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How to Start a Sports Blog

Priyanka Roy

March 15, 2024

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Introduction

Hey there, sportsfreak! Wanna know how to start a sports blog by yourself? Wanna share your love and passion for sports with the whole world? Then you are at the right spot. Sports blogging is a money generator. If done correctly you can make a handsome amount of money out of it. Sports are a great pastime. We all love to play it, watch it and talk about it.

It is one of the top 3 blog categories that generate an insane amount of money. So after finishing this article if you start a blog and eventually turn out to be a financially well-off person I won’t be surprised.

Everything needs initiation so does sports blogging. Stories of failure are not uncommon in this industry. There are several reasons for those failures. One of the biggest reasons is the lack of proper planning and knowledge of the basics of how to start a sports blog. So I’m glad that you are doing some research right before starting. That is crucial to success. Bravo! you are on the right way.

Now let’s get to the real talk. By now You might have checked many articles stating the steps of how to start a sports blog. They might seem confusing and overwhelming. can’t they? All the steps hoovering at one side. So much work before even starting. That could be intimidating and discourage you to start a blog. Trust me the whole process of starting the blog is a work of 30 minutes only. Even those technical steps seem to be jargon.

In this article, I’ll explain the entire process in 3 macro steps so that you can easily understand the difference between technical and non-technical tasks. To put it in a brief. First, you need to choose a niche to start sports blogging. ( niche is the topic that you will give blog posts about).

After that, you have to purchase a virtual name and residence for your blog post which is a domain name and web hosting solution from a web hosting company.

Then start blogging and spread the word through social media. That’s it. surprised? Were you expecting a long list of work? I’ve mentioned earlier that it’s going to be easy. You just need to click, click and click to enter the stunning world of sports blogging. To get the in-depth insights to keep scrolling down. It will take a few minutes to learn how to start a sports blog.

Before we begin let’s bust some common myths that hold a potential sports blogger from starting their journey. Shall we?

Myth Busters 

Blogging is a classic form of expressing your knowledge and opinion on a certain topic. With passing time, it has gained popularity. If you have knowledge and passion about a specific topic for instance football, baseball, WWE, golf, archery, MMA then you should introduce your passion to the virtual world. Blogging can be a great platform to illustrate your knowledge, passion, understanding, and love for sports.

Are negative thoughts pulling you behind? To gain confidence that you need to know how to start a sports blog Let’s address all the myths of this blogging industry and check the real facts.

Now let’s jump into the steps to start your first blog. Here I’ve categorized the steps into 3 macro parts depending on the objective of the task. First we’ll talk about how to technically get yourself ready. Then we will move on to organizing the content. Right after that, we will take help from social media and marketing strategies to spread the word.

Macro step-1: Technical setup

Equipment Needed

Okay, I know you know it already and it’s obvious but still here’s a quick checklist of the equipment that you will need to start sports blogging.

Step-1 Choose a Blogging Platform

The first step of how to start a free blog is choosing a platform. There are unlimited numbers of platforms where you can uphold your blogs. The thing is not every one of them will serve you in the same manner. Choosing the platform also affects the visibility of your blogs. There are tons of platform such as–

Considering the level of customization and goodwill of Google I highly recommend starting a self-hosted WordPress blog. It’s better than free sites like bloggers who will restrict your creativity with your blog posts. There You can’t decide how it looks, what ads will appear in your blogs and the visibility in SERP is also be poor. [SERP= search engine result page].

So most bloggers start with WordPress as their platform as it provides standard customization and templates (both free & paid) to make your blog look presentable and appealing. I prefer wordpress.org over wordpress.com as it provides room for extra customization and chances of high ranking is also possible. So it’s the best place to start a blog.

Reasons to choose wordpress.org

Step-2 Domain Name

A domain name is the virtual identity of your blog website. It’s like registering a name for your business and having the loyalty that this name would be used only by you and you only. Things to consider before having a domain name–

Make a list of your ideas of domain names then type them into the domain search bar to check if the domain is available. I’ll talk about two ways of purchasing a domain.

1. Domain selling site
2. A web hosting solution

Both are great options from my perspective but as a beginner, I would suggest you buy it from a web hosting solution as it becomes easier and sort of a one-stop solution for managing your blog website. There are web hosting companies like Bluehost, DreamHost, HostGator, A2 hosting. You can choose any provider to purchase a domain name for your blog.

