When it comes to starting up a blog, there are many reasons people do it. Some people like to share what they are doing with their loved ones, you may like the idea of sharing your knowledge on something you are passionate about, or you could be doing it with the idea of it being your very own business and brand. Whichever reason, there are a few things you should consider before starting a blog. To help you with this, we have put together four points for you to consider.
You won’t become big overnight
For many, running a blog is a passion project. It’s something they like to do in the evening after work and enjoy doing it, so it’s not an effort at all. When starting a blog, readers don’t instantly visit your website, it takes time so don’t feel disappointed if you haven’t got 1000’s of viewers after the first month of writing articles. Keep at it and over time your readership will grow and the more people reading your articles, the more likely they are to share them with their friends.
Setting Yourself Up With An Accounts Package
When starting a blog it’s worth bearing in mind that you will not bring in money instantly. That said, the longer your blog runs, the more recognition you will get, which will lead to paid opportunities. Many people earn an income from their blog from sponsored posts, sponsored competitions, Google Ads or banner ads. When you do start bringing in an income, it’s important you set yourself up as a sole trader and consider getting help with your sole trader accounts. The reason for this is that your earnings are taxable and you will need to report them each year as part of your tax return.
How Will You Setup Your Website
Each blogger has their own website that they will publish their articles on. Their website may be created on Wix, Squarespace or most commonly WordPress. It’s important you do your research when starting out on which platform is best and more efficient for you. Each platform has its different costs involved which you will need to take into consideration. You will also need to consider the other costs involved when running a blog like your hosting, email address and additional plugins like a CDN.
Building a website from scratch is a time-consuming process. Moreover, the web has evolved a lot in recent years and today’s users have high expectations when it comes to how the website should look and function. You may wish to consider if this is something can you do yourself or whether you would prefer to hire web design services so that you can focus on the content.
Do You Have The Time?
People sometimes overlook the difficulty of running a blog. They read posts online but don’t realise the amount of work that goes into writing a blog. It’s important that you are realistic in the amount of time that you have available to write articles and to consider how dedicated you are. There is no point in spending a month writing 10 blog posts to then not write any for the next 3 or 4 months. If you are not consistent with your posting, you will risk losing the readership that you might have spent months trying to achieve.
Do you need a permit to work?
If you are living in a foreign country you may need a permit to work. It’s worth noting that foreigners who have an entrepreneurial streak can get an entrepreneur visa or a residence permit more easily in the Netherlands than in many other countries.
Is there any point you would like to add to the above? Have we missed something that you would like to add? Have you recently started your own blog? Drop us a comment in the comment box below, we would love to hear from you.
