We know how difficult starting a blog can be because we went through it ourselves. Actually, if we’re being honest, sometimes it seems like every day is a new adventure with all there is to learn. From finding a web host to designing your dream site to building that dream, there is a lot to do before you get to actually writing.
If you’re reading this then you probably have an idea for your blog and the drive to make it a reality – congratulations, you’ve already taken the first big step! We want to help anyone starting a blog to make it a dream come true. You can learn from what we’ve done right and, more importantly, what we’ve done wrong along the way. We can’t wait to read about your travels, try out your mouth-watering recipes, or even get some of your fashion advice!
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Choose Your Niche
If you are doing your research on starting a blog then you have heard the word ‘niche’ more than once. Everyone is telling you to find a specific topic that targets a relatively small audience in order to gain a following. It does make a lot of sense to carve your own path but this can be easier said than done!
Take us as an example. We knew we wanted to talk about our travels and give our advice to other travellers. However, we are not blind to the fact that there are tons of other travel blogs out there trying to do the same thing. So, if you find yourself in the same position, what do you do?
Find Your Voice
If you don’t have the luxury of stumbling upon an unexplored niche then find a way to make the topic your own! If you’re excited about a trip you just went on, a makeup look you’ve tried, or your favourite dog breed then don’t let anyone discourage you. Even though the topic may have been written about before, nobody has written it the way you will.
We do a lot of research when putting a trip together. This helps us be as prepared as possible so we can have a memorable trip. However, we quickly realized that even though there is a lot of information available, there are still a lot of gaps in that info. This drives us to talk about travel through our own lens in the hopes it helps others with their experiences.
Even if you’re in a crowded room, use your own unique voice and you’ll be sure to stand out!
Choose Your Name
Easier Said Than Done
Choosing a name when starting a blog can sometimes be the hardest part. You want it to be something catchy and unique. It should also be something that gives your potential audience an idea of what you or your topic is all about. Simple, right?
If this was the mid-90s when the internet was still just gaining traction then you would have your pick of names. Unfortunately, the added wrinkle we have these days is a lot of names are already taken by someone else. There is no easy answer to this problem but you’ll know the right name when you think of it. You could even use a domain name generator as a starting point to help with brainstorming.
Get Your Domain ASAP
Hooray! You’ve come up with the perfect name for your blog that will draw in your audience. Your next step should be to immediately register your domain before someone else beats you to it. The domain name will be an important part of your brand so choose carefully. Use a Domain Name Checker to see if yours is available.
Just like your blog name, the domain should be memorable too. Unlike the blog name, however, you want to try and make it short and easy to type. Starting a blog for fashion under your name but YourNameFashionBlog.com can be too long for some people. We also recommend sticking with the .com domain ending because most people type that as a reflex. You can also buy others like .ca, .co, .uk, or .org and have them redirect to your main .com address.
Connect Your Socials
Getting your blog online is a big step but you will need a way to promote it and grow your audience. The easiest way to do that is to get the word out on social media. You should be searching for available social handles at the same time you’re searching for a domain name to keep the brand name consistent. We use a Name Checker tool to see what is available closest to our domain.
Find a Web Host
At this point in starting a blog you’ve decided what you want to write about and have picked the perfect name. Now it’s time to focus on actually building your dream blog! Some of the next tips aren’t sexy but they’re really important to make sure your site works the way you want it to.
Added Capacity and Security
Before you get your blog live you need to find somewhere to store it. If you’re not familiar with websites, a host is a company that will store your website files on their server to make it possible for others to find it online. You might be thinking you can just have it on your own hard drive but unfortunately it’s not as easy as that. A hosting provider gives you a lot of capacity (we all want thousands of visits per month) as well as security (you don’t want strangers accessing your home computer).
There are a lot of hosting companies out there with different benefits. Most people might automatically go for something like GoDaddy because it’s a household name. They are a decent option but not for everyone. If you’re starting a blog with WordPress (more on that later) then we recommend BlueHost because they integrate seamlessly. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a strong eCommerce host we recommend CloudAcro.
Use WordPress
The next piece of the puzzle you need is how you’re going to build your blog itself. If you’re like us then you don’t have the skills to fully code a website from scratch in HTML. This means you’ll need a program that lets you put posts together easily while doing all the technical stuff in the background. Two of the most popular are SquareSpace and WordPress. Both are great but WordPress is our choice because it is cost effective (FREE!) with a lot of ways to customize your blog.
Use WP.org Not WP.com
If you’re starting a blog on WordPress you need to make sure you’re using the right one. To make things a little more complicated there is both WordPress.com and WordPress.org. They are technically the same but the differences are important. We recommend using WP.org for a few reasons.
First, and most importantly, WordPress.org is totally free! It is an open-source program that gives non-technical people like us the ability to build something beautiful. You can even add plugins to help with SEO, Social Media, Analytics, and so much more. On the other hand, you would have to pay a monthly fee for these services on WP.com. We use WordPress.org along with BlueHost and it could not be easier!
Learn from our Mistake
When we first thought about starting a blog we had no idea there was a difference between the two – we thought WordPress was WordPress. We built our blog on .com and felt very restricted in what we could do with it unless we paid hundreds of dollars per month for add-ons. Also, it forced our site to be travellingwellman.wordpress.com which made it feel like it wasn’t our own. It took a lot of effort to migrate that site to WordPress.org and we wish we had done that from the get go. Start with WP.org right off the bat to avoid huge headaches down the road!
Find a Theme
Theme Sets the Tone
A blog theme deals with everything about how your site will look. From colours to fonts and layouts of pages, themes drive the entire feel of your blog. Choosing a theme is an important step in starting a blog because it helps shape your brand identity. There really is no right or wrong answer when picking a theme – choose whatever speaks to you!
Paid vs. Free Themes
Overall, there are 2 main types of themes: paid and free themes. There isn’t a lot of mystery here as paid themes cost money and free ones are, well, free! Again, there is no right or wrong answer here because you could identify with a free theme since there are a lot of them available.
We chose a free theme from the WordPress Marketplace when we moved our blog and it was fantastic at the time. Eventually, our blog grew to a point where it was looking a little too busy and the theme we had chosen did not offer options we needed. We have since upgraded to a paid theme that has given us a lot more flexibility for what we were looking for.
If you are interested in paid themes we recommend checking out Envato. They have over 50,000 themes starting as low as $2 USD. You can narrow down the choices by what sort of blog or style you have in mind. We wanted something that was fit for our travel blog theme while still being versatile. This lead us to the Backpack Traveler Theme which has tons of options while still looking great on both desktop and mobile.
Start Writing!
Now comes the most exciting but also most intimidating part of starting a blog: actually writing it! Your head is swimming with ideas that you want to get out in the world so now is the time to get them out. This part can be easier for some than others but it is quite an important step in the blogging process.
If you find yourself having a hard time knowing where to start we recommend just writing down some of your thoughts. They don’t have to be complete thoughts or even all on the same subject. We find it helps to do this because it gets the creative juices flowing. Even getting fragmented thoughts onto a page opens up the floodgates and your site will be full in no time!
We really hope we’ve helped you with starting a blog! We can’t wait to see what you create. Let us know in the comments if you have any other tips for aspiring bloggers. We’ve found this community to be very supportive and we can’t thank them enough.
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