The following article may include links to various products/services. Using these links may result in my earning a small commission that helps me keep this site going! Thank you for your support!
Hello, lovelies! Now that Shut Up Write Now is over two months old, I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of how the blogosphere works. And yes, I did cringe at that word too. Sorry, not sorry. I know many of you out there are wishing you could start your own blog, but are finding the information online to be very overwhelming. Been there, done that. Today, I want to share with you how to start a blog — with little-to-no added frills!
Step One: Pick your blog’s name and niche.
Consider choosing your niche first, as this might play into the domain name you want. Popular niche options include lifestyle, fitness, beauty, interior design, and loads more. You can write for multiple niches, but it’s not a great idea to dabble in too many— you want to make sure your return readers are finding more of the content they stuck with you for.
Your blog’s name can be anything you want, but I’d recommend it be something easy to spell. I know, that’s a lot coming from me with a pun in my domain name, but I want to connect with more people who enjoy a bit of punnery in their lives.
Come up with a few contenders, and check to see if they’re available domains. You can check this on Bluehost, and if you use their services to set up hosting, you’ll get a domain name for free! We’ll get into the hosting stuff in the next step. Check social media as well to see if the name you want is available— Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook are the bigger ones you’ll want to check, and why not connect with me while you’re at it?
Step Two: Purchase your web hosting.
If you’re going to want to monetize your blog at some point, it needs to be self-hosted. Hosting plans do cost money, but for good reason.
If you’re not looking to monetize, you’re more than welcome to opt for a free blog through WordPress or Blogger, but make sure you’re aware of the cons:
- You won’t be able to download plugins to make your site more customizable.
- If you don’t buy your domain outright, you’ll likely have .wordpress or .blogger tagged onto yours.
- Free blogs look less professional.
- Your advertising options are limited if even existant.
The good news is that web hosting doesn’t have to be expensive!
I used Bluehost, and it was less than $4 a month. For a little while, I was looking at GoDaddy, but if memory serves, they were 3x as much if not more. Plus, Bluehost’s customer service is pretty good so far! Bluehost also integrates seamlessly with WordPress, so what are you waiting for?
Step Three: Pick a theme and design your blog.
Bluehost does have some themes built in that you can pay for, but there are thousands of free ones if you browse the WordPress.org theme options. You can download as many as you want and do a “Live Preview” with some of your content to see how you like it, but I do recommend deleting the ones you don’t want to use. Having too many themes installed, or lots of plugins might slow your site’s speed.
Most themes you’ll find are free on-sight but they do also offer paid options. If you find a theme you’re in love with, consider checking out what benefits the paid option includes.
I think I’ve changed my theme maybe four times so far… it’s not something to fear, but follow the recommendation the site will give you and back up your site before playing around too much! Better safe than sorry!
Step Four: Decide on a content schedule, and get posting.
By no means whatsoever do I understand how SEO works, but I do know that consistency helps it. Come up with a content calendar, or at least a list of posts you’ll be able to write and publish, and figure out how frequently you want to post.
I do three times a week here, but there are definitely successful blogs out there that only post new content once a week! Quality is more important than quantity. If you want to do three but feel like you could only do a great job on two, do the two!
Take advantage of the WordPress scheduling option as well. I like to batch-write, meaning that I write a bunch of content and then do my edits and create the artwork for them later (this is my fifth post today!!!!). Once a week I’ll edit three posts, create the art in Canva, and schedule the blog posts and social media posts to release on the same day/time.
Step Five: Tell the world about your blog!
Even if you think your mom is the only person who is going to give a shit, shout about your blog from the rooftops. You will get readers if you post consistently in a niche that people are already working and reading in. If you put yourself out there and put a unique spin on popular topics, people will notice.
They will also notice if you’re copy/pasting other peoples’ content, so don’t even try that! Creating your blog is an exercise in creativity, so it’s important to be as transparent as possible with your work.
Pinterest is a hugely popular tool for bloggers. I never even knew how to use it before I started Shut Up Write Now, and frankly, I still struggle, but if you haven’t been under a rock for a while, maybe you’re already a Pinterest semi-pro! Instagram and Facebook can be handy for growing your audience too.
Step Six: Monetize as desired.
You may want to stick with a free blog just to get your thoughts out into the world, and that’s absolutely okay. It’s also absolutely okay if you, like me, want to see if there’s a potential to both get your thoughts out there and possibly make a few bucks with your writing.
Affiliate marketing is the most popular way to make money through your blog. Running ads is also an option, but I don’t recommend you apply to Google Adsense until you’re somewhat established. Speaking from experience here, as they rejected me. LOL!
If you want to create courses, or ebooks, or start a full-on shop within your blog, there’s a monetization option right there. You can’t sell what you don’t tell people about, so be sure to promote!
Final Thoughts
YAAAAAAY YOU LEARNED HOW TO START A BLOG! I hope it was marginally less painful than you expected. The bright side is that the fun part is just beginning.
Knowing that people out there are at least coming across my page brings me joy and motivation, so I do track my site stats daily. While some days I only have 1-3 visitors, other days I’ve had anywhere from 20-48. The thing I find the coolest though is seeing how many other countries I’ve reached. I’m Canadian, and I was surprised to see my website reaching all the way to China, with many hits through Europe in between!
I’m going to toot my own horn for a minute here, but I’m damn proud of myself for making it over two months doing this. It’s not the easier task to undertake, not by any means. It can be stressful figuring out how WordPress works, and overwhelming looking at other blogs and YouTube videos about how to do different things. I’ve searched “how to start a blog” on every platform out there, and there’s still so much even I don’t know, but that doesn’t mean I’m not learning.
What I’ve learned is that being consistent is not only good for SEO, but it’s good for your mental health. I don’t stress anymore about needing to write something to post for three days of the week. It’s just a given now that I’ll have that content ready to go.
You’ll get there too. Let me know in the comments if you need a hand, or hit me up on social media!
It’s a good day to start a good day.