It happened again last night. I was out at one of my son’s activities and another mom was asking me what I do for a living. When I responded that I was a blogger, I got the usual weird look. And the barrage of questions….
MY LATEST VIDEOSThat’s really a job?
You quit your full time job to blog?
How did you get to where you are now?
My blogging story is more of a journey. You can read about it here. Over the past five years, I’ve been able to grow It Is a Keeper into a successful, revenue generating business, all while doing what I love!
So many times, I see my friends posting great things on Facebook — couponing tips, amazing lunches for their kids and adorable cupcakes!
I’m always right there saying, “You need to start a blog! And, share all of your great ideas!”
Here’s what I love about blogging:
- I get to do what I love every single day
- I get access to amazing opportunities
- I set my own schedule and I’m able to spend quality time with my family
- There is very little cost to set up a blog (you can even do it for free!)
- I am able to make a respectable income from it
If you’ve ever thought about starting your own blog, here are the 5 things you need to do.
5 Steps to Start a Blog
1. Choose your name
Pick a name for your site. This was the hardest part for me. Many obvious names are already taken so you may need to get creative. Don’t box yourself in with a restricting name – what if your blog evolves over the years? Mine sure did. You can search for available names here.
2. Install WordPress
WordPress is the platform that I use to manage my blog. It is VERY user-friendly and installing it only takes a few minutes.
3. Choose a host for your site
You will need a host for your website — somewhere for your blog to live. I recommend Host Gator.
Host Gator offers one click WordPress installs – no messy downloading and uploading of files. And, they offer an easy to use website builder that provides drag and drop tools to make building your site super simple. Plus, they have 24/7 live support via chat, phone, and email.
4. Pick a theme
Themes are what makes your blog look they way you want them to. Wordpress has a ton of great free themes to choose from. Most themes allow you to customize certain things to get a look that’s all your own.
5. Start creating content
Once your site is set up and live (you can do all of the steps mentioned above in less than an hour!), you are ready to start publishing content. Think about what you want to write about and start taking photos to go along with your posts.
That’s it. In 5 easy steps, you can have your own blog up and running. See, I told you it wasn’t hard!
Oh, I have a 6th step…never stop learning! I am constantly learning to make my blog better. Get out there and network and you, too, can grow your blog into a business!
Learn more about HostGator and sign up for 30% off web hosting services.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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