ADVICE FOR NEW BLOGGERS WHO WANT TO START A LIFESTYLE BLOG
Starting a lifestyle blog can be SUPER scary, especially if you’re one who stays closed off from the outside world. Sharing your life, what you’ve learned, mistakes you’ve made, literally putting yourself on blast is intimidating. As a four-year blogging veteran (hahaha … for real though … never thought I’d be saying that!), I’ve learned so much and grown so much and I’m here to tell you that, if you’re committed, starting a lifestyle blog will change your life. A lot of people look into starting a lifestyle blog to make money. So before we go any further, let me just say this… if that’s you, go ahead and press the back button on your browser. There are 29,610,573,007 other ways to make a quick buck. Starting a blog requires consistent effort, a lot of work, and a truck-load of passion, all for little-to-no reward in the beginning. Now, I’m not saying you’ll never make money with a blog, because who knows what a little consistency and effort could bring you! However, I am saying that making money should not be the reason you start a blog. Keep reading… You need a passion. | Related: Why you should create a blog for your homeschool A passion is the thing that will get you motivated every morning to sit down and write. You need a strategy and an end-result for your audience that brings value. You need thick skin, a little bit of knowledge, and a whole lot of grace. Starting a lifestyle blog is not for the weak, my friends. But it is something that could make you a better person while giving you the opportunity to change the world, one reader, at a time. So, if you’re still with me, I can only assume that you’re ready for the challenge! That you’re committed for the long haul and ready to get started! As promised, this isn’t a fluffy, step-by-step, what everyone else tells you in a “starting a blog” kind of post. I’ve got 10 things to share with you that they don’t tell you about starting a lifestyle blog. Nevertheless, for the sake of the reader who may need a little help getting going… I will do a quick overview of the steps you should take to physically start your blog. Here we go. Domain Your domain is the website address that will showcase your blog! Pick something fun and creative, but easy to comprehend (and say). You can use your name, like I have, or create something unique to your readers (like createyourhomeschool 😉 ). Totally up to you! My favorite way to check the availability of domain names is by using GoDaddy Who Is. You can type something into the search bar and it will tell you if it’s available. If it’s not, it will suggest other variations! When you’ve figured out what you want, you can also purchase your domain from GoDaddy! Hosting Hosting, in layman’s terms, is the service that works behind the scenes of your blog to make it show up on the internet. It’s a necessity if you want to start a blog, there’s really no way around it. I personally love BlueHost They have super affordable options for hosting and is a great hosting service for bloggers! You can click this affiliate link to learn more about them and check out their plans. CLICK HERE. WordPress Next, you’ll need a platform to create your blog on. Personally, I use, and will only ever use, WordPress. It’s professional, simple, and easy to navigate. It has everything I need to create a successful blog and I think you’ll be quite satisfied, too! There are other platforms out there, but you’ll need to research those. Basically, I’ve just listed the best one for you. You’re welcome! Theme There are SO many themes to choose from. You can use free themes, paid themes, make your own theme (if you know someone techy), the options are endless. The thing to remember about themes is, when you’re looking for one, look past the colors and photos. Those are customizable and will not download with the theme anyway. When looking at themes, you’re looking at the layout of it, what features it offers, whether it’s responsive or not. You’ll get to design it later! Plugins Plugins are miniature “add-ons” to enhance the theme you’ve chosen for your website. My favorite plugins are JetPack and Yoast SEO. JetPack simplifies your website analytics, which is super important for you to learn to navigate and know if you want to build a successful blog. Yoast helps you learn how to optimize your blog so that it will show up higher in Google’s search results. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is crucial to the success of your blog. Pages You’ll want to create a list of pages that you’d like to showcase on your blog, then start creating them! To start out, I would create an awesome “About Me” page, a “Contact Me” page, and a “Freebies” page. The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but the freebies page may need a little explanation. Basically, you’ll want a page that has nothing on it but a sign-up form for your email list. This way, when someone clicks the “Freebies” link (or whatever you want to call it) at the top of your website, in the MENU section, they’ll have no other option but to hand over their email for the super valuable freebie you’re offering them! | Related: The top five freebies that will convert on any blog Blogs Lastly, starting a blog actually means you’ll need to write some blogs! The Yoast plugin will have you aim for anything over 300 words, which isn’t a problem if you love to write, like I do 😉 However, for the best opportunity to get your blog seen by more people, you need to create something valuable, that’s worth the read and shareable. I would personally aim for 750 words or more. You’ll want to create a few evergreen posts that will become...... [read more]