THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. DISCLOSURE
3 years ago when I started blogging, I never imagined I would still be blogging today, much less that I would be a successful mom blogger. I figured the market was way too saturated, and that I would never be able to reach an audience who wanted to read what I had to offer. Well, God had much bigger plans than I had for myself, and has blessed my blog beyond my own belief. I have had several of my readers reach out to me in the past couple of months about starting their own blog, but are completely overwhelmed with the process and do not know where to start! I’ve been there, so I put together this super simple outline to get started without making the millions of mistakes that I have made over the past 3 years!
DEFINE YOUR NICHE
This has always been so difficult for me, and in fact my niche has evolved over time. When I initially started blogging, it was about my faith, our farming lifestyle, and fitness. Now, my niche includes motherhood and moms who want to work from home. I still talk about my faith and farming, but my main focus is about where I am at in my life right now- being a new mom. Your niche can be super defined- for example, many you want to write directly to homeschooling moms. Or, you can have a wider niche- for example, moms who live in the United States. Whatever you decide, it’s important to know who you are planning to reach with your blog before you start.
SELECT YOUR HOSTING
There are various hosting sites on the web, and I have tried 3 of them. I finally found my “home” with Siteground. They are super affordable and their customer service is unmatched by any of the other hosting sites I have tried. Your hosting site is essentially a back up. Having a reliable hosting site means little to no downtime for site maintenance, which is super important as your site grows!
PURCHASE YOUR DOMAIN
When naming your site, make sure it fits your niche, or go with something generic like your name. You can purchase your domain after you set up your hosting site with Siteground. If you have already purchased a domain on a different site (such as GoDaddy), Siteground is more than happy to transfer it for you- for no additional cost! Purchasing your domain is very affordable, and it means you OWN your site. No one else can come in and take it from you!
SELECT YOUR BLOG PLATFORM
I have experimented with several different blog platforms over the years. If you are serious about blogging, I 100% recommend starting with WordPress.org (not WordPress.com). You will need to download WordPress.org to your PC, and from there you can connect your domain and select your theme (there are free themes available, you do not need to purchase one).
WRITE
Now that you have the technical steps taken care of, you can start creating content for your blog! I’ve heard of some people waiting to launch until they have several posts ready to go, but in my opinion, as soon as you have one post ready, publish your blog! After all, your readers are waiting 🙂
