Robyn's Southern Nest - Blogging for Beginners

Blogging for Beginners Guide

I know it seems daunting. Believe me I was there two years ago just trying my best to figure it all out. I’ve had my blog for two years now and I am still learning new things. I seem to be getting a lot of questions about how to start a blog and I figured it was time to get down to the basics. It can be a learning curve, but I want to share my blog journey, and the steps that I took to start my blog. The following is a blogging for beginners guide to help you get started.

Blogging For Beginners - Robyn's Southern Nest

I think it’s important to know that just because you start a blog doesn’t mean you are going to make money right away. I honestly decided to start mine to document our home decor journey when we first bought our house in May of 2016. I never thought that one day I might be able to generate income from my little hobby.

Research

First things first. My very first step I took before buying or deciding on anything was to read similar blogs like this one to help me understand the business a little better. There are many different avenues that bloggers can make money, and if you aren’t a blogger, it can all sound a little bit like Chinese at first. I suggest reading about people’s experiences because they have put them out there for your benefit. Learn from them, use them as a guide and also continue to stay up to date on all the new changes in this business of blogging.

Choosing a Platform

Choosing the right platform for your needs is important. I decided to go with WordPress.org because it allows you to monetize your site, not to be confused with the free version WordPress.com. I think for the most part it is very easy to use and if I get stumped on something I just go on youtube.com and watch a tutorial. I learned to get crafty when researching how to blog.

Choosing a Domain Name and Host Site

After I chose what platform I wanted to use, I then chose my domain name. I decided to do a play on my name that would also work for home decor. This name you will be using across all your social media pages, email, so make sure that it is really something you love because it can be a hassle to change everything. I also highly recommend looking on the social media platforms to be sure that the name you have chosen isn’t already on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. before you decide on a domain name. Someone might not have the domain name, but they might already have all the social media platforms on lock with that name.

I decided to use iPage as my hosting page and they were able to tell me if the domain www.robynssouthernest.com was an available domain name. I like iPage because it was very user friendly and easy to set up as well. They also offer a professional email with the purchase of your domain and hosting fees. For example it can be yourname@yourdomainname.com.

Download WordPress

After I had my domain and host all set up through iPage I went ahead and downloaded WordPress.

Remember WordPress.org does allow you to monetize your page as I mentioned earlier. I pay my fees in one payment per year, but I do believe that you can set up monthly payments. So just keep that in mind. With iPage and WordPress.org it ends up being roughly $20/month to keep my site up.

Choosing a Blog Theme

I took to Etsy to find my Blog Theme because I wanted my blog to stand out. They have so many nice ones there to choose from. I’m currently on my second theme since I’ve started my blog since I changed my mind on my first theme. I did have my sister create my logo for my website since typically themes don’t come with designed logos.

Before you go LIVE

Looking back on it now I wish I would have created at least 5 different solid blogs to have on deck before I made them go live. If you are looking to make this a business people do want to see content so I suggest having at least 5 blogs all typed up and edited so that you can release them daily or every other day. When I wrote my first post I think I was just so excited by the whole idea that I didn’t think strategy.

Monetizing Your Blog

My best advice to you is to do your research and figure out what company you want to use to monetize your blog. I use Google Adsense and have been for about a year now. I highly recommend them since it is so easy to sign up and insert the code into your blog. They have step by step instructions on how to do so. Google Adsense helps advertisers promote their products and/or services to your blog-using ads. These can be placed on your homepage, in the body of your blog and on the sidebar. All of this can be tailored to your preference. Most times the companies that advertise on my blog are ones that are home decor related. You can read more about Google Adsense here.

Promotion

Promoting your blog is just as important if not more important than the content of your blog. If you want to increase traffic to your site you are going to have to promote it on all social media channels that work best for you. If you already have a large following on Facebook or Instagram start there. I read that you should put in 80% promotion and 20% content towards your blog. Crazy right? It is true. And once you have enough posts in your archive you can pull any of them out to promote again and again, because Bob might not have seen that post about your bathroom remodel when you first published it.

Social Media

Personally I find that Pinterest is the best source of traffic for my blog. Of course everyone is going to be different, so I try and focus my attention on what works best for me. If you can see the analytics and its showing that 80% of your traffic is from Pinterest then you will continue to grow that source. Now that doesn’t mean to slack off on other avenues, because things are ever changing in this world we live in. Ten years from now we might not have Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram and we already have to adapt to the next big thing.

Blogging For Beginners - Robyn's Southern Nest

Tailwind

If you want to grow your blog and don’t have the time to manually pin on Pinterest I highly recommend using Tailwind. It allows you to schedule pins whenever you want and will even post your pins when your followers are online. It is super easy to use! You can click here to get started! It’s a game changer in my book!

Stay True

I say this because you want your readers to find the human element in your blog. Don’t blog about something just because a brand sent you something. Blog about something you stand behind. I think people can see through the BS, and they appreciate people being honest, not forced. Choose what you are passionate about and visualize yourself being successful in that role. Don’t focus on the haters or people who don’t understand. There will always be those people out there, but you aren’t doing it for them. If you don’t feel inspired to share something on your blog that day, then don’t write about it. There have been so many times I’ve come on here and thought nope…not today. Also, be engaging with your audience and ask them what they would like to learn or know more about.

I hope this entry will help you in your blogging journey. Remember this was my journey and you don’t have to copy it exactly. Do what works best for you. Good luck out there! Feel free to email me any of your questions.

Leave questions or comments below with your blog and I will go give you a follow. 🙂

Thank you for flying by my nest!

xoxo,

Robyn

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Robyn's Southern Nest - Blogging for Beginners

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