If I can do it, you can do it!
Maybe you've gone through your fair share of blogs and thought, "Huh. I could do that."Well, you're absolutely right, and I'm going to help you get started.
Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty details of starting your own blog, there are a few things that you should know.
First off, there is a lot of time and effort involved in creating a successful blog. If you're looking to start your own blog because you feel you'll be able to earn hundreds of dollars within a couple of months, you're mistaken. It simply does not work that way. It literally took me three years before I earned my first $100 from ads on Freelance Lady alone (of course, I earned money other ways by utilizing my blog, but we'll get into that later).
What you need to know before blogging:
- It is unlikely that you will have amazing success overnight.
- You must pick a topic that you're passionate about, whether it's parenting, cooking, fishing, throwing darts--whatever. If you're not passionate about it, chances are, you will abandon your blog.
- Don't be too hard on yourself. Once you stop blogging because you love to do it and start doing it to make other people happy, it's going to become a chore. Do what makes you happy. Be honest with yourself.
- People can be really mean. No. Seriously. Really mean. Develop a tough skin and avoid feeding the trolls.
Choose a niche.
A "niche" is the topic of your blog--it's what your content will revolve around.Examples of blog niches:
My niche here on Mommy's Castle is my life as a mom. Of course, there are a lot more topics that I can write about besides stories of my life because my niche is flexible. For example, I can list recipes, write reviews, host giveaways, etc. while still remaining true to my niche.
On my other blog, "Freelance Lady," the niche is less flexible. I write on freelance work, online money making opportunities, and work-at-home jobs. People don't come there to read about my adventures in mommyhood, which is why I separated my mommy niche from my "business" niche.
Brainstorm to find your calling.
To decide on a niche, you'll need to consider what you enjoy doing, what topics you're capable or qualified to write on, and what topics you know a great deal about. Many people make the mistake of asking, "What do the people want?" This is not the best way to choose your blog's topic. I mean, of course you want a blog that people actually want to read, but if you make a blog about a topic that the people enjoy but you don't, then this increases the likelihood that you will simply abandon your blog. Choose a topic that you're passionate about.
You'll also need to remember that there are subjects that aren't very popular. For example, it's unlikely that you'll gather tons of readers if all you do is write about your favorite pair of shoes.
BUT...and yes, there is a but...
You could make the shoe niche work. How? Simple. Offer something to your readers. Review different pairs of shoes. Host giveaways for shoes. Show different ways to accessorize outfits around shoes. Target fashionistas. Readers want to engage.
How I chose my blog niches:
Here on Mommy's Castle, I write about my life as a mom and as a housewife. I chose this niche because my children and my husband are my number one priorities in life. I am passionate about them. I am passionate about writing. I live this, so therefore, I am capable and qualified to write on it.
On Freelance Lady, my niche is legitimate online work opportunities. I chose that niche because I am highly motivated by helping others, especially when it comes to making money while taking care of home. If I can continue to help people make money and be at home to raise their kids, then I'll do it for as long as I can. I'm capable and qualified because I've been researching legitimate online jobs since I was 17 years old and I've personally tried almost all of them.
Don't blog just for money.
Notice that not one of my reasons for blogging are for money. Of course, I like to make money, but that is not why I blog. If you're blogging for instant traffic and/or fame, chances are you'll be disappointed.
Consider your competition.
When I started my first blog, I did quite a bit of research on the other blogs in my niche. I wanted to know what kind of audience I would have--who I would need to target. I wanted to know what the other blogs were doing, what they were giving to their audience, and what made them great.The number of blogs and websites writing on my niche was actually quite low, in my opinion, when compared to other niches, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. The upside was that I didn't have to compete against millions of blogs for readership. The downside was that the low number of blogs probably meant that the niche wasn't very popular.
So, what if you are going up against millions of other blogs? Well, you could make your niche more specific. For example, if you're blogging about cooking, you could narrow it down to breakfast foods, healthy foods, or even just desserts.
What's in a name?
Pick a name for your blog. Do some brainstorming. Consider your niche when choosing a name for your blog.Chances are, your first, second, and maybe even your third choice for your blog's name are already taken, so you're going to have to get creative.
Let's go back and say that your blog is about cooking desserts. The basic name, "Dessert Cooking" is most likely already taken, so what else could you use to "brand" your blog? Could you implement your name into the title? Maybe, "Sabrina's Desserts" would work. Perhaps you're looking for something more original. Try different letter usage, acronyms, or word play. How does "Decadent Dessert Diner" sound?
Make the name yours.
You're going to want a domain name. A domain is the "web address" for your blog. For example, mine is http://www.mommyscastle.com. Now, a domain name is not necessarily required, but it shows a level of professionalism when compared to a subdomain (example: mommyscastle.blogspot.com) and it helps to "brand" your blog. I still have my Blogger subdomain; it just redirects to my top-level domain (.com).
