How to Start a Blog (and Get Over Your Fears)

Starting a blog is a big step to take. You are putting yourself out there for the world to see- of course it’s going to be scary at first. And this is coming from me, someone who is still very new to the blogging world. I am still working on getting things such as a following and page views up, and I have hardly delved into the world of social media alongside blogging yet.

However, don’t let your fears psych you out of doing what you want to do. It can be easy to overthink and tell yourself, wait, I am in no way qualified to be doing this. What am I doing? I know because I did it, too. That’s why I stopped blogging for months at a time when I first started out.

Keeping in mind that I am new to this too, here is how to start a blog from my experience so far.

Choose Your Blog Niche

There are some steps you need to take before actually starting your website. To begin, first think about what niche you want your blog to fall into. Blogs that follow their own niche and aren’t all over the place tend to do better.

For example, Turning Page is a literary and lifestyle blog. I post about books and things related to my lifestyle, whether that be travel, mental health, self care, you name it. Other potential blog niches include: fashion, beauty, travel, business, economics, how-to’s, food, fitness, parenting… The list goes on. If you can think of something, there is most likely a blog niche for it.

Find Your Host and Domain

If you are looking into starting a blog, I’m sure this isn’t the only article you have read on how to do it. You may have already heard about what blog hosting is. If not, blog hosting is an outside provider that provides the space and server for your website online. I currently use Bluehost for WordPress because it was affordable for me at the time and it was recommended countless times during my research.

I also got my domain through Bluehost. It was included free for the first year with the plan that I bought, and I found this to be the easiest way to do things.

Pick Your Theme

Picking a theme was one of my favorite steps of the blog starting process. Once you get your hosting, domain, and WordPress (or whichever platform you choose) set up, you get to configure how you want your website to look.

WordPress has tons of free themes, but I decided to buy one from 17th Avenue Designs. I love my theme, and find it to be crisp, clean, and professional. The colors are totally customizable as well. 17th Avenue does offer theme installation for an extra fee, but I decided to do the install myself (as someone with no experience!) and I found it to be super easy. Along with the zip file that includes your theme, 17th Avenue provides detailed instructions and a whole bank of knowledge and answers on their website.

Install the Necessary Plugins

Think of plugins as additional helpful features that you can add to your website to make it run more smoothly. There are plugins for anything you could think of, such as tracking the analytics of your website to protecting it from hackers and attacks. You will definitely want to install these things to ensure your site has the maximum security and will run as you need it to, and plenty of options are free as well.

Begin Creating Content

Once your website looks, feels, and works as you see fit, it’s time to start writing! This can sometimes be the hardest part. Just remember the niche that you wanted to start your blog in and search up some inspiration. I find it helpful to start planning my content in advance on my calendar and writing ahead of time, scheduling my posts to go live at a pre-set date.

It can take some time to get the hang of batching content, but as time goes on you’ll find it comes easier. You can also use stock photos in conjunction with some of your own photos to get everything up and running. Just find some that fit the aesthetic of your blog, make sure they are for public use, and get creating.

Getting Over Your Fears of Starting a Blog

Putting yourself out there for everyone to see can be scary. Just remember that you are doing this for yourself, not them, and that creating a blog can bring you opportunity in the future. Not only are you creating a portfolio of your writing and content which can offer advancement in a future career, you may also find yourself with some business opportunities. Through your blog and social media, you can create a community for yourself of like minded individuals as well.

I understand feeling nervous at first. But trust me when I say this; once you get the ball rolling you will really start to find your passion and only regret not starting sooner.

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