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How to Start Your Own Gaming Blog from Scratch in Less than 30 Minutes
So, you’ve decided that you love gaming so much that you have to write about it? Then it’s time to start a blog!
In today’s article I’m going to teach you how to start a gaming blog, from scratch, in less than 30 minutes. Let me warn you: launching your gaming blog is the easy part! Getting your blog known to the masses and having all the AAA developers and publishers spamming your email with review requests and personal invitations to events is really difficult.
But we’re taking it one step at a time! And the most important step if you want to get there is launching your gaming blog. Best part? You don’t need any technical skills or experience blogging to get started!
Why learn from me when you’ve probably never heard about Unigamesity (or me) before?
Because in this extremely crowded niche, you probably haven’t heard of 90% of the people who are making a living from their gaming blog. Like me! I started blogging about computer and video games in 2008 before switching to a self employed, no boss to nag me, full time blogger in late 2009 when I launched Unigamesity.
I’ve wrote for or had my articles featured on, or linked to by respectable and well known websites (Softpedia, Games.com, Eurogamer, Gamerant, Slashdot, Heavy.com, Neowin, Neogaf, Neoseeker plus many, many more) and I managed to get peak audiences of over 2 million unique visitors to my blogs. Per month. I am making a living today out of this, so I definitely know a thing or two about this topic. And you might want to learn and do what I do.
So I have decided to help people who were just like me was when I started: clueless. And today we’re dealing with the most important part of your blogging career: getting your blog launched! So let’s not waste any time and let’s find out below how to start your own gaming blog from scratch in less than 30 minutes!
1. Select Your Blog’s Domain (Name)
Although there are options for you to get a free blog titled something like myblog.blogspot.com or myblog.wordpress.com, if you are really serious about this, you will HAVE TO self-host your blog and get a .com (or other extension) domain name. This helps a lot in establishing a brand and also gives you a lot more options when it comes to customizing your blog, monetizing it and getting in contact with game developers and publishers. The free-hosted blogs are usually ignored without questions.
A .com domain only costs about $12 per year, but the hosting companies that we’re talking about at point #2 below offer a free domain when you sign up, so you don’t have to worry about this expense!
Just make sure that you have a good, catchy, easy to remember domain that is available and at least somewhat related to the gaming niche.
2. Get Hosting for Your Domain
Getting a good host is probably the most important thing when it comes to owning any type of blog. You need a high quality hosting company because otherwise your new gaming website will take ages to load (and you probably know how much you hate slow loading websites!), or it will go down completely and not be available for your readers. Getting a host that offers a free domain and has a platform that’s user-friendly is, therefore, extremely important!
And fortunately, I have the best recommendation for those looking to start their own gaming blog: Dreamhost. This is the hosting company that I’ve been using without any reasons to complain since 2009 and even though I tried other renowned and highly recommended companies, I never considered leaving Dreamhost.
They are decently priced but, most important, they offer a high quality service that will ensure your blog stays online at all times, loading as fast as possible. Managing everything related to your domain is also extremely easy: from installing WordPress with a single click, to setting up your own email address (something like contact@mynewblog.com) and managing everything in between.
You will need to go for their Shared Hosting option in order to get the best price and there is even a DISCOUNT waiting for you at checkout. So follow the link below, then navigate to Hosting & Servers -> Web Hosting (if you don’t think you can do it, there’s a full guide on that as well below).
Click here to sign up with Dreamhost
Why should you choose Shared Hosting and not something else? It’s because your gaming blog doesn’t require anything better early on in its life. Other hosting options are more expensive and required for websites with a lot of traffic (visitors). Which is not the case of a newly launched blog.
However, once your gaming blog starts getting a ton of traffic, you can click a single button in your control panel and upgrade the service with no downtime or advanced requirements on your side. So go with Shared Hosting first and upgrade later if it’s needed. Many big bloggers are still using Shared Hosting for their properties!
If you need help with setting up everything, I have a complete guide for you below. If not, check my Budget Hosting recommendation below or skip directly to the next step.
1. Go to Dreamhost and select, on the top bar “Hosting & Servers” – Web Hosting:
2. Click the “See our shared hosting plans” button or scroll down until you see their offer:
3. Click the “Sign up for a year of hosting” (or the 3 year if you want a better price) – you will be able to change that before making the payment.
