What I learned about Blogging.

Interested in starting a blog but don’t where to begin?

Don’t feel bad I didn’t either . In fact I am still learning .

There is so much information out here on how to start a blog . Each one is different and each on has what is consider to be the best way to start.

With all this information who do you listen to? Where is the best starting point?

This was the dilemma I faced before I launched my blog . Every how to blog either had a lengthy how to or the steps were given to you in segments and you had to wait for each segment to be emailed to you separately .

The only problem with that was that I had determined in my mind that I was going to launch my blog on New Years day, and with only a week to make that happen I really didn’t have the time to wait so…..

WHY WAIT?

I went to my go to resource Pinterest

Disclosure: This blog contains some affiliate links. If you purchase any service through one of these links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

What do you need to get started and set up your own personal blog?

Here is what I’ve  learned !

You have to know two things before you get started

1.Why you want to start a blog?

2.What you want to blog about ?

Determining your why and your what is what will help position your blog into a particular niche . What’s a niche you ask? A niche is the specific audience your blog will be directed towards and the specific topic or topics that you will be blogging about .

My why for blogging is to create a way to generate income from home doing something that I loved doing that wasn’t time consuming . My What for starting a blog was to use my professional and personal experiences to encourage , empower , and inspire others to become the best possible versions of themselves.

Because my what is to empower , inspire and encourage and I will be blogging about different subjects my niche in the blogging community is considered to be a lifestyle blog because it will have various topics.

Once I was able to get all the thoughts in my head to be cohesive enough to narrow down a what and why it was time to choose a blogging platform/URL. A blogging platform or URL is the sight where you will be hosting or posting your blogs. The hosting sight I chose to use was bluehost.com.

I chose ” target=”_blank”>Bluehost because it is the largest reputable blogging platform out there ,which was also the most inexpensive in comparison to the other platforms and the account is fairly easy to set up .

I learned that it is better to own your blog rather than using a free one. The difference between a free and a bought domain is the equivalent to owning or renting your business. When you own it you have the autonomy and freedom to manage it as you chose ,whereas when its free you are restricted to the rules of the owner.

Follow the prompts to set up your account it is fairly easy to set up , but in case you are a visual learner like me you can head over to my pinterest page . I have tunes of pins with both text and video tutorials from seasoned bloggers that will walk you through it.

The basic plan is really all you need when you’r just starting out. As you’r needs grow you can always upgrade to a higher plan. After you enter your domain name you will be prompted to an account plan page .

The $3.95 per month is for a 2 year plan which is a great plan for having a registered domain for 2 years. I went with the 3 year plan first because of my why and what goals. It made me accountable to the process and it gave me the time I needed to really learn the art of blogging.

Secondly because the 3 year plan was $2.95 per month and was a better deal by far . It gave me the price I could afford and the time I needed .

I know all to well how fast  time flies especially when you are making forward progress. I didn’t want any excuses not to commit to my goals .

Whats next you ask?

Disclosure: This blog contains some affiliate links. although there is no purchase required on your part if you use any service through one of these links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Designing you blog !

Guess what I found out? That your page does not automatically come with those beautiful designs and pictures you see on other people blogs . You actually have to put some sweat equity into creating the look you want for your blog brand .

To start go to Ivorymix it has hundreds of free stock photos you can use to add character to your sight.

 

bosslatina is another stock photo sight that lets you download free stock photos for you blog.

What are plugins you ask?

I’m glade you asked Plugins provide different features you can use on your blog platform that help to enhance its look and functionality. It also helps to protect, manage the traffic and draw followers to your sight .

There are tones of plugins , but the five most essential free plugins you need to start with are Yeast SEO , Sumome , All In One WP Security , EZP coming soon page and the Shareaholic (WordPress Share Buttons, Related Posts, Google Analytics ) .

These five plugins are very important because they establish your presence, let people know your coming soon, protect your sight , give people a chance to sign up to your blog, and last but not least allows you to pin your other social media sights to your page so your subscribers can follow you .

How do you get these plugins?

Log in to your bluehost account >click on your word press sight > on the left hand side you will see a dashboard > scroll down and click plugins > click on add new > in the center of the page on your right hand side you will see a space that says plugin search and type in the name of the plugin . It will usually be the very first plugin that you see on your left.

Well that’s it in a nut shell. with this information I was able to

Determine the Why and What of starting a blog.

Sign up for your blogging platform/URL with bluehost .

Design the blog with free stock photos from Ivory mix and boss latina.

Download the five free essential plugins Yeast SEO , Sumome , All In One WP Security , EZP coming soon page and the Shareaholic (WordPress Share Buttons, Related Posts, Google Analytics ) from the word press dashboard on your platform .

Once you have set up your account, downloaded the stock photos , and installed the plugins go back to you platform > head over to the WordPress dashboard > click on post > click on add new and start blogging.

Thats it for now ! Stay tuned for more as we continue this journey together.