On this episode of the Dot Com Lifestyle vlog, we go for lunch at Pearl Castle in Richmond. They are known for their fried chicken and milk tea. Like most Richmond restaurants, they take cash only.
Thanks again for joining us while we explore the complete step-by-step process in starting a blog that converts, and builds momentum quickly. So far, we’ve covered things like choosing your niche, and looked at factors like passion and demand. Now that you have a better idea of your niche, it’s important we start exploring domain names, and what makes a “name” special. There are certain rules you have to follow when choosing a domain name because this is the beginning of your brand. If you choose a name that is too long, it’ll be hard to remember, however, if it’s too short, then might NOT reflect your niche. In the end, you want to make sure your domain follows a solid criteria like:
Now that we have covered some of the important things, we can dig deeper, and look at ways to find the perfect domain. I will try and cover everything in “1” single part but will add a second if I feel you need more depth. Let’s get started.
Color signs with internet domain names isolated on white background
I believe having the right type of domain is very important because this will represent your brand. You’ve probably noticed some of the top bloggers online have used their personal name to represent their company. This is a strategy because they are building their brand based around their personal name. The next time you hear their name, you’ll know the experience they add within the niche. I encourage you to think about two very important things right now…
Both are great, but if you want to stand out, I would encourage you to build your brand around your personal name. Many others can be in the same niche, and this might make it difficult for you to stand out long-term….right?
Once you have answered the questions above, and decided what route you’ll be taking, then you can go to the next step.
This is actually NOT that tough because you would base it around your niche. However, make sure it’s around 6-8 characters and makes sense. For example, if you are involved in health & fitness, then these domains are great:
Keep in mind, you are focusing on a domain that makes sense, and that can be remembered at the same time. You want your audience to look at it once, and remember what it is when they want to come back.
You need to find a registrar who has been in business for years because the last thing you want is a problem with your domain afterwards. You want to make sure you domain is registered with a credible provider so your site doesn’t run into any problems going forward. Remember, when people search your website, they’ll browse to www.example.com, and if the domain can’t be reached, then it’ll destroy your credibility, etc.
I recommend going with GoDaddy.com because they have been in charge of all my domains, and I have never had a problem with them.
Next,
What do I mean by extension?
Your domain can be either: .com, .net, .org, .biz, .ca…..right?
You want to make sure you choose the right extension because statistically, many people tend to type one over the other. If you haven’t guess by now, then the MOST popular domain is .COM so try to register a domain with a .COM extension.
Statistically, visitors usually type .COM about 70% of the time when searching for a website they have heard of or are trying to get back to. This should always be your first choice. Head over to GoDaddy.com, then in the domain search, type in the domain names you have decided to go for. By now, you should have a list of names that are suitable for your business written on a piece of paper. Go through each one until you find the .COM available, then click “Register”.
The good news is domains are cheap, and can be registered for roughly $9.99/year with renewal afterwards being roughly $14.99/year. Follow through the registration wizard until you have gotten the domain name you want, and hold on to it until you purchase hosting, which you’ll learn in the next section.
In this video I show you to keep your blog and YouTube channel constantly updated even when you’re on vacation and don’t have access to the Internet. Because that’s what the Dot Com Lifestyle is all about!
In Part 1, I discussed how many people start their blog based on their passion. However, today, I’d like to discuss starting a blog based on demand, which is much harder because you are going against your niche. This method is simply based on the amount of money you can make within a specific niche, for example, a massive industry like health, love, wealth, etc. I know many of my clients have started a blog simply because they know if they keep pushing forward, then they’ll make enormous money because of the demand. As mentioned, this route tends to be much harder simply because if you see NO results in the beginning, you have a higher chance of simply giving up.
I get asked: If you were going to use this approach, what are the top niches you would focus on? I have mentioned this above, and speaking statistically, they would be: health, wealth, and romance. All “3” have a special connection with people and it’s much easier to sell a product when you can build an emotional connection with your audience. Let’s explore this route a bit further, and your feedback will be appreciated…
To summarize…
This type of business focuses on demand, and what type of products people are looking for right now. You won’t necessarily have a passion for the niche, but are only in it because the demand is massive, which increases the conversion rate going forward. Remember, it’s much easier selling a product when there is massive demand because you have that much bigger audience.
Personally, with this option, you are floating in dangerous territory because unlike following your passion, you have no emotional connection to keep pushing you forward if all else fails. I’m going to be honest, making money online is very difficult, and seeing results early is very unlikely so the chances of failure have just increased. However, if you have self-control, then this might NOT be a bad route for you to take going forward.
Let’s explore some ways for you to find niches that have enormous demand.
Forums – Just like finding questions for a niche that is your passion, you can use forums to find popular niches. You’ll notice the MOST popular niches have a lot of communities. Head over to Google and type “health + forums”, and you’ll notice three pages full of popular busy forums. Take some time and do forum research by typing in keywords + forums then skimming through.
