How to Start Your First Blog? Steps That Actually Matter

You want to start your first blog, but the problem is that you don’t know where to begin. You may have read many guides repeating the same process:

1. Using WordPress to start your first blog.
2. Using Medium if you are not tech-savvy.
3. Find a profitable niche.
4. Write what you know.
5. Do keyword research.
6. And blah blah blah…..

How many times have you followed a guide like so, only to return to the starting point because you didn’t see the promised results?

If that sounds familiar, the problem isn’t you.
The problem is how blogging is usually explained to beginners.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to start your first blog the right way—with steps that actually matter.

Step 1:
Create The “Side Business” Mindset
Not The Blogger Mindset

Before we begin, I want you to unlearn the following:

1. Blogging is a quick rich scheme.
2. It is easy to get people to read what you write.
3. I can earn enough money in a few months to leave my 9-to-5 job.
4. I can mass-produce content with AI writing tools.

This is what I call the Blogger Mindset. It runs on hope:
— “If I keep posting, traffic will come—and I’ll make money.”
Its potential is limited because the focus is on writing and publishing as many articles as possible in a short span. There’s no long-term strategy behind it.

The Business Mindset is the opposite.
It doesn’t run on hope. It focuses on building something that grows, earns, and drives the business. This focus is the fuel that drives the business mindset.

Instead of asking:
— “What should I write today?”

You start asking:
— “What problem can I solve for my readers?”

Once you shift your perspective from the blogger mindset to the business mindset:

1. You stop guessing what people want to read.
2. You begin creating content based on what your audience wants, not assumptions.
3. You stop feeling the pressure to post every day.
4. You stop thinking as a writer and begin investing in building an asset.
5. You start testing ideas instead of following advice.
6. You find different ways to earn money, not just blogging.

Once you develop the business mindset, you’ll notice a clearer direction. You won’t quit because you started your first blog with the wrong expectation.

Step 2:
Decide What Problem Your Blog Will Solve
(Before Choosing a Platform)

The next step is to decide what problem your blog will solve. In other words, the niche you want to target.

Ask yourself:
“Who is this blog for, and what problem does it help them solve?”

It will eliminate the guesswork. When you focus on the problem, content ideas become obvious.

How Do I Get Ideas On What To Blog About?

To get ideas on what to blog about, here are two steps you can follow.

1.) Start Your First Blog With What You Are Good At

Identify your skills and interests. It will help you write what matters and convey the message to your readers.

For example, assume you are a gamer and want to blog about games.

• Do you want to write about online or console games?
• Is your focus on gaming consoles, software, hardware, and accessories?
• Do you want to share the latest gaming news?
• Do you want to showcase your gaming experience?

Once you answer these questions, you will discover your target audience.

2.) Create a Simple Reader Profile

A reader profile is a semi-fictional presentation of your reader. You need to answer these four questions to create a simple reader profile:

1. Who is struggling with this problem?
2. Why are they stuck?
3. What outcome are they trying to achieve?
4. Do I have the experience to solve their problem?
5. Share with them things they haven’t experienced.

These questions will help you write based on what your readers want.

If you can’t clearly describe your reader, your content will feel generic—and generic content doesn’t get read.

Step 3:
Choose The Right Blogging Platform
(Without Regret)

Before you start your first blog, choose where you want to write and stick with it.

The right platform depends on two things: your needs and your skills.

To find your needs and skills, you can begin by creating a “What kind of blogger am I“ persona of yourself.

Creating a blogger persona about yourself will help you decide on the right blogging platform. Here are a few examples of a blogger persona.

1. The “I Want to Build a Business” Blogger

To build an online business, you would be:

• Selling your services, hence, showcasing your portfolio.
• Selling products online.
• Monetizing via ads.

Best Platform:  WordPress.

Pros: You have complete control over your content, SEO, the design, and functionality.

Cons: WordPress does not require technical knowledge. You don’t need to know how to code to start your first blog. In fact, I believe WordPress is the perfect choice for beginners.

