![\"blog-phase](\"https:\/\/www.leadbuildermarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/blog-phase.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Blogging can be a fun pastime\u2014or it can be a profitable side hustle.<\/p>\n
For some, it can even turn into a lucrative, full-time job.<\/p>\n
So, what separates the hobbyists from the high-earners?<\/p>\n
An action plan.<\/p>\n
Below, I\u2019ll teach you how to start a blog that attracts and converts visitors.<\/p>\n
Including a month-by-month timeline of exactly what to do and when to do it.<\/p>\n With actionable steps for each phase, you\u2019ll learn how to go from initial planning to a thriving business in 12 months.<\/p>\n Plus, you\u2019ll see how other bloggers successfully used this system to build steady blog traffic and revenue. Like Kayla, who used this framework to grow her food blog from zero to 90K monthly visitors in a few years.<\/p>\n Ready to build your blog the right way?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with how to validate your blog concept.<\/p>\n Focus on research and validation in month one.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Because it will set your blog up for sustainable success<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Your goals determine everything about your blog.<\/p>\n This includes your:<\/p>\n But your goals should be more specific than \u201cI want to start a blog and make money\u201d or \u201cI want to share advice on [insert topic].\u201d<\/p>\n Break your goals into three parts: purpose, income, and growth.<\/p>\n This will define your \u201cwhy.\u201d<\/p>\n And clarify your strategy for long-term success.<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong> \u201cHelp busy parents cook healthy meals in under 30 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong> \u201cGenerate $1,000 per month through affiliate marketing<\/a> within 24 months.\u201d<\/p>\n Example:<\/strong> \u201cReach 25,000 monthly pageviews and 1,000 email subscribers in 12 months.\u201d<\/p>\n Ideally, the niche you choose will be one you have an interest in long-term.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s something you\u2019re already an expert in. Or at least have a serious desire to learn about.<\/p>\n It\u2019s WAY easier to create quality content when you know your stuff and are passionate about the topic.<\/p>\n Plus, your content will feel more authentic to your readers.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to pick the perfect niche:<\/p>\n How do you know if your blog idea is any good?<\/p>\n It\u2019s actually pretty simple:<\/p>\n Use Semrush\u2019s Keyword Overview<\/a> to assess its popularity and potential.<\/p>\n Type your topic into the search bar and click \u201cSearch<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n I used \u201cdog training\u201d for this example.<\/p>\n Then, take a look at two things:<\/p>\n This metric tells you how many people search for the specified term per month.<\/p>\n For example, \u201cdog training\u201d gets over 49,500 searches per month in the U.S., which means it\u2019s a viable niche with active searchers.<\/p>\n If your niche has less search volume, don\u2019t count it out.<\/p>\n Small but engaged niches can be really lucrative.<\/p>\n But if it\u2019s substantially less\u2014say 200 searches total per month\u2014consider three things:<\/p>\n Next, look at keyword difficulty<\/a>, a metric that tells you how hard\u2014or easy\u2014it\u2019ll be to rank for the specified term.<\/p>\n \u201cDog training\u201d has a \u201chard\u201d KD score, making this niche a tougher one to break into.<\/p>\n Ranking highly will require optimized content and a strong backlink profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n As you review various niches, use these keyword difficulty percentages as a guide:<\/p>\n Strike a balance between volume and keyword difficulty to find the right niche for you.<\/p>\n Before you enter a niche, it helps to know who you\u2019re up against.<\/p>\n Do a Google search to see which competitors appear in the first five results or so.<\/p>\n Ignore any major sites that would be impossible to beat in search engine results pages<\/a> (SERPs) for now.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you want to start a blog on growing tomatoes.<\/p>\n Focus on the rivals you\u2019d have a realistic chance of outranking.<\/p>\n Check each competitor\u2019s traffic using a tool like Semrush\u2019s Traffic Analytics<\/a>.<\/p>\n For example, when I searched this term, The Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac had one of the top spots.<\/p>\n But this site gets 4.1 million monthly visitors.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a hefty amount of traffic.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s cross this site off the list for now.<\/p>\n In comparison, another blog that appeared highly in the search results, The Maker Makes, gets 25,400 visits per month.<\/p>\n That\u2019s still a lot of traffic, but it\u2019s a much more attainable number.<\/p>\n Add them to the list.<\/p>\n Next, scroll down to see this blog\u2019s top-performing marketing channels:<\/p>\n As you can see, The Maker Makes gets 99.93% of its traffic from organic search.<\/p>\n This is both good and bad news.<\/p>\n It means users actively search for this niche on search engines.<\/p>\n But it also means the SEO is strong with this one.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to invest serious<\/strong> time learning optimization fundamentals to beat them in the SERPs.