Recently I've been receiving a lot of messages asking for advice on starting a blog. I try to respond to as many of you as I can but often find myself missing a few so I thought it would be so much easier to write a blog post and direct you all over here!
Choose A Suitable Domain Name
Every blog needs a name. One of the first things you should think about when you're thinking of starting a blog is a name for it. Thinking of a name for your blog is probably one of the hardest things about starting a blog. I've lost count of the amount of times I changed my blog name before publishing it.
When thinking of a name for your blog, you should think of something catchy that's easy for people to remember. Another thing to keep in mind is are you going to like it? Or a few months down the line, are you going to decide that you want to change it? Once you're started a blog, changing the name of it may lead to you loosing followers as people will continue to look for your blog under the original name.
A good place to start when trying to think of a name for your blog is different ways in which you can include your own name in it. For example my name is Ella Butler and my blog name is Elbutlerxox. El is my nickname so I wanted to use that and I added xox at the end to make it a bit prettier.
Choose A Topic You Are Passionate About
The next thing to think about when starting a blog is what content you want to include. What do you want to base your blog on? Do you want to be a lifestyle blogger? A beauty blogger? A fashion blogger? You'll gain a lot more followers if you have a base to your blog.
You need to be passionate about the subject your blog focuses on. If you launch a blog on a topic that doesn't really appeal to you, you'll loose interest quickly and inevitably stop updating it.
Make An Inspiration List
It's no good making a blog if you don't have any idea what you're going to write about. When I started blogging, one of the first things I did was write a list of all the possible blog posts I could write. I typed all my ideas up on a database using Microsoft Excel and saved it to my Mac so I can go back to it and look whenever I need inspiration. If you don't have Microsoft Excel, there are a range of other programmes you could use include Microsoft Word. You could even write them down on a piece of paper and pop them in a folder or pin the to your wall. This way, once you're made your blog, you have inspiration on what content to add.
Choose Your Preferred Blogging Platform
After doing all of these things, the next step you need to take is choosing where you want to host your blog. There are so many different websites that you can use. Some of my personal favourites are:
Designing Your Blog
Now, the fun bit. Making your blog exactly how you want it is so important! If you like the way your blog looks, other people are likely to like it too. I recommend something that looks professional but also something that's easy for you to customise.
Remember, your blog's design should reflect both you and your personality, but also what the blog is about, There is no point have a tennis-orientated theme if your blog is about dancing.
Navigation is another big thing to think about when designing your blog. Your blog should be easy to navigate if you want people to stick around. If it's tricky to move around your site, people won't stick around.
Having The Appropriate Pages
What pages you have on your blog is another big thing to think about. This took me a while to figure out and it's easily changed but the faster you know what pages you want to include, the easier you'll find blogging. I started of with just a blog page and a contact page. I've now changed my blog into different categories so that posts are easier for my visitors to find. I have a Home page, a Beauty page, a Fashion page, an Inspiration page, a Blogger Tags page and a Contact page.
As I said earlier in this section, this is an easy aspect of your blog to change. I'm always adding and taking away pages or changing the name. I'd recommend starting with minimal pages and then slowly adding them in as you get the hang go blogging.
I hope this post helps all of you guys wanting to start a blog! If there's something I haven't covered, feel free to message me via twitter (@elbutlerxox) or contact me via my contact page and I'll see what I can do.
Choose A Suitable Domain Name
Every blog needs a name. One of the first things you should think about when you're thinking of starting a blog is a name for it. Thinking of a name for your blog is probably one of the hardest things about starting a blog. I've lost count of the amount of times I changed my blog name before publishing it.
When thinking of a name for your blog, you should think of something catchy that's easy for people to remember. Another thing to keep in mind is are you going to like it? Or a few months down the line, are you going to decide that you want to change it? Once you're started a blog, changing the name of it may lead to you loosing followers as people will continue to look for your blog under the original name.
A good place to start when trying to think of a name for your blog is different ways in which you can include your own name in it. For example my name is Ella Butler and my blog name is Elbutlerxox. El is my nickname so I wanted to use that and I added xox at the end to make it a bit prettier.
Choose A Topic You Are Passionate About
The next thing to think about when starting a blog is what content you want to include. What do you want to base your blog on? Do you want to be a lifestyle blogger? A beauty blogger? A fashion blogger? You'll gain a lot more followers if you have a base to your blog.
You need to be passionate about the subject your blog focuses on. If you launch a blog on a topic that doesn't really appeal to you, you'll loose interest quickly and inevitably stop updating it.
Make An Inspiration List
It's no good making a blog if you don't have any idea what you're going to write about. When I started blogging, one of the first things I did was write a list of all the possible blog posts I could write. I typed all my ideas up on a database using Microsoft Excel and saved it to my Mac so I can go back to it and look whenever I need inspiration. If you don't have Microsoft Excel, there are a range of other programmes you could use include Microsoft Word. You could even write them down on a piece of paper and pop them in a folder or pin the to your wall. This way, once you're made your blog, you have inspiration on what content to add.
Choose Your Preferred Blogging Platform
After doing all of these things, the next step you need to take is choosing where you want to host your blog. There are so many different websites that you can use. Some of my personal favourites are:
- Weebly (Definitely recommend!)
- Wordpress
- Blogger
Designing Your Blog
Now, the fun bit. Making your blog exactly how you want it is so important! If you like the way your blog looks, other people are likely to like it too. I recommend something that looks professional but also something that's easy for you to customise.
Remember, your blog's design should reflect both you and your personality, but also what the blog is about, There is no point have a tennis-orientated theme if your blog is about dancing.
Navigation is another big thing to think about when designing your blog. Your blog should be easy to navigate if you want people to stick around. If it's tricky to move around your site, people won't stick around.
Having The Appropriate Pages
What pages you have on your blog is another big thing to think about. This took me a while to figure out and it's easily changed but the faster you know what pages you want to include, the easier you'll find blogging. I started of with just a blog page and a contact page. I've now changed my blog into different categories so that posts are easier for my visitors to find. I have a Home page, a Beauty page, a Fashion page, an Inspiration page, a Blogger Tags page and a Contact page.
As I said earlier in this section, this is an easy aspect of your blog to change. I'm always adding and taking away pages or changing the name. I'd recommend starting with minimal pages and then slowly adding them in as you get the hang go blogging.
I hope this post helps all of you guys wanting to start a blog! If there's something I haven't covered, feel free to message me via twitter (@elbutlerxox) or contact me via my contact page and I'll see what I can do.