2. The “Just Let Me Write” Blogger

You only want to focus on writing blogs, articles, newsletters, and other content, and want everything else taken care of for you. You don’t care about having a website; you only want people to read your stories.

Best Platform:  Medium.

Pros: Zero setup. You sign up and begin writing.

Cons: You don’t own the platform. If Medium changes its rules, it may prove unfavourable for you.

3. The “I Want to Blog As a Hobby” Blogger

You love writing and want to share your experience, but you also want some form of control over your blog.

Best Platform:  Website builders with blogging features such as Wix, Webflow, and Squarespace.

Pros: Design first blogs with a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to set up.

Cons: Less flexible for advanced SEO, limited customization, and comes with a few monetization rules.

Now, create a persona about yourself, so that you can choose the right blogging platform to start your first blog without regret.

Step 4:
Plan What You’ll Write Before You Start Writing

Once you know who your target audience is, don’t start writing straight away. Here is where most beginner blogs fail.

They find their target audience, choose a platform, feel motivated, and start writing—without knowing whether anyone is actually looking for that content.

Why? Because they stop working on the reader profiles.

Creating a reader profile is not a one-time thing. You need to do research for every post you write to understand if there is a demand for this topic.

If people aren’t searching for it, even the best-written post won’t perform.

A Simple Validation Method on How To Decide What Topic You Would Blog About

You don’t need advanced tools to start. Use these three checks:

1. Google Search, Reddit, Quora
   • Type your topic into Google
   • Look at autocomplete suggestions
   • Scroll to People Also Ask
   • Check the latest posts on Reddit and Quora to see what problems they are facing.
2. Search Results Reality Check
   • Are there blog posts ranking for it?
   • Are they beginner-friendly?
   • Can you realistically create something clearer or more helpful?
3. Consistency Check
   • Can this topic lead to related posts?
   • Or is it a one-time article with no follow-up?

If a topic passes all three, it’s worth writing.

Step 5:
How to Structure a Blog Post

You have the business mindset.
You have discovered your niche and audience.
You have chosen the right blogging platform.
You know what topic you want to write on.

The next step is understanding how to create a good structure for a blog post.

Structure doesn’t signify perfection. It means creating a foundation piece to serve as a base for all future posts.

How Do You Create the Foundation Piece for Your Post?

1.) Understanding the Goal

The goal is to ensure that the post:

• Solve the problem clearly
• Helps the reader
• Teaches the reader how the process works
• Shows that you are an expert.

2.) Creating the Structure

To avoid rambling, structure your post like this:

1. Hook the problem
   • Start with the exact struggle your reader is facing.
2. Explain why it happens
   • Show them they’re not alone and why the problem exists. It is best to share your personal experience
3. Provide steps or solutions
   • Break the solution into simple, logical sections.
4. Close with direction
   • Explain to the reader what to do next.

Step 6:
Keep Your Blog Alive

When you start your first blog, you must keep it going even after the motivation fades. Publishing a couple of posts per week is better than posting daily.

You’re no longer trying blogging.
You’re building something—one piece at a time.

That’s the side business mindset in action.

How Do You Keep Yourself Consistent in Creating Content?

Here are a few tips to help keep yourself consistent in creating content.

1. Focus on what you’re passionate about.
2. Set deadlines and stick to them.
3. Remind yourself that this is your business.
4. Don’t burn yourself out by posting every day. Publish a couple of posts per week.
5. Create a reader profile to understand who you are writing for and to clarify your goals.
6. Support your main post with smaller guides. It will help you know what to write next.

Conclusion

To start your first blog, you don’t need to follow the same routine as everyone else. You also don’t need to have a perfect tool. You only need three things:

1. Clear direction
2. Small, repeatable actions
3. Patience and consistency

The process I explained worked for me. I ended up writing better, solving actual problems, and felt like I contributed something.

Stick with the process, and your blog won’t just exist—it will grow.