7 Things Every New Blogger Should Know
There are 7 things every new blogger should know before they begin their blogs. Have you ever toyed with the idea of starting your own blog? To be honest with you, it had never occurred to me until recently. I was browsing a popular site looking for new home decor ideas, when all of a sudden, a colorful pin caught my eye. Shiny, new possibilities were dangled like a carrot in front of my face.
So, I quickly typed “blog” into the search bar to dig a little deeper into this unknown phenomenon.
Pin after pins were beckoning me!
- Start a Blog Easily!
- Quit Your Day Job and Work from Home!
- How to Make $10,000 a Month Blogging!
My prayers were answered!
I hit the jackpot! Lottery, schmottery! No more wasting money on chance; I would be the master of my own “domain”! I needed a change in my midlife, so I created my blog and headed in the direction of wealth and fame!
Gather Love LLC (GLL) made its debut on Christmas Eve. Completely convinced that I would be handing in my resignation by June, I just jumped into this new world. Fittingly, the name of my first post was actually “Just Jump”. Since taking the leap, I have been trudging forward and making a little progress each day. It is now March, and quitting my job is not an option (yet).
Disclaimer: I am an instant gratification girl and I am learning various lessons on patience and perseverance!
Many, many mistakes have been made during this short life of GLL. Through these struggles, I have learned a lot and my goal is to share my steps with anyone that will listen. If I can prevent even the smallest amount of anxiety or frustration for those that follow behind me, then it will put a smile on my face.
I am going to reveal the good, the bad and the ugly with complete transparency. So, if you are someone that would prefer to spend a lot of time making mistakes, then stop reading now. 🙂
Here is an explanation of how a blog works. Necessities for a blog include a domain name, a hosting company, WordPress.org, a theme and of course, content.
An easier way to understand the basics of building a blog; imagine you want to build a house. First, you must buy a piece of land (Bluehost – a hosting company) and then you will build your home (your domain on WordPress.org). Before you move in, you want to decorate (a WordPress Theme). Now you can move all of your furniture in (Blog Content which you write). Follow these 7 things that every blogger should know and begin building your internet home.
These are the steps that I took and what I have learned so far.
Tips for New Bloggers – YAY! or NAY!…
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Buying a domain name through Yahoo Small Business.
NAY!: While Yahoo is a great business platform for e-commerce and regular businesses, it is not great for blogging. Purchasing a domain through your host company is much easier, smarter and cost-efficient.
Tips for New Bloggers – Why This Was a Mistake?
Once I decided on the correct platform (Bluehost), I had to wait 45 days to transfer my domain. It was a delay that could have been prevented had I actually done some research. Also, the process of transferring my domain was confusing and frustrating. Thank God for YouTube!
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Creating my first blog on WordPress.com because it was free.
NAY! Free seems like a great deal! However, research provided me with the knowledge that my freedom on this site was limited.
Tips for New Bloggers – Why This Was a Mistake?
Starting a blog is a business goal for many and is often referred to as a side hustle. WordPress.com does NOT allow you to monetize your site. In other words, you are not in control of the ads placed on your blog and you cannot make any money from them. If you are blogging as a hobby, then WordPress.com is fine. If you ultimately want to make money, you must pay-to-play. WordPress.org is the answer.
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Choosing Bluehost.com as my hosting platform
YAY!: Before you can set-up your WordPress.org site, you need to find a host and Bluehost is used by most of the bloggers I know.
Tips for New Bloggers – Why This Was a Triumph?
I use Bluehost and their customer service is top-notch! I have needed their online chat for help and all of my questions were answered immediately. Remember, I don’t like waiting for anything! When you sign-up for Bluehost, you can download WordPress.org.
Read more about the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org here.
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Finding a good source of education to help build your site and choose your theme.
YAY!: This took some searching. Many hours were spent scouring YouTube. I came across many videos that helped in one area or another. None gave me the complete picture until I found Suzi Whitford at startamomblog.com.
Tips for New Bloggers – Why This Was a Triumph?