4. Create your account by using an e-mail address and setting up a password. Click “continue”
5. Choose the domain name for your blog (you get it for free from Dreamhost). Your domain name has to be unique (meaning that you can’t go for Unigamesity.com or IGN.com or anything similar):
6. Again, you have the option to select the hosting plan you want. Click continue after making your selection:
7. It’s best to tick the “Install WordPress” option as it will automatically install it for you. You can also do this in your control panel after signing up:
8. Finally, fill in all the required data and make the payment. You’re now the owner of your very own gaming blog!
You will receive an email from Dreamhost when WordPress is installed on your blog and you will have all the required information for operating the blog in your email.
Alternate (cheaper) hosting option
If you really want to keep costs to a minimum, there’s a decent host offering better prices than Dreamhost. I have also used them and I consider them the second best hosting company you can choose – mainly because they have an ugly, less intuitive control panel. But the good thing is that you won’t spend much time there, so if you’re looking for something even cheaper for your first blog you can go with them:
Click here to sign up with Bluehost
The signup process is similar, but they are offering a huge discount when you sign up with them, meaning that your starting costs will be minimal. So hit the “Get started now” button on their home page, then select the option that’s best for you:
I would recommend going with the Plus version instead of the Basic one. The Basic version limits you to only 1 website (and you never know if you’ll get extremely successful and/or fall in love with blogging and you’ll want to start another) and only gives you 50GB for your website, which is somewhat restrictive. Whatever choice you make, I recommend to skip signing up for all the extras they’ll be offering when you create your account (like site privacy and back-up and so on).
With Bluehost, you will have to take an extra step to install WordPress on your site after creating your account and registering your free domain. You only have to click on a few things, so don’t worry!
Start by logging in to your account on Bluehost and going to Hosting – Website in the top bar:
There, simply click the “Install now” button under WordPress. You will have to grant access to Mojo Marketplace first and then you’ll be taken to this screen:
Select your newly registered domain from the drop down menu and leave the “Directory” tab blank. I also recommend to uncheck the two plugins that are automatically selected.
Click the next tab and follow the on-screen instructions to create your Admin Username and Password.
With just a few clicks, you get your gaming blog from Bluehost as well!
So although I recommend signing up with Dreamhost, Bluehost are also a great option especially if you want to keep costs low. And although you can always transfer your website from a host to another, that requires some more advanced knowledge, so it’s best to go with a host you’ll stick with from starters.
3. Find the Perfect Theme (Design) for Your Blog
Most people, when starting their own gaming blog, are looking for a Theme that is created specifically for gaming blogs. This is a mistake, because the offer in this area is extremely limited. Instead, you can go for a highly customizable theme and really make it your own. Most of the themes nowadays allow you to change the way they look (to a greater or lower extend) with just a few clicks, so it’s really easy to make most themes out there your own.
And although there are themes available for free, they offer very little in terms of customization, performance and, for obvious reasons, are not good as ones you pay for. The good news here is that you only pay once for a Theme and it’s yours for life (with most themes getting constant updates to make them even better).
In order to get your Theme, browse the directory on Theme Forest. If you don’t want to waste your time browsing through the thousands of themes or you simply can’t decide, I have some recommendations for you (and they are all optimized to look great on mobile and tablets):
This is the theme I use on Unigamesity and I absolutely love it! It is easy to use, highly customizable and if you don’t feel like doing the extra work for customizing it, you can easily import one of included designs which are extremely varied and cool. Click here to see it in action.
Milana
If you want to keep things very simple and clean, Milana is the perfect choice. It looks more like a regular blog, but sometimes you don’t want to waste too much time on finding the perfect design options and you just want to focus on the content. This theme helps you do that. Click here to see it in action.
This is one of the better – if not the best – WordPress theme designed for gaming blogs. It has a ton of great features, it looks amazing and also comes with direct Twitch integration to share your live streams with your readers. Even if you don’t use Twitch, it still remains am amazing theme! Click here to see it in action.
One of the youngest themes on our list, Huber comes with a ton of options, great speed and an amazing design that would be great for a gaming blog. It has a lot of options and features, including cool looking reviews, a special plugin that allows visitors to your website to leave their own reviews, options to create game pages (with all the articles for them and even release dates) – in other words, it’s a gem! Click here to find out more.
After purchasing your theme, head over to your WordPress website and log in (you will have the URL address to your log-in form in the email sent by your chosen hosting provider). The page itself will look something like this:
Log in and install the newly purchased theme by going to Appearance – Themes in your sidebar:
Hit the “Add New” button at the top, then select “Upload Theme”. Finally, hit the “Browse” button and upload the theme in zip format, then activate it. You can also start customizing the look of your blog, although it wouldn’t hurt to have a few articles first!