<\/p>\n (Don\u2019t worry\u2014I cover SEO basics in Phase 3<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Next, check out their blog to get a feel for their content.<\/p>\n Study their top posts to identify what they do well and areas of improvement.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also want to review how competitors structure their sites\u2014is the navigation intuitive? Does the site provide a good user experience?<\/p>\n Note your likes and dislikes to make your blog\u2019s design a better experience for visitors and search engines.<\/p>\n Rinse and repeat the above steps for three to five competitors.<\/p>\n Month two is when you\u2019ll make the technical decisions that set your site up for success\u2014from choosing a domain name to designing your layout.<\/p>\n Your domain name is your blog\u2019s permanent address on the internet.<\/p>\n So, make it count.<\/p>\n The best domain names share four key features.<\/p>\n They\u2019re:<\/p>\n Examples include \u201cBacklinko\u201d for SEO and \u201cNerdFitness\u201d for health\u2014they\u2019re concise, clear, and instantly tell readers what to expect.<\/p>\n Make a list of possible names and use a site like GoDaddy to check availability.<\/p>\n Next, decide where your blog will live.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got two main options:<\/p>\nPhase #1: Plan Your Blog (Month 1)<\/h2>\n
Define Your Goals<\/h3>\n
![\"3-pillars-of-succesful-blog](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/3-pillars-of-succesful-blog.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\nPurpose Goals<\/h4>\n
\n
![\"ourbestbites-meals-under-30-minutes](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ourbestbites-meals-under-30-minutes.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\nIncome Goals<\/h4>\n
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Growth Goals<\/h4>\n
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Research Your Niche<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"google-trends-debt-management](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-trends-debt-management.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\nValidate Your Idea<\/h3>\n
![\"keyword-overview-dog-training-search](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/keyword-overview-dog-training-search.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\nSearch Volume<\/h4>\n
![\"keyword-overview-dog-training-volume](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/keyword-overview-dog-training-volume.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n\n
Keyword Difficulty (KD)<\/h4>\n
![\"keyword-overview-dog-training-keyword-difficulty](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/keyword-overview-dog-training-keyword-difficulty.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n\n
Assess the Competition<\/h3>\n
![\"google-serp-tomato-growing-tips](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-serp-tomato-growing-tips.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"traffic-analytics-almanac-visits](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/traffic-analytics-almanac-visits.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"traffic-analytics-themakermakes-overview](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/traffic-analytics-themakermakes-overview.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"traffic-analytics-themakermakes-traffic-channels](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/traffic-analytics-themakermakes-traffic-channels.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"organic-research-themakermakes-organic-search-positions](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/organic-research-themakermakes-organic-search-positions.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"themakermakes-blog-posts](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/themakermakes-blog-posts.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\nPhase #2: Build Your Blog (Month 2)<\/h2>\n
Select Your Domain and Hosting<\/h3>\n
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![\"godaddy-nerdfitness-availability-check](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/godaddy-nerdfitness-availability-check.webp "\\"\\"")
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<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"topic-research-organic-coffee-search](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/topic-research-organic-coffee-search.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"topic-research-organic-coffee-content-ideas](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/topic-research-organic-coffee-content-ideas.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"topic-research-content-ideas-cards-arabica-beans](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/topic-research-content-ideas-cards-arabica-beans.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-search](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-search.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-keywords](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-keywords.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-kd-filter](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-kd-filter.webp "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n![\"keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-intent-filter](\"https:\/\/api.backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/keyword-magic-tool-organic-coffee-intent-filter.webp "\\"\\"")
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