Google Trends – The cool thing about Google Trends is you’ll be able to go through categories if you’re unsure about specific keywords to type in. For example, head over to Google Trends right now and you’ll notice a drop-down labelled “All Categories”. From here, you can filter through looking for high demand niches, which you can then transform into blogs. I would recommend taking the keyword and performing further research to ensure you can come up with the right content ideas.
Google Search – This one’s pretty easy…
Start by typing in random keywords and checking what type of engagement some of the other blogs have within the niche. You’ll know if the blog is popular by checking out content, social shares, comments, etc.
Social Media – An amazing channel to find topics that are HOT. Many of these popular social media channels have tools that will allow you to filter #hashtags & searches. Find some of the online marketing tools then go through looking for the MOST popular search phrases. You can then filter them, and conduct even more research to ensure you have a niche that can be built into a business.
I would suggest starting with the three popular social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Google +.
After you have performed your research, start creating a list, looking for a pattern. Once you notice a pattern, you’ll be able to start being selective about the niche you’ll like to get into going forward. This will help you do further research into the niche, coming up with topic ideas for your content. Your business blog will depend heavily on the content and value you provide to your users.
Now that you have learned 2 awesome ways to come up with ideas for your blog, let’s explore choosing the right domain name. We’ll be discussing domain names in Part 3 of our awesome series and the importance of choosing the right extension. You’ll learn about EMD (exact match domains), and if they make a difference when ranking your website.
I got a chance to test the S&Q mode of the Sony A7 III camera at John Lawson Park West Vancouver. S&Q mode allows me to film footages from 1 frame per second up to 120 FPS. This can create dramatic slow motion or super fast time lapses videos.
Blogging can be a very powerful business especially if you are focusing on the right niche. If your niche has enormous demand, then you can generate enormous readership, and even generate income from your blog. However, many of us fail before even starting because we simply don’t understand the fundamentals when starting a blog. Over the years, I have mentored many clients into starting a blog, and engineered a series of steps that have been proven to be very effective. For all of you looking to get started online, and need help starting a blog, you’ve come to the right place.
Welcome to my Ultimate Blogging Series, where I’ll be focusing on the step-by-step process of starting a blog the right way. Each step is from my own experience with my objective being for you to focus only on what matters. This will push you in the right direction so you cover the MOST important aspects going forward. Let’s get started with Part 1, where we’ll be discussing coming up with the right idea for your blog.
Coming up with the right idea has 2 important elements, which I’ll split into Part 1 and Part 2. Today, we focus on blogging based on your passion and why this is very important. Let’s get started, and your feedback will be greatly appreciated.
I have worked with hundreds of people over the last 7 years, and have learned a lot about how passion plays a very important role in your success. Passion truly has a mind of its own, and if you choose to focus on passion, then you have a hidden driving force behind your blog. I believe passion will push you even when all else fails simply because you are working on a project you feel close to. You’ll keep pushing forward even when there is NO immediate monetary value provided.
What is passion? Here’s a quick definition from Dictionary.com:
Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, such as love or hate.
Strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
The object of such a fondness or desire.
The desire and love will be strong enough that you’ll push yourself forward because of the emotional attachment you have. Here’s another cool fact…
Many bloggers who have succeed online have done so because they simply love what they are doing. They started just because they wanted to explore the topic, and introduce others to their passion. They kept pushing forward even when NO monetary value was the benefit.
Anyway, how can you start a blog simply based on your passion? Here are a few quick steps you can apply right now…
Whenever I start a new project, I always research online to find out what others are saying about my niche. This will also help me generate some cool topics, and understand my audience better. The more research I do, the better I know where to focus in the long run. For example, if I know people are searching my niche within forums, and have a handful of questions, then I know two things:
Remember, those of you who are passionate about your niche will want to make a difference, which is why it’s important to know what type of audience you have online.
You can do research within these “4” awesome channels that have always provided me with the information I need:
Google Search – Doing a quick search will provide you with results showing what EXACTLY the demand is for your niche. You’ll also find out who your competition is online.
Forums – These have been around forever, and provide you with real-time questions and answers within your niche. You can conduct research and find popular questions within your niche then answer them when you write content.
Google Trends – A very effective way to find out what keywords are trending related to your niche. You can find out how popular your niche is over a specific time-frame so you get a better understanding of the demand going forward. You can apply this knowledge to your blog, writing keyword-rich content that ranks high within the SERP’s.
Your passion can go along way when starting a business simply because you not only have knowledge already, but also because you’ll be ready to educate . Think about when you love doing something, and the effort you put into your work. Now apply this feeling to your online blog. It’s very hard to explain passion in business in-depth, but those of you with a passion for content writing and marketing will definitely understand the feeling.
In the next section, we’ll explore researching topics that are very popular, but NOT necessarily your passion. Many people get involved simply because there is enormous money in the niche and each year, there is growth at the same time.
Today’s lunch was at Cactus Club Cafe in West Vancouver. Born on the West Coast and growing across Canada, Cactus Club Cafe offers the best in global cuisine using local, fresh ingredients served in a vibrant, contemporary setting. Cactus has won best casual restaurant of the year for as long as I can remember.