Most hosting companies give you a free domain at the start if you purchase their web hosting plan. So you have to just purchase a web hosting plan to start free blogs. There you can simply type your desired domain name and click the “ availability button” to check if the name is available or not.

Every day dozens of domain names are being handed over to one entity or another. People even buy them beforehand to sell them to others. If you ask for my advice I would suggest that you grab your desired domain if it’s available before someone else takes it away.

Domain name ideas

Here are some domain name ideas to start a sports blog. Have a look and happy brainstorming. Obviously, you can mix and match and come up with your ideas.

Step-3 Purchase Domain & Hosting

The web host server is the virtual home for your website. If a domain name is considered to be registering your website’s name then purchasing a host is similar to buying working space for your website. It will allow you a one-stop platform where you can easily create and control your content, engage with the audience, access WordPress, and better your SEO results.

There are many web hosting service providers available right now with different products, plans, and services. I personally enjoy using Bluehost, DreamHost, A2 hosting. As this article addresses the newbies, I’ll illustrate how you can start web hosting with HostGator ( one of the most affordable website hosting).

As you are a newbie it would be perfect for the start. So let’s purchase a web host plan and start web hosting, shall we? Affordable shared hosting plan can be the right choice.

Find a domain starting at $0.88

1. Visit HostGator: First of all visit HostGator then there you will find their services named shared web hosting, VPS web hosting, dedicated web hosting, and many more. As your intention is blog posting you should start with an affordable shared hosting plan.
   I recommend choosing this option because it is cheap yet provides you all the resources that you need to run a blog post.
2. Select a plan: In the HostGator shared category, there are 3 plans named Hatchling, Baby, and Business. I would recommend Hatchling as it is cheap and great to start with.
3. Enter a domain name: After choosing a plan you have to provide a domain name. You can enter an existing one or buy a new one from HostGator.
4. Create a HostGator account: when you scroll down after entering a domain name you will find a panel asking you to create a HostGator account. It’s nothing but simply providing them your email address and setting a password.
   
5. Billing information: here you have to enter all the billing information such as how you want to make the payment. Provide your identity and address, zip code.
   
6. Check out: when you are done with providing your card information scroll down and check if there are any services added as extra by default. Uncheck them if you don’t want them then simply hit the “check out” button.

Then the HostGator team will contact you through email and guide you through formalities to start the web hosting. Isn’t that simple? Most web host providers follow more or less the same procedure so no worry if you don’t want to go with HostGator. The process remains the above mentioned for any other provider.

As we have decided that we will use WordPress as our blog platform the next thing you need to do is install WordPress in your HostGator (or any other web host that you’ve selected). Make sure you use the best web hosting for wordpress. You will find the option in the dashboard. Even the cheap web hosting comes with cPanel. To Install WordPress follow the three easy steps mentioned below.

And your WordPress panel is ready to roll.

Step-4 Theme Selection

Now that you have a unique domain and stunning WordPress panel all set with web hosting it’s time to fix the appearances for your sports blog. Though I think of the first exclusive theme selection is not necessary. Yet a pleasant theme can boost your productivity and chances of getting noticed by the visitors.

To select a theme follow the following procedures from the dashboard.

It’s that simple. With a theme, you will get a layout that will make your content look stunning. You can alternate the theme with your photos and fonts. That will make your blog post and writing look more appealing.

Qualities of a good theme

Theme Recommendations

There are many free and paid themes ready to be installed from WordPress. Here are some of my favorite themes that I would like to recommend for sports blogging.

Free themes

Paid themes

Step-5 Installing Plugins

Plugins are software and application add-ons which help you optimize your website and perform better. It enhances the capability of a website. There are tons of plug-in like–

It’s not a static rule that you have to get all these plugins before starting. You can have them from starting or add later on.

Step-6 Logo and Page Set Up

What’s the logo of Adidas? Did it take you even a second to recall it? No, right? That’s the image of a logo. It builds and symbolizes your brand. If you have long-term dreams and aspirations with your sports blog then you must get yourself a relevant and catchy logo. Starting with a logo you will hammer the first nail of your brand.

Your logo should be presented at the top of your new blog theme. After the placement of the logo, you can now pay attention to your important page setup. So that visitors can know that you want them to know. The important pages that need a step up before getting started–

Macro step-2: Creativity in Content

Find your Target Audience

You are writing for whom? Always have a set target audience. How you will talk about football blogging won’t be similar to a WWE blogger. So segment your audience and address the majority. Analyze whether your audience is a teenager or adult, amateur or expert player. They want a college football Blogspot or a global football Blogspot. that’s key for knowing how to start a sports blog.