NOTE: When downloading the theme from Theme Forest, make sure that you select “Installable WordPress file Only”. If you go for a more advanced theme such as Newspaper, You will have to download “All Files and Documentation,” extract the files from the archive, then upload the theme zip (Newspaper.zip in our case) – you will need to upload additional files, as per the theme’s tutorials later on in order to activate additional and optional features.
4. Installing Plugins & Services
Your gaming blog is now ready to be launched, but there are some WordPress plugins and services that you should sign up for in order to help your blog even further. As services, I would suggest you to sign up for free for Google Analytics and Google’s Search Console. The first allows you to keep an eye on the number of visitors coming to your website, what they’re doing once there and much more. The Search Console allows you to optimize the website, submit a sitemap and have it indexed faster. You will need a free Gmail account in order to get access to these services.
You should also install the following plugins by going to Plugins – Add New in your new blog’s sidebar. Simply search for the title of the plugins, install and activate them:
– Akismet Anti-Spam (helps you keep spam comments away for a professional looking blog. Usually comes installed by default with all WordPress install).
– All In One SEO Pack (this is a more advanced plugin that will help your blog rank higher in the search engines. The higher your blog appears in search engine results when people search for something, the more people will visit your blog)
– Google XML Sitemaps (an extremely useful plugin that creates a sitemap for your site. These are vital when it comes to telling search engines like Google when new content is published)
– WP Super Cache (this plugin helps making your site a lot faster than it would normally be. This is extremely useful!)
This is it! You now have your gaming blog ready to meet the world. Getting it known and turning it into a profitable business is the most difficult part, but at least you made the first and most important step in the right direction.
If you are interested in finding out more advanced techniques about promoting your blog, making money with your newly launched gaming blog and turning yourself into a pro blogger, comment below or use the Contact page to let me know. Based on the feedback this article receives, I will decide if a follow-up with more advanced details and tips should be written or not.
Until then I wish you all the success in the world for your new gaming blog!
Casual
Creative Ideas for Best Technology Instagram Post 2024
Are you facing difficulty in engaging your audience with tech posts on Instagram? As social media platforms have transformed into virtual marketplaces, brands recognize the need to showcase expertise through engaging content.
Platforms like Instagram empower connecting with worldwide audiences through captivating visual stories. But, it is quite a daunting task to work and many move ahead to buy Instagram followers as well.
Contemporary consumers scarcely have time for promotion lacking substance. Hence, creatives demand integrating education with entertainment for intrinsically motivating connections. This is why in this post, we discuss top ideas for your tech-posts on Instagram. Read on.
Top Instagram Post Ideas for Technology in 2024
There are many creative and unique ways to catch attention for your technology posts on Instagram. Below we discuss some of the most popular ones that can certainly get all eyes on you.
I. Using Tech Products as Props
Showcasing the ergonomic elegance of newest smartphones through lifestyle photos depicting them harmonizing with modern interiors signifies how technologies enhance lives unobtrusively.
Flat lays carefully arranging phones alongside complementary gadgets like smartwatches and earbuds exhibits compatible accessories apt for varied tasks. Close-up shots exploring interesting details on laptops or cameras from unique angles pique curiosity towards innovative engineering.
Illustrations envisioning people multitasking efficiently through integration of different devices tells stories audiences relate to. Including props within realistic settings displays practical applications beyond technical specifications.
II. Behind the Scenes Photos of Tech
Sneak peeks hinting at cutting-edge features of anticipated device launches grant exclusivity while cultivating hype. Well-lit workplace photographs portray engineers concentrating on prototyping components and inspire admiration.
Snapshots capturing programming teams collaborating wirelessly on interactive whiteboards through mobile apps demonstrate streamlined productivity. Infographics adorning clean designs simplify explaining complex algorithms behind facial recognition or data analytics in accessible language.
Short videos taking viewers inside futuristic factories reveal meticulous manufacturing processes with a sense of intimacy.
III. Infusing Tech with Humor
Lighthearted memes humorously portraying predictable reactions to everyday tech troubles provide comic relief to stressful scenarios. Relatable situations humorously presented divert from serious sales pitches.
Personified tech objects in comical misadventures amuse audiences through humanizing technology. Satires skewering society’s obsession with smartphones in a tongue-in-cheek manner encourages shares to spread smiles. When infused judiciously, humor aids connection by sparking emotions beyond sales.
IV. Showcasing the Human Side of Tech
Introducing changemakers through portraits celebrating their groundbreaking work nurtures admiration. Profiles highlighting individuals transforming lives through accessible education technologies promote empowerment.