Subdomain
yourwebsite.blogger.com
Top-Level Domain
yourwebsite.com
NOTE: Using .com, as opposed to .net, .org, .tv, etc. is highly recommended, as .com is easily recognized and typed most often by internet users.
In order to find out whether or not your name is already taken, do a quick Google search with quotations around your name (this allows Google to search for an exact match). Skim through the results, paying careful attention if you come across websites or brands using that same name. The last thing you want is to commit copyright infringement.
Once you've determined whether your name is [seemingly] free and clear, you'll want to run your desired domain name through a search to make sure the name is available, and at what cost. Find a domain checker tool, like the one at GoDaddy, to find out if your desired domain name is available.
Is your domain name free and clear? Great. Now, before you move on, remember that you can either buy the domain now without a hosting plan, OR you could buy a hosting plan (and sometimes get the domain for free). There are many domain registrars to choose from. I, personally, use GoDaddy and only buy the domain--my host is Blogger.
Do your research on prices (and pay attention to introductory prices that go up after the first year) and perks. Read reviews. Find out what comes with a domain purchase.
Tips on choosing a domain for your blog:
- Pick a name that's easy to remember, and easy to type.
- Try to avoid using hyphens or numbers.
- Choose a name relevant to your niche.
- Don't pick an extra long name. Short and sweet is best.
Give your blog a home.
So, you've chosen a niche, researched your competitors, named your blog, and purchased a domain. Now, you're going to need a place to host your blog so that other people can see it.Blogging platforms such as Blogger and WordPress are ideal, unless you're familiar with coding blogs and websites. If you don't have coding experience, you'll definitely want to use one of the aforementioned options, as they allow you to edit, design, and post to your blog with ease.
If you're more of a "from scratch" kind of person, go ahead and do it yourself. There is more flexibility this way, so the possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with that, so here are a couple of resources that may be able to help:
Creating a Blog from Scratch with PHP
Build My Own Blog Website from Scratch - 15 Steps
Learn the basics of SEO.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is highly important to the success of your blog. I recommend reading 33 SEO Tips for New Bloggers and The Beginner's Guide to SEO. These resources will teach you how search engines work, and by knowing how search engines work, you can optimize your website so that it is found during web searches. The better SEO skills you have, the higher the chances of your website appearing high in search results. And that is what you want!Start spendin' money!
Unless you're HTML, CSS, and design savvy, you're going to want to invest a little money into your blog. Alternatively, you could invest time in learning what you need to know to do it yourself. That part is solely up to you.Why, you ask? Well, simply put: You want a layout that is appealing to your visitors. If you can't do it, your best bet is to spend a little money on a custom-made design that is UNIQUE to your blog. Premade designs are also acceptable, but remember, another blog out there could be using the same exact design, so it's not ideal for branding.
Choose a design that suits your niche. Nothing too hard on the eye. Here are a few examples of relatively simple, yet eye-catching blog designs:
Love Grows Wild
A Piano Teacher Revealed
My Cuddle Corner
TV Supermom
The Recipe Critic
Family Fever
You can also find some amazing blog designs for sale (and custom designs available) here:
Designer Blogs
Imagination Designs
Beautiful Dawn Web & Graphic Designs
Check out this HUGE list of designers on Custom Blog Designers!
Set up your pages.
Start with the basic stuff. You'll need an "About" page and a "Contact" page to start. If you're thinking about doing giveaways or doing reviews, you may want to add a Public Relations page. A "Media Kit" can come later--once you've developed your readership.Write. Write. And write some more.
You've got your niche, your name, your hosting service, your pages, and you know the basics of SEO. Alright, now the time to shine has come!Start writing!
Be consistent!
Pump out high-quality, relevant content every single day. Okay, so it's alright if you miss a day or two here and there, but you should try to remain consistent and your most recent blog post should NEVER be more than a month old.
The best way to stay consistent is by setting a schedule. Weekday mornings could be spent writing a quick post. On weekends, you can write multiple times a day. If you only have one day a week to dedicate to blogging, you could use that day to write 5-7 posts and publish them later. One of the many great things about blogging platforms is they have scheduling tools that allow you to write posts ahead of time, and schedule when they'll be published.
Be accurate and reliable!
Be accurate, and be reliable. Don't post something just because you read it on your friend's Facebook page. Always fact check. Always cite sources. More importantly...
Always proofread!
Say it with me: "PROOFREAD!" Please, please, please proofread and use spellcheck. I can't explain how it makes me feel to see dozens of typos and grammatical errors in posts. Many people don't take this lightly. In fact, I've been known to exit out of blogs due to the lack of proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Oh, and don't forget to utilize those SEO skills that you've learned. Implement at least a 5% related keyword density rate (you'll know what this is if you read the beginner's guide to SEO) into your posts.
