Looking to start a blog? Here are 10 things you need to know before starting a blog.
I started blogging all the way back in 2012, at the age of 15! If you told 15 year old me that 23 year old me would still be typing to you, I would not have believed you. Granted, my blog has undergone a plethora of name changes and content; you name it, I have blogged about it. From fashion and beauty to books and blogging, I have not stopped blogging about my current loves. With eight years of experience I believe I am quite knowledgeable about the blogging world. Therefore, if you are looking to start a blog, I thought I’d share with you a few things you need to know before starting a blog.
1 | You’re not going to be receiving mega views from day one
Building up a readership takes time and effort. You are not going to see hundreds of people flock to your site with just one blogpost as growth takes time. Truthfully, I’m still not at my desired growth point and I know it’s going to take a while to get there.
2 | Posting consistently is key
To increase your readership and have an audience that comes back to your site, it is important that you post consistently. I try to post atleast twice a week so my site is constantly being updated and therefore my audience know that my blog is current.
3 | SEO is very important – learn it!
When I first started blogging, SEO was a very small thing that I paid no attention to. It’s quite difficult to get your head around at first so if you have WordPress I highly recommend the Yoast SEO plug in as it tells you how to improve the SEO on your site. SEO helps you rank higher in search engines and since using SEO I have seen an increase in search engine traffic.
4 | GO SELF HOSTED
I cannot stress this one enough. If you are starting a blog in hopes of turning it into a business, going self hosted will help accelerate that process. Why? Well, you will get a domain of your choosing which increases your professionalism. Also with wordpress once you become self hosted you can change your blog design and start implementing plug ins which can start gaining you revenue.
For self hosting providers these two companies are great:
I absolutely loved Siteground – click here to check out their awesome packages! I would still be with them but they got a bit expensive for me.
Now I am with Bluehost which is cheaper but equally as good – click here to check out their packages!
5 | PINTEREST IS THE KEY TO GROWTH
Another capitalised heading, I know. This one is a very important thing you need to know; Pinterest accounts for around 80-90% of my blog views and without pinterest my blog views would be very minimal.
If you would like to know how i increased my pinterest page views by 200k in one week, click here!
6 | Do not saturate your blog with ads
There’s nothing worse than clicking onto someone’s blog and not being able to read or see any content because there are ads here, there and everywhere.
7 | The Cleaner the Layout, the Better (Fonts, Sidebar, Images)
Similar to the ad point, you do not want a cluttered blog. I remember when I started blogging, my sidebar was cluttered with badges and widgets; it was an eyesore. The cleaner your blog is the more people are enticed to stay for a while. Think of your blog like a shop or house, you don’t want to walk in and stay somewhere messy; you want some order.
8 | Make sure your images are of the highest quality
As a reader, ofcourse you read the post once you are on it however, the images are the first thing that entice a reader to read the post. Make sure your images are bright, clean and relevant to the blogpost.
9 | Not everyone will ‘get’ your blog and what HARD WORK comes with it.
Trust me my family still don’t get it. It could take me hours upon hours to complete one blog post but to them ‘surely it doesn’t take that long?’ Well it does. My ‘University Essentials‘ post took me DAYS yet it’s not the same as a job to them.
LOL this sounded so bitter but I’m basically just trying to say people will not understand how much goes into a post and they will not believe it when you tell them. Therefore as a new blogger, you’re probably underestimating how much work is going to have to go into your blog.
10 | DON’T compare yourself to others
Just like everything in life, you will see results in your own time. It’s hard to not compare yourself to others but just keep in mind that you will get there. It’s something I have to remind myself of every day; trust in the process and you’ll succeed.
That was 10 things you need to know before starting a blog!
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS POST, YOU’LL LOVE:
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Hi Georgia! Thank you so much for this post! I am just starting with my blog (wish me luck and absolutely loved your tips! I especially loved the tips on clean layout, Pinterest and self-hosting! I will try all of them as they made so much sense for me! 💖
Love the post , especially not comparing to anyone . Your blog should represent you and should be unique .
Love these tips! Thank you so much!
Love this so much, super helpful- THANK YOU
I love the world of planning, blogging and I think your article is very successful