How To Start A Blog
I am always getting asked about my blog, what it is, how I find the time, how to get started, the list goes on. I thought I would start a new series of posts as part of a 'Blog School' to share what I have learnt so far from both other bloggers and my own hard work.
So, there are a good few things you need to consider before you start a blog, especially if it's something you see yourself doing professionally some day. These are what I would consider to be the most important factors when starting out and setting up your blog. I will look into each in more detail soon, but for now here are six simple steps to setting up your blog.
6 Steps To Starting A Blog
- 1 - Focus - Decide on your blog focus - you don't have to have a niche, but think about what you would like to write about.
- 2 - Read & Research - If you are starting a blog, it's likely you already love reading blogs (though not always) so it's good to see what other people are doing, see how you may be able to stand out from the crowds (not easy) and research your focus area.
- 3 - Branding - Think of a name suitable for your blog, be sure to Google the name, check social media channels etc to check that it's not already in use by someone else and that it doesn't mean anything unusual. 'Wafflemama' apparently is a slang term for cougar - oops. I was given a great tip when I started out which was to choose a name that can grow with you, for example I may blog about my children now but in the future I may decide to focus more on travel or food, my name fits all these things as it doesn't particularly contain any major key words.
- 4 - Platform choice - Decide on your blogging platform; most people blog from WordPress or Blogger. WordPress is the preferred platform, it does a lot more and you have a lot more say over your blog. Blogger is owned by Google and very easy to use, but many find that eventually they want to switch to WP anyway, so it's worth looking into what you want from your blog initially to save all that hard work later on. That said, many successful bloggers run from Blogger and elsewhere, so it really is down to personal preference.
- 5 - Network - The blogging community is awesome and surprisingly helpful. The more you interact the better, though Google has a LOT of blogging answers so I would recommend checking their first for most things. Sign up for your favourite social media channels and get your blog out there.
- 6 - Blog for you - Write about what you love, love what you write. Write about what makes you happy and let your blog grow naturally through hard work and enjoyment, with no stress or pressure. Your blog should be a reflection of you, it's fun, a brilliant way of making memories and a great creative outlet.
