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You’re ready to start a new blog!

In this post series on how to start a new blog we will be diving deep into the world of blogging and getting you set up for success.

Starting a blog is an exciting new adventure and I’m sure you have lots of questions.

If you are wondering how to start a new blog in 2023 you’ve come to the right place!

I know what it’s like to have tons of questions about starting a new blog!

It can seems very overwhelming in the beginning. It seems that the more you learn about how to set up a blog and launch your blog the more there is to do.

From the technical side of blogging to finding quality resources and drawing traffic to your blog this post goes in depth into starting, organizing and getting your blog seen.

There are lots of posts out there about starting a blog. Most of them giving the same basic info, I promise you this post is nothing like that. I’m packing this posts full of helpful, insightful tips and ideas that will get you ready to start your amazing new blog.

If you’ve been blogging for awhile but are struggling, this post is for you too!

How to Start a New Blog in 2023 [Part 1]

Get ready to dive in because we are going deep into the blogging world.

After 10 years of blogging I’m sharing my best blog starting tips, ideas and mistakes to avoid. I highly encourage you to bookmark this post now so you can easily reference it again later.

This is a no fluff, meaty, guide to blogging and it is my promise to you that I will hold nothing back.

Because there is so much to learn when you first start blogging my best advice to you is to focus on one step at a time as you get ready to launch your new blog in 2023!

There are a variety of actions you can take to set yourself up for success. My goal is to share everything you need to know about setting up and starting a successful blog.

The blog set up prep work

In the first part of this post series on how to start a new blog we are going to focus on some very important prep work.

While you may be tempted to dive right in, it’s important to think about your subject matter, niche, audience, blog name, and mission before you get to the mechanics of starting a blog.

Know what you want to write about.

The first step in starting a blog is to decide on the topic of your blog.

If you have no idea what your blog is going to be about, then you’re going to struggle with creating content for it and getting people interested in reading it.

Before you get overwhelmed with the idea of a niche let’s talk about why having a niche matters.

Creating content for a clearly defined niche benefits you in several ways. First, it positions you as an expert. When a reader discovers you have covered a topic well and have tons of related posts that serve them they will keep coming back to your blog.

For example if you were looking to become a runner and found one post about running on a blog would you think that blogger knew what they were talking about? I highly doubt it.

If you discovered a blog full of running, health and wellness posts you would believe that blogger’s expertises in the subject.

Second it draws return traffic and builds a loyal audience. The advantage to a well developed niche is drawing the reader back for me again and again.

However if a reader discovers only one post on a topic and there is nothing else related to it on your blog they will be a one time visitor that does not return.

Don’t worry about being boxed in or limited. While a clearly defined niche will give you direction, creating content pillars and expanding into niche related subtopics will give your plenty of content to cover.

How to discover your niche and stand out from the crowd:

Ask these questions to help you identify topics:

• What could I speak about for hours off the top of my head?
• What do people come to me with questions about?
• What am I the go to for on advice?
• What am I most passionate about?
• Am I currently educated or have experience in a subject?
• How can I teach and provide value to others?

With these questions in mind make a list of topics that you are passionate about and can speak to well.

Standing out from the crowd:

• Write about something that is unique and different from other blogs – what perspective can you share that someone else hasn’t? Draw from life experiences and tell your unique story.
• Know what other people are writing about so that you can create content that stands out from the crowd – take your content one step further so that you are providing a piece of value no one else is.

If you absolutely cannot niche down you can create a lifestyle blog. With a lifestyle blog you can have a broader range of topics but you will still want to have a Theme to your blog.

Lots of bloggers have successful lifestyle blogs, but you still want to have pillar content. Even as a lifestyle blogger you will still want to stick to 3-5 key categories.

If your goal is to provide value and gain a loyal reader following a niche will provide clarity for you and your audience.

Figure out your unique perspective.

Before you begin writing a blog, it is helpful to you figure out what makes your perspective unique. What is it that makes your blog stand out from all of the other blogs in its genre?

If you can’t find an immediate answer to that question, don’t worry—this process could take some time.

To help guide you along this journey and ensure that you’re focusing on all of the right things at once, here are some questions to ask:

• How can I bring value to others from my unique perspective?
• How do these particular topics affect me personally?
• What are my own personal experiences with these topics?

