tons of different templates.
Then start customizing them to suit what kind of site you want.
The best part?
There are no ads because Tumblr was made as a place where people could create whatever they wanted without worrying about corporate sponsorships or advertisements getting in the way of creativity.
Types of blogging sites in Kenya
There are two main types of blogging sites: hosted and self-hosted blogs.
a). Hosted blog in Kenya
Hosted blogs are hosted on the cloud and are accessed with a browser like WordPress.com or Blogger.
All you have to do is sign up for an account then upload your content.
The downside of this option is that any changes made will be reflected across the platform.
Additionally, it can become difficult to maintain control over certain aspects such as design templates.
Another big disadvantage of using one of these platforms is that they don’t allow you access to data about who visits your site.
As such, analytics tools come in handy when trying to grow your audience.
b). Self-hosted blogs in Kenya
Self-hosted blogs are more expensive to maintain and set up.
But they do offer an incredible amount of functionality.
If you need a blog with eCommerce integration or social media features like Facebook commenting, then it is worth the investment in your business.
A self-hosted blogging site in Kenya can be set up for as little as $20 per year (about KES 2000).
This includes control over anything from design templates to hosting location and all the necessary plugins that will make your readers’ experience better.
There is no ongoing cost after buying your domain name and purchasing a plan with these services.
A self-hosted blog in Kenya requires you to be somewhat tech-savvy, but it offers a lot of flexibility.
But if your current hosting company has outages then the site will go down and this can affect your business as well.
How to pick the best blogging platform in Kenya
There are so many choices out there when it comes to picking our favorite site, but hopefully, this helps narrow down decisions based on your needs and preferences.
Follow these tips to pick the best blogging platform in Kenya.
- Make sure that the blogging platform is easy to use and has a clean interface.
- You’ll want access to advanced features like analytics, responsive design, mobile apps, and social media integration so you can promote your posts on other platforms as well.
- Choose one that’s user-friendly for beginners but also offers room for growth in terms of customization if you’re an experienced blogger who likes making their site look unique with custom header graphics or CSS code editing skills.
- Make sure the blogging platform is compatible with your device and available on all devices through an app.
- Check to see if there are any extra features you’re interested in like eCommerce or video hosting services, which many of these platforms provide as well.
No matter which blogging platform you decide on there are some things that need to be considered:
- Who is your audience?
- What kind of content are you going to be posting on the platform?
- Is a blog enough for what you want or do you need other features such as eCommerce, customer service portals, and social media integration?
Ultimately it’s up to you which blogging platform best suits your needs.
Now, let’s see how to create self-hosted blog in Kenya.
Create a website
To create a website/self-hosted blog in Kenya, you need to choose a
- Domain name (website name)
- Pick hosting (where your files will be stored)
- Start posting articles and sharing to reach a wider audience.
Why do you need a website as a blogger in Kenya?
Well, it turns out, you don’t own your Blogger.com account, Facebook pages or Twitter handles or your IG accounts or any of the hosted blogging sites in Kenya.
You may think you do, but don’t, the companies own.
Let me explain.
Facebook is own by Zuckerburg. He makes the rules and you have to play by them or get kicked out.
Take, for example, they recently updated their algorithm that ‘killed’ page posts reach. If you have say 1K likes on Facebook, how many of those fans do you reach when you post anything?
I bet less than 1%.
If you had a website, you make the rules. You work to attract readers and no one will take that away from you. And that is why you need a website if you are interested in blogging.
How to create a website fast in Kenya
I have already touched on things you need to create a website in Kenya.
- You need a domain name – this is the address people will type into their web browsers to access your site
- Pick hosting from the best web hosting companies in Kenya.
- Here is a guide on how to start a website in Kenya.
Step 3: Start writing
Topic? Check!
Platform? Check!
Now it is time to start producing articles. Here, you are sharing your opinions on the chosen topic.
For example;
If you picked entrepreneurship as your blogging niche, you may start sharing things like business ideas, how to start a business, how to grow a business, among other business topics.
The secret here is to only share high-quality content. Don’t care so much about the quantity. Make sure whatever you share offers value to the reader.
Here is something else;
Once you start sharing your topic, stick to it. Have a consistent posting schedule. This will keep your readers hooked and interested even more.
Step 4: building an audience
Without someone to consume what you are putting out there, you will fail fast.
In fact, this step should come right after step 1.
Why?
Because without an audience, you are useless as a blogger. You have no one interested in what you have to say.
As much as you are being advised to pick a topic you are passionate about, that’s not the whole thing.
You need to make sure that there are enough people interested in the topic.
So do this;
When going through blogging topic ideas, pick the ones proven to attract a lot of readerships. Here are some of them;
- Personal development and motivation
- Health and wellness (workout, losing weight, diet)
- Making money online
- Politics
- Fashion
There are others.
Step 5: monetizing
Can you make money as a blogger in Kenya?
Absolutely!
You can easily make money blogging in Kenya, and I will show you how, but first, there is something you need to know.
To make money as a blogger in Kenya, you need to have a good topic and an engaged audience.
What is a good topic?
Not all topics are the same. Some topics attract more money than others.
For example;
Fashion bloggers make more money than wellness blogs. This is because there is a high demand for fashion influencers and brands pay well to collaborate with them.
Even with a perfect niche, you won’t make much if you have a dormant audience.
You need to build a loyal following around your topic. You need an audience that engages (shares, comments, retweets, likes) your posts every time you post.
These two things; good niche + engaged audience = more money as a blog.
How to make money blogging in Kenya
The best way to make money from a blog in Kenya is by promoting other peoples’ products on the site.
This will require that you have an affiliate account set up ahead of time in order to get paid when visitors buy things through your link.
There are many networks where you can sign up as an affiliate, but I recommend the Jumia KOL program because it’s free and provides the most features out of any network including commission levels, payouts, reports, etc.
You’ll need at least one product or service before signing up so be sure to research what people want (or use this article) before setting anything up.
Once you have your affiliate account set up, start by promoting the product that fits into your niche best (or what will make you the most money).
Make sure not to spam or advertise heavily which will just piss off people and turn them away. The more affiliate links you put on your site the less likely it is that someone will click through one of them.
The key to making a lot of money from blogging in Kenya is being diversified with different products and services.
So be sure to branch out as soon as possible once it’s been proven how much traffic a blog gets per day.
Wrapping up blogging in Kenya
I don’t have to tell you how much top bloggers in Kenya earn (hundreds and even millions per month).
If you want to learn how to blog in Kenya, follow the steps laid out within this article.
PS.
If you skimmed to this end, here is what I talk about in this article; 2 secret sauce to making money instantly as a blogger in Kenya.
