If you feel compelled to uplift and inspire others, a motivational blog should be a part of what you do. The world’s most renowned motivational speakers have no secret power. They just know how to make people believe in themselves. You can do the same. A blog is a perfect tool to communicate your message to a wide audience.
To make others believe in themselves, it helps if you believe in yourself. But what’s interesting is the lack of self-confidence in some very successful people. How can a motivational blog be successful or effective if the motivator has doubts?
Well, the truth is, we all have doubts. And one of the ways to motivate others, in those circumstances, is to set an example. If you are at the top of your field or have a unique or valuable skill, you can be an example. Whether you’re brimming with self-confidence or not.
But whatever got you to this point, you’re now wondering how to start a blog. You know it can help you get your message across to people, but you may not know exactly where to start.
We can help you with that.
How to make a motivational blog
A big part of motivation is the belief that you can achieve something. If you have the knack for instilling that kind of belief in people, you can create a successful motivational blog. I say “build” because what you put on your blog, your words, are more important than the nuts and bolts. The technicalities are simple and we’ll cover them all here.
But it’s what you write, or the information and inspiration you can provide, that will make you stand out. But to stand out, you need something to stand on. So let’s talk about that foundation.
Choosing a Web Host and Domain Name
Every blog needs a home. If part of the motivation is aspiration, you want to appear as if you have everything under control. That means a professional presentation for your blog. That means quality website hosting, the right software, and a good domain name. Sure, there are plenty of things to check off the list here. But we’ll take them one by one, and when we do, you’ll see that they’re all easily reachable.
First there’s the home of the blog, the web server. And for that, you can’t do better than GreenGeeks hosting. The service is fast and reliable, and won’t break the bank.
And as the name suggests, GreenGeeks is green, combining with renewable energy three times the amount consumed by the grid. No other web host can make that claim.
Once hosting is set up, all that’s left is the software (more on that in a minute) and a domain name. The domain name you use for your blog should match, or nearly match, the name you choose.
We talked about how necessary it is for a motivational or self-help blog to instill confidence in visitors. The domain name can really help with that.
How? When choosing a .com domain. The use of .com is one of the oldest, most recognized and respected domain extensions. And when you sign up with GreenGeeks, we’ll pay your domain registration fees for the first year. Yet another value proposition we offer.
But all the good .com domains are taken, right?
Maybe not. All the individual words are taken, yes, but by combining two or three short words, you can create a perfect .com domain name. As I mentioned, choose a domain name that is as close to the title of your blog as possible. Unless, of course, your blog title is very long. If that’s the case, consider abbreviations (or better yet, shorten the blog name).
Now let’s move on to the final piece of the puzzle, your blog software.
Using WordPress
You’ve probably heard of WordPress. It is the most widely used blogging software, appearing on a third of all websites. I recommend it not only for that reason but because it’s the right tool for the job.
WordPress is easy to use
And when I say easy, I’m not kidding. The initial setup in your GreenGeeks account will only take a minute or two. Then you can get started with your first inspiring blog post.
WordPress is ideal for what you want to do
What makes it ideal is the fact that once it’s installed and configured, it’s invisible. It becomes part of your workflow, instead of getting in the way. It will do everything you ask it to do, and some things you didn’t know you wanted it to do.
WordPress Themes and Plugins for a Motivational Blog
Okay, you’ve installed WordPress . And yes, it was easy. But what now?
Your site is still a bit basic, so let’s spruce it up. We will do it with a theme. WordPress themes establish and guide the appearance of your site. They are all customizable and configurable; what you are looking for is a solid starting point.
There are tens of thousands of themes available for free on wordpress.org. Most of them are up to the task. But pay attention to when they were most recently updated. You may want to stay away from any theme that hasn’t been updated in the last year or so.
WordPress evolves, and when it changes, themes and plugins have to change along with it. Using an outdated theme could put you in a tight spot a year or two from now. An old, unsupported theme could break your site every time WordPress changes.
In addition to free themes, there are thousands of “premium” paid themes. They’ll cost a few dollars upfront, but can save time and money in the long run.
While themes are a matter of taste and aesthetics, plugins are a different matter. Plugins extend the capabilities of WordPress, and there are some that every blog should use.
Jetpack
Jetpack is the Swiss Army knife of WordPress plugins. SEO tools, social sharing buttons, and blog visitor statistics are just some of the things you get with Jetpack. Site security, performance, and administration are provided by the same people who build WordPress.
Yoast SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a broad and intricate topic . But all you need to know about SEO to get started is Yoast SEO. It automatically handles many crucial technical SEO tasks and can even provide you with SEO-related writing tips. You will work hard on your blog, make sure that people can find it. Yoast will help with that.
Google Site Kit
Site Kit by Google integrates Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, PageSpeed Insights, Tag Manager and Optimize with WordPress . Sure, you could access all those Google tools outside of WordPress, but now you don’t have to.
Promoting Your Motivational Blog
Social media should be your first priority when starting out. . And really, social media should remain a priority for the long term. The best way to attract visitors to your blog is by being visible and attractive. Post to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and link to your blog.
As a motivational writer, it’s important to follow up. Stay connected to your social media accounts; don’t just post and walk away. Nurture the sites and the connections you make there. Start the dialogue on social sites and continue on your blog.
You might also consider offering free seminars to attract readers. If you can give an inspirational talk online, you will surely gain a following on the blog. Of course, once your blog gains traction, you can reverse that and use your blog as a way to promote paid seminars.
Encouragement and inspiration are called sacred
I tried to put it into words without sounding too valuable.
But being an inspirational blogger is something that happens on a different level than a typical blog. As bloggers or speakers, we can start to see audiences as collective things. But a motivational blog is something that has the ability to speak to the individual. And once you establish that connection, it can stay strong for a long time.
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