Choosing a Name
First thing is choosing a name and first you need to decide what your blog is going to be about and then tie-in your name from there you want to choose something that reflects your content so people know what your blog is going to be about when they click on it say for example if you know you're going to be talking about knitting and only knitting if you want to share your name you can call it something like Katy knits or if you want to remain anonymous you can use a pun like pearls of wisdom or something like that just something that reflects your content or if you know you're going to have a lifestyle blog and be talking about lots of different topics choose something that doesn't put your content in a box because if you call it Katy knits and then you talk about fashion and baking and cooking and traveling it doesn't really fit in with the theme so you're better to call it something like Katy's world or Katie's life or Daley Katie choose something that suits your personality and also something that's going to stand the test of time because if you choose something that's kind of like a fad or to do with your age or the year or anything like that it's going to change in the future and then you'll be stuck with a name that's no longer relevant a lot of people sell title their blog which is a really quick and easy option to go for or you could go for something simple like see if your name fits into a pun or a phrase or I think there's even online generators that make a blog lame for you out of your hobbies and stuff but I think just be a little bit more original and think of it yourself just jot down some ideas and also make sure no one's got it first that's really important again like your blog lane the platform that you host your blog on is completely down to personal preference but if you're a complete beginner I'd really recommend blogger because it's just kind of foolproof I've been using it for years I've never had any issues and it's just very easy and straightforward to use I also used to use WordPress when I worked as a social media manager I did find that a bit trickier to navigate and I had a few more issues with it but if you're good at HTML and you're Wiz at coding and stuff that is probably the one for you both blogger and WordPress are completely free.
Needing a Domain
You definitely don't need a domain name in the beginning stages if you become a bit more serious about your blog it definitely does make your site look more professional but in the beginning, it's better to work on your content in my opinion and your money if you're going to spend any is way better spent on step 4 so roll on step 4 with a blog design I feel like you're laying the bricks and mortar for your blog so think really carefully about how you want your site to lit.
Your First Post
your hobbies and just saying hello to your potential readers when it comes to putting together blog post do whatever feels right for you I think that's the beauty of blogging is that one person will do a very photo heavy post with barely any writing and someone like me who kind of types how they speak and is really into writing will write more paragraphs with less photos and just basically put it together how you would like it in your head and a good rule of thumb is to put together posts you like reading yourself and just make sure you like your content posting regularly and consistency is a great way to build your audience up but again do whatever's right for you some people have a schedule so their audience know when to expect new content and some people just upload whenever they can so it’s just whatever fits you and your lifestyle it's also really handy to have like an about page and a contact page so readers and brands can get in touch easily if they'd like to come to think of it I don't actually know anyone who has a blog and isn't also on social media so get yourself setup with some accounts there's tons out there but I would definitely recommend Twitter and Instagram as the two initial ones you should get started with first I decided that I wanted to create separate accounts from my personal ones and I actually really enjoyed having it that way because it's almost like having a work phone and a home phone on my blog Twitter and Instagram accounts I can promote my new content and keep up with all my favorite bloggers and then on my personal accounts I can still see very thing my friends are doing and then people who used to go to school withdon't have to see me constantly posting about my new YouTube video if they didn't want to I would really recommend doing the same thing after putting so much of your hard work and time into a pastry obviously going to want people to read it so don't be afraid to share on social media and invite people to come and have a little browse social media also allows you to contact brands directly so if you've done a post about their product or their service it's fine to politely at them in a tweet or tag them in a photo because there's a chance they might see it and it's really never too early to start building connections a really great way of building your audience and making friends is to get involved with the community so things like Twitter chats there's Twitter chats every single week and I will leave a calendar for all of them linked down below in the description box if you want to go and have a look and then one evening why need to make a big cup of tea and set aside an hour to join in there's always an interesting discussion going on and there's also always an opportunity to share your links at th eend so you're showcasing your blog to lots of potential readers and you're also having a lovely little chat in the process as you might know if you've ever commented on any of my stuff before I think it's really big yes a big old double thumbs up to reply to your readers because if you think about I throw many blogs are there out there a heck of a lot and they've taken the timeout of their day to read yours so take the time out of your day just to be nice and reply say someone asks where your jumpers from on Twitter tweet them back and let them know because in the early stages especially it doesn't take much effort to reply to everyone who leaves a comment and your stuff and I just feel like it makes your audience feel more appreciated and it shows that you see as a two-way relationship between you and then once you've been blogging for a little while you might want to sit down and have a little think about how it's progressing and whether it's something you want to continue as a hobby or something you might actually want to turn into your job if it's the former I'd say carry on going your own pace feel free to upload however often you'd like to and just enjoy having a corner of the web that's all yours if it's the latter let's be real you're going to have to work super hard vlogging in general can be tricky so to go full-time is a lot harder than it looks but don't let that realization put you off it really is a fantastic career path because you get so many exciting opportunities and you get to meet the most amazing people but either way whether you're doing is a job or a hobby make sure you roll on number 10 I wanted to put this last because this is what I always say to people who ask me for advice on blogging it is saturated market these days and it’s easy to have feelings of self-doubt when you measure big blogs against your own but just relax a little and remember that they might be six years in they’ve probably been blogging for years and years and you've only just started so relax take it easy and just enjoy theride create stuff be proud of it and have fun because there's only one of you in the world your life is unlike anyone else’s and blogging is a really beautiful way of sharing that with the world sothere we have it
