So you want to start a blog in college?

But you don’t know exactly where or how to get started, what the associated costs might be, and if it’s even worth your time and effort…

If you already know the benefits of blogging, but you want someone to guide you through creating your blog step-by-step, this post is for you!

In this article guide, we will also go way beyond those basics to share a bunch of things such as cost, process, tips, and expectations. Heck, we are even going to cover some useful information on how to get traffic to your site and start ranking it in Google.

In short, if you want to start a blog during college, this is a definitive blogging guide for you.

Blogging from College: Expectations and Goals

The concept of blogging is quite simple–create content and value for your audience. However, the goals and expectations associated with it can range heavily.

For example, it’s very easy to see a famous blogger and think, “Wow, that person is so rich, I should start my own blog.”

But if your goal is to get rich, then starting a blog isn’t the way to go. You ‘re much better off working a stable, well-paid job and spending your money in a dull, proven way. For students, the goals might be similar, but the first goal might be to simply pay for your tuition or make a few dollars on the side to have some extra fun during the weekend, or even not having to pick up that side job you’ve been putting to the side.

The good news is that it’s completely possible to make a lot of money from a blog. But for every super-successful blog, there are thousands of dark ones that don’t make a dime.

So don’t rush out and leave your day job because you’re hoping to be rich as a writer. Given time and the right attitude, you will earn a full – time income from a blog post.

In fact, if you want to run a successful blogging campaign then follow up with these step by step points.

Decide What You Want to Blog About

If you’re going to start a blog, there’s something you need to write for. Do you like to be a fashion blogger? A blogger for food? Are you a photographer, and you want to start a photography tips blog? A blog about lifestyle?

You can blog about just what you love, understand exactly about, and would love to share it with people.  

It’s important to determine what you want to concentrate on in your blog journey to give your blog some direction and purpose.  

Select a few topics that you want to focus on and consider if they relate well to each other. The aim is to create coherent content that gives value to your readers.

Choose a Name for Your Blog

It’s hard to name your blog because so many great domain names are already taken. There’s a lot to consider, do you just want to think about college? Do you like it to be your name? What if you’re going to end up loving it? 

You don’t need to recruit professional help when you name your blog. But you’re going to need to do some brainstorming. However, if you are planning to make money with your blog, this is something you are going to want to spend a good amount of time and research on.

The best titles for blogs are:

• Memorable and easy to call
• Relevant to your topic
• Should have less than 10 to 15 characters
• Available as a domain name

Once you have a few names, you can see if the domain names for them are also available on Domain and hosting. (We are going to talk about these)

Choose the Right Blogging Platform to Use

If you’re just starting blogging, you’ll probably have fairly basic needs that can be met most of the time via free blogging sites. 

Some popular options are Blogger and WordPress.com. These sites and others like them usually host free blogs and provide a range of templates to choose from. 

If you want a custom domain name, more customization options, or high traffic capacity, and a larger server, you’ll probably need to switch to a paid plan.

WordPress is one of the best solutions out there for starting a blog, but they aren’t the only game in town. Be sure to check out alternative solutions before starting your blog, so you don’t find a better option later on.

Register Your Domain and Hosting

You must register a domain name before you forget about your homework and continue working on your blog. 

You choose a domain based on whether you want to use it for personal or professional purposes (for your potential future business). If you choose a name for a personal blog, pick something that is based on the topic you ‘re going to be dealing with.  

Hosting is the main part, along with the registration of the domain. You need a hosting service to keep your website up all the time. Domain and Hosting would cost about $40 to $50 almost annually. But you can choose a month, softly and yearly.

Come Up with a Great Blog Design

Various platforms come with free customizable templates. If you don’t want to use free templates and have some money to spare, you can buy a design online. 

Instead, the best practice for you is to modify existing templates and adjust their colors, fonts, and layout to make your blog budget-friendly. This way, your blog is going to have a personal look and stand out from the rest.t.

Write Excellent Blog Content

This is where a lot of people are falling flat. They have loads of ideas for a great post, but as it turns out,’ tons’ actually turns out to be seven. They’ll feel lost after they get those seven messages, and a lot of people will give up. 

Don’t do that, man! Brainstorming posts might seem difficult, but I promise you they ‘re not! 

You’ve already committed yourself to the’ college’ niche, so now it’s time to figure out what you’re going to be good at writing about.

Keep Writing and Improve Your Skills

It might be beneficial to plan a month or two worth of content ahead of time to keep the momentum going. There need not be in-depth, detailed sketches. Even a theme or title will help keep you on track.

There are many benefits associated with starting a blog while in college, as it can continually improve your writing and technical skills, which are going to be used long after you finish college.

Interact with Your Blog Readers and Community

It’s also very important that you communicate with your group. Your blog is a communication channel through which your readers can give you feedback.

Use Social Networks to Share Your Content

Once you’ve learned all of the above, it’s time to start sharing your content, in which case social networks are the best tool.

However, you will also want to make sure you are using the right social network. Some platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook perform better for businesses and brands, while news sites and blogs might do better on Twitter.

For the best results, be sure to create a blog profile on each of the major platforms so you can reach all audiences, no matter which one they might like best.

Update Your Blog Posts Accordingly 

Last but not least, when it comes to maintaining a successful blog, your blog needs to be kept up to date. It is important that you publish new content on a regular basis, even if it is once another week or once every two weeks, based on the quantity of homework you are dealing with.

How to Find the Most Success with Blogging

After reading through our blogging resource and start up guide, you should now have a much better idea on the direction you want to take as a student blogger. As you make your way through each of the steps and concepts listed above, you will find yourself having a much better understanding of the overall blogging process.

At the end of the day, there are now more websites and blogs on the internet than ever before. With so many competing blogs out there and pushing out new content daily, it’s the ones with the best content and value that are going to find the most success.

Always keep this in mind, and don’t just write to put something out there. Write to engage with your audience, provide value and become an authority in your space. This applies to students at all education levels and businesses and brands of all sizes.