Hey there! So you want to start a blog?
Chances are if you’re here you have thought about how to start a blog at one point or another and now you want to to figure out the steps to take. Look no further!
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7 years ago I started my very first blog.
To be completely honest I can’t remember the web address I used to start it, the name of the blog, or the blog hosting site I used.
I do remember why I started it though.
Our firstborn child, David, had just died at six days old. I needed a way to express myself. Starting a blog gave me a place to write all my feelings down without worrying about hearing what other people thought of my grief. (yes sadly, people even have opinions on bereaved parents’ grief, and many aren’t shy at expressing those opinions.)
Starting that blog helped in ways I never thought imaginable. Life moved on, bringing me further from my raw heartache, I worked through my grief and I no longer needed that blog.
The idea had never occurred to me that people start a blog for other reasons other than as an emotional outlet.
It wasn’t until three years ago when I was searching for a way to make money that didn’t involve me working outside the home, when I discovered you can start a blog for all kinds of reasons, even to make money.
Related Read: Ingenious ideas You Can Use to Make Staying Home With Your Children A Reality.
Please don’t get me wrong. Starting a blog to make money is not easy. It requires an insane amount of hard work, time and a dash of creativity thrown in.
But it is possible.
I started this blog under a different domain name three years ago. I didn’t get anywhere with it mainly because I didn’t have a plan and I used the excuse that I had a newborn.
But the reality was I didn’t know where to start. So many resources had been thrown at me but I didn’t have a clear plan, nothing to really guide me, so I became discouraged and quit.
But I love to write. It’s my passion. And I didn’t stop writing during the two-year break. I co-wrote a book with my husband, titled Faith Actually: Living Life After Tragedy. But I let my blog fall to the wayside.
Until January of this year.
I decided I wanted to make my blog work this time. First I researched ways to make a blog work. I read e-books and took courses. (I’ll talk more on the best ones later!)
And I jumped in. Which honestly, is the way I do life anyway.
The one thing I lacked the first time around was a clear resource. Sure I had a bunch of different resources telling me a bunch of different things. But nothing that truly helped me.
This time was different.
I want to share with you what I have learned about starting, maintaining and growing a blog. I want to share with you the best resources, courses, and e-books I have found out there. And I want to give you what I didn’t have three years ago.
Are you a writer? Are you looking for a creative outlet? Do you want to make money by starting a blog? Or do you just want to start a hobby?
You can! It will take hard work and dedication but anything is possible if you believe in yourself.
The first part, actually starting the blog, is quite simple.
1. The first thing you do is choose a niche.
What is a niche?
Do you know what a niche is? If you don’t know, don’t worry, I didn’t either. A niche in the blogging world is a specific topic or area you want to write about. There are so many different niche categories out there!
What niche do I write about?
The first thing you need to do is figure out what you are passionate about. Do you love whipping up a unique meal and then writing about it? Maybe you enjoy creating fun crafts for your kids and sharing them with others. Or you could love writing about peaceful parenting techniques.
Find your passion, when you do, it’ll be easier to decide what niche to start your blog in.
Do you have to pick a niche?
My short answer is no. There are other bloggers out there who swear by niches and the idea that if you do not niche down, you cannot create a successful blog and business. In a way, they are not wrong. When you niche down you will be able to find your target audience quicker. Your blog will not feel chaotic. (no one likes chaos!) But if your niche too far down then you may not reach a very wide audience.
For example, if you start a blog on why cats are awesome, you may reach all the cat lovers, maybe even make a good amount of money with your cat lovers’ blog. You may run out of topics to write about real quick though. (on a side note, I am a huge cat lover and if you decide to write a cat lovers blog, email me so I can read it 🙂 )
My suggestion to you is to find what you are passionate about. What brings you joy to write about? Then write about it. If you look at my blog you will see that I only niche down a little bit. My niche is peaceful homemaking/parenting. Under my niche category, I have subcategories: crafts, housekeeping, marriage, etc. You’ll even be able to find my posts on child loss and grief on here because I started out writing specifically on that topic.
The reason I do this is two-fold. One, it gives me a range of topics I can talk about, yet still, stay well enough under my niche umbrella. Two, I am passionate about a wide variety of topics.
Can you gain an audience with a wide niche?
My short answer is yes. As long as you stay focused and tie your subcategories into your larger niche, I believe you can gain an audience.
I have found that gaining an audience has less to do with what your niche is, and more to do with the hard work you put into creating your brand and reaching your audience. My dad and mom always taught me the value of hard work while I was growing up. They knew what they were talking about!
2. Pick a Domain Name
After you decide on a niche, the next step is to pick your domain name.
Come up with 2-5 names you would like to name your blog. You can go to a website like godaddy.com or you could type it in below to see if your favorite domain name is available!
I suggest going with a .com instead of one of the others. In my experience having a .com domain name will bring in more traffic than the other ones (like I said, this has just been my experience.) Don’t worry if your favorite name is not available on a .com. Come up with a different name. It is 100x easier to come up with a different name than to switch from a .net or .org over to a .com.
3. Choose Your Web Hosting
If you are serious about making money from your blog, then you will want to go with a self-hosted site. In order to set up a self-hosted site, you will need web hosting. The web hosting I use is Blue Host. As you can see below, they give you a free domain name for the first year you use them. 24/7 support. and right now their prices are starting at $2.95 a month! (that’s a great deal!)
I have always had prompt and excellent customer service with Blue Host.
They also have 1-click WordPress install. WordPress is the number one recommended blogging platform and the one I would suggest!
Go to Blue Host and get started on creating your website today!
First, you go to Blue Host and click the green get started button.
Next, you will pick your plan. (You pay annually.)
Then you will pick your domain name and finish signing up! Easy Peasy.
4. Decide on Your Self Hosted Platform
After you choose your self-host you will need to pick a blogging platform. If you go with Blue Host, you will be able to install WordPress with one click.
Why WordPress?
WordPress is more than just a blogging platform, WordPress is a powerful website builder. It is easy to customize. The theme options and plugin options are numerous. WordPress is secure, easy to manage and if you are a newbie (like I was!) it isn’t too difficult to learn.
If your ultimate goal with blogging is to make money or at the very least create a business, you will need options. Using a platform that is self-hosted, like WordPress, will give you many options to customize your site however you need to.
If you don’t want to use WordPress, there are many different blogging platforms you could use. But like I stated earlier, WordPress is the best in my opinion.
After you choose your platform you’ll get to the fun part of setting up your blog!
That’s it! What are you waiting for?!?
Go jump in! You never know what could have been if you keep coming up with excuses not to do something. If you want to give it a shot, then why not?!? You’ve got this!
If you want to chat about starting a blog feel free to reach out to me!
Have a beautiful and peaceful day! Oh and don’t forget to LIKE the Peaceful Nest on Facebook so you do not miss out on anything fun!
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Read 12 Ways to Be A More Peaceful Mom
Hi there, I’m Jenna! I am a devoted mommy and wife. As well as an advocate for children and creating a peaceful atmosphere for those we love. I co-wrote Faith Actually: Living Life After Tragedy with my husband. I have my Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies and currently working toward my Master’s in Positive Psychology. My number one desire is to create a peaceful home life for my family. My second desire is to share with you the tips I learn along the way!