If you’re looking for how to start a blog the right way, you’ve come to the right place.
When I started blogging seriously, I thought I might be mentally challenged because I nearly threw my laptop over the balcony on numerous occasions out of frustration.
I’m obviously not going to chime in with the “starting a blog is easy” BS, for two reasons;
a. I hate lies and
b. I’m not angling for any kind of affiliate payment if I have to lie to get it.
That said, here are a few other things that they don’t (won’t) tell you about blogging.
“Write About Your Passion”.
If you want to ‘write about your passion’ hoping to have any kind of real success with a blog, you’d better Love Ramen noodles (or learn to), because you’re probably not gonna make much money.
When you decide that you want to start a blog, most people will tell you to “write about something that you’re passionate about”. I read that and thought “that makes sense”. But this was difficult for me because I’m not ‘passionate’ about anything. In my mind, having something that I’m ‘passionate’ about, equates to “do you have any hobbies?” I have no hobbies. I like everything in general, nothing in particular.
If you’re one of those people who also doesn’t have any ‘hobbies’ (and there are many, many of us) to speak of, or anything that you’re particularly excited about doing, seeing, being, etc., don’t despair. That was me. I racked my brain for months about what I could possibly write about, that anyone else would give a shit about reading.
Then one day it dawned on me; I love fashion, I love ‘lifestyle’ in the form of things like shopping for cool things for my apartment, trying new restaurants, hunting for great deals on anything I might want, health and wellness topics, etc.
Essentially, I like nice things.
Hence the name of this blog.
That was it. That realization gave birth to “She Loves Nice Things”; Food, Fashion, Lifestyle and More. It was perfect It’s not ‘nichey’ as most will tell you to be; finding a niche that you can cater to, and writing about that. “She Loves Nice Things” is about the pursuit of nice things, a decent life, which I suppose covers just about any and everything you can reasonably think of, but whatever. I went with it.
But I’ll tell you this; because this blog isn’t as ‘nichey’ as it could be, it took a HELLUVA LONG TIME to generate traffic to it, let alone monetize the damn thing.
Regardless, I did both…eventually. And sometimes it STILL feels like pulling teeth.
Write about your passion if it happens to be something that others will want to read about too. If not, you’re probably gonna starve from lack of traffic AND money, so choose something else.
Here’s where you start, regardless of your topic;
Domain and Hosting
Regardless of your chosen blog topic, your starting point is always going to be the same; purchasing your blog name and Hosting. But there are some ‘tricks’ to that too.
I’ve built a few blogs in my ‘past lives’, so I knew that the first thing I had to do, was to see if the name I wanted was available as a domain for purchase. Lucky me, it was (obviously). At the same time, I also purchased hosting for my beloved new domain.
*This next bit is REALLY IMPORTANT. Please read it
Not everything is ‘as it seems’:
You’re probably already familiar with the “script” from all the other ‘usual suspects’; “I use this web host and you should use it too, because it’s only $3.95 a month! But only with MY link! Wink!”
Horse sh*t.
Here’s the deal on the “$3.95 a month but only with my link” BS; Yes, you can get your hosting for $3.95 a month. I’m cheap AF, and I’d say that’s a great deal, but not only am I cheap, I’m also a hardcore skeptic, and if you tell me that I can only get that price “with your link”, I’m gonna poke around elsewhere to make sure that there’s not a ‘hook’ in that price.
I can’t stand half-truths and flat out lies, and there’s SO MUCH of it on the www. I don’t care what you’re trying to sell me, if I smell a lie, I’ll click away faster than you can say “wtf?”
That said, here’s the deal with most “$3.95 a month” hosting deals (you ready?);
Sure…you get your hosting for $3.95 a month! But you only get that price if you pay for 36 months of hosting in advance!
Yeah…that’s what I said. 36 MONTHS IN ADVANCE. If you pay $142.20 ($3.95 x 36), you can have the hosting for your brand new blog, for “$3.95 a month”! (I’m Canadian, so that translates to about $187.36 for me.)
That pissed me off. I felt like I’d been “baited and switched” because you don’t see that total until you get to the checkout, and by then, you’ve wasted all kinds of time on the damn thing!
At the moment, I own 7 (maybe 8) blogs, and I use this web host for most of them.
Know why?
I use them because along with my web hosting, I also got a free domain name, easy templates with which to build my blog(s), and a free email address!
