How to Start a Blog
Starting a blog can be difficult if you don’t know where to start. What’s hosting? What’s an affiliate link? How do you make money from a blog? There are so many questions that people have when they are first starting out in the online world. However, if you have made it this far and you’re reading about how to start a blog, chances are that you have done a bit of research. There is no wrong or right way to blog, and there’s no wrong or right way to make money from the blog. Even though the latter may take a few months or in some cases, years. Let’s talk about just getting off the ground.
Pick a Niche
What do you love to do? Do you love to travel? Do you love talking about your day-to-day life? Maybe you know some great recipes or coupon deals that you want to share with the world. Whatever the case may be, the first step in starting a blog is choosing a topic and becoming an expert in that area. If you know a lot about business you can write about starting businesses and offer resources for small business owners. If you like travelling you can choose to document your travels, whether it’s around the world or just in your local area. The point is this; pick a topic, and be genuine. You won’t gain any readers if you’re blogging about business and you don’t know the first thing about business! There are no limits to topics you can choose from. Just take a look around and read blogs that you like. Take what works well to you and capitalize on it. Take whatever you don’t like about that certain blog and ask yourself how you would do it differently and then do it!
Choose a Host
Just like topics, there are a ton of options when it comes to hosting your blog. There are free options, and paid options. If you’re just starting out and you don’t know how serious your blog will become you can always start with one of the free options and move your way up to a paid membership. A couple free platforms are WordPress, blogger, or even Tumblr. These allow you to mess around (with limited functionality of course) and see what works. This is the lowest risk possible when trying to see what kind of audience is out there for the particular niche you’ve chosen. If you want to get a little more serious then you can self host on a platform with the paid version of WordPress (just as an example). You’ll need to create a domain, mine is lifeinabreakdown.com. I own the domain and have it hosted with a different service. There are many easy options for this for beginners. Sites like Lyrical Host (affiliate link) have hosting + domain options and they are generally very straight forward. A quick Google search will bring you many options for hosting once you have a domain secured and hosting reviews such as this one can help you find the best service for your needs.
Start Writing and Have Fun!
Once you’ve figured out a niche, a domain, and a host, just start writing! Be genuine and don’t ever steal content! You’ll gain an audience slowly at first with a few loyal readers every week. A great piece of advice is to create a blogging schedule and stick to it. If your audience is expecting a post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, try to stick with that schedule. Have fun and interact with your readers. Of course, there are going to be a couple of negative people here and there but it’s usually best to just ignore them.
Starting a blog is an exciting experience and sharing your writing, life, or adventures with the world is extremely rewarding! You will meet so many people in the community and you’ll have a lot of fun. If you have any questions about starting a blog, feel free to reach out down in the comments and I’ll try to help you wherever I can. This community is a wonderful thing to be a part of and I’d love to hear about your journey! Thanks for reading!
Great blog and some great tips for starting a blog, I think it’s important to have a niche and write about things your passionate about so you can appeal to an audience with similar interests 🙂
Trouble is, I’m a perfectionist! My “waiting to go live” blog will probably never go live because every day I review it and change the few posts I’ve written.
Hi Sarah I remembered that I had seen you writing about starting a blog so came to you for some advice. I’ve learned a lot already from what you have written above, but have a question.
It is actually my teen daughter who is about to start a blog and we have been looking at getting her a domain name. She would like to remain anonymous. One of the options on registering a name is to pay extra for privacy? Apparently otherwise her name will be on a register somewhere online. I have followed yours and others blogs for some years and didn’t know of this.
Did you pay the money for protection or do you feel that is needless. I want to keep costs to a minimum for her. Go Daddy seem to be the cheapest at present, but for the privacy option.
Thanks x
Perfect tips for newbies. Very easy to understand. A lot would like to explore our world I hope it is really for the passion and not just to earn money.
Great tips for a newbie blogger, sometimes people ask me how they can start and what can they do and a million questions on how I started and why lol… I always answer their questions and give them tips on how they can start their own blog. Its nice to be supportive and help others with their dreams.
It is hard isn’t it, I sort of just did it and winged it when I started but hopefully this will help some people. x
Good tips! Your post helps new bloggers to start a blog 🙂 I’d refer this to my friends so they should come to read yours 🙂
Aw thank you so much – I really hope it helps them 🙂 x
These are great tips for newbies. I would love to share this with my mom who wants to start a blog now.
Ohh how exciting I hope she manages to set it up 🙂 x
I have a friend who always ask how to start blogging and I am tired of explaining always. I will give this link to her. You’re my hero. Lol. Thanks for the great tips.
This is such straightforward advice. I’m a novice blogger and looks like I’m not too far off the mark. The advice about scheduling is priceless – I’m so sporadic and I know that that is the next essential factor I must get to grips with!
Thanks
I’ve been blogging for over 5 years now and I still learn something new literally every single day. It’s a world that is always changing with the new apps, technology, and methods of marketing. I do love it and always support people who are new to the arena!
I am the same – I don’t think I will ever know “everything”. x
I like blogging. It’s fun, almost therapeutic. But I do get lost in product reviews because that brings me numbers. It was nice to blog from the heart, but no one came to visit, lol. 🙂
Such great tips in getting started in the blogging world!
I started my blog with nothing learn through blog reading. I just went with my instinct and gut to do it. My first blog post was nothing like a short paragraph haha!
These are great tips for beginners! Picking a niche to write about is definitely important in the beginning!
Sensible tips for bloggers on the wings, waiting to take off.
