Everything you need to know about starting a successful blog
In this post I am going to break it ALL down for you. Not only am I going to share my best tips for starting a blog, I’m going to break it down into bite size pieces. And easy actions steps you can take to set you up for success. When I say I am sharing everything you need to know about starting a successful blog, I mean everything!
I was beyond naive when I started my blog. It seemed like such a glamorous idea. Sit at home or in coffee shops all day, write and magically make a living writing my new blog. Little did I know the huge learning curve I was on.
This is why I am sharing everything you need to know about starting your own successful blog with you.
If you’re interested in learning a little bit more about me and my blog, you can read my about page here.
This post, everything you need to know about starting a successful blog, contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a commission from the sale.
Ready to start a new blog?
If you are ready to start a new blog, I’m guessing that means you have something or things you are passionate about. And these are things you want to share with others. That is so exciting!
I’n this post I will cover the basics of where to start and what to do first.
There’s a lot to learn when you are new to blogging! At times it can all seem a bit overwhelming and the terminology may be foreign at first. But, if you hang in there and persevere it will begin to make sense and click into place for you.
This post is full of helpful information, aha moments and resources to help you on your new blogging journey.
Why take my advice on everything you need to know about starting a successful blog? After 10 years of blogging I’ve learned a whole lot about blogging. And I want to pass this knowledge on to you!
I know what it feels like to have questions, to feel lost, to feel way in over my head and to want someone to break it down for me. I hope this post is a helpful resource for you. If you have questions drop them in the comments sections!
Everything you need to know about starting a successful blog
I had so much content to share with you that I broke it down into a three part series! Use the table of content below to navigate through this post and see what we’ll be covering in part one of this three post series.
Decide on a niche
This decision will inform all your following decisions for your blog. The very first thing to identify is what your subject matter will be and who your audience is. If you plan to cover a specific topic area that is your niche. If you have a variety of topics you will fall into the broad category of lifestyle blogger.
My blog is a lifestyle blog. Over the years I’ve honed in on easy DIY projects and productivity posts, but I still write on other related topics.
Perhaps you have one specific area you are passionate about and can’t wait to share with others! This passion is your niche.
Whether it be fashion, crafting, home improvement, cooking and baking, fitness, beauty, business insights, travel, personal growth, book reviews or many other wonderful areas of inspiration. You have a desire to provide your valuable knowledge, skills, advice, know how to others and yes, even your opinions.
As you start your blogging journey know what it is you will be writing about. This will impact how you set your blog up, from choosing a name, to picking out a theme (the layout and design of your website) to the images you use and the voice of your blog. And it will give you direction as you move forward.
Action Step: Take the time to decide what key topics your blog will be about and who your audience is. As I stated at the beginning of this section, this will inform all your following decisions for your blog.
Create a motto or mission statement for yourself
This one is incredibly important. Several years ago I felt inspired to rebrand my blog. I had been blogging under the name My Fair Olinda. My blog name was a play on my love for classic movies, specifically, My Fair Lady, and my great grandmother’s beautiful and unique name Olinda.
I loved this blog name. The problem with the name My Fair Olinda is that it communicated nothing of what my blog was about. And considering Olinda isn’t my name, it probably confused people.
In 2016 after much reflection about what I wanted to achieve as a blogger I came to develop a life motto for myself. I had two passions. The first was to live joyfully, the second was to live intentionally.
And so Happily Dwell was born. I chose the word Happily because it was bright and cheery and joyful. I chose the word Dwell because it represents physical, mental and spiritual living.
My motto:
Joy filled living!
My mission:
To empower and uplift others so that they may live full lives in pursuit of passionate creativity!
As a lifestyle blogger who loves to encourage and inspire people through my writing I hope that the name Happily Dwell communicates clearly that this blog is about living a happy life.
Action Step: Write out a motto and mission for your blog. This will give you clarity and vision moving forward.
Come up with a name
With your niche, motto, and mission in mind you can begin to brainstorm a blog name. This is such a fun process! Be creative and think about how your name can represent your blog and brand for years to come.
Ideas to help you brainstorm a name:
- Use your full name. Simply use your name. This can be your first and last name or your first and middle name or a variation.
For example if I had simply used my name my blog would be Naomi Irons. In my case I would need to use my middle initial since naomiirons.com already exists.
Lots of bloggers and entrepreneurs do this and it works really well. The advantage to using your name for a blog is that your niche can evolve without you aver having to rebrand because you simply build the brand around yourself. My only caution is that it doesn’t give any indication of what your niche is or what your blog is about.
- Combine your niche and your name.
