How To Start A Tech Blog

Do you want to create something meaningful? Use your technical expertise for knowledge-share? Then why not start a tech blog for beginners. Right now, you are probably clueless, confused, and confounded with choices. You have no idea how to start a blog or how to be a blogger. Your mind is pondering:

When should we start?
How to register a domain name?
What is hosting?
Which blogging platform should we use?
How do we choose a blog theme?

This guide will give you an overview of starting a tech blog along with amazing tips on how to grow your tech blog!

1. Find a Niche for Yourself

So you are a geek and hands-on with probably Java or Azure or a jack of all trades. You can be an IT whiz, but remember technology is ever-changing. It seems there's always a new piece of tech to replace something obsolete. Your first task is to find your niche or a specific topic area that you may be interested in. "Tech" is too broad a niche so you should focus on something that has less competition, but still enough to have a good audience.

For instance, a PC gamer can look at and review PC hardware. Someone who has smartphone knowledge can focus on iPhone or Android tech or a tech blog for beginners.

Also, it would help if you were wary of what others are interested in. If you don't do your research right, you might find yourself with a blog that doesn't draw in a lot of people. You can think a blog on dog gadgets is great because you are a techie and a dog lover — but is that going to draw in many people? But a blog on tools that helps take care of and train dogs appeals to a much bigger audience of readers.

2. Work on a Unique Name for the Blog

This is fun — creating your blog name. You have the option to for a short, sweet name and is relevant to your audience. It can be something like Tech Today, Tech Made Simple, etc. Finalize the names time to get your website set up. You can either do it on your own through options like WordPress/BlueHost or hire a professional.

There are Some Simple Steps to Acing the Name of your Blog:

Keep it short and sweet – you don't want to force potential visitors to have to type a bunch of words to visit your website. Ideally, no more than 14 characters are suggested.
It would help if you chose a .com, .org, or .net because they are the easiest for people to remember.
Also, don't use something that is not pronounced easily. Go for something that people can spell and pronounce.
Try to avoid numbers and hyphens as it makes the URL seem clunky and it's also difficult to type out when you add hyphens.
Use your name if possible because that makes it the perfect choice for a personal blog. I'll speak more about this later.

3. Sort the Essentials

In the case of tech blogs, especially ones where you review tech, it is critical to have access to technology. For example, if you are talking abt tech repair, you have to showcase the parts like a camera or a video recorder. As mentioned earlier, since technology is always changing, a tech blog can be a little more expensive than others, provided you're doing more than just posting tech news. And last but not least when it comes to starting a tech blog, do make sure that you have social media accounts in place too.

Sign up for BlueHost: This is a web hosting provider that offers server space to host your website. Keep in mind that every single website needs a web host. There are different plans to choose from.

Install WordPress: This is a content management system (CMS) that lets you create and manage blog posts.

Have an eye-catching theme: eye-catching WordPress theme. WordPress is straightforward to change the way your website looks. Use "themes" that can be swapped in and out. As you change the theme, your site will also change, but your blog content stays the same.

4. Install Plugins for WordPress

WordPress is infinitely customizable because it is open-source so you can do whatever you want. And if you want changes, doing them with plugins is the easiest way to go. These are batches of software you can install within WordPress. They give you extra functionality and add many additional features to your site without having to code anything yourself.

Tip: Use them in a limited way because they can cause unexpected conflicts with each other; they become a security liability since it's unlikely that every plugin owner will maintain the plugin over time.

5. Set-up Google Analytics

As a techie, you are probably aware that it is essential to install Google Analytics, a free website analytics tool from Google. Using this tool, you can keep a tab of:

Number of people are visiting your website
Sort them demographically
Check what blog posts and pages are receiving the most visits

Don't get into the complications — keep it simple!

6. Plan and Work your Email List

Email lists are the best marketing tool you can opt for promoting your blog. These email lists are like a giant laser ray you can focus on. Be it for promotion, publishing, pitching, etc.

For example, if you had a podcast just interviewed, you should pitch the same to your audience. Across the past many years, many marketing channels have come and gone, but nothing compares to the power of a high-quality email list. It is possible that you are not sure of what to send your email subscribers, that's okay. The idea is that you should start gathering a list of subscribers and build the foundation early.

7. Select your Blogging Cadence

What is a blogging cadence? Well when you run, there is a marathon and sprinting, right? Writing is like that too. You should let your tech blog settle into a consistent writing pace they can maintain for a few years. Here are some tips:

Find a way to post once per week
Make a substantial post of about 2,000 words at least
You should boost & post 2-3 times per week
As you grow, post 5-7 posts per week
It can be from multiple authors
Let guest authors come in

8. Building your Audience & Growing your Blog

With your tech blog, you have the option to build your audience of 1,000 true fans slowly and consistently. Along with what was mentioned in the earlier point, do ensure quality. Use Google, research the topic, see what other people have done, and then ask yourself how you can write something even better.

You can take the topics written earlier and just find a new take or perspective on them. Alongside, do keep looking for topics that haven't already been covered. Try to be authentic so people can get to know you, and this is critical so that your audience connects with you faster.

Try to make the blog interactive. You can have the option of leaving feedback, have an option for comments, etc. You should also post in Facebook groups, subreddits, on Twitter.

Do podcast interviews, get speaking engagements, and try to engage with communities to grow your tech blog.

9. Growing Traffic & Earning More

If you want your tech blog to make money, you need to know how to grow your tech blog. Here are some tips on the same:

Prepare the website for SEO by using the right keywords. You should clean up your blog for faster loading. Alongside, try to have a little tweak every now. This helps in keeping it up-to-date.

Also, collaborate with other tech bloggers where you can promote their content and vice-versa. When audiences comment, do reach out to them and reply. Adhere to their requirements and make a guest post as per their requirements. When you collaborate, have a video or post that publicizes this collaboration on different social media channels.
Make sure that your social media is on-trend, and you post engaging content on it. It could be free tips, some giveaways like e-books, Post content that encourages audience participation.
Make it a rule of thumb to engage with your audience regularly. This can be done by answering emails and responding to comments.
To advertise your blog using social media or even other means. Ideally, social media works cheaper and reaches out to a more diverse audience.

Let the creativity flow in your tech blog. It could be interviews, stories, quizzes, or simply giving information. There's a wealth of information out there, and you need to use it. Understand your audience well and keep tweaking your blogs to meet their requirements too. This would generate traffic and help monetize your blog.