1. Think of a NAME
This isn’t a massive deal.. but a big oneish it could be a catchy name for a blog that’s always good! Our Names are Shanique and Chaneen but our blog name is Nique and Neena [2NBeauty] and each post is kind of like a diary entry for us. I would say that you don’t need to worry much about your url because if you are unhappy with it, you can always purchase a domain name (www. etc) at a later date. I am considering doing this soon 🙂
2. Have a good blog design
For a long time my blog looked very basic and I hated it but had no idea how to change it! If you are good at Photoshop, make a pretty banner and try to get your blog to look sleek and professional. And maybe google how to change your html to design your whole blog layout yourself! (However, remember to copy and paste it into a document before, in case it goes completely wrong). I am hopeless at this so I found a free template online. There are also many designs that you can buy if you want to – big bloggers will often have the link to their blog designer at the bottom of the page. People are more likely to read your blog if it looks good 🙂
3. Join Bloglovin
This is a website which the majority of bloggers are on, and you can follow lots of blogs on there and people can also follow your blog. I love reading blogs from here as it is so easy. Be sure to add their widgets to your blog to link people directly there. You can get them here.
4. Add the followers gadget
On ‘Layout’ there should be a Google+ followers gadget. Add this to your blog! This is another easy way, as well as bloglovin, for readers to subscribe to your blog posts and keep coming back to read more. I had no idea about this for absolutely ages haha.
5. Get inspiration
Read other blogs. Look at successful blogs such as Inthefrow, Sprinkle of Glitters and Natasha to get ideas. But make sure you post what you want to post about! That is very important.
6. Read and comment on other blogs
As well as looking at the most popular, find smaller blogs and read them too! There are many brilliant bloggers with a small number of followers who have great ideas. Commenting on their blogs helps people to know that your blog exists and means that you can all support each other. (But make sure to actually read it and don’t just comment asking for a follow haha). Whenever I get a comment on a blog it makes my day 🙂
7. Have fun
Okay this is really cringy but only blog if you enjoy it. Post what you want to post about and don’t feel pressured to buy hundreds of high end products to review if you can’t afford it. I absolutely love my blog and posting on it is my hobby. If you want to make money out of your blog you can use Adsense or have advertising spaces on your blog. Blogging is a fun thing to do so I hope you enjoy it!
Do you have any tips for new bloggers? And if you are new here I hope this was helpful! Leave a link to your blog in the comments so I can check it out ♥
UPDATE: MY BLOG IS SELF-HOSTED AND I’VE GOTTEN BEYOND BETTER AT THE BLOGGING GAME
So reading above I was giving pointers to you newbies when I was technically a newbie. Fast-forward to 3 years later I’m finally a full time beauty and fashion blogger. Not earning millions yet lol praying to God I start earning 7 digits real soon. I stopped blogging for couple months but i’m here to stay full time.
I got a domain name as you can see (www.niquewallace1.com) from Ionos fomerly known as 1and1 build my Domain Authority at 16 and Page Authority at 20.
Step by step to starting your blog
I use SITEGROUND
It’s really fast and reliable, and you can literally start your blog for $3.95 per month. They also have an incredible support team and make WordPress really easy.
Like I said earlier, another major mistake I made in the past was hosting it with a 1and 1. Didn’t have much from using them and in the end they wanted to give me a ranking coach that literally was to change my blog over.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Site Ground
Pros:
- Free Domain Name
- Free Daily Backup and Restore
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
- Solid State Drives
- Free CloudFlare CDN
- cPanel Interface
- 99.9% Uptime
- Data Centers on 3 Continents
- Secure Account Isolation on Shared Servers
- Shared Hosting Utilizes Linux Containers
- Improved Server Restore Technology
- Proactive Server Monitoring
- Unique Anti Bot Artificial Intelligence System
- Fast Responsive Support
- SuperCacher for Increased Speed*
- Last 30 Backup Copies Available for Restore*
- Staging for WordPress and Joomla*
- Automatic WordPress Plugin Updates*
Cons:
- Web Spaced Capped at 10GB – 30GB
- *Managed Hosting Features Require GrowBig or GoGeek Plans
SiteGround is Ideal for:
- WordPress Sites
- Joomla Sites
- Drupal Sites
- Bloggers
- Managed Web Hosting
- WooCommerce Hosting
So, are you ready to get started? Follow this quick tutorial and you can get your blog up and running in 10 minutes!
Before we begin, the best way to follow this tutorial is to also do it with me! So head over to Siteground.com right now and follow along!
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CHOOSE YOUR PLAN
Siteground has three basic plans to choose from: StartUp, GrowBig and GoGeek.
I suggest new bloggers start with the StartUp or GrowBig. If you plan on sticking with one blog for awhile, the StartUp plan is perfect for you. Right now I’m using GrowBig it works well for me.
And, if you use my special link, you can save up to 60% off the regular price!
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CHOOSE YOUR FREE DOMAIN NAME
This is where you’ll want to place your chosen blog URL (the name people will type in the search bar to find your website).
It’s what people will remember you by and what sets you apart from others, so try to keep it short and simple – no hyphens, numbers or symbols and stick to .com if possible.
Also, make sure it’s a name that’s not taken by other blogs or social media sites.
When you get to this page, you can use your existing domain name or pick a new domain name.
My domain is not with Siteground as yet it is with 1and1 will be migrating in November 2019 to siteground fully.
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CONFIRM YOUR PACKAGE AND PAY
Next, you’ll choose your package of 12, 24, 36 or 60 months.
If you want the best performance for your site and the most bang for your buck, they suggest going with the 36 month plan. It’s not the one I use at the moment; I went for the 12 months plan because that’s what I could afford at that time.
And, if you’re just looking to test out a brand nothing is wrong with going for short term. Also nothing is wrong with going the whole 36 months you get to escape paying for hosting every year and that’s great.
DON’T FORGET
Uncheck any extra features that you don’t think you’ll need right away (most of these you can get through free plugins.)
The only option that I recommend you keep is the Domain Privacy Protection because it hides your personal information from unwanted visitors.
I checked the SG Site scanner because I need to make sure my site is getting the best care. THIS IS NOT A MUST!
Fill out your payment details, check the standard Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and click the green submit button.
That’s it!
Congratulations, you now have hosting for your blog – woohoo!
P I N FOR L A T E R
I hosted my blog with blogger for 2+ years because it was free then made a switch to WordPress.com was it my best decision? No! Not even by a long shot. I loved blogger but I read its own by Google so it picks and chooses what should pop up in Google search.
Also read that free wordpress.com is great for new bloggers and this doesn’t pick and chooses nothing if the post is popular it will get it shine. Boy was I fooled these two both had their advantages and disadvantages if I’m being completely honest with wordpress.com I couldn’t monetize.
I moved on to wordpress.org liking it thus far because I do so much and more like monetizing with Google ads, get free business type themes and get to rank in Google with full ownership. This first thing you need to know about how to start a blog/website is how to find a place for your blog to live.
While there are many other content management systems available, like said earlier I use WordPress and couldn’t imagine blogging without it. In fact, most bloggers use it. You do need to know that there are two versions of WordPress and they are totally different. WordPress.com and WordPress.org. I highly recommend going with WordPress.org.
WORDPRESS.ORG IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF:
You know what you want and you’re ready to go after it! It’s inexpensive to get started; you’ll just need to register a domain name and purchase website hosting.