Are you ready?
So, you are wanting to take the plunge, thinking of starting a Blog or Website. What sort of things do you need to consider when starting a blog? Where do you begin.
In this post there may be some affiliate links, in the event that you use a product or link it may benefit us by way of discount or commission – it never costs you more as a result of using our links, in fact sometimes you get a better deal!
Are you ready?
Be prepared for countless sleepless nights.
Make sure your data is unlimited for the endless youtube tutorials and how to videos you will watch.
Buy a coffee machine, if you don’t have one already. Tell your partner you love them and wont see them for at least month or ten.
I could not have written this post at the time of setting up our blog/website as I was to sleep deprived.
and overwhelmed by the amount of new lingo, domains, hosting, plugins, widgets, SEO talk and all the other options available when taking this plunge.
There are plenty of youtube tutorials online already to assist with the ‘How To’ of setting it up. In fact wordpress has a fantastic online support helpdesk to ensure it all goes smoothly.
We get asked a lot who we set up our blog through and who we host it with, among other website related questions.
This is where we will note down who we use and provide the links, some of which may be affiliate (meaning we may receive a small benefit for you using them but at no extra cost to you, see disclosure for more info) and you will be happy to know our family survived (just!) starting a blog.
So what is a blog?
Well, google says a blog is:
What do I need when starting a blog?
You need a computer/laptop to set your blog up and manage the blog/website.
Definitely will require a LOT of internet so setting it up before you hit the road is a great idea.
Infinite patience, I am actually not joking, just when everything is running smoothly an upgrade will throw things off course, you will realise you should of optimised all your photos from the beginning and now need to delete them all and reload them – yes this happened to me, a long time ago but it happened and I carry the scars!!
Pick a name before starting a blog
You know the saying it’s all in the name. Check if anyone else has it, check all socials and make sure available on all platforms.
We were basically pushing shit up hill (sorry, but it’s true) because our blog name does not have anything to do with Travel / Roadtripping / Kids travel worksheets / Hiking, you get the idea it took ages for google to like us, if they truly ever like anyone that is.
Pick a name that is relevant to what your website is about this will help you with SEO and google will reward you (apparently, it will be a love hate relationship either way).
But wait there’s more, you will also need the following…
Website Creation Tool – WordPress
There are different platforms available (wordpress, weebly, wix – not kidding what is it with the W’s!!?) but we went with WordPress.
We are very happy we did.
It is relatively straight forward step by step website creation tool. They have a fabulous online helpdesk that assisted me at all hours of the day and night when I was just beginning. Boy are they patient!
This is pretty much the best and most popular place to start as they have templates, basically a put this info here and that info there and away you go. I have been very happy with the decision to go with them and no hesitation in referring their services.
What is a domain? This is what your website name or brand will be. If you are happy have the company you use for your website ie. wordpress as part of your link then good news, its free!! But if you are looking to build your brand and want to just have your name (much more professional and clean, you need to buy the domain name. This is also important so someone else doesn’t take it. Keep it simple, you will be writing it a LOT!!!
Unless you have a company in Australia you can not register a dot com dot au address. As we are worldschoolers, we were happy to have the .com address, not only was it a few characters less to type (ha ha) but has a more global feel. Or we think so anyway, as long as your happy that’s all that matters.
Next…. find a host
What’s a host?
A host is a type of Web server that stores, serves and manages websites and/or Web-based applications and services. So it is important to pick the right one. You are trusting them with all your blood, sweat and tears.
Again, lots of options available (Godaddy, Hostgator, Bluehost) we went with Bluehost and again, we have been very happy with our decision.
Honestly though, we have been advised by more I.T. friendly or educated people that if you are thinking big, not quite world domination, but large scale business model – you should get professional advice and a more secure server.
It has not affected us and we will leave world domination to someone else!
We are very impressed, never had down time on our website (touch wood!) Bluehost provide a free SSL certificate too.
This is important for those wanting to consider selling products or services now, or down the track. Keep your options open, you never know what opportunities may come your way!
Now you have a website and a host to store your site, now it is time to pick a theme!
Time to Pick a theme
There are so many and lots of free options that for a personal blog would be more than adequate, if you are using wordpress, under the heading Appearance you can check the themes available, look at what they offer and decide upon one that suits your needs.
There is so many additions you can add once you have decided on a theme that adds bells and whistles you can’t really go wrong!
