6 Things You Should Know When Starting a Blog
Starting a blog is scary. One might wonder at first, Which platform should I use? How expensive the domain is going to be? What does hosting mean? I have a lot of friends that are always asking for tips of how to start a blog. When I started my blog five years ago, I didn’t know anything. I wish I’ve had all the information that is online today, but I’m also grateful for the fabulous people who have taught me about blogging and coding (Hi Esa!). Here are the 6 things you should know when you’re starting a blog!
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Choose your blog name correctly.
Names have a meaning, and power. Do some research! Your blog name is going to remain forever. Look for a name that is easy to remember, and not trendy. Remember that time when blog’s names were like “Sincerely, Dear or a french word”.. I wish I have had more time to think of a proper name back then. Petite Fashion Monster is a long name and when I opened my blog, I didn’t expected to be blogging for years. I feel Petite is very generic.
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Go for WordPress.org as your blog platform.
Don’t make the mistake of doing it on Blogger.com or any free hosting platform. My first years were on Blogger and then I realized WordPress.org was blogging heaven. Changing platforms is a pain. You would need a web developer and you also would pay a lot of money. So if you’re planning to open a blog, do it correctly by starting it on WordPress. org., because it is amazing. You can customize your website, it’s easy to use and there’s a lot of beautiful themes out there (You can buy them on bluechic or Seven).
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Purchasing your domain and hosting.
After choosing your name, now it’s time to purchase your domain name (www.nameofyourblog.com). Domains are around 10-15 dlls yearly. The next step is to look for your hosting. View hosting as a place where your blog is going be living. It’s the home of your files, and archives. Where they are going to live and be saved. I recommend you purchase it on Godaddy.com. You can buy your domain and hosting at the same time, but if you want to do it separately, you can. My hosting is netfirms.com. I was paying around 60 dlls but this year, it went up to 130 dlls. I was shocked! I’m thinking about changing to another one. Any suggestions? Netfirms and GoDaddy aren’t the only existent ones. Another hosting site is bluehost and it’s a very popular one between new bloggers because it’s very easy to install. It’s cheap too.
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Find your niche and voice.
There are a lot of bloggers out there. Look for your uniqueness. Be specific about the market of your blog. My good friend Esa asked me what makes Petite Fashion Monster different from other fashion blogs. My answer, back then, was my blog is for the petite Latina girl. For the girl who is afraid of fashion because she is always looking to all these tall and blonde girls on fashion magazines and I wanted to be their inspiration.
Your blog and you are in need to shine. After you made up your mind about your market, now find your voice. That means your writing style. Some bloggers are funny, some are more personal, and others are dry. I try to do my best to be funny, but English is not my first language. So sometimes it makes it difficult for me to transmit my humor. At the same time, I love to be personal with you, guys. But, you know what? I think the best writing style is the one you demonstrate your passion for the subject.
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Look for a professional photographer or own a professional camera.
Imagery is very important and it’s going to help your blog to look professional. People are attracted to beautiful pictures. Search for a photographer that will help with your visuals or do it yourself. There are a lot of photography tutorials on Youtube, and it’s very fun to learn photography. Tip! Look for new photographers that are looking forward to increase their portfolios. The majorities are going to do it for trade or collaboration. It’s a good way to help each other grow professionally and create a relationship. Also you will make a new friend on the way.
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Have patience!
I think this one is the most important. Don’t expect your blog to be successful overnight. It takes time. You will need to post like 3 times the week for people to find you and be there for you. Try an editorial calendar. It will be your best friend as you’re getting used to post. But if you’re passionate about your blog, it will not be any problem for you to write. That’s why it’s important to find your niche and talk about what you love.
You’re going to make mistakes at the beginning but I think that’s the fun part about learning. For me, it took me a while and I’m still learning. But don’t worry, start your blog and you will not regret it. It’s been one of the best decisions I´ve made in my life. If you have more questions, you can email me: avi@petitefashionmonster.com or maybe if I gather a lot of questions, I can write and upload a second part of this blog post.
