HOW TO START A BLOG FOR NEWBIES
By pattiallred
January 10th, 2022
Have you ever thought of starting your own blog? Sure, you have… Hello… It is time to stop thinking about it and start doing it. This is the start of an awesome journey for you, and I am so glad that I am going to have a small part in your journey.
So now you may be thinking… Where tha heck do I start, and can I even do this?
Well, don’t worry. I have put this little beginner’s How to Start a Blog Guide together just for YOU!
There are several things that you need to have and know before you write your blog. But don’t think you have to have them all figured out before you actually start because if you think that way you may never ever start… I strongly suggest that you start this journey with an open mind to embrace some very basic techy stuff to help you get your website/blog up and live for the world to see.
Remember that to have massive results you must have massive action in anything…
WHY EVEN START A BLOG?
Well, there are tons of reasons for you to start a blog, but I want to go over a few of the biggest reasons:
- One of the biggest reasons why women (and men) start a blog is because it can be a great way to make money when working from home. Now, it is not easy, but it is something anyone can do it is freakin low cost to do it and it is fun.
- Another reason that people start a blog is because they are looking to publish / write a book and getting their name out there and making an online presence can make selling a book easier because you will have an established brand in the online world.
- People start a blog to drive exposure / traffic / eyeballs to a program, service, or business that they are looking to grow for little cost involved.
- There are those who just want to write. You may want to just have a hub to put your life stories and share them to help others in the journey called life. Blogging is a great way to do this.
- To sum it up a blog is a place online where you can put your life stories, create a brand for yourself, establish YOU as someone who can teach/help solve a problem for others. This will connect you with those looking for what you offer, connect with customers, and help you find like-minded people.
FREE OR PAID FOR BLOG?
That is a great question… If you are starting your blog as just a fun hobby and you are not looking to turn it into a money-making business blog, then starting with a free blog is fine. But if you are looking to make money with your blog then I strongly suggest investing in it to help you with your business building mission.
- One of the main reasons why you would want to use a paid blog service is because the free services will limit you on your money-making resources. You will have an option to upgrade but that defeats the free blog process. So, if you are in the money-making mindset, go for the paid blog service. You will be glad you did in the long run.
- The free services/platforms have little to no support. The reason they offer their free platform is to hopefully get you to buy their services. So, to avoid being bothered by their offers just start out with the paid platform.
- The free platform will be ok starting out but when you begin to grow you will feel the need to have the services that come with the paid platform.
- A big reason to start out with the paid platform is because it is not easy to switch to another platform. Which is what most bloggers want to do when they start out with a free blog. It can be done but unless you are big time tech savvy then you could pay a few hundred dollars to make the switch.
- When you start your blog one thing that bloggers do is to do what other bloggers do and if you have a free blog, you may not be able to do what they are doing.
- When your followers want to start a blog like you, they will also benefit from starting a paid for platform, so they won’t be frustrated by not being able to do things that you are doing because it is not possible on their free platform.
- To sum up the answer, you get what you pay for. Have you heard that before? I am sure you have. And it is true. Blogging is not easy work, and you definitely want to make things as easy as possible. You also know that you are worth the investment. Starting a business is not free. And by paying for it, it will keep you in the game of blogging and not just letting it sit there.
But then again, if none of those things matter to you then by all means you can choose to start with a free blog. If that is you then I suggest you go with Blogger.
TOP REASONS YOU SHOULD NOT START A BLOG
Since we have gone over reasons why you should start a blog let’s mention a few of the top reasons why you should not start one. (Keep in mind that these are just my opinions and I do not claim to be an expert on blogging. I am just offering you my opinion)
- One reason you should not start a blog is if you think it is going to make you tons of money and you will be able to quit your full-time job by blogging. Now, I am not saying that you can’t make money blogging but what I am saying is that it just doesn’t usually work that way. Start your blog alongside of your regular income making job. Work your way up to making money with it but do not start off thinking that it will happen overnight or even within your first year or so.
- Do not think that you will get Crazy Famous on the internet with your blog right away. Sometimes it takes time for your blog to grow. and here is a tip to helping your blog grow Choose a Great Domain Name! (Free tip for you).
- Don’t start your blog thinking that traffic will flood in. Please know that it takes time and work to make that happen, but it can happen with the right blueprint and consistency.
- Just don’t think that by starting a blog that it will be an overnight success and that you will be making money hand over fists. But also know that it could happen. You could make a full-time income from working and building your blog it is done all the time, but it is just not a magic button to click for that to happen. Be passionate, be consistent and work your fingers off getting it to where you want it. Then you will say YESSSSS… I Did It… But you must have a passion about it, or you will be miserable just like at your JOB. It will feel like a JOB and who tha heck wants that? You will end up hating it and you will fall flat on your face, and we do not want that to happen. So, let’s continue to show you what you can to do avoid that from happening.
OK, SO LET’S GET YOU STARTED ON GETTING YOUR BLOG UP AND GOING:
LET’S START WITH STEPS 1 & 2: HOSTING & DOMAIN NAME.
- Ok so what exactly is HOSTING? Hosting is the place on the internet where your blog/website is housed so people can see it. It is kind of like the lot that your house is on. And let me tell you that it can be extremely confusing by all of the different hosting choices available. Picking one can be a huge pain in the butt. Ummm should you choose BlogSpot or Wix?
- No matter what tool you choose to go with you always, always want to self-host and own your own blog. Which means that you want to own your own servers and URL (domain) because you do not want to get up one morning and your blog is gone. Own your own blog like you own your own home.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS & TYPES OF HOSTING AVAILABLE:
- Shared hosting is when you share your server with other websites.