Since I have a lifestyle blog I could go with something as simple as Naomi Lives Life. If I had a fitness blog – Naomi Gets Fit, or a food blog – Cooking With Naomi. Take your key topic or passion and creatively combine it with your name.
- Do a brain dump.
This is my favorite. Take a piece of paper and write everything you associate with your niche, motto and mission that you want represented on your blog. I wanted to create a positive and encouraging space. For my blog that list would look something like: happy, joyfull, living, life, encouragement, positivity, home, house, cozy, built up, warm, welcoming…
- Use an alliteration.
For example I could’ve gone with Delightfully Dwell, Happily Host, Neat Naomi… This could work well after doing a brain dump by identifying any words starting with the same first letter.
- Use a play on words.
I love thrifting and saving money, if I had a financial blog I could call it Nifty Thrifty.
If you like the meaning of a word you can also pull up a thesaurus and look at synonyms.
The point is there are lots of ways to come up with a name. Ultimately, I think it should reflect you and be something you love!
I came up with Happily Dwell after honing in on the motto of joy filled living. I bought a second domain, rebranded and redirected my old domain to my new domain. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself when choosing a name.
Having trouble getting started? You can also use a blog name generator for inspiration. What’s great about this generator is that it also shows you available domains.
I recommend brainstorming a few viable site names and keywords. Then it’s time to do a little research. You may have come up with a fabulous blog name only to find that the domain is already taken. So now comes researching available domain names.
Action step: Brainstorm several blog names, research that the domain (s) is available and choose your name!
Before purchasing a domain, I highly recommend checking that all the major social media handles are still available as well. There are lots of websites out there that you can plug your name into and check which platforms still have that handle available.
I grabbed up all the social media handles I could with my blog name and actual name years ago. When I got married in 2019, I changed them all to my married name naomikirons, using my middle initial to distinguish my handle. As soon as I knew I wanted to rebrand to Happily Dwell, I checked that both the domain happilydwell.com was available and verified that every social media platform I wanted to be on had that handle available.
Now, it’s not 100% essential that the social media handles are available, but it’s a huge bonus. So if you LOVE your domain name, but it’s the handle isn’t available on Instagram or Facebook it’s not the end of the world. But I highly recommend that they match if possible.
The more consistency and brand recognition you can create the better.
Action Step: Verify that the social media handles for your blog name are available.
This post, everything you need to know about starting a successful blog, contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a commission from the sale.
Choose a blog host and a platform
I use Bluehost as my web hosting service and WordPress.org as my platform. So from this point forward, I will primarily be speaking to my experience with Bluehost and WordPress.org.
It’s important to note that WordPress.com is different from WordPress.org. WordPress.com is a free blogging platform, but you do not own that blog. If you intend to grow your blog and monetize, WordPress.com is not a good option. When I reference WordPress I am referring to WordPress.org.
For many new bloggers, a free hosted platform seems like the way to go. My advice would be to stay away from the free blogging platforms if you are serious about blogging. Yes, they are free, but you will not own your blog on these free blogging platforms. In my opinion, it’s worth the investment to self-host. Especially if you want to blog full time someday.
There are tons of web hosts out there. Two major web hosts that bloggers tend to use are Bluehost and Siteground. You will find that most bloggers are partial to whichever one they use.
I have been using Bluehost for several years and am very happy with them. They have 24/7 help available and have solved every issue I’ve ever had.
I was recently accepted into their affiliate program and am very proud that I can represent a company that I use and appreciate so much.
When you use Bluehost you’ll get a FREE Domain Name for 1st Year, your FREE SSL Certificate, 1-Click WordPress Install and as I mentioned earlier 24/7 Support. Considering your hosting service before purchasing your domain is important since hosts like Bluehost have special domain deals for new sign ups.
Sign up for Bluehost today. You’ll get hosting for just $3.95 a month for the next three years!
You can purchase your domain separately from Bluehost, but if you plan to go with self hosting and use Bluehost you’ll get your domain for free for the first year!
I started with the Basic plan, but have now upgraded to Choice Plus with Bluehost. When you join you can actually get this plan at the introductory rate of $6.95 a month for three years! I’m currently paying $10.99 a month.
Two other hosting options to look into:
- Siteground: Comparatively if you want an all in one solution you can use Siteground, which provides both hosting and serves as your platform. They also have managed WordPress hosting. As I have not personally used the platform I cannot vouch for them, but I know many bloggers who love Siteground.
- WP Engine: Another hosting option I recently became aware of is through WP Engine. I found out about WP Engine when I recently switched to a new theme which utilizes their Genesis Framework theme.
They also offer managed WordPress hosting and claim to be the fastest among the top WordPress hosts. You can get 3 months free when you sign up for WP Engine. And you’ll also get Genesis Framework as well as 35+ StudioPress Themes included.
