A guide to starting a blog in Canada in 2024
Starting a blog in Canada: tips to make yours successful and profitable
BLOGGING IS A great way to give your passions, hobbies, expertise, and interests an online presence. You can educate, inspire, and connect with others in your niche and perhaps even monetize your blogging experience.
The question is, how? How do you start a blog in Canada in 2024?
The first step is registering a .ca domain. Choose the domain name wisely because it’s what leaves the first impression of your blog. Think of something creative, unique, and catchy that reflects your blog and your brand, if applicable. The name should give visitors a sense of what they can expect to find on the blog.
Give it a purpose
It’s hard to come up with a suitable name if you haven’t considered what your blog is going to be about. Decide on its overall purpose before starting it. You can choose the specific topics later. Ask yourself how your blog will make a difference. It can help to have a “content mission statement.”
Choose a blog platform
Once your blog name and domain are in place, you should choose a system to build your blog. Consider what functions and features you’re going to need. If you want a completely customized site, you need to have good technical skills, including coding skills. Most novice bloggers are satisfied with tweaking a preset template.
Consider the type of blog and the nature of the content. Someone who’s planning to write about food and publish restaurant reviews will have completely different needs compared to a photographer who wants to publish their photos.
As for blogging platforms, the gold standard for many bloggers is WordPress.org. It’s free to use, open-source, and has a rich and vibrant community that has designed and developed thousands of themes and plugins.
In addition, you’ll need a hosting provider. Consider WordPress hosting in Canada for an all-in-one experience.
Domains vs. subdomains
WordPress and the blogging platform Blogger offer free subdomain names, but getting an actual domain is better. You can get one from WordPress or a domain name registrar.
Choose a style and a theme
Knowing the purpose of your blog can make choosing a theme very easy. Make a list of the basic functions you need. You might want several text columns, a video player or another multimedia capability, a photo gallery, or customized fonts and colors. Applying the minimalist approach pays off when picking a blog theme.
Many aspiring bloggers are tempted to go for feature-rich, bloated, overly complex themes. They offer more customization possibilities, but they impact the user experience adversely, so the customization isn’t worth it. Among the issues are confusing and cluttered navigation menus and slow page loading speeds.
Promote your content
Now you’ve put your blog out there and people need to find out about it. Failing to promote one’s blog at launch is a very common mistake. Share your posts on social media: X, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook can help you reach like-minded folk. Add social media sharing buttons.
Use blogging forums like Reddit and Quora Questions & Answers, ideally relevant to Canadian audiences. You need to register on these sites to share links to your blog posts.
Submit your blog to relevant Canadian online directories and write guest articles for other blogs. You’ll not only build relationships with bloggers but also reach readers more successfully.
Post once or twice a week
This frequency is optimal for building an audience. Readers will check in for new content when you post regularly. To stay on track, consider making an editorial schedule. Keep your content relevant to Canada and Canadian visitors.