They’re $3.95 a month when you subscribe to the Startup Plan. The Startup Plan has everything you’ll need as a new blogger. And you’re NOT paying for three years of hosting to get that price!
Here’s where you can grab awesome web hosting at a truly awesome price; just $3.95 a month when you sign up for the Startup Plan.
The next step…
Choose a Blogging Platform:
Now…I’m going to tell you something that no one else is telling you;
(I’m steady handing out the secrets here…)
I tell you this so that you don’t (like I did) start using this blogging platform, and want to throw your computer through a window because it’s actually more difficult than someone told you it was.
That said, here goes;
THIS BLOGGING THING IS NOT EASY!
Starting a new blog is MUCH more than “all you have to do, is purchase your blog name and hosting, and you’re up and running!”
And don’t let ANYONE tell you different!
WordPress is a fantastic blogging platform. No question; it’s better than pockets. I absolutely LOVE it… Now.
BUT…when I first started with Wordpress, there were many (MANY) times that I actually (no joke) cried with sheer frustration over customizing the various parts of the blog, and sometimes I STILL DO when I’m working on a new blog.
WordPress will make you cry. I promise you that.
People make it sound like WordPress is easy to install and set up, but I’m telling you…IT’S NOT.
If you don’t already know what you’re doing, WordPress will make you question your mental ability. If you have someone who can install WordPress to your hosting database, please, for the love of GOD, get that person to do it.
To that end, here’s an offer you can’t refuse;
If you use THIS LINK to purchase your blog domain and hosting, I’ll have a member of my team install WordPress for you, at NO CHARGE.
Why am I offering this?
I’m offering this for a few reasons;
1. Because as a new blogger, installing WordPress was one of THE BIGGEST pains in the ass I experienced. No question. It took me forever, so because I have a programmer in my family, I finally had HER install WordPress for me
2. Taking me up on this offer eliminates one of the biggest hurdles that you have for starting that blog. Simply purchase your domain and hosting, then shoot me an email, letting me know that you’ve done that. I’ll send you instructions on what I’ll need from you to get started
3. Many bloggers say “use my link to purchase your hosting!” But what are they actually giving you in return??
4. And last but not least, now you have no excuse for not at least starting that blog!
However, if you’re the patient sort who loves a technical challenge, feel free to do it yourself. Go bananas.
Regardless of WHO does the installation, once it’s all set up, you’ll need to choose a theme for your new WordPress blog, and customize it.
The next piece of advice I’d give you would be to make a list of bloggers that you enjoy, follow them religiously online/social media, and do what they do with their blogs. Some will tell you to do something, but they’ll leave out the “how” of that advice. Your job is to figure out what the “how” is
Starting a blog is a lot of work. Making money with a blog is an enormous amount of work, but it’s ‘easier’ than most other things that you could do for money. You simply need to know what steps you should take, and in what order you should take them. Which ‘landmines’ to avoid, and which direction will actually move you forward.
I blog because I want to make money that’s truly passive.
I want to run a business(es) that I can legit run from absolutely anywhere. To blog, all I need is a wifi connection and my laptop. Sometimes I don’t even need my laptop, and sometimes I can run on data. I can post from my phone. I love it
The sad truth about blogging is that no one actually wants to tell you the truth about HOW MUCH WORK IT IS.
I have no issues doing that.
As long as you don’t get pissed at me for being totally straight with you.
Whew! That was a lot!
I’ll be going through the steps that I take to make money with all of my blogs, in The No BS Blogging Guide.
I’ve thought for a long time about creating this course. I’ve started it on numerous occasions, and have simply let it slide for one reason or another. You know how it is.
In it, I’ll let you in on how to:
- Choosing a name for your new blog
- Purchasing hosting that won’t break the bank
- Install WordPress (which is where most new bloggers throw up their hands and walk away)
- Create distribution channels for your content
- Generate that all-important, money-making traffic
….and a few super juicy tidbits that you’ve been wondering about, but have no clue how to get around
No BS, no smoke and mirrors. Just the truth.
To receive a notification when the course goes live, simply CLICK HERE.
In addition, if you’re looking for a web hosting company that you can trust and I haven’t completely scared the living sh*t out of you about starting that blog, click here to get your hosting for $3.95 a month
And that’s it!
Happy blogging!
If you have any questions that I can help with, please shoot me an email
Peace
PIN IT TO PINTEREST!
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