Hey fam! It’s 2020 and we’re currently under quarantine. No one could plan for this or guess that this would be the state of our world today (long sigh). I hope everyone is staying home and staying safe of course. I wanted to share my steps on starting a blog in 2020 for anyone that’s thinking of doing it. I wanted to do something a little different from the norm because there are ALOT of blogging resources out there (hint: search ‘how to start a blog on Pinterest’). I hope you find this helpful as a good guide. Let’s get into it!
- Find your niche
- Decide on a blog name and brand colors
- Purchase your domain and hosting platform
- Customize your website (theme, plugin, photos)
- Create an email list
- Start writing and sharing.
Key: If you’re thinking about starting a blog, you probably should! It’s that simple!
1. Find your why and narrow down on your niche
The first step is the most important in my opinion – find your ‘why’ and write it down. Your ‘why’ is the reason why you’re starting (or thinking of starting) a blog in the first place. Ask yourself questions like ‘What’s purpose will my blog serve? Who’s it for? What do I want to share with the world?’ Really dig deep if you can and zone in on why you want to create a blog so it can fuel you along the way. Trust me! At times you will forget or be stressed out so you’ll need that little reminder.
Once you have your ‘why’, it’s time to narrow down on your niche and what blog category fits your brand/content best. For example, I chose travel as my niche because I love to travel and I was doing it quite often at the time. Then I add lifestyle to my brand because I wanted to showcase bits and pieces of my life living in The Bahamas as well. Here a few other popular blogging niches that may fit your blog:
- Food/Drink
- Health/Fitness
- Mom Life
- Home Decore
- Beauty (hair, makeup, skincare)
- Personal Finance & Investing
- Personal Development and Mindset
I recommend narrowing down on at least one niche (but preferably two) because it helps to establish your authority in a particular area to your readers. This leads to trust and relatability in your content.
2. Decide on a blog name and brand colors
Once you have your ‘why’ & narrowed down on a niche, it’s time to a blog name. This will be your brand and more likely than not will follow you for a good chunk of your life. No pressure but pressure. 🙂 Definitely do your research and look at some blogs that you already read or find interesting. Most people suggest using your own name or incorporating some form of it so your audience can feel personally connected. I think it’s really up to you and should be based on the platform you’re trying to create. As you develop the name, it’s important to note the colors you want to associate with your brand. This will come in handy in step 4 when it’s time to customize.
(Pro Tip: Certain colors that are linked to certain emotions so be mindful. For example, red is linked to danger and aggression.)
3. Purchase your domain and hosting platform
The next step is to secure your blog’s domain and social media platforms (Pro Tip: Aim to keep everything consistent so it’s easier to find). When I decided on my blog name, I immediately searched Instagram to see if that name was available since I knew it would be my primary social platform. For my blogging domain, I use Bluehost for my hosting services and WordPress as my content management system. I love both Bluehost and WordPress and would recommend them to you if you’re new to website customization. The process is super straight-forward and there’s a 24/7 support that I used SO much in the beginning process. Another advantage of Bluehost is that in addition to a domain you also get a professional e-mail address (e.g. info@domainname.com) which just adds to your creditability. No complaints over here! I have a link with Bluehost that you can use to get started.
If you’re looking for a detailed guide on the Bluehost process step-by-step, I recommend She So Major’s How to Start a Blog in 2020 and The Content Bug’s How to Start a Blog the Right Way. These are two super helpful posts from successful bloggers (legit blog goals!)
4. Customize your website
Here comes the fun (and tedious if we’re being honest) part! Time to build a bomb-looking website. I definitely recommend taking your time with this if this is your first time customizing a website. When I started my blog, I didn’t give myself a deadline for this process because I wanted to learn how to navigate WordPress and use the various features. Do what works best for you. For this process, Pinterest and I were besties! I searched everything from themes to plugins. (Pro Tip: Research some blogs you like and use the WordPress Theme Detector to find out what WordPress theme the site uses.) This a chance for you to add your own flair to your website and express some creativity (whoop whoop)! Have fun with it!
5.Create an email list
An e-mail list is a great way to start building your platform and community. A lot of successful bloggers regret not establishing one before launching their blog because there’s an opportunity to with e-mail lists to connect even further with your audience. There are plenty of e-mail managing service providers but my recommendation is MailerLite. First of all, it’s free up to your first 1,000 subscribers. Second – it’s free! Feel free to use my link to get started on your signup forms & pop-ups to add to your site.
6. Start creating and go live!
This is the point of success! Your blog is set up, secured and customized! You’re ready to create the life-changing content and start sharing your work with the world. (Pro Tip: Write about 5-7 blog posts before making your site public and sharing so your readers have an idea of the type of content you’re creating.
I hope you find these steps helpful on your blogging journey and I’m rooting for you all the way. I have a Pinterest board full of new bloggers tips + tricks if you’re interested in some additional advice from some OGs. Thanks for reading!
Are you think of starting a blog? What are your major concerns?