There are few simple steps to follow when starting a blog in Uganda. As a blogger, you must first determine whether you have passion for blogging or not before becoming a full time blogger. Blogging is not as easy as it looks like from your point of view unless you have tried the venture. But over time, it pays.
Here are steps to follow in order to become a blogger in Uganda
1.Identify an area you wish to blog on
2.Register a domain name
3.Find a good hosting company
4.Start posting content
5.Start monetizing your traffic
6.Grow your traffic
- Identify an area you wish to blog on
First, identify an area you are passionate about or where you think there is a gap in regards to information. If you need the blog to grow faster, news, politics, career and business are some of the best areas to blog about. Once you are done with identifying your preferred niche, determine the domain name you wish to register. It (the name)should be unique and easy to memorize.
- Register your domain name
Domain registration is the most important aspect of blogging because it gives the identity to your blog. It’s the one that connects your website to make it visible in the worldwide web through your hosting company. When searching any content on Google, you use the identity of the domain to do so.
There are many companies offering domain registration services. Jubilee and Bluehost are some of the best companies but I would suggest Bluehost because it offers free domain registration. To get your free domain,click on this link and visit Bluehost website
On Bluehost website, click on Domains, then enter your preferred domain name. If you find it’s available, go ahead and register it. If the domain name isn’t available, come up with a different suggestion. Repeat the process by using coming up with different domain names until you find the right one.
- Get a good web hosting company
One of the best web hosting companies for Ugandan bloggers is Bluehost. Though you’ll pay over UGX 100,000 per year, the company’s hosting services are excellent. Bluehost gives free SSL certiciate,30-day money back guarantee and 24/7 customer support. You will also be provided with 99.99% uptime services. Basic shared hosting is the most ideal plan for new blogs and it costs $2.95 per month.To select the plan,click on this link and visit Bluehost site
Payment can be made through your VISA card or PayPal and it takes very few minutes to be completed.
- Design your own blog using WordPress
After paying for hosting, go ahead and design a WordPress website. Bluehost will help you to install WordPress and link it with your new domain. After doing that,select and Install a Theme from WordPress—there are many available free themes on WordPress. To select a theme, login to your account, go to Appearance, then themes and activate the one you wish to use.Alternatively,you can get a good premium theme from ThemeForest.That’s where I also buy themes from.By the way,serious bloggers must use Premium themes and it’s good to identify a good theme even before starting to blog.I suggest you buy authentic or Newspaper themes which are available at ThemeForest.To visit Themeforest,follow this link
- Create your first blog post
When the blog is ready, proceed to create your first blog post. This is a simple process. The most important thing is to create posts that will be read by serious people.Ensure that the posts are long, unique and pleasing to the eyes of readers. Each post should be at least 500 words long.
A complete post should have a picture, title and content. The picture must communicate what’s in the content. Go to posts, new post and start creating one.To make your work easier, create the post on Word document, copy and post in your new post template. Save a picture you wish to attach on your post and upload it to WordPress after the post is complete, then click publish on o your WordPress blog.
- How to make money with your blog
You will generate money when your blog starts getting serious traffic. Bloggers in Uganda make money through:
- AdSense
- AdSense alternative like MGID
- Affiliate marketing
- Sponsored content
- Direct banner Ads
- Selling products like smartphones through their blogs
But new bloggers can only make money through AdSense, MGID or affiliate marketing. AdSense is by far the best method to use in monetizing your traffic. Once your blog is up and active, apply to get approved by AdSense. However, you should only apply after posting more than 20 high quality articles. In addition, the blog must be more than 3 weeks old.
In case AdSense does not approve your site, apply to get approved by MGID.To apply, click on this link
- How to get traffic for your blog
You will only get traffic after posting good articles that attract organic readers. Even if you use SEO tools, you can’t get enough traffic if your content isn’t appealing enough—people will be visiting your site ones and they disappear forever.
- Amount of money you can earn as a blogger in Uganda
There is no limit to the amount of money a blogger can earn in Uganda. But for those monetizing with AdSense, here are the income figures:
10,000 page views—$20
20,000 page views—$35
50,000 page views—$70
100,000 page views–$130
1 million page views—$1,000
