A simple guide on how to start your first blog

 So you want to start your own blog. 

Maybe it's a new years resolution, you want to make a career blogging or you want something to keep you occupied. Blogging can be a great fun hobby, a place to share your thoughts, advice and opinions and have your own little space on the internet. It's never been easier to start your own blog!

I have been blogging for about 6-7 years now with a variety of different blogs on different platforms, so I feel like I have some authority on how to easily start a blog. 

How to start a blog

Find your blogging platform

There are variety of different places you can host a blog. This includes WordPress, Wix, Blogger, Tumblr, Squarespace, to name a few. I've had blogs on Blogger, Tumblr and WordPress. There are pros and cons with each.

With WordPress there are a variety of paid options as well as a free one but really if you want a good site through Wordpress, you are going to have to invest some money in. If this is your first site, you might what to try something cheaper or free first.

Blogger is a great tool for a starter blog, especially if you’re not earning money from your site yet and if you’re happy to get stuck into learning html and how to set up a site manually.

I would recommend really doing your research and finding out what is going to be the best for your blog. Particularly before paying anything. 

Pick a blog title

Picking a blog title can be a daunting task. I'm not the most creative with my blog titles, I have to admit. I've previously had a blog called 'Chester Gal' when I lived in Chester and then 'Hannah Cozens Blog'. Which is just my name and blog at the end. I’m better at writing posts than coming up with names, promise.

If you want something a little more creative you can use a blog name generator. I always run a few ideas by my friends and see their thoughts. It's always good to have someone else's input. 

Create a brand for your blog

You don't have to have the perfect branding from the get go and it will probably develop as you grow but it's a good idea to think about how you want your blog to come across. What message and tone you want to send plus who your target audience is. I use Canva for the graphic design side to make a logo. You may also want to pick a colour palette and maybe even a font to make your blog cohesive. 

Create images for your blog

Readers love to see good quality images to accompany a blog because it gets tedious reading a block of writing. You need something to break it up and is eye-catching. 

You can either use stock photos or you can take your own but make sure you don't steal them! And if you use Pinterest, make sure you credit the original creator. 

Personally, I take a lot of photos and have found a style I like over the years. So, I had a good amount of photos to choose from when I first started this blog. 

I mostly use my iPhone X to capture photos and then edit on VSCO cam. I most recently invested in a secondhand Canon M10 which I love as you can remote shoot and it's easier to self-shoot with but you don’t need an expensive DSLR to take good photos. 

Write your first blog post

You may already have some topics you want to write about. When I first started, I did some brainstorming of ideas and topics I wanted to write about, thinking about my branding and target audience. 

You may feel the pressure to secure a niche but I just wrote about the things I enjoyed and went from there. It also doesn't need to be 100% perfect on the first go. I often go back as I learn more about blogging and read earlier blog posts and edit them. 

Promote your blog 

Promoting your blog doesn't have to cost a penny. Once you've set everything up and written your first post. Share it! You may have already your own social media profiles. Add your website to your social media bio and share your content. I love using social media scheduling apps so I don't even have to think about. Planoly is my current fave.