It’s important to note that every single person has their own unique perspective on every topic imaginable. It just takes practice identifying yours before sharing it with others through writing a blog post or series of posts!

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Identify your pillar content

Pillar content or content pillars, also referred to as content buckets are key categories that your blog covers.

Identifying your Pillar Content is essential to your blog.

By choosing three to five main categories that you will speak to you create authority in those subjects.

You also create clarity for yourself as a blogger. By knowing the categories of content that you are going to speak to you give yourself direction in creating content for your blog.

Don’t worry you aren’t boxing yourself in with pillar content. Each pillar content topic can have sub topics giving you tons of topics to create content around.

For example your pillar content could be Business, Blogging and Productivity. Under Business you could explore organization, time management, leadership, budgeting, finances, and more.

Or you could focus entirely on Business as a niche with pillar content being finances, leadership, and productivity while further exploring the sub topics of those areas.

Because you can delve into subtopics you will have the ability to create endless pieces of content, but still have clear direction inside of your niche.

Figure out your name and URL.

In my opinion choosing a name for your blog is one of the most fun aspects of starting a new blog!

How will you make yourself known to the world?

You may already have some great ideas in mind or you may have no idea where to start.

The most important thing to remember is that this is your blog! So whatever you name it you should love it.

Here are some tips on how 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.

• Use your name
• Play off of your name
• Combine your niche and your name
• Use an alliteration
• Use a play on words

I also recommend doing a brain dump on a piece of paper and writing down every word or phrase that comes to mind related to your blog.

Brainstorm several site names when choosing a name. 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 for purchase.

A domain will cost you around $15 to $50 annually, so be cautious of companies trying to sell domains for thousands of dollars.

You can search for your domain on GoDaddy or Blue Host and get an intro deal on your url when you sign up for hosting.

Aim for a URL that is short enough that it’s easy to type in and remember (this will help with search engine optimization), but long enough that people can find it when searching for it on Google.

You can purchase your domain from most hosting companies which we will talk more about in the next section. I have been using Blue Host for several year and love them!

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! Which I highly recommend.

The Mechanics of your blog

Now you get to set up your actual blog! That means finding a web host, a platform to write your blog on and a theme to create the visual layout and look of your site.

Choose a web host, platform and theme.

If you’re confused between a host, a platform, and a theme think of the host as the property, the platform as the house that’s built on it, and the theme as the decor and layout of your home.

Web Hosting

Tons of blogger, like myself, recommend Blue Host. When you are first getting started they are a great option because they have an amazing intro rate.

Full transparency: Over the years I’ve heard very mixed reviews on Blue Host. They are the only host I have ever used. While others have not liked them I have never had a major issue.

They have been able to resolve ever issue I’ve ever had. My greatest website issues have been due to plugins crashing my site and have not been related to Blue Host as my web host.

I recommend doing a comparison between the hosts you are looking at and choosing the one that best meets your needs and price point.

Other popular hosts are SiteGround, GoDaddy, and HostGator. Recently I have heard great reviews about Lyrical Host and Green Geeks and suggest taking a look at those.

Once you have a host in place you can also set up a professional email with your domain url! With a few easy steps you can link your new email to Gmail for an easy email interface.

Having a professional email will not only help you stand out as a blogger it will legitimize you when sending email to your email list, clients and brands.

Because most hosts offer an intro deal that includes a free or discounted domain I recommend purchasing your domain through your hosting service.

Blogging platform

When you’re just starting out, you probably want to choose a blogging platform that’s easy to use. WordPress is a popular option because they have intuitive interfaces and provide free templates that are easy to customize.

WordPress also has tons of amazing plugins you can use to customize your blog. If you plan to sell products you can easily set up WooCommerce in WordPress.

Most hosting companies, like Blue Host, GoDaddy, SiteGround all have WordPress as a platform option.

Please note that if you are using your own domain you will want the WordPress.org NOT WordPress.com option. WordPress.com offers free blogs, but they are not self hosted meaning you do not purchase a domain and your site url with have a WordPress.com suffix.

If you aren’t sure you want to go with WordPress, you can also check out popular alternatives like Squarespace or Wix for an all in one hosting and website builder solution.

Blog 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.

