So, You Want To Start A Blog?

Are you interested in learning how to start a blog? Do you have a passion or something you want to share with the world? If so you are in the right place!

Starting a blog can be a bit overwhelming. There are tons of things to think about including your blog name, the platform you are going to use, how often will you post, what theme do you want, and etc. I am going to try and make this as simple as possible for you, but if there is something you don’t exactly understand, please feel free to email me!

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What do you want to write about? Parenting, cooking, beauty, clothes?

Most blogging experts will tell you it is easier to market your blog if you have a niche. I agree that it can be easier in some ways but having a successful lifestyle blog can be done too!

How much time are you willing to put into your blog?

When I first started blogging, I didn’t have a blogging schedule. I would put out a post whenever I felt like it. Now, I have a a bit more consistent of a blogging schedule and I devote a lot more time to it. Not only do I spend time researching and writing posts, I spend even more time trying to promote it.

Do you think you will stick with it?

There are some people that like to start a lot of projects but not finish them. If you are one of those types of people you should acknowledge that now.  Blogging can be free or it can be expensive depending on how into it you get. You don’t want to invest a ton of money into a blog to just move on to your next project in a couple of months.

How much money can you invest into blogging?

When I first started blogging, I had no clue that there could be blog related expenses. Between hosting, domain names, scheduling software, blog themes, and email lists, blogging can get really expensive.  But blogging can also be free on certain platforms. I started byusing Blogger, a free host, for my blog. But once you start looking into self-hosting (Bluehost, Host Gator, or Site Ground to name a few) and WordPress you are looking at a minimum of $75 per year.

Take a good look at your answers.  I have some blogging suggestions based on your answer combinations.

If you have a lot of time, plan on making a commitment, and money isn’t an issue: I would suggest going self-hosted WordPress. You’d want to buy your hosting, install WordPress, buy the Genesis framework, and pick out a nice template. ($175-200)

You have the time, want to make a commitment, but don’t want to spend as much as the first option: You can still go self-hosted on WordPress but use a free theme ($100 a year).

If you have very little time, aren’t sure about a commitment, and don’t want to spend any money: For those of you that fit this category, I would suggest starting with a free site like Blogger or WordPress.com ($0)

If you have some time, are not sure about a big commitment, but can spend a small amount of money: I would suggest a custom domain at Blogger ($20 a year).

If you are looking to sell products or services and have some money to spend: I would suggest Squarespace ($195 a year)

This is the first post in a multi-post series on blogging. I will be adding to this series to include blog things like tools and resources, growth, and monetization! Because this post it to help you, please let me know what questions you have. I want to be a resource for you.