Environmental initiatives leveraging automation to offset carbon footprints brings a humanistic face to sustainability efforts. Impactful community projects excelling through connectivity showcase technology uplifting society versus solely profit motives.
Sensitively showcasing stories of overcoming challenges strengthens bonds between brands and audiences.
V. Visual Presentations of Tech Topics
Creative arrangements of flat lays showcasing virtual or mixed reality controllers provides an experiential feel of the immersive tech itself. Sequential photos arranged like puzzle pieces or in grids present complex technical concepts through visual storytelling.
Infographics leveraging minimalist aesthetics simplify explaining blockchain or cloud computing. Illustrations personifying IoT appliances in a “day in life” routine brings relatability to innovations perceived as complex. Data visualizations comparing tech trends succinctly impart industry insights.
VI. Leveraging Trending Tech Themes
Imaginative demonstrations of artificial intelligence streamlining lives pique intrigue towards groundbreaking research. Showcasing developments in robotics, VR or internet of things solving pressing issues cultivates social purpose beyond sales.
Highlighting startups leveraging cutting-edge innovations attracts investors and talent. Curated reels condensing key takeaways from tech summits grant exclusive access. Tactical hashtags around concepts ranging from 5G to cybersecurity optimize discovery of relevant audiences worldwide.
Unique Ways To Boost Engagement
With competition so fierce, it becomes difficult to keep your audience engaged with your post. Below we discuss some essential tips that can make things easy for you. Take a look:
● Researching Optimized Hashtags
Analyzing hashtag clusters witnessing frequent usages around niche conversations aids discovering appropriate tags aligning with targeted audiences. Careful hashtagging aids discoverability and spreads messages to receptive crowds naturally.
● Optimizing Images For Social Formats
Adjusting photos to square dimensions suitable for Instagram feeds and story formats preserves visual quality and context. Proper sizing and cropping focuses viewer attention on essential elements.
● Scheduling Around Peak Engagement Timings
Identifying timing patterns of highest follower activities through analytics aids posting when most eyeballs will likely notice new updates. Repurposing top performing content as story highlights retains visibility.
● Reviewing Engagement And Follower Insights
Regularly evaluating metrics like likes, comments, saves and follower growth rates aids comprehending reception and refining strategies. Tracking identified hashtag or location based communities’ interests guides customized content.
● Partnering With Key Influencers
Reaching wider audiences through cross-promotional shoutouts with popular domain figures expands networks. Collaborations establishing brand authority through third party endorsements bolster credibility.
Final Thoughts
In summary, effectively leveraging visual creativity fueled by data-driven decisions establishes technology companies, alongside support from a dedicated social media growth agency like Thunderclap.it, as thought leaders amid competition on platforms like Instagram.
Consistency, authenticity, and nurturing communities through meaningful interactions are crucial for driving organic visibility and achieving superior returns on social media. While maintaining technical excellence is essential, emotionally connecting with audiences through social missions and humor helps build a loyal following and fosters trust in this experience-driven world.
Business
Exploring the Steps in the Proposal Automation Process
In a fast-paced business environment, efficiency is key to staying ahead of the competition. Proposal automation offers a strategic advantage by streamlining the creation of documents that are vital to winning new business. By automating routine tasks, companies can focus more on the substance and strategy of their proposals. Understanding how it works and the significant improvements it can bring to your business operations is essential. Below, we delve into this process and discuss everything you need to know about optimizing your proposal automation process.
Understanding the Foundation of Proposal Automation
At its core, proposal automation is about enhancing productivity and consistency within the process of creating proposals. By leveraging technology, it replaces the traditional, manual method of drafting documents with a more streamlined, error-proof approach. This transition includes the use of templates, content libraries, and customized data inputs to ensure each proposal is tailored, yet produced with greater speed and accuracy.
For newcomers, understanding the foundation is crucial before implementation. This involves grasping the basics of how automated systems manage data, apply business logic, and produce finalized documents. It’s essential to ensure that your team is well-versed with the system and that all relevant content is digitized and made accessible to the automation software.
Key Benefits of Implementing Proposal Automation
Proposal automation systems offer a multitude of benefits, the most prominent being the drastic reduction in time spent drafting proposals. Employees are freed from repetitive formatting tasks, allowing them to devote more time to strategic functions such as market analysis and personalized client engagement which can significantly influence the success of a proposal.
Error reduction is another major advantage of automating the proposal process. With standardized templates and centralized content management, inconsistencies are minimized, and the risk of outdated information being included is significantly reduced. This elevates the professionalism and credibility of each proposal generated.