There are several great place to get themes, such as Theme Forest, Creative Market, Envato Elements, Elementor, as well as directly from WordPress.

I went through a few themes, both free and paid, before I found my current theme, Hello Boho, by Hello You Designs. I absolutely fell in love with it!

This theme has everything I could’ve ever wished for built into it. If you love the look of my site I recommend checking out Hello You Designs.

Purchasing a theme you love from the start will make setting up your blog a lot easier than having to switch to a new theme later on.

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.

I go in depth in my guide to setting up your WordPress site. I cover everything from setting up your homepage, menu, widgets and plugins to making sure you install your themes child theme and demo content.

Claim ALL Your Social Media Handles

Before purchasing a domain I also like to make sure that the social media handles that I want are available.

For creating brand consistency and awareness it’s best if your social media handles and domain are all the same.

Unfortunately the ones you may want aren’t always available.

If the handles you want aren’t available check for variations.

When I launched happilydwell.com I grabbed up as many of the popular social media handles as I could. When a new social media platform emerges I make it a habit to grab that handle as well.

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Make Sure Your Blog Is Legal

I cannot stress this enough. Even if you are starting a blog for fun, you need to be aware of the laws governing the internet.

Legal Pages Your Site Needs

Before you launch your blog make sure it’s legal by putting these three pages in place.

• Privacy Policy.
• Disclaimer.
• Terms and Conditions.

My friend, Amira at aselfguru.com is a lawyer and a blogger who has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs with their legal pages!

She works full-time as a lawyer and has been working with business owners and entrepreneurs, like you and me, for more than 8 years helping them protect their online businesses legally!

I follow her blog, signed up for her newsletter and purchased her Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions legal templates.

For me it was such a relief to take all the guess work out of these important legal pages on my website.

I’m so glad I found her and her Legal Bundle, which is trusted by so many bloggers like me! Plus her Legal Bundle comes with 3 legal templates you must have on your blog + 9 additional bonuses!

Understanding GDPR and CCPA

You’ve most likely seen cookie notices on every website you visit these days.

When you first visit my sight you should see a notice at the top of my website that says:

“We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Do not sell my personal information.”

There is a link to opt out, manage cookie setting, and to accept.

By law websites are required to inform you that it uses cookies and give you these options.

GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a privacy and security law regarding how data collected by people in the EU is handled.

In 2018 when the GDPR compliance laws went into effect it caused a tizzy in the blogging world!

You can visit gdpr.eu to educate yourself on this law. If anyone from the EU reads your blog (and they will) you need to be in compliance.

Essentially this is a data protection law that protects people’s privacy rights. If your site collects personal data (side note: it does) you need to follow the GDPR.

Thankfully there are lots of GDPR plugins for WordPress that help bloggers stay GDPR compliant.

CCPA

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) applies to consumers in California. This law governs personal information that businesses collect about them. The CCPA regulations provide guidelines on how this law is implemented. 

You can visit oag.ca.gov to read more about this law.

Please note I am not a lawyer and information shared in the post or on this site is not intended as legal advice. For legal advice please consult a lawyer.

Understanding copyright laws

Best practice in blogging is to create your own original content. That means written and media.

There are so many sites out there that break media copyrights often times without understanding that they are.

It’s a s simple as this, if you didn’t create it you don’t own it. If you didn’t create it you need permission to use it.

This applies to both the written word and all types of media, including photos and videos.

In the next section I will share my favorite free photo and video resources.

A common misconception among bloggers is that you can share media as long as you give credit. This is simply not true. Unfortunately you see this done a lot with round up posts.

You need to know that you cannot take photos from someone else’s site and use them without first getting written permission. Giving credit is not enough. Unless you have express written permission you cannot use someone else’s content.

This may sound harsh, but it is vital as a blogger that you understand this!

its never been easier to start a blog than it is right now!

It’s never been easier to start a blog than it is right now. The internet has made it possible for anyone with an idea and a laptop to create a website, and start your own blog in just a few hours!

I hope you find this guide helpful as you set out to start your own blog.

Stay tuned for part two of How to Start a New Blog next week as we talk about blogging tools, resources, how to write amazing posts and gain traffic to your new blog.

xoxo Naomi

Ready to put your beautiful blog together read this post: How to Customize Your New WordPress Blog