Blogging is an exciting adventure. It can be a hobby that helps you express yourself and establish valuable connections. It can even be a profitable time investment that can turn into a part or full-time job. It’s all up to how much energy you invest in this new endeavor.
Despite being a quite promising journey, it’s usually difficult for first-time bloggers to establish their own space on the Web.
If you’re new to the blogosphere and you’re looking for some good advice on how to start a blog you’d definitely want to hear what these vloggers have to say about building your own website.
#1: Carlinn from SuperficialGirls
Carlinn at SuperficialGirls shares some valuable insights on starting a blog from scratch. Her fashion, travel, beauty, and decor blog began as a mere hobby and turned out to be a full-time adventure. Here’s what she suggest every beginner should do.
The guru behind SuperficialGirls shares that Blogger is the easiest platform to start with. For anyone who is a techie, WordPress might be a bit of a turndown as it proves to be way more complex. Yet, what WordPress has against other platforms is the complete freedom of customization.
Carlinn also urges newbie bloggers to think big when choosing their blog name. Although it doesn’t happen quickly, blogs can become businesses, too. Keep in mind that once you choose a name you’re stuck with it and you won’t be able to just switch your blog and supposedly brand name every now and then. Think of your blog name as your brand and make sure it best describes the niche you’ll be covering.
Another important note Carlinn shares on writing is that you don’t necessarily need to be a good writer to have a blog. You can always make listicles and emphasize on good photos if you feel being a captivating writer isn’t your best virtue.
#2: Joshua Fields Millburn at The Minimalists
Joshua Fields Millburn co-founded The Minimalists together with Ryan Nicodemus. Since its establishment, the blog has hit more than 4 million annual readers. Here are some of the tips Joshua shares about making your first steps into the blogosphere.
Contrary to other bloggers, Joshua suggests WordPress as the most convenient CMS platform for a number of reasons. Having a self-hosted domain and a WordPress-based website will completely strip your blog of the boundaries of the “lightweight” blogging platforms. WordPress gives you total control over the design and structure of your blog. This is why, if you want to look professional, you should go for a paid domain and a custom theme.
In his video, Joshua goes through a step-by-step guide that will lead you through valuable lessons, like setting up your hosting and installing WordPress for your newly established blog. He also suggests some important plugins that can help the tech-savvy audience to track and analyze their incoming traffic.
#3: Corrie at DizzyBrunette3
Corrie at DizzyBrunette3 is another hobbyist-turned-professional blogger that have some great tricks up her sleeve.
In her video, she’s giving a calming reminder that your blog doesn’t have to be perfect straight away and great things are built gradually with time. Yet, one thing that can really help set off your blog is frequent posting. Getting as many blog posts out as possible is really important. If people can’t find anything else to read on your new blog they are highly likely to leave. This is why you need to provide your readers with a good load of content in those first few months.
Corrie also says that you should write like you would talk to a friend. She suggests that you try to record yourself when talking freely and transcribe those records into a blog post. This will help you find your tone of voice and help you produce content that’s personable and feels real.
She also reminds that you shouldn’t spam people when trying to get your blog out there. Taking part of Twitter chats and doing guest posts can prove to be a much better experience for gaining readers and getting to know other fellow bloggers.
#4: Meg at Meg Says
Meg, an adorable twenty-two-year-old with a keen sense of style is the girl behind Meg Says. Since 2013, her love for writing and success in social media have helped her build an audience and turn her blog into something more than a simple journal.
Meg says that the name of your blog should reflect your content in some way. She urges bloggers who are new in the field to first think of a concept and decide their blog name afterward.
She also suggests that if you’re going to spend money, you should first think of finding a great theme instead of going straight to purchasing a domain name. She shares that creating an introduction page is essential when building your blog. Don’t forget to make an “About” page and “Contact us” to make it easier for readers and prospect collaborators to contact you.
When it comes to social media, Meg suggests that you should keep separate accounts for personal and professional matters. And most importantly, always do your best to reply to your readers’ comments. There are millions of blogs out there and when someone has decided to post on your particular blog you owe them the attention.