Essential Features to Look for in Proposal Automation Tools
Choosing the right proposal automation tools is essential for achieving the desired efficiency and effectiveness. The most valuable feature to look for in such a tool is a robust content library. This allows for quick access to the most current and relevant pieces of content and data necessary for crafting a compelling proposal.
Integration capability is another crucial feature. The tool should be able to integrate seamlessly into the existing technology ecosystem of your organization, including CRM platforms, to facilitate smooth workflows and information exchange. This ensures that sales and proposal teams work with the latest client information and reduce duplication of efforts.
Step-by-Step Guide to the Proposal Automation Workflow
The journey of automating your proposal process starts with the initial setup of the proposal automation tool. This involves configuring the system with your company’s templates, content, and workflows. A key aspect here is to ensure that the templates accommodate various proposal scenarios and that the content library is organized and tagged for easy retrieval.
Next, the tool is integrated with other enterprise systems such as CRM software, ensuring that data flows continuously and accurately between platforms. This step is crucial for maintaining up-to-date content in the proposals and for personalizing them with client-specific data.
Measuring Success and ROI in Proposal Automation Initiatives
To truly understand the impact of proposal automation, it’s important to measure its success and return on investment (ROI). One of the most straightforward metrics to monitor is the reduction in the time required to generate proposals. Noticing a considerable decrease here is often the first sign that the automation is effective.
Another valuable indicator is the quality and consistency of proposals. With fewer errors and greater adherence to company branding, the professionalism conveyed in each proposal can lead to better client perceptions and a higher win rate. Monitoring feedback and win rates can give concrete evidence of the system’s effectiveness.
Featured
Accumulator Bet – Guide to Australian Online Sports Betting
Accumulator bet is very much popular with bettors. It allows you to combine the odds of multiple selections to achieve a greater payout if your predictions are successful.
While accumulator bets may seem complicated at first glance, they are actually fairly simple. After reading this guide, you’ll be able to use it for your Australian online sports betting: https://nomini.com/au/sport.
You’ll soon find out what an accumulator bet is, how it works, and what different types of this bet exist.
What Is an Accumulator Bet?
An accumulator bet is also known as parlay. It is a type of wager that is made up by combining multiple bets into one selection.
Let’s say that you wanted to make an accumulator on multiplier football games. In this case, you could pick five teams to win their respective games in one accumulator.
As you are combining different odds, and effectively multiplying them with each other, an accumulator bet will pay out a much higher return than if you were to bet on your choices as separate selections.
This is because all of your choices must be successful for your bet to win.
As all the betting options are combined to achieve a greater value in total stake, if just one of your picks loses, the whole accumulator bet will lose too, so there is an increased risk when placing this sort of bet.
However, it can also enhance your Australian online sports betting experience and make wagering extra fun.
Some of the most popular sports you can make accumulator bets on are football, basketball, hockey, and horse racing.
However, you should keep in mind that some sportsbooks might prevent you from combining multiple other bets into one accumulator.
Also, please note that a second bet on multiple selections from, for example, the same game of soccer, is not an accumulator bet – this would be a same game multi or multiplier, which is a totally different type of bet.
Accumulator Bet Explained in Detail
As you can see, an accumulator bet isn’t too complicated. Now we’ll use horse racing as an example to demonstrate how to use it best for your Australian online sports betting.
Let’s say you are presented with a race card for a meeting that contains six races. You can choose to pick a selection from all six races, or from just four, (you can also pick one selection of just two horses, known as a ‘Double’, or three horses, known as a ‘Treble’).
Depending on the race, you can choose the horse that you believe will win.
You will then combine all of these selections into one bet to build a total profit for your accumulator.
Because you are combining the odds for each of these horses to win, you are increasing the amount of money you could win, but also increasing the risk of at least one bet losing which will mean your accumulator loses too.
What Are the Different Types of Accumulator Bets?
As a rule, this type of bet consists of 4 or more selections, with many bookmakers allowing up to 20 selections.
Combining two bets into one bet is known as a ‘Double’, whilst combining three bets is called a ‘Treble’.
When you have four selections in one parlay bet, this is known as a ‘Four-fold”. Five bets in one parlay are called a ‘Five-fold’, and so on.
Each-Way Accumulator Bet
While an accumulator bet is very attractive for bettors, there is a high risk that the first bet won’t win, as there can be so many elements that need to be successful for the bet to win big.
However, some of that risk can be eased by placing bets on an each-way accumulator.
This Australian online sports betting option is particularly popular when betting on horse racing, as there are usually more options to choose from when trying to pick a winner.
Here, the idea is to give the bettor a better chance of winning if one of the horses fails to win, but still manages to place 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
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