We went for a more professional and versatile theme from Accesspress
I am sure you will find one you are happy with. Always check out the notes or demo so you can see what the theme is capable of. You can switch it at any time if you are not happy with it.
Got the website, got the host and the theme, now time to look at some key plugins to secure and manage your website better. In no particular order I have added….
Plugins to consider when starting a blog
What is Jetpack?
Jetpack is the ultimate toolkit for WordPress. It gives you everything you need to design, secure, and grow your site in one bundle.
With Jetpack, you can:
- Fully customize your site with free themes, image tools, and rich content.
- Increase your traffic through automatic social sharing, related content, and faster load times.
- Get a safer, stronger site via secure logins and protection from brute force attacks.
All these above features are free. Advanced features like daily backups, spam protection, and SEO tools can be added with one of three simple and affordable plans or just use free bonuses like we do.
Yoast SEO: the #1 WordPress SEO plugin
- Get more visitors from Google and Bing
- Attract more visitors from social media
- Increase your readers’ engagement
We walk you through every step: no need to be or hire an SEO expert. Free and premium options available.
Updraft: The World’s Most Trusted WordPress Backup Plugin
Hacking, server crashes, dodgy updates or simple user error can ruin your WordPress
site.
Updraft is extremely popular, start with free plugin for wordpress first then upgrade when your up and running. Don’t risk all your hard work. Eeeekkk!! I can not even think about that happening!
There are so many plugins to consider, here are some we use that I would look into:
Adsense if you want to add advertising to your site at a later date, easily. What is Adsense? Google AdSense provides a way for publishers to earn money from their online content. AdSense works by matching ads to your site based on your content and visitors.
Easy digital downloads if you want to sell or share any electronic PDF products. From eBooks, to WordPress plugins, to PDF files and more, the make selling digital products a breeze.
Contact Form 7 – This is a wordpress plugin, it can manage multiple forms but importantly allow easy management, of a pop up that invites people to subscribe to your blog, a very important plugin to grow your audience.
There are so many and you no doubt will have your favourites depending on which platform you choose to create your blog.
Social Media buttons
Obviously there is no need to explain the importance of making sure people know how to find you on social media!
Starting a blog is one thing, growing it and gaining an audience another. Especially if you are in this for the long haul. So take some time to think about where you want the social media buttons, how you would like to display them and if you are going to pay for a little bit more professional icons than your theme allows.
Do you want them fixed or floating, right sidebar, left sidebar or footer – yes even this question has about 20 options and choices you will have to make!!
Who can see my blog?
Now you have a name and have registered the domain and set the theme you write your first blog post. Who sees it?
The first people to see it will likely be people you share the link (URL) of the post with on your facebook page or in an email.
If you want to only select certain people to read your blog (ie. friends and family), you can create what is known as a private blog.
What is a private blog?
It is a blog that is protected with a password. With WordPress.com, you can create a private blog or restrict an existing blog to invited readers only by modifying its privacy settings.
If you are wanting to attract an audience then consider adding an email popup and social media share buttons.
To email popup or not to email popup, that is the question!
Oh boy! Don’t you just hate these!! When you land on a site and bang – in your face, another bloody popup aarggghhh.
But, they work. So if you are wanting to build your email list, which lets face it is the most valuable part of your business, your going to have to consider this at some point. We have ours set to 20 seconds after entering our website but I have been on some that go **bing** as soon as you enter, it’s just too much too soon. Let me at least fall in love with your content first I say!
More professional email list management
Once you have been going for a while and getting the hang of it, there will come a time when you will want to upgrade to a more professional email list management system. One that looks professional and beautifully laid out. i will be honest I took WAY too long till doing this and it has made a big difference in open rate of blog emails.
Okay guys, your all set now to spend countless hours, now until forever in front of your computer! So much to learn about Search Engine Optimisation or SEO for short (now your a blogger you need to know this lingo LOL!) then how to build traffic, what is an affiliate, sponsored content, sharing content and the list goes on…
Seriously, all the best with starting a blog or website, think of it as a new adventure and may you find your literary angel within and post post post your way to blogging fame!
There is always more to learn but if you like learning new skills and look at it, as a challenge – you will love it. There are some great blogger communities out there to help you if you get stuck.
Don’t try and be like anyone else, inspiration from others is great but – Just. Be. Yourself 🙂
Hope you enjoy starting a blog, See you out there!
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