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Writer's pictureLauren Rhicard

Creating A Blog: Where To Start

Creating a blog was one of the best decisions I have ever made, it is somewhere I can keep all of my thoughts in one place and somewhere I can let my creativity run free. If you have been thinking about making one of your own, or are hesitant about it- let me persuade you!


When I started my blog I was in college and had to start it for an assessment, so I was given all the help I needed to get one up and running. For someone wanting to start up a blog and doesn't have this extra added help, it may be a bit daunting as to where to start and how so here I will be sharing with you the steps that I took when I started up mine.


Another reason I writing this is I feel the blogging community and blogs are slowly becoming more and more less prominent compared to 5/10 years ago when I used to sit and read through hundreds of popular bloggers' posts. Due to the world of Instagram, everything is just becoming more to do with photos and videos, rather than reading blog posts. That is a whole other story which I will discuss in more detail in another post, but for now, let's focus on how to start up a blog.


Brainstorming

Before you start up your blog, first you need to think of what your blog is going to be about and what topics it will be based on, as well as a name for your blog. I would try not to make your blog name and topic too niche, as if you want to expand on what you post about a few months down the line then it will be a whole lot of effort to make changes.


You also want to make sure you are making a blog for all of the right reasons. What I mean by this, is some people really only want to create a blog, or even become an 'influencer' on social media for example in an attempt to get freebies and promote brands. In the world of social media, yes this is very prominent and something that brands do, but it is really rare in the blogging world that you will be asked to promote products via a blog post. I have had my blog for around 4 years and have only just recently been asked to review a brand's products- this is not the right reason for wanting to start up a blog.


A blog is a place where you can share your thoughts and ideas and for me a place where I can just escape reality for a while and write up posts about topics I enjoy or am passionate about. For me, I don't really care if people read my posts, I write them for myself and for me to look back on. People supporting me and reading my posts is a bonus though!


If you are struggling with picking a name for your blog or can't think of anything unique, I recommend using a blog name generator. These are generators that you can type in keywords that you will be basing your blog around- such as beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, and the generator will generate you a name for your blog. I found this really useful and I actually got my very first ever blog name from one of these generators- 'Minimalistic Me'.


Here are some links to blog name generators I recommend using:


Choosing a website platform

Now you have your name thought of, and an idea of what your blog will be based around, your next step will be to choose a blogging website platform to start designing your blog.


The website I have always used and will always completely recommend is WIX, this is the platform my blog is on just now. WIX is completely to sign up for and is completely free to use.


When you sign up to WIX, there are many different options to choose from- such as having the free wix domain, or paying for your own domain. What this means is if you choose the free version, your website name will look like this:



whereas when you pay for your own domain, your website link will look like this:


www.rhicardsramblings.com


I didn't actually pay for my own domain name until a few months ago, so I would definitely recommend you just start up your blog on the free domain, as it works the exact same way, except you need the custom domain if you want to be found on google. Having your website found on google is incredibly hard, and even I am still trying to get my head around it, so I recommend you first get familiar with blogging before paying for your own domain.


There are of course other blogging websites available, such as Blogger and Sqaurespace, but I just find WIX the most easy to work and is the one I am most confident with.


Setting up your blog page

Now you have your blog name chosen and the platform is chosen and you have set up your account, it's time for the fun part!- decorating your blog.


This is the part that appeals the most to me, I absolutely love changing up the way my blog looks every few months to freshen things up. What I recommend doing is trying to pick a colour theme and vibe that you want your blog to look like.


Do you want your blog to be minimalistic nudes? Bright pops of colour? Y2K themed? The options are endless! I started by looking at some other blogs for some inspiration on layouts and themes. Here are some great blogs you can take some inspo from! Remember, you want to put your own spin on these, there is no point copying the whole blog- stay true to your vibe and aim for your blog.



The layout of your blog is really important, you want it to be accessible to people and as easy as possible to navigate. Keep it simple, and don't go with anything too crazy or extra as this may turn some people off as they won't know where to look.


