Starting a Blog

You may have always thought about starting a blog but never did it. This is me in life. I day dream about most things I want to do. And then, I never do them. Why? I let fear win. Fear of what you might ask? Fear of failure. Fear of criticism. The excuses keep pouring in. You have to learn to let that fear go. Start the business you dream of. Start that beauty blog today. Take baby steps, like I do. I blog at my own pace. These days I have been having more confidence in the blogging world. I realized something this year. If I don't try, then I'll never know. I went to my first blogging conference this year. Was it helpful? Yes, I made many connections with different brands. 

Not all bloggers want to blog for income. Some do it for fun. First decide what type of blog you want. Do you want to make money from blogging? Then you should buy a domain name. If you want to just blog for friends and family you don't need to pay money up front. 

For example, When I first started blogging I was doing it as a hobby. So I started using blogger because it felt easy to navigate. Later on, I bought my domain name. 

Pick a Blogging Platform

There are many blogging platforms to choose from. 

• Blogger
• Wordpress
• Squarespace
• Weebly
• Wix

Many sources say that Wordpress and Squarespace is the way to go. These two will give you many design options to choose from. I must say that I'm still happy with my blogger blog. 

Pick a Niche

What kind of blog will you have? There are so many categories to choose from. 

• Lifestyle (usually consists of DIY projects, recipes, products, etc.)
• Beauty (hair, makeup, products, tutorials)
• Fashion (apparel, cool shops, fashionistas)
• Food (recipes, baking, cooking, drool worthy food photography)
• Reviews & Giveaways (product reviews, giveaways)
• Geek (comics, video games, board games, toys)

I categorize my blog as lifestyle and reviews. Sometimes I blog about food, crafts, reviews, and other family type stuff. 

Create a Header/Logo

If you want to start off right, make a pretty header. I had the basic title for Blogger for such a long time. I finally had a friend make me a header. It looks so much better now. If you don't have the money to pay someone to do it, try doing it yourself. Picmonkey and Canva are two great resources when making graphics or for editing photos.

Photography

My favorite blogs all have one major thing in common. Large, beautiful photos that are visually appealing. You can take your own photos and use stock photography as well. For my lifestyle and review blog I have always used my own photos. 

Social Media Icons

Make sure your social media icons are visible to all. If your visitors enjoy the blog they will want to follow you on social media. Social media is where you will share your blog posts. You can even customize the icons to be any color or style you want. 

These are some basic suggestions for starting a blog. I could go on and on with what I have learned over the years. Do you have a blog? What advice would you give someone starting a blog for the first time?