- VPS hosting is when you share your server with other websites, but a portion of the available resources are reserved for you.
- Dedicated hosting is when the server only has your website. You can google if you are really interested in the nitty-gritty technicalities. (More power to Ya)!
Don’t’ worry because when you are starting out and are small the shared hosting is more than enough for you. Upgrading is simple and you can do it if and when you need to. My TOP Recommended Hosting provider, and the one I use, is SiteGround (You can click there for a killer discount). It is actually one of the absolute best out there.
3 NEXT: YOU WILL INSTALL WORDPRESS.
Simply go to the customer area and follow the steps to set up your WordPress website.
You will see a pop-up asking you to install WordPress.
Simply follow the account setup assistant. It is simple> 1-click installation process.
When in doubt, feel free to ask SiteGround’s support. They are awesome.
There are several web-building platforms, from Tumblr to Squarespace, but none of these give you the control, ownership, and customization options that you might need. For many people, a self-hosted WordPress blog is still the favorite platform.
4 NEXT STEP: SIMPLY WRITE YOUR FIRST POST AND PUBLISH IT. JUST DO IT…
Do you know that many bloggers never get around to even publishing their first post?
Sad, huh? Which means that 99.99% of these blogs die and fizzle out. Writing your first post gets you in the groove and extremely increases your chance of following through with your blog instead of leaving it to die.
So, get your first post written and out there ASAP. This can increase your chance of success tremendously. It doesn’t even have to be a long post! Just a simple introductory post, along with what your readers can expect from your post is enough for your first post.
STEP 5: FIND YOUR THEME.
Your theme is the overall look and design of your website. It does not have to be fancy, actually simple and easy to read are best, in my opinion.
Here are your options:
- Free ones from the WordPress marketplace (Which is totally fine)
- Other websites that sell really nice designs like Divi or Studiopress
- You can hire a website designer and get real professional from the start
A lot of people would start by buying their own website theme. But it is not necessary for you to do that. Just get it up and running.
THESE ARE THE THINGS YOU NEED TO DO TO GET YOUR BLOG UP AND RUNNING.
- Get hosting at SiteGround
- Have a domain name registered
- Install WordPress
- Write your first post
- Find a nice theme
TIPS TO MAKE YOUR BLOG POSTS BETTER?
1. FIGURE OUT WHO YOUR IDEAL READERS/FOLLOWERS WILL BE.
Once you’ve found your niche (what your blog will be about), you need to know who will be reading your blog. For example, I blog about women making money online. Which makes my ideal readers’ women who are interested in learning how to make money online. If you want to write about your new puppy, that’s great: your ideal readers are going to be dog/pet owners/lovers. If you want to write about flipping Jeeps, that’s cool, too. (My sons love doing that). Make sure you are writing to your readers (whether it’s your family or local community or whoever else will read your blog).
2. ALWAYS ADD VALUE.
Your blog must add value to its readers’ lives. You want to help people solve problems. This is the only way you will get high-quality readers to your site (and keep them coming back). Adding value is the only way to get someone’s long-term buy-in. This is some of the BEST advice you can take in. With everything you write, ask yourself, Is this adding value?
3. FREAKIN BE YOU.
You only know how to be YOU. That is what makes YOU Special. So don’t try to be someone you are not. Part of being interesting is telling your story. Every person is unique, and your story is an important one. The important part of storytelling is making your story one that the reader wants to read. Give them good details that will make them want to read more about you.
4. MAKE SURE YOU MAKE TIME TO BLOG.
Once you’ve learned how to start a blog, you will learn that blogging takes a lot of time, especially if you are someone who is wanting to bring in an income with your blogging. You will need to spend time testing out things then weeding out what doesn’t work as well as implementing things that do work. That said, once you have your design set up, don’t fret over it too much. Instead, spend the time on the content that you are actually writing.
5. YOUR VISION.
Know what you want to put out to your audience and make sure that your blog theme reflects that. Once you have your vision, work hard to make that vision a reality. It’s not easy to create a beautiful blog if you have no idea what you want it to look like.
6. SOCIAL MEDIA WITH BLOGGING.
You definitely want to use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to help connect with your perfect audience and with other bloggers, but don’t get too caught up in that. Focus on the writing first, social media comes after that.
7. FREAKIN IGNORE CRITICISM AND STUPIDITY.
Yup, more than likely you will get some scrooge who will have nothing better to do than to send negativity your way. Freakin ignore them. Don’t even finish reading it. It is mostly negative comments and stupid questions from ignorant people who aren’t really your ideal readers anyway so simply go ELSA on them, and Let It Go! Delete their comment and move on.
8. RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT.
You will need to spend some time researching what you are writing about. Put this time in and your readers will know that you genuinely care about them and that you are helping them make their lives better.
9. JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE.
You do not have to be a doctor or have a degree to have a blog that people will love and keep coming back to. Remember to always give value, solve problems, and care. Stick to the basics and remove anything you don’t need—remove anything that doesn’t add value.
10. AND MOST IMPORTANT…LIVE YOUR LIFE.
It only makes sense… You are blogging about your life (or about certain aspects of your life, at least), so you still need to live your life. You will always need to put things in order like taking care of yourself, Health, Mind, Body, and Soul. Personal growth and physical exercise are important. Simply put, live a life worth writing about.
* I may earn a percentage of money or products from the companies mentioned.