This post does contain affiliate links for brands I have personally used and love, this means that if you choose to purchase through one of my links, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
If you are wondering how to start a blog, you are in good company.
I, too, once had a similar question, but the good news is once I started, I never looked back.
I remember how it all started, one day during maternity leave, I was on Facebook, and a video came up on my news feed, it was 2 bloggers living their best lives, writing their blogs in their own time and making money whilst they make memories.
Granted, those two people were childless bloggers travelling around Asia with nothing but a backpack, but I began thinking of a life outside the realms of 9-5, I hadn’t ever really thought about it before, after all, trading time for money was all I ever knew.
Both my parents worked hard, I spent a lot of my youth at my childminders and in holiday clubs – the more hours they worked, the more money we had. I had never thought about a life where I could earn money and work flexibly – Before I saw this Facebook video, I didn’t realise it even existed.
It got me thinking, if those people can do that, why can’t I?
Why couldn’t I be a mummy and run a flexible online blog at the same time?
Why couldn’t I earn money whilst making memories?
Money was tight, when I say tight I mean REALLY tight. It didn’t make logical sense to leave my job, after all, I had just qualified as an accountant and I had spent nearly 5 years studying to reach this point.
But, writing is always something that came naturally to me, it was therapeutic, and I have always found it enjoyable. I am not saying I am the best writer in the world, far from it, but I enjoy it, and that is half the battle.
I decided launching a blog as a “hobby” was the best option for me, and then I could see where it would take me.
I ended up handing in my notice and leaving accountancy for good, I dared to dream for a better life.
For me, having a blog has been life-changing.
A blog that works around my family, around my lifestyle, I love everything about it, and I am so thankful I took the chance.
We were just about meeting the bills when I started my blog, and now my blog is a six-figure blog, I mean, even typing that makes my heart skip a beat.
It would have been so much easier for me to go back to full-time work and just accept that we would have a bit of extra money, but I knew as soon as I headed back I would never leave, and my husband and I would be in the rat race forever.
I know it seems cliche when someone says you can do anything you set your mind to, and I am proof that you actually can.
Blogging has given me so much freedom in life, and I now earn more than I ever imagined possible, and I have more spare time than I ever had before.
My little girl is at nursery twice a week (for my sanity and for her development), and I have 2 days of creating, and the rest of the week is about making memories with my family, friends and my little girl.
I am really passionate about helping people launch successful blogs, and today, I want to share my top tips on how to start a blog.
Step 1 – Decide on Your Niche.
A niche is a topic that you choose to write about.
Before anything else, you need to decide what type of blog you want to start.
What do you want to write about?
Who do you want to help?
Is there a bigger long-term idea behind the blog? A business, a membership, courses, journals?
- There are so many niches to choose from, but you MUST pick a niche you are passionate about because launching a blog isn’t a walk in the park, it takes consistency and hard work, and if you are blogging about a subject you love, then that helps when times get tough. Blogging isn’t a walk in the park, if it was, everyone would be doing it.
Step 2 – Choose your blog name.
Think about your blog name, do you want to be the main content creator behind the brand?
You might think you do now, but blogging is a long-term game, but what about in 5 – 10 years? Do you want your blog to be reliant on you and only you, or do you want the opportunity to have more freedom?
If you call your blog your name, then the majority of content will be expected to come from you. If you choose a brand name rather than your name, you have more flexibility with it, and if you decide to sell in the future, having a brand name rather than your own will make it more likely to sell.
My blog has now outgrown me, it is much more than just Carla’s blog, It is a big parenting platform, and we have experts contributing to it to help support parents and families 24/7.
Nowadays, I choose when I want to blog, my blog is no longer reliant on me, giving me more freedom and flexibility than ever before. I am confident that if I called my blog carlalett.com, it wouldn’t be where it is now.
Step 3 -Check the blog name is actually available
Before you start announcing your new blog name and get busy, you need to check the blog name is actually available. You can do that here.
If you do have a choice between opting for a co.uk or .com blog name, I would always opt for .co.uk if you want your audience to be UK-based or .com if you are hoping for a more global reach, .com will help more readers find you from all over the globe rather than just the UK.
It is important to remember to check that the social media handles are also available, as this could cause issues later down the line if the big brands tag the wrong person.
Step 4 – Register the Domain
Once you have checked all of the above, you are ready to register your domain (your website name). I personally recommend Bluehost to my clients as you can have everything (hosting, domain name and website) all within one place, which makes the tech side a little easier.
Step 5 – Hosting Set Up
The best way to explain hosting is to see it like rent, you effectively pay to rent a space online, this means that anyone in the world can find your website using your domain web address 24/7 once it is live too.
Again, I do recommend Bluehost for ease, but of course, you can shop around.
Step 6 – Choose Your Blogging Platform
If you are a new blogger, you may be tempted to opt for a free blogging platform, especially as your blog won’t be making money yet but choosing a free blogging platform is not the best choice if you want to start a successful blog.
With most of the free blog platforms, you won’t be able to monetise your blog to its full potential, which is not ideal. We recommend using WordPress.org as your blogging platform. Bluehost works with wordpress.org, so you can literally do everything on the Bluehost platform.
With WordPress.org, you have complete control of your blog, and you have the choice to monetise it in any way that you want. WordPress.org is the most popular platform, it is customisable, and finally, it is FREE all you need to pay for is website hosting and the domain name.
Step 7 – Website Creation
Now you have your name registered and your hosting sorted, it is time to create your website, Now, if you have used Bluehost, the beauty of this is everything will connect together like a jigsaw, and the customer support can help you with anything you need,
If you have used another provider, you will need to connect your website to your domain which can be a little tricky. There are plenty of tutorials available online if you need help.
Step 8 – Creating the website
I like the theme Elementor, it is a drag-and-drop style website theme with a ready-made template, there is no coding required, and it is just as simple as adding your text, amending the colours and adding your branding.
Step 9 – Ready Steady Blog
Now it is time to get some blogs written, good luck, and if you want to, you can join my newsletter for free tips. If you are ready to learn more about blogging, join my Blogging Like a Boss Beginners course or my Blogging Formula for Success course.
If you hate anything techy and want to hand everything over to someone else, we do offer our blog creation service, click here for more information.
© Copyright Carla Lett