Last updated on November 2nd, 2022 at 09:01 am
The question of what kind of blog to start can be a bit overwhelming if just starting out. There are so many different types of blogs and it can be difficult to know which is best for your own personal writing goals.
Luckily, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to which type of blog to start. It’s more of a matter of finding the type of blog that will give you the most personal and positive return on your time and energy.
If you want to start a blog for yourself as a way to share your ideas and explore your own creativity, there are a lot of great reasons to do so.
Even if not ready to make the big commitment of starting your own blog, you can start a blog independently to share your favourite articles with friends and family or to explore your interests and hobbies.
What is a blog?
A blog is a type of online publication that includes articles and photos as well as links and comments.
You can read your own blog on the web or via mobile apps for many different devices.
Blogs are often written and published by individuals. And can be used for a lot of different topics, including personal writing, business, and even niche and affiliate related topics.
Should you start a blog?
This is a question that should be answered based on your own personal goals.
If you want to explore your creativity, start a blog!
You can write about anything you are interested in and your own writing will be a lot more authentic if you do it in your own voice.
There are lots of different reasons to start a blog, but we’ll break them down below.
a). Explore your creativity
Writing is an amazing tool for exploring your personal creativity and sharing your ideas with others.
If interested in any specific topics, you can explore those topics in depth and if interested in creative writing in general, you can explore the history of that topic and read other works from authors who’ve contributed to its history.
b). Share your ideas
Even if not interested in sharing your ideas for commercial purposes, blogging is a great way to organize your thoughts and share your ideas with others.
You can simply write about your favourite topics and you can also organize your thoughts and share your ideas with others by including links, photos, and comments.
c). Get published
It can be an amazing feeling to receive a random email from someone who’s interested in your ideas and thoughts and who wants to publish them in their own blog. It can also feel amazing to publish your first article or blog post to your own blog.
d). Be more authentic
A blog allows you to show the ‘human’ side of you or your business. It is here where you can share personal stories, case studies, and build authority in your niche/industry.
e). Make money online
By publishing high-quality content and driving traffic to your site, you can monetize your blog and earn a passive income stream.
There are many ways to make money with a blog, such as affiliate marketing, advertising, sponsored posts, and product reviews.
The easiest and fastest way to make money from your blog is through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing allows you to earn a commission by promoting another company’s products on your blog.
With that said, here is a quick guide to the different types of blogs and what you should know about each one.
What are the 4 common types of blogs?
1). Personal blogs
Personal blogs are your typical blog post and readable format. You can explore a lot of different interests, hobbies, and topics and get your thoughts and ideas out there with the readers reading and commenting on your posts.
Think of it as your personal diary or creative journal in digital form.
They can be used for sharing your thoughts on a variety of different topics and can be used to explore your creativity and organize your thoughts and ideas.
Personal blogs are great for sharing your thoughts, ideas, interests, and passions. They allow you to explore your creativity and get your ideas and thoughts out there in a way that’s authentic.
If interested in writing more, you can organize your ideas and thoughts in a way that’s more authentic and meaningful.
2). Business blogs
A business blog is a great way to share your thoughts and ideas on your specific industry and business topics.
Business blogs are great for sharing your ideas and thoughts on a variety of different business topics and can also be great for promoting your business, products, and services.
3). Niche blogs
Another common type of blog is niche blog.
Niche blogs are blogs that focus on a specific topic. You can often find niche blogs by doing a quick Google search or by doing a quick Google search for the specific topic you’d like to focus on.
If interested in writing more about a specific topic, niche blogs are great for targeting a specific audience.
For example, you can start a blog targeting specifically HP laptop users. This is a sub niche of laptops, which is a niche under computers, make sense?
4). Affiliate blogs
Affiliate blogs are similar to niche blogs but instead of focusing on a specific topic, an affiliate blog focuses on sharing information about products and services that you can then often use to sell those products and services.
If you’d wish to share more information about products and services you use, affiliate blogs are a great way to do so.
For instance, if you decide to start a blog about laptops where you publish reviews, that’s an affiliate blog. And at the same time, that qualifies to be a niche blog.
How to choose the right type of blog to start
There’s no wrong answer to this question, as blog types are simply different ways of using a blog as a way to share your ideas, make money online and explore your creativity.
If you want to explore your creativity and share your ideas with others, start a personal blog.
On the other hand, if you’d rather write about a specific topic or industry, a niche blog is your best bet.
Even though all of these types of blogs can make money, if you are more interested in generating passive income, an affiliate blog is the best.
What’s the Difference Between a Blog and a Website?
A blog is a type of website that is usually dedicated to a particular topic. It’s a place where people can come together to share their thoughts and ideas on a particular subject.
Additionally, blogs are usually updated regularly and are often interactive, allowing readers to comment on posts and start discussions around topics.
A website, on the other hand, is a place where information about a company or organization can be found.
Websites are usually dedicated to a particular purpose, such as selling a product or service, providing information about a field of study, or profiling a person or organization.
That explains why websites are sometimes referred to as ‘static.’ The content isn’t updated regularly and visitors can’t interact with it.
Now, no matter the type of blog you have, you will need a blogging platform.
3 best blogging platforms (which one should you choose?)
What is a blogging platform?
A blogging platform is a website where you can create and share content. It’s a tool that lets you create blog posts, upload photos, and publish your thoughts online.
The most popular blogging platforms are WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, and Squarespace. They all have different features and allow you to do different things. The best blogging platform for you depends on your needs.
With that in mind, these are some of the most widely used blogging platforms:
a). Blogger
Blogger is a Google product and is the most preferred blogging platform by newbies. It is easy to use and has all the essential features of a standard blog.
b). WordPress
WordPress is undoubtedly the most popular blogging platform. It has a huge community of developers, designers, and bloggers who have created tons of themes and plugins to make your blog unique.
FYI:
There are two versions of WordPress:
- WordPress.com – a free website builder
- WordPress.org – free, open-source CMS you can download and install on your domain.
c). Medium
Medium is a very unique blogging platform. It is a mix of blogging and social networking.
You can share your stories, but you can also read stories from other writers.
Now, the choice of the blogging platform depends on the purpose of your blog. If you want to create a standard blog, then you can go with the easiest one, which is Blogger.
If you want to have more control over the design and functionality of your blog, then you must choose WordPress.
And if you want to publish stories, fast, then you must choose Medium.
Proven strategies to grow a blog fast
Here are a few strategies to grow a blog fast:
- Make sure that your blog is optimized for search engines. Create an effective content calendar and stick to it. It will help you in getting more traffic and keep your blog fresh for the readers.
- Promote your blog on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc. You can also use social media sites like Instagram Stories to promote your posts on the app itself.
- Use analytics tools to track how visitors are flowing into your blog and how many of them return back again after visiting you regularly. Measure success by tracking the number of comments and shares on posts that you make on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter etc.
Don’t stop blogging just because you have started with a small number of followers or hits on your blog every day.
Finally, create new posts regularly and keep them updated so that you can have a steady stream of traffic to your blog.
You can continue reading about proven ways to grow a blog here.
Final thoughts
You’ve learned about the most common types of blogs. This doesn’t mean there aren’t others. But this should give you an idea and direction as you start your blogging journey.
Which type of blog do you run or will start? Let me know in the comments.
Now, if you are ready to start a blog, here is a step by step guide.