Some other great tips for blogging are to learn how to write in a conversational tone and learn the five steps to an engaging blog post.
Give people something to look at.
People love to see pictures, especially when they relate to the content they enjoy reading. For example, if you're writing a blog post about desserts, it is almost self-sabotage if you don't provide photos for your readers to enjoy.Always keep a camera handy, and anytime you see something that relates to your blog, or something that you could blog about, snap a photo of it. These photos will help you keep your content fresh and visually appealing. We are visual creatures, after all.
Do you suck at taking pictures?
If you're not the best photographer, you may want to consider downloading an image-editing program such as Gimp (totally free), or if you're using your phone to take photos, use an app such as Aviary.
Start Networking
You have to network. If you want to be a successful blogger with a large audience, it is almost CRITICAL that you get involved with as many social media websites as you can--but don't overwhelm yourself. The most important part of social media is to stay active. You want to build a decent readership and have as many followers as possible, and it's best to reach out on sites like Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. Pinterest is great too, especially if you have a blog with a ton of pictures. And pictures are recommended! It's been shown that readers are far more engaged with content when there are pictures involved. We're visual creatures, indeed.If possible, you may even want to start a newsletter!
NOTE: Before you start networking, it's recommended that your blog is at least 3 months old with at least 10 posts. However, feel free to invite family and friends beforehand and even ask them to spread the word. But it's a bad idea to start asking people to follow your blog when there is nothing there to read.
Give To Your Readers
If there is nothing there for your readers, then why would they want to stay? You need to provide your readers with something. And no, it doesn't have to be a material thing. Nor does it have to have anything to do with money. Recipes, reviews, beautiful photographs--even something as simple as laughter should do the trick! You want your readers to engage with you and relate with you, so you need to give them something in order to do so.Monetize your blog.
Ah, finally. The moment you've been waiting for. So, what's the best way to monetize your blog? In my personal opinion, I believe the simple answer is Google AdSense. With AdSense, you can post ads relevant to the content on your blog. When people click on these ads, you receive a certain amount of money. Learn more about how Google AdSense works.
Now, there are other ways to monetize your blog. You can sign up for Buy Blog Reviews and write posts on your blog for other people, or you could sign up with Fiverr and post a link to other people's websites for $5 each--or something of that nature. Unfortunately, this is not the best way to monetize your blog, as sometimes, the content you're asked to write about or the links you're asked to post aren't related to your niche. This can scare your readers away.
Alternatively, you could write and sell e-books, become a member of affiliate websites, refer people to different companies, or even offering goods in your own shop, like on Etsy or CafePress.
The best thing to do is to use Google AdSense and AdWords to get the most out of your blog.
Final tips for starting a blog...
Invest in your blog.Branding is incredibly important, if not the most important part of a blog's success. There are literally thousands upon thousands of blogs out there, and chances are, you're among hundreds in your niche. You must find a way to set yourself apart from the crowd. The best way to do this is to purchase your own memorable and relevant .com domain. Sure, it costs real money, but it is a profitable investment.
Secondly, you should invest in a high-quality, easy to navigate template to match the voice and niche of your blog. While you can settle for a free one at first, it's wise to invest in a better one later. Finally, you'll need a defined logo. Eventually, this logo will become the centerpiece for business cards, letterheads, and emails. Now, you don't have to spend as if the end is near. Simplicity is key.
Track your success.
Google Analytics can help you see how your blog is doing. Not only will this help you to create more detailed traffic goals, but it also acts as a great motivator when the traffic does start pouring in. Sometimes seeing is believing.
Treat your blog like a business.
This is quite possibly the best piece of advice that I was ever given by a fellow blogger. Let's face it. You're creating a brand. You're trying to make money off of it. It is your business. Make investments. Work hard. Don't slack. Don't give up. If something goes wrong, fix it and move on. Don't get discouraged. Stay positive. Oh, and just because you're trying to maintain a professional image does not mean that you can't have fun with it.
Oh, and stop criticizing yourself so much.
Other Resources
Below, you will find a list of useful resources to check out for more information on starting your own blog.29 Tips, Tutorials, and Resources for New Bloggers
An excellent list of resources to help you get started on your blogging journey.
The Ultimate Guide to Blogging: How to Start a Blog That's Epic
An incredibly comprehensive, up-to-date guide on starting your own blog.
Choosing Raw - My Top 10 Tips for New Bloggers
Well-written list of tips on getting started.
Blogging With Amy - How to Start a Blog or Website
Interesting tips for new bloggers or webmasters.
33 SEO Tips for New Bloggers
Awesome tips for search engine optimization. You'll need this.
Mommy Bloggers Guide
Tips, tricks, hints, and everything else you need for getting started on your mommy blog.
Playing Mom - How to Be a Successful Mommy Blogger
Hilarious, three-part guide on how to be successful in the world of mommy blogging.