You should keep that in mind before thinking about how to start a blog and make money. Because money will come from the selected segment of the audience.

Purpose of Blogging

Hold for a moment, close your eyes and think about why you want to start this blog? Is it your passion? Do you want to gain popularity? Or you want both and make money to turn it into a full-time job that you can enjoy. You can actually do it. Sports blogging is one of the biggest cash cows of the blogging industry. To cash it in successfully you need to know how to start a sports blog the right way.

If you want to earn money through your blogs you can do it by the following useful means.

Affiliate programs: affiliate programs are a list of products that are ready to be promoted by bloggers and other types of content makers. You can visit these sites and get a customized link to promote those products from your content.

Whenever a visitor clicks on those links and buys a product you end up getting a commission for that. Some of the best affiliate platforms are,

• Leather Head
• Amazon affiliate
• Under Armour

After collecting affiliate links from here you can insert them in your content and earn money every time someone purchases what you have linked to. Or you can arrange sidebars mentioning the products.

• Ads: Ads in blogging are another good source of money. You can give a clear call of action to your visitors to subscribe, follow or buy products of someone whom you are promoting or your own products.
• Sell Products: direct sell is another money generator of the sports blogging industry. Wouldn’t it be nice if I can find the products that you have recommended in your blog within your website? It gives a sense of satisfaction to the visitor and revenue to you. Both are winners.
• Google Adsense: You can earn money through website monetization from Google Adsense as well though the rates are quite cutthroat. They provide you PPC ads and you get paid whenever viewers click on that and purchase something afterward in the given time. Though the commission rate of Google Adsense is really marginal.
• Online Course: If you are a sports enthusiast and a coach then you can take the help of your blogs to start and promote online sports and fitness courses.
• Personal Training: Similar to online courses you can also offer your visitors the opportunity to call you for personal training sessions.
• Exclusive Content: Though visitors don’t have to pay extra to read a blog you can label some exclusive blogs as premium and ask for subscription fees from visitors to get access.

Choose a Niche

Now that you know your purpose of blogging let’s find a niche for you. Niche is a topic that is appropriate for you. Any topic that serves your purpose and interest. There are macro niches ( covering broad categories) and micro-niches ( focusing subcategories). For instance, sport is a macro niche. It covers so many things and the micro-niche of sports could be,

Now the difference between working with the macro niche and a micro-niche is the complexity of work. As the macro niche is way broader and covers a lot of topics it could be overwhelming for a beginner to start with. As they will target a larger audience range they might end up getting nothing.

On the contrary micro niches are easy to catch up with. You will have your own set of audiences. Mastering a micro-niche will show you as an expert in the eyes of search engine results. Ultimately better SEO performance as well.

Create Engaging Blog

After selecting a niche now the next work is to develop engaging blog posts. Editing blog posts in WordPress is super easy. You can enter from your web host dashboard as well. Many people create their blogs right from WordPress itself but I would suggest you compose it in some other writing platform first then shift it to WordPress.

That allows you to scan through all the errors before hitting the “publish” button. Here, have a look at what to expect in this process.

Remember to write as you speak. Your audience is not techies, right? So talk to them as if you are talking to a friend. Help new readers with your reviews, verdicts, personal opinion about a match, and other details. Blogging can sometimes seem overwhelming but you can stay grounded by expressing your true opinion. Here are some post ideas that would be amazing to start a sports blog.

Sports blog post ideas

Work on SEO for Better Monetization

SEO stands for search engine optimization. That means optimizing your website, content, and blogs to appear on the search engine result page. Search engines like google have some strict criteria to sort their result page. If your blog matches all the criteria it will surely have a high ranking for targeted keywords.

For better SEO you should provide engaging and authentic content. Including incoming and outgoing links is a good SEO practice. Try to keep the keyword density decent. Don’t overuse keywords. WordPress Yoast suggests changes that would better your SEO performance. You can follow that as well.

Tips and Tricks

As you are a beginner all this might look “toughy”.right? I intended to make this article as easy as possible as a tutorial. so that you can understand how to start a sports blog in one shot. Adding on to that I’ll be sharing now a few tips and tricks which I follow for good blog posts.

