How to Start a Blog in 2021

When I first started my blog, I thought I was just going to write and take pretty pictures and people were going to flock to me! I really did! I just had no idea how much goes into making a blog successful.

Right before I started this blog, I had one that was more of an inspirational blog. It wasn’t bad, but my heart just was not in it. I took a blogging course and it was full of so much information! I barely remember it, it was such a blur! Then that spring, I decided it was time to do a blog I loved and one that I could have fun with, so The Stylin Educator was born!

I love doing my blog, but it is not easy. I think the hardest part is determining how to monetize. Because I am going, to be honest with you, it is not as easy as you think. But first things first, you need a blog. If you love blogging and want to create a business for yourself, blogging is something you should look at. There is always room for another blogger and many that start never even make it because they get tired, so you have got to push forward, even when you get tired.

How do you start a blog? Well, let’s take a look!

Step 1 – you need to pick a niche. This is what interests you and what you want to tell the world about. I started with fashion but moved to lifestyle so that I could add more to my blog and reach a bigger demographic, and just last year, I added work from home. There is room for any topic that interests you. You just have to remember, you will be making it interesting to your readers!

Step 2 – pick a platform. This is what you will use to host your blog. I highly recommend wordpress.org. It does have a small monthly cost, but you have so many more freedoms using WordPress. There are two WordPress platforms, .org and .com, do not use the .com. The .com is free, but it has tons of limitations, so .org is where it is at!

Step 3 – pick a domain name. You want something that reflects you. I chose The Stylin Educator because I am an educator and I have that southern twang and sass, or so some say. That name just seemed to roll off my tongue and fit my personality. Look on the internet, play with your niche and other words. There are plenty of names out there, but remember, you want something catchy! You can even google domain name generator for help!

Step 4 – pick a host for your platform. I use Bluehost and it works together with WordPress. There are others you can choose and you can google to find them out, but any time I have had an issue, Bluehost is so helpful in helping me with my problems. I love using it!

Step 5- you will start to set it up. You will have themes to pick from and it can be overwhelming trying to set it up perfectly! I recommend going on YouTube and looking for a video to help with this or even hire someone to help with this. Most website designers are not cheap, but you can possibly get someone who can do the initial setup for a low price and from there you can get it going.

Step 6 – start writing! The best thing to do at first is to brainstorm different topics, that will help you to get started. You can write many posts and even save them and publish them when ready. You also want good pictures. They help get people interested in your blog. I have a lot of mine taken by a photographer, I take some on my iPhone with a clicker and I also use some stock photos. It does not matter which ones you choose, just be sure they fit your topic and are of good quality!

Step 7 – share your posts with the world! This is where you need to promote your post on social media platforms, such as Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There are also other methods like commenting on other posts and sharing your link or even joining Facebook groups where you comment on each other’s posts. It does not matter exactly what you do, you just need to do it.

These are just the basic steps to get you started. There is much more that goes into blogging, especially if you want to make money. I will be publishing those posts also, but one step at a time. You need to get set up, set up social media for your blog, start writing, and start promoting. Once you get started, there is more to learn, but it will be easier with the basics completed.

What are some topics you are interested in blogging about?

Later!

Kara

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