To start a blog without a guide or a proper plan can leave one feeling overwhelmed and confused. So, as a fitness expert with a lot to share, you probably want to get past all that confusion and start sharing your passion with others.
The good news is that the virtual fitness market is growing and is estimated to reach $56.23 billion by 2027.
So, there is no better time to begin a fitness blog than now. However, while starting a blog can be pretty easy with the right guide, growing it is difficult. Hence, this guide will take easy steps to set up a money making fitness blog.
How To Start A Fitness Blog In 7 Steps
Choose Your Fitness Niche
Starting a fitness blog is exciting, but you shouldn’t jump into it by writing about everything and anything. I’m afraid that’s not right. As a fitness blogger, choosing a specific niche outside the general fitness niche helps your blog grow faster.
In addition, identifying with a specific niche, such as yoga, bodybuilding, weight loss, running, or fitness for beginners, will make it easier for you to position your blog as an authority on the topic. So, before you go ahead and begin your fitness blog, you must brainstorm on the right and in-demand sub-niches.
If you have a personal brand that you already identify with, then you can begin writing on that. But, if you do not, then it is advisable to choose a sub-niche that isn’t overflowing with competitors but isn’t so unpopular either to aid your growth.
Choose Your Blogging Platform
A blogging platform is software that lets you create and manage a blog. It is similar to a space you acquire for a business. Usually, you can rent or purchase the space, and the same goes for a blogging platform. It could either be paid for or free.
There are different blogging platforms available. Some, such as Wix, and Squarespace, are free, while others, such as GoDaddy, are paid.
However, while choosing to use a free or paid blogging platform depends on the goals you have for your blog, we advise starting with WordPress.
WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging software and the top choice for more than 35 percent of bloggers and website owners.
Benefits Of WordPress
Fully Customizable
The need for a fitness blog to communicate what its brand is about at first glance is high. Fortunately, you can completely customize the look and feel of your website with WordPress.
WordPress has thousands of free themes you can personalize to fit your brand. Of course, you can also purchase some premium themes, usually built with additional benefits, such as helping with SEO, but the free themes are pretty good for a beginner.
Free
The WordPress software is free; you do not need to pay any cost. The software is owned by a non-profit WordPress foundation and published under the General Public License.
Thus, it is free to download, customize and use. However, purchasing premium features like hosting, premium themes, premium plugins, etc., can cost you money.
User-friendly Interface
WordPress is easy to use for everyone. You don’t have to deal with coding or technicalities to set up your fitness blog; you only need to download the WordPress software, purchase a domain name and hosting account, and your blog will be live.
WordPress also has an easy-to-manage Admin dashboard that enables adding new pages and creating new posts easily.
SEO Friendly
WordPress includes tools like heading tags, keywords in URLs, etc., that help content rank high on search engines.
The software also supports plugins such as Yoast WordPress SEO, All-In-One-SEO-Pack, and SEO Ultimate, which are constantly updated to help blogs grow and get more visibility.
Secure Software
Over thirty thousand WordPress websites are hacked daily. However, this isn’t because the WordPress software isn’t secure; it is because most sites do not keep up with security updates. The software itself is secure and regularly releases updates.
By default, minor updates are installed automatically, but you must manually initiate major updates. It is crucial to note that these updates are important for the security of your fitness blog, so they must be updated at all times.
Decide Your Domain Name
A domain name is part of your website’s identity. It can attract an audience to your blog and otherwise; thus, this is why picking a domain name is tricky. Below are some tips to help you develop an excellent domain name.
- Try to choose a broader name outside your sub-niche.
- Include target keywords, i.e., health, muscle, fit, etc.
- Choose simple words and keep your domain name short.
- Use phonetic patterns such as Alliteration, Rhymes, etc.
- Avoid using special characters.
- Leverage words that are easy to type and remember.
- Use modifying words, i.e., Mom’s healthy diet, The healthy diet.
