Thinking of starting a blog? Here's my advice...
I've been blogging for 8 years now, and it still continues to be a huge source of my self-employed income. This tends to surprise a lot of people, as the consensus on social media seems to be that blogs are a thing of the past. However, that's so far from the truth!
I won't go on about this too much as I wrote a post on it four years ago and all of the points in that still stand, particularly the one about how social media comes and goes. Back then it was that Instagram was taking over... and now it's all about TikTok! Whilst blogs may take a bit of a backseat to new and more modern social platforms, they will never go away. The best point to prove this is, what's the first thing that you do when you want to know something? Type it in the google search bar, right? And that's where your main source of blog traffic will come from. Blog content is invaluable.
Where do you start a blog?
I think this is where a lot of people get overwhelmed. Back in the day, blogger was the platform to start a blog with, it's even what I started out with. However, if you really want to take blogging seriously, as a hobby or otherwise, I'd say it's really important to invest in it from the get-go, because if I could go back and talk to my former self, that's what I'd tell her to do.
WordPress is great and WordPress.com can offer you a website and host your domain name whilst taking care of all the nitty gritty for you. However, going self-hosted with WordPress (wordpress.org) means that you have your own site where you completely own it, are free to do what you like with it, and can build domain authority and gain a ranking in google. I made the switch from using blogger to going self-hosted years ago now, and it's the best thing I ever did. So my personal advice would be to go self-hosted in the first place, but look into and decide which option is best for you. It will take some learning if you don't know much about websites and code, I still learn things daily!
If you do decide to go self-hosted, you'll need to purchase a domain name, choose a hosting provider, and get yourself a nice wordpress theme. Hosting and domain names can be bought for very cheap so it doesn't have to be a big investment. WordPress themes can be found all over, but I'd say a good shout is Etsy. I think blog themes are really important so make sure you look for a nice one that represents your content well!
It's bound to be a little overwhelming at first so don't be afraid to do your research and learn everything that you need to know. Most hosting providers can also host your domain name and your website so have a good look around and find a good price.
Branding your blog
Before you pick your domain name, think about what your blog is actually going to contain. When I first started out, I called mine 'Just Little Things' which really, was rubbish and not very specific at all. I blogged mostly about beauty products back then. I'm so glad I got rid of that name and switched it over to my own name, especially because my content has changed with me over the years and it's given me that flexibility.
I would suggest naming your blog after either yourself if it's going to contain a bit of everything, or naming it based around a specific niche, but only if you're definitely going to stick with it. A blog name isn't the be all and end all really, but keeping it simple, short and to the point can help when sharing it and trying to gain readers. That's why personal names work great - a bit like social media usernames!
Promoting your blog
If you want readers, you will have to promote your blog. I've met a lot of bloggers over the years who are too embarrassed to promote their blog to their family and friends and I understand that feeling, but be proud of your space on the web! That's initially what I started doing and my family and my friends at uni would read it and it that really got me off to a great start. I started to share it on social media and that's how I came to know about other blogs and bloggers, and I essentially joined the community and gained lots of new readers and commenters. You can't read a blog that you don't know about, so get stuck in and share away.
Posting consistently
Posting consistently is pretty important when it comes to starting and growing a blog, back in the day I would post about three times a week, every single week. I'd follow trends, write about products I owned, new products that I purchased and just anything and everything really. This lead to me working with brands on a gifting basis initially which then gave me more content to post and my blog just gradually grew more and more. Admittedly I do not post consistently at all lately, it's tricky juggling a blog and multiple social media platforms, plus having two little ones running around - but it's something I constantly try and get back on track with.
You just need to make that you're in blogging for the right reasons and not just the gifting or paid opportunities. Make sure that you enjoy writing, because the authenticity of a blog is so important and definitely shows to your audience.
Let me know if you have any other questions about starting a blog!