Blogging can be hard if you don’t know where to start. It’s great to have helpful advice from someone who has experience.
These are great! I had to learn with a lot of trial and error, lol! I am so glad that you are sharing this with the newer bloggers.
I was the same when I started – I had no idea what I was doing at all – was all a bit of a mess lol. x
I started my blog in feb but only really started blogging from april and you’re so right, it is an amazing community to be a part of. so supportive.
Great tips and well defined.
It is such a wonderful community – I have made amazing friends through it that is for sure. x
I love being in the blogging community and finding people with similar thoughts as me. Awesome article!
It is amazing isn’t it – you find so many people with similar thoughts as you. x
These are great tips! Picking a niche to write about is definitely important when you first start.
Yes – I have to admit it is one part that I probably failed on in many ways 😉 lol x
Great advise to any new blogger. It can seem daunting but it is very rewarding.
It realy can seem so over whelming at first can’t it – but so worth the time and effort. x
These are great tips! I”m going to pass this along to my friend who was asking me how to blog. Thanks!
No problem at all – glad to have been of help 😉 x
very simple, very easy and straight forward answers to most beginner blogger questions. Great article.
So pleased other think it will help as well 🙂 x
This reminds of when I first started blogging. It’s important to pick a topic that you feel comfortable about especially if you’re thinking of blogging often. It would be great to research on a good host first before you sign up!
It is amazing how amazing blogging can be – but you need to find your comfort zone in it as well. x
Great information for beginners. This would be so helpful for them.
As the Marketing Manager for BlogPaws, I loved reading this post. Come on over and check out the site, too. Nice to make your acquaintance! Cute logo you have with your dog.
I will definitely pop on over sounds fantastic and right up my street 🙂 thank you so much for your kind words about my logo as well 😉 x
What a great advice1 I would love to start my blog, but I don’t have more idea for blogging.
You just need one idea to start with, build it up from there 🙂 x
Great pointers!!! Picking a nitch is definitely the hardest part when you’re someone who loves everything lol….
That’s where “lifestyle” comes in – just a bit of everything LOL X
Most people are terrified at the idea of starting a blog but it’s really quite easy. I love how simple these tips are, that’s really how it is.
It really is simple, I think some people over complicate things in some ways. x
I started my blog in September, I can’t believe it has almost been a year. And still having fun.
It is crazy how quickly time flys by! x
This is a great guide. My first blog was so lame! I wish I started with more of a focus!
As long as no one ever looks at my first posts I’m OK 😉 x
Oh, i hear that. I’m so embarrassed about mine!
This is a great tool for those who are just starting out. It is all about trial and error so getting advice from other bloggers really helps.
You definitely sometimes need to play around and find what works for you as it will be different to everyone else. x
Great tips! I think choosing a niche first can be super helpful! I chose a few niches and it changed over time but I’ve narrowed it down to a small handful and love them all!
I’ve been through a few different ones as well – these days it’s a bit of everything and that works for me. x
this is great advice for starting a blog-many times people get intimadated by the thought of starting one-but with a little reading and some creativity a blog is within everyone’s reach
Most definitely – I think if people are wanting to start one they should take that step! x
This is great advice on how to get a blog up and running. I think many people don’t realize just how much work goes into running and managing a blog! This is great advice.
No it is a lot of work and daily as well – I don’t think there’s a day I don’t do something blog related.
Great advice! I started my blog a few years ago after doing it on a few other blogs for 17 or so years, and wish there was something like this out there for me back then!
It is amazing how quickly it has evolved into what is is now. x
This is great for someone thinking of starting out. I think the beginning is fairly easy. It’s the keeping up with it that can be hard.
Oh gosh yes – it definitely gets harder as time goes on lol. x
Perfect guide for beginners, it doesnt really seems that complicated!
Great advice! So often people focus on how to brand and sell themselves to earn when they first start out, but the writing and the fun are the most important
Most definitely – if I had started out just wanting to earn earn earn I totally wouldn’t still be here lol. x
Some really good tips for beginner bloggers and it is all about having fun, if you don’t enjoy it, it will come across with your writing. I don’t think you need a niche though, I don’t and the blogs I enjoy reading don’t either but I think that’s more personal choice
Most definitely you need to have that fun at the start of you just won’t ever reach your potential – even now if it isn’t fun I’m sure it shows in my writing. x
Good starting guide! It’s been almost two years since I started blogging, and I learn something new each day.
It really is that simple to get started, for some reason we complicate things way more then we should. I over think stuff, sometimes it is better to just do it.
This is a great guide to starting a blog. Picking a good host is so important. When you start having more traffic, you want to be sure your host will be able to handle it.
Most definitely I’ve had my fair share of bad and awful took me a while to find a good one 🙂 x
When I think back on starting my blog a few years ago, I know how unprepared I really was. I took a class and gained some very basic knowledge before starting out but I know now, it really was basic. I’d advise anyone wanting to start a blog, to take a basic class then write a few really good posts to publish prior to launching. Your information is valuable to a new blogger.
I knew nothing – I mean I still don’t know everything but if I can help one person start off a bit easier than me that’s good 🙂
Picking a niche, a name and a tagline are so important when starting a blog. I’m so glad I started with the paid version of WordPress from the get go.
I still don’t think I’ve perfected mine – perhaps one day 😉 x
As a seasoned blogger you may think what I’m doing here..well, I know a couple of people who are wanting to start a blog and don’t know where to start, and now I have something to share with them. Thanks for writing this great guide.
Aww I am so pleased – sometimes it really is hard to put down in words something you are so used to doing 🙂 x