So you want to start a blog. I don’t blame you. I did too. From the time I first thought about starting a blog until I actually bit the bullet and did it was about 6 months. During that time I scoured the internet looking for guides, how to’s, information that would unlock some secret to success. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I am here to share with you all the information I wish I’d had when I first started!
THE BASICS
Starting off you’ll need to pick out a domain name, a tag line, a hosting company, and a theme. You’ll also need to design a logo/button/header AND learn how to use your platform of choice (blogger or WordPress). That can seem like a log of course, but I’ve got a whole post dedicated to each of these topics. You can find the first post in this series about beginning blogging resources here!
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
CONTENT
Once you have your website set up you are ready to start writing and doing! But first you need to think about the unfun stuff like SEO and keywords. These are the behind the scenes parts of blogging that no one thinks about to begin with. But don’t worry I cover all that and more in my second post all about how to start blogging.
When I first started writing my blog, I thought I would never ever run out of things to say, but then there came a day when I felt stumped. Like what on earth did I want to do. I spent so much time holding all these ideas in my head that once they were all out I forgot that I should have still been thinking of more. That’s why having an editorial calendar can really help keep you focused and on track. This is also found in the second part of my series on how to start blogging.
IMAGES & GRAPHICS
Now here is where I don’t claim to be an expert. In fact in my post about images I straight up tell you my “dirty little secret.” I also give you a bunch of workarounds, tips and tricks for editing, “Hero” images, staging and props. Really it’s like a little bit of everything you might need to know if you plan on putting images on your site all in one handy dandy blogging resource place! So click over, it’s worth it!
Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution. – Ansel Adams
I have a couple posts on some of the things that go along with taking photos, like creating fancy photography backdrops for practically free. Or maybe designing your own color palette in PhotoShop.
Once upon a time I wrote a post all about how I grew my Pinterest following by 10,000 in one (YES 1) month! A lot of that information is still relevant and really exemplifies best practices. So go ahead and give it a read, I hope you will find something useful in there.
TECHNICAL TRICKS & TIPS
This is one area where I feel like I’ve knocked it out. I love nothing more than solving a good mystery and to me there is no better mystery than HTML and CSS. In fact I love it so much that I spend my free time trying to learn how to do even more amazing and awesome things with it. Which is probably why I have so many how to posts for you. If you are wondering about custom 404 pages, I got you covered. Maybe you want to add a colored text box to your post, I got that too! If you want to make an image map, look no further, I’ve got the deets for you.
In 2016 I was a speaker at SNAP (a creative blogger conference) all about WordPress tips, tricks and plugins. I wrote a post with a lot of really awesome information in it about that subject so make you you click over and read it. I also wrote an e-book on the same subject so if you are interested you can pick that up while you are there!
So there you have it, all my best blogging resources in one spot! Let me know if there is something you’ve been looking for that you just can’t seem to find or figure out, and I’ll do my best to help you out! And if you are looking to outsource any of these jobs check out my blog design and consulting site!
