There are so many websites, and even more being launched. This should not stop you from launching your blog. With the right approach, you shall earn your place online. Here are what you need to look at closely to get to the desired level.
You need to first go for a topic that shall interest you the most. Most people choose based on how much they stand to make. This is not the wisest approach, as it soon begins to feel like forced work. Those who pick topics they love rarely ever think of it as too much work.
This is when you register your domain. The name chosen shall influence the brand in a major way. Pick an encompassing yet unique name. That name needs to be identical to the site name. Anything different shall mean readers get confused.
You then need to go for the right blogging platform. You shall hear of so many free ones in the market. Their downside is you have no say in the changes they can introduce at any time. You should focus your mind on a self-hosting blogging platform, such as WordPress.org (not .com) or SquareSpace.
You then need a reliable hosting service. You need to think of paid options for this service. Free hosting services are as unreliable as the free blogging platforms. Paid hosting makes for faster, more reliable, services that come with amazing customer care.
You need to have analytics in place from the beginning. This is how you will learn more about how your customers found you, who they are, and other important data. You can use that data to reach more customers.
There is a need to work on your email list. This should also be from the beginning. This shall be an immediate resource for networking and fetching more customers, as you market directly to them.
Make sure you always respect the copyright laws. There is a need for you to always confirm whether an image you are interested in using has any copyrights on it. You instead need to get into the habit of using those free under Creative Commons licensing, or to pay for stock images. You need to keep records of the permissions, should you need to refer to them later.
You should also get into the habit of posting regularly. You need to do so to keep the interest of tour readers in your work going. Do not go overboard, but keep a consistency such as a weekly or twice weekly new posts.
There are even more tips you need as you start, such as networking with influencers, avoiding being a perfectionist, and setting realistic goals. There is no need to think only of being an instant hit. A better route would be to build up slowly as you get more readers. This site shall allow you to read more on the subject.