Action Step: Choose a web hosting service and determine the platform you will use.
Choosing a theme
Once you have your web host, domain, and platform in place you will need a theme. WordPress does offer free themes and you can find free themes offered by other developers. However, these themes tend to be basic, with minimal design.
I went through a few themes, both free and paid, before I found my current theme, Hello Blush, by Hello You Designs. I absolutely fell in love with it! This theme has everything I could’ve ever wished for built into it. Powered by Genesis Framework, I’ve never been more happy with a theme. Ever.
The look and feel of your new blog will depend on the theme you choose. Here are a few sites to check out when looking for a quality theme:
Once you choose a theme you will need to set it up in WordPress and customize it. While there are many free themes out there, they are not as robust or beautifully designed as I prefer. Free themes may also have limited coding, which means you’ll be limited when it comes to customizing them.
However, if you are just starting out and don’t want to spend a lot of money yet a free theme is a good option. Just keep in mind that if you decide to switch themes later it will be a little more complicated as your site will be live.
Much of the layout of your site will be dependent on the theme you choose. When choosing your theme look at both the visual design and the layout design. Spend time going through the theme demo (live preview) to get a good feel for how the layout of the site functions and flows. If certain options are really important to you, it’s good to do the research before purchasing your theme.
Things to consider when looking for a theme:
- Style that fits your niche and brand
- Features that are important to you
- Is it responsive?
- Is it optimized for mobile users?
- Does it support popular WordPress plugins?
- Does it require a parent theme?
- Does it work well with all major browsers?
- Is it compatible with the latest version of WordPress?
- Does it come with theme documentation?
Action Step: Find a theme you love and install it in WordPress.
Be aware of the laws governing blogs
This is the most important research you will do. Whether you intend to have a hobby blog or monetize. The minute you launch a live website you are legally responsible for it.
This is where your Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions comes in.
And yes you absolutely should have all three. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) governs websites (including blogs) and monitors that consumer privacy laws are being followed.
There is a lot you need to to disclose. Such as, if and how you collect data and what is done with that data. If you are using Google Analytics. If you are using an advertising platform to host ads on your site, such as Google Adsense. Among other things.
You also need to ensure you are complying with privacy policy laws. Including, but not limited to, EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Protection Act (DPA) in the UK, the Privacy Act of 1988 in Australia, the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The three most important legal components of a blog are your Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions.
I used Amira’s, of A Self Guru, Legal Bundle for my Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions. And I’m so happy I did! In the time it takes to drink my morning coffee I had all three documents edited and posted on my site.
Her templates are comprehensive and easy to use. The most important factor for me was that using her templates gave me peace of mind and confidence in my policies.
Please note: I am not a lawyer and my advice should not be taken as legal or professional advice.
Want to become an affiliate for A Self Guru? You can sign up here with my referral link!
Know what copyright laws are
In addition to abiding by the laws governing the internet, websites and yes a blog, you should also be aware of copyright laws. These laws protect you and your work as well as the work of others.
For example, you cannot just google an image, download it and use it. Just like your published work on your blog – your words and images and any product (physical of digital) that you produce – other bloggers and websites words, images and products are copyrighted.
Unless it is explicitly stated that you can use something you cannot ever take something and use it on your blog. Many bloggers make the mistake of thinking that it they give credit or attribute the author or photographer that they can freely publish someone else’s work. This is not true and could lead to a painful and costly lawsuit.
You’ll see this most often with round up posts. If you create a round up post you should first reach out to the bloggers and obtain their permission to use and publish their work on your site. Point being, take the time to read about and research copyright laws.
All the content you publish should be created by you. And you should have express permission to use something on your blog if you are not the author or creator. Following copyright laws from day one is best practice and it will give you piece of mind and confidence in your blog!
Please note: I am not a lawyer and my advice should not be taken as legal or professional advice.
If you need high-quality stock images for your blog posts check out my 10 favorite stock photography websites.
At the beginning of this post I told you I’d be sharing everything you need to know about starting a successful blog. I hope you’ve found this post insightful and helpful!
I had so much content to share I broke it up into three post! In post two of this three post series you can read about:
- Setting up a static homepage with a separate blogfeed
- Installing key plugins for additional blog features
- Creating your cornerstone pre-launch content
- Getting your blog seen
Read part two of this blog series now: How to Customize Your New Blog
Did you find this post helpful? Or do you have questions? Please leave a comment below and be sure to save this post to Pinterest!
xoxo Naomi
p.s. Check out my latest blog post on the BEST free stock photo sites! You won’t believe how many amazing free photos you can find and use.
This post, everything you need to know about starting a successful blog, contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a commission from the sale.