- Unleash your creativity and come up with unique words.
If stuck, you can use tools such as Instant Domain Search, Panabee, Domain Wheel, and Lean Domain Search; these tools will help you develop different ideas for your blog name.
Buy Your Domain Name and Hosting
After choosing a domain name for your fitness blog, the next step would be to buy the .com name. Buying a .com name means that after you come up with your blog name, i.e., Foreverfit, and purchase its domain, no one else will be able to use it, and whenever an internet user types Foreverfit.com, it takes them to your blog.
However, a common issue is that another blogger might have bought the domain name you want. This is why having a few final name choices is recommended, but you could also play around with word synonyms to get one that is still available and fits your blog.
Hosting
Regarding hosting, there are two types of website hosting for bloggers: self-hosted and hosted. For example,
WordPress.org is a self-hosted site, and what this means is that while you are using WordPress software, you buy your domain name and pay a hosting company that helps to store all your blog data on a server.
In contrast, using hosted sites such as Wix or WordPress.com, which are generally easier to set up and customize, but have limitations. For instance, if your website’s goal is monetizing, you can’t use WordPress.com.
Several hosting providers include SiteGround, Hostinger and HostGator., but we recommend HostGator hosting for a beginner because it is easy to navigate, and the hosting plan is affordable.
Create Pages & Logo
Creating the essential pages of your blog involves including the basic information about your brand on the website.
This is where you create pages such as the contact page, about page, etc. The information on these pages mustn’t be for promotion but valuable enough to draw in a reader.
About Page
The About page of your fitness blog is where you introduce yourself to your audience and give some background information about your blog.
It is an excellent place to answer questions that an audience might have to get them to like and trust you, such as why you started your blog, your mission, your experience, or what makes your service different.
Contact Page
A contact page should include your contact information, enabling the audience to contact you and ask questions. It is also helpful for prospective clients to contact you and discuss your services. Your contact details mustn’t be difficult to find.
So, you can make it easy by placing it at the bottom of every page on your fitness blog or adding a contact form to the contact page.
Logo
When choosing a logo, we recommend choosing one that rhymes with your brand colours. As a newbie, it is advisable not to play with too many colours; stick to two to three colours.
To create a logo, you could hire a graphics designer to make one for you, or if you want to cut costs, you could create one temporarily with a logo maker.
Note that you can always rebrand or change your logo, but it is better to be intentional about your colours at the first stage so they can become specific to your brand.
Write Your First Blog Post
What should you be writing?
We recommend you research and figure out at least three to six sub-niches under your chosen niche. This way, you can write on a variety of topics.
You can write different types of content, including FAQs, How-to articles, product reviews, etc., but you must ensure that it is a topic that interests your audience.
There are several things to note when it comes to creating good content, and below are some tips for creating content for your fitness blog.
- Carry out keyword research to create better-optimized content.
- Avoid plagiarism
- Be consistent with your posting schedule.
- Follow a consistent tone and voice.
- Use internal links.
- Get backlinks.
- Create readable and relevant content.
Promote Your Fitness Blog
Promoting anything is hard; the same goes for a fitness blog. Yet, spending hours creating a blog post that only a few people get to see can be very frustrating. So, it is essential to be proactive and devise a promotional plan for your fitness blog.
We recommend having enough high-quality content in your blog to enable seeing positive results of your promotion. If you are ready to promote your fitness blog, here are six promotional strategies to help you reach your goal.
- Engage with readers.
- Collaborate with influencers in your niche.
- Create engaging graphics on social media and link to your blog.
- Share links to relevant groups.
- Create an email campaign.
- Optimize content for search engines.
Conclusion
Starting a fitness blog is easy, but you must spend more time writing quality content that provides value to your blog readers.
Writing content is one of the most challenging tasks in blogging, but if you have experience in your chosen niche, it will help.
In addition, you can outsource your content for freelancers to have quality content on your blog.