Content Calendar: Content Calendar is where you can schedule your potential contents to be posted in a week, month or year. You can break it down and arrange it however you like. It helps you to have batches of content ready to keep the flow of your blog posts. Doing it on a notepad or gadget doesn’t matter, just do it with sincerity.

Keep the audience in mind: Before even writing the content think about your audience. Whom do you want to address for this particular blog post? Then arrange the blog post like you are talking to them in person in simple language. Sports blogs have to be casual and catchy. So bring out all of your sports enthusiasm on the table.

Focus on a particular topic: Sports is a wide and diversified niche. Even a single sport can have hundreds of micro-niches. So it is easy to get overwhelmed by the numbers. To stay grounded focus on 2-3 micro niches and produce informative blogs about them. By doing this search engines will see you as an expert in that field. As a result, your blogs might rank high in SERP.

Do research: Keep an eye on what sort of information you are providing to your visitors. Is it authentic and backed up with evidence? Will it benefit your audience? Another research you have to do is Keyword research but it’s for your benefit.

It will suggest to you key phrases that are being searched globally on search engines. With this information, you can write with the correct keywords to drag organic traffic to your website.

Outline the post: Before actually writing a post outline it. Make a layout and note all the topics that your blog post will address this time. With this trick, you can bring out stunning-looking sophisticated content every time.

Insert keywords in headings: To appear on your desired keywords always insert focus keyword at the heading. It gets noticed faster and assists the search engine bots to sort your data.

Link building: Link is like an upvote for the validation of the content of your website. The balance of inbound links and outbound links helps a blog to score higher at SERP.

Read it out loud: Now this is a basic proofreading tip. After finishing the writing of your content, read it out loud. Check the tone of your content. Does it sound friendly? Are there any changes that you want to make? Think about it.

Break down paragraphs: No one likes chunks of black fonts on their screen. It stresses the readability of the visitor. Go on, help them out by breaking down your paragraphs into 3-4 easy-to-read sentences.

Skim the content: Skimming the content refers to highlighting the key aspects of your blog. Give your audience a quick look at what topics you have brought to light for this blog.

Visual break: As mentioned earlier visual breaks like images, videos, ads, infographics break the monotony of the article. Feel free to add each of these after finishing each subheading or paragraph. Keep the visual breaks relevant to your blogs.

Comment on recent sports: Serve the news purpose. Addressing the trending sports event of your niche will help you to get positive attention.

Discuss popular players: we all have our favorite players, don’t we? Some of us see them as our idols. So it is always exciting to know the insights of their training, fitness mantra and past life for inspiration. With extensive research and personal interviews try to bring the latest news of famous players whether global or local.

Ask for feedback: make your blog a two-way communication. Always ask for feedback and opinions from the visitors and engage with them in friendly chats.

Macro step-3: Spread the Word through Social Media

In the virtual world blow your own trumped. As generation Z we ourselves are brands. Each of us at least has 100 plus followers on social media. It is the correct time to cash on them. Spread the word of your blog through social media. Instagram and Youtube are great platforms for beauty niches.

Use appropriate hashtags like #trending_matches #UFC #UEFA on your Instagram post and Youtube videos. Add the links to your blog in the description box and captions. The blogs can be the basic script for your Youtube videos. Just convert the idea and information into a video. The psychology of these two audiences searches for better appearance and lifestyle.

On the other hand, Pinterest is commendable to make your blog post go viral with some catchy infographics. To enter the community of beauty blogging you can engage in conversations on Twitter and join Facebook groups.

Marketing of sports blog

Top Inspiring sports Blogs

Now that you know how to start a sports blog let’s discuss what you are getting yourself into. There are countless sports blogs out there but not every blog gets the name and fame. To provide the top quality to your visitors, learn from the industry giants, and take inspiration. Here are the top sports blogs which are loved by their visitors.

Have a look, who knows in a few years you might become one of their competitors! (wink)

Yahoo! Sports [ https://sports.yahoo.com/ ]
The Athletic [ https://theathletic.com/ ]
Bleacher Report [ https://bleacherreport.com/ ]

FAQ’s

You might be interested in–

• How to Start a Beauty Blog
• My “Aha” Moment with Best Whiteboard Animation Software

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Final Words

Sports blogging has endless micro niches and possibilities. That means more room for future growth. now that you know how to start a sports blog It is high time you cash on it.. Get a website and domain name, brush up on your content and start a sports blog. Who knows your passion might end up becoming your full-time job! Good luck player!