For your menus, I recommend having a home page, blog posts page, about me page, subscribe page as well as a contact page. You can of course add any other pages you want to your blog, but I feel these are the necessities.


Creating Your First Blog Posts

This is the part you can let your imagination run free!


I would always recommend starting your blog off with an 'about me' blog post. I did not do this, but looking back I think this would have made a lot more sense than creating a benefit eyebrow review as my first post.


Let people know a little about you, why you started a blog as well as your blogging aims. Will you be posting weekly/monthly/daily? This way when you share this out people can have a read and will know what to expect when they come to your platform.


After this blog post, you can then blog about anything you like and anything that you think will fit your blog. Remember there are no rules with blogging, if you want to write about something which doesn't fit within your blog aesthetic, go for it anyway! My blog for example is genuinely about everything and anything, and it states that on the home page- nothing is off limits. All you need to do is create a new topic every time you write a new post that doesn't fit into your categories.


Make sure to make good use of hashtags, categories, and the title/ cover photo when making your blog posts as these will be the first things readers will see when they enter your blog.


Scheduling Blog Posts

I also recommend scheduling your blog posts so that they aren't being posted all at once. This way people aren't overloaded with information and they have time to read and think about one post at a time.


Every time I write a blog post now, I schedule it before posting, very rarely if not ever do I post blog posts straight away. You will always find a time that works best for you and when you get the most engagement. On my blog, I post on Mondays and Thursdays at 9 AM. I currently have 13 blog posts scheduled in, so that takes me up to Christmas.


I think this is a great idea as it means I can write what I want when I want, and know that if I haven't written anything that week there is still content going out. This also gives you time to think about events such as Halloween and Christmas in advance, as you can write up posts such as gift guides and schedule them for the due course.


Always keep in mind when scheduling posts the relevance of them at the time you are posting. For example, if I go see a movie in the cinema and write a review on it, I will move around my scheduled posts so that that review is going up the same week I wrote it, as this will be a hot topic now, and may not be 2 months down the line.


Promoting Your Posts

There are many ways to promote and share your blog posts so many that I am going to write up a separate blog post on this topic.


The one obvious way to share your posts is to share them on your own social media accounts, such as your Instagram and Facebook, as well as just sharing the link with your family and friends. However, for me, I personally didn't want to fill my own accounts with blog posts and overcrowd my own personal account, which is why I decided to make a separate Instagram for my blog.


Creating separate social media for your blog is the best tip I can give you here. When you create your own Instagram this is a space for you to promote and grow your blog as well as create your own little community. Here you can follow other bloggers as well as people who link to topics you write about. Every time I create a blog post I create a graphic and share it on my Instagram, to let people know there is something new on my blog. I also use Twitter and Pinterest to share my posts. I still have not delved into the Facebook world other than sharing specific posts in groups as I feel Facebook is more used by the older demographic compared to Instagram.


As I said, I will create a separate blog post on how to promote your blog in due course.


Staying Consistent

Having a blog and growing your blog isn't easy, and getting new subscribers is actually really hard. I have taken many breaks from blogging due to it feeling pointless and nobody reading my posts, but as I said earlier, I came to the realization that I wanted to blog for myself, and not other people.


The best way to keep your blog growing and get viewers is to stay consistent with your posts. Keep up the content and always have at least one post scheduled a week to keep people coming back. Stay relevant on social media, and make sure people are aware of you! I also recommend always being active on your social media, even if you aren't posting about a new blog post, sharing photos such as graphics, what you are up to in daily life, as well as anything else that fits with your blog vibe!


Growing your blog and followers does take time, but it is so worth it.


Read my 'I Hit 50 Blog Posts: Blog Detour' Here, where I talk through all my posts that have done well, and the ones that maybe didn't...: I Hit 50 Blog Posts ┃ Glasglowblog ┃Rhicard's Rambling's (rhicardsramblings.com)



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