At this point, I realized that if I wanted to build a business blog, then I would have to invest in my start-up just like a brick and mortar store would be. Suzi offers many courses, some free and some with a fee. I cannot stress this enough – if it weren’t for her classes, I would still be struggling! She also has a Facebook page where you can get support from her and the rest of her group. Out of all the trainings that I paid for and took, Suzi is hands-down the BEST! You can register for her courses HERE. The Blog By Number course will teach you how to set-up your blog, including choosing a theme. Use the code “MARCHBLOG” for 20% off!!! and you too will be on your way with your blog. You will not regret this decision!
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Choosing post subjects by what I felt like writing that day.
NAY!: Newsflash! My blog is NOT about me! Who knew??
Tips for New Bloggers – Why This Was a Mistake?
Blog posts are meant to be about what your readers want. I really thought that I could write posts about anything and everything that was happening in my life.
Disclaimer: I am a very sarcastic person that loves to laugh!
I believed that I could Erma Bombeck my way into my reader’s hearts. While it is true that I can still let my personality shine through my writing, I must also provide value to people. My life stories can be told, but I must be teaching something along the way. People hardly have time to brush their teeth let alone spend 5-10 minutes reading about my day.
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Learning that my blog was not just going to pop-up on Google or other search engines.
YAY!: I found this out very quickly once I was set-up on Bluehost and WordPress.org.
Tips for New Bloggers – Why This Was a Triumph?
A plug-in is a “mini-program” that can be added to your site with a couple clicks of the mouse. Yoast is a search engine optimization (SEO) plug-in. Simply put, SEO is the guideline of words and format that your site must follow in order to be found on the internet. Yoast makes this very easy, just like spell-check in Microsoft Word. They also offer many learning modules and send emails to help you improve your site. A free version of this plug-in is available or you can upgrade and pay for the year to receive premium services. Either works great!
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Using one photo for each blog post.
NAY: Most people are attracted to visual elements.
Tips for New Bloggers – Why This Was a Mistake?
Reading too many words without a break in the text cause people to lose interest and leave your blog. I was panicked because I did not have pictures that matched everything I was writing about. Luckily, I learned that I did not always have to use my own photos. Instead, you can use pictures found on the internet. Wish I would have had the list of 7 things every new blogger should know before I began my blog!
CAUTION: DO NOT just use any pictures because they could have a copywrite and that would be illegal.
Disclaimer: I try not to do bad things!
It is legal to use stock photos from very talented photographers though. You can purchase these pics for sites such as stock.adobe.com but I would rather get mine for free. Check out pixabay.com or unsplash.com for great free options. This is one point where FREE is GOOD!
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Starting a blog and beginning my new journey.
YAY!: I feel so rewarded and content.
Tips for New Bloggers – https://www.gatherlovellc.com/just-jump/Why This Was a Triumph?
I am an RN by occupation and a teacher and creator by nature. The satisfaction from each little step that I take is priceless and my future holds so many possibilities. Thank you Pinterest for opening doors for me!!
7 things that every new blogger should know investment costs to begin your blog:
- Bluehost (Includes 1 domain): $3.95 – $5.45 month billed yearly
- Blog By Number: $97
- Yoast SEO (optional) $89 year
Once you get going with your blog, check out these monthly challenges that Suzi offers. When you complete each challenge, you will be eligible for a free monthly training session with a group of people that also completed the challenge.
Keep your eyes open for my next post about blogging – I have much more to share with you!
If you have any questions about starting your own blog, please comment below or email me at lisa@gatherlovellc.com. I would love to be able to help you to Just Jump also!
This was a wonderful post filled with lots of great tips. I am a newbie myself so I learned a lot of these the hard way as well. I wish I had read this post when I first started.
And Suzi is so awesome. She has taught me more about blogging then anyone. I am glad you found her too.
Hi Traci – It is an overwhelming world when you first start blogging! The best thing is to share experiences to help others out, especially like Suzi does. A perk of Suzi’s community is that you make new friends and build a support system! So happy you are part of mine!