10 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Blog
So you want to start a blog? I will always be one to say ‘just do it’, because I love sharing all my family adventures and bringing you along with me on my fitness journey. You guys have seen Harper grow up and now Noa is growing up before our eyes. My blog has evolved a lot - it has been one heck of a rollercoaster! But what I can say is that it has been nice to have you guys along for the ride. There are a few things I wish I knew before I started mine. It’s an exciting time for you, so I thought I’d pass along a few of the things I’ve learned along the way. I hope these tips save you some time, money and support you on your successful journey to becoming a blogger!
No Shame in the Domain Name
Selecting a perfect domain name is not always that easy. My suggestion is to get out a piece of paper and start to write down all the things you plan to be blogging about. Consider one that is easy to pronounce, spell and one that is short and sweet! I prefer sticking with .com but don’t be bummed if it’s not available. Other extension are becoming more popular, so don’t sweat it too much! I would also ask yourself if you want to just use your name as your domain as this has been a great choice by many famous bloggers!
Pick The Perfect Platform
I wish I did my research beforehand because I have switched my blog platform 2 times now. It’s a lot of work to switch and transfer the content over, so I suggest doing your homework in advance. Speak to other bloggers and find out what the pros and cons are for each. I started on a few platform (Wordpress), but found it to be too limited, which led me to move to Wix. There were a lot of benefits, but I found it actually wasn’t that much more superior for the added cost. Ahhh, with all that said and after speaking with friends I made another switch to Squarespace. I have been using it for over 3 years and find it is working best for me. There is still a lot to learn, but right now I can say I am comfortable with what it offers me. A lot of people may disagree, but the main concept behind Squarespace is that it is basically ‘code-free’ and I don’t often have to get into all the CSS or HTML stuff.
Hey Google, What Is Google Analytics
It’s important to understand who your audience is and where they are coming from. This helps you to continue to build content that is relevant and engaging. I made the mistake of not doing this! I found some easy tutorials online and got to work. Now it’s set up and although I am no pro at reading the numbers, I do have a basic understanding of what I’m looking at. This has helped me to see what content is performing well and how I can continue to improve.
Email Me At …
Such a simple and little thing, but it goes a long way. It’s important to have one to help you appear as a professional brand and blog from day 1. When dealing with clients or potential advertisers, it is a nice added touch.
Careful with Copyrights
So many friends of mine told me this in the start, so I was lucky. There are a lot of unfortunate incidents where bloggers have copy and pasted images from the internet and used it on their blog. This is a no-no! You could be reported and besides being removed from google searches, you could also be fined lots of moula. Don’t do it - consider paying for stock images or find royalty-free images that you can use. The best way to avoid this altogether is to take your own photos!
Big up and Build Your List
I probably should’ve taken this part a bit more seriously when I started. I have learned now that emails are still an effective marketing tool and if you want to stay in touch with your visitors and audience, set this up from the very start. Continue to ask your people to join your subscriber list!
SEO Optimization
What does this even mean? Well I am not an expert here, but I do know that if you’re serious about building your blog, you need to set up your SEO optimization right. I hired someone to do this for me and I continue to ask questions because this is 100% an area that I am not familiar with, but know is extremely important!
Consistency and Content
It’s important to think about catchy and engaging headlines for your blog posts. There are even simple tweaks you can make to help attract more readers to your blog. For example, using a good balance of common and uncommon words that also entice emotion for a reader. Use numbers or consider questions for your headlines (5 Easy and Effective Home Workouts or Are You Tired of Working Out With No Results?). There are tons of tips online and even sites to help you generate headlines. I also say keep it concise and clear. Most importantly, being consistent with creating content for your blog is key!
Social Media Support
It’s also helpful to use your social media to push traffic to your blog. I always promote my blog posts on Instagram at the same time I go live on my blog. Remember that social media platforms aren’t always forever, so it’s necessary to focus on building your email list and the content on your blog.
Let Go of Perfection
I know you might be pressuring yourself to make the perfect blog post before hitting publish, but my advice is to just go with it and find your own voice. Be you and always keep it real. Readers want to get to know you - mistakes and all. It’s a beautiful thing to see how you evolve over time and your audience will enjoy the journey too!
