Why I Decided to Start a Blog
In the fall of 2015 I decided to start a blog. My goal is to reach out to working moms, people facing a thyroid cancer diagnosis and individuals considering law school and the legal profession. I also wanted to support other parents whose child may have been diagnosed with Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome.
I have diverse interests and I want this blog to reflect that variety. Many blogging gurus cite the importance of finding a niche and focusing on that particular topic, but I haven’t decided if that’s what I want to do just yet.
Early Stages
Before I publishing my first post (almost two years ago!), I spent a bunch of time listening to podcasts and reading blogs about blogging and how to start a blog. I also signed up for various social media accounts. I was already using Twitter for work and Pinterest for fun and started to use Instagram.
In addition, I joined a few Facebook blogging groups where bloggers of various levels ask questions, promote posts and learn about the blogging process. These groups are great. The bloggers are very friendly and helpful.
Check out this post –> Twitter Tips for Beginners
Blog Hosting
The Professional Mom Project is a self hosted blog using WordPress.org. This means that I have my own domain name (www.mynamehere.com) and pay a hosting company for my little spot on the web. There are other options (blogger, wordpress.com, squarespace) but I feel that a self hosted wordpress site is the best option for me.
Because one of my main reasons for blogging is to be creative and express myself through writing, I put together a few blog posts in Google Docs before signing up for hosting. To keep up with post ideas, I have a running list of topic ideas on Trello. As anyone getting set to start a blog knows, writing is only one part of the blogging puzzle. Since so much of the internet is visual, you need Pinterest friendly and sharable images. I primarily use Canva,which is fantastic, to put these images together.
If you are thinking about starting a blog, I recommend that you put some of this work in ahead of time. It will make your first few days online a bit easier knowing that you have content and ideas lined up.
Signing Up
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After investigating a number of different options for hosting I decided to go with Siteground. The reviews about their service and response time are quite positive and the reviews of some of the other hosting companies weren’t as strong. Siteground also offers an amazing Cyber Monday deal. When I saw the deal pop up I decided to go for it.
The registration process was fairly easy and Siteground‘s live web chat customer service representatives helped me along the way. I did get disconnected a few times from the web chat, which was frustrating, but ultimately it worked out. Siteground’s website is easy to understand, which is super helpful if you aren’t familiar with the lingo.
When I first signed up I hadn’t decided on my blog’s name yet so I registered with a temporary name initially (I wouldn’t recommend doing this). Then I kind of left it for a while. I was nervous about actually starting and I couldn’t figure out a name even though I started thinking about it when I initially decided to start a blog. The Siteground people even emailed me several times telling me to set up my site and get moving. I thought this was a nice touch and it helped encourage me a bit.
Once I finally determined the name, I reconnected with the customer service people and they gave me a hand with setting up the actual site.
WordPress
Once you sign up for hosting you can choose set up WordPress as the framework for your blog. The Siteground website is pretty comprehensive and provides step by step instructions.
Don’t forget – there are two WordPress options – .org and .com. I still get confused between the two but for a self hosted site that does not include “wordpress” in the URL you have to go with WordPress.org.
Siteground gives you a few free theme options to start off with so I chose a simple one called Cohen. My blog was on the Cohen theme for the first few weeks and then when WordPress came out with the 2016 theme I went with that one.
I updated my theme last year to the Market Theme by Restored 316. This theme works on the Genesis framework, which is a bit easier to navigate.
The Dashboard
The WordPress dashboard is pretty confusing for someone just starting a blog so let me explain some of the elements:
Posts – where you can let your creativity go wild, write away and add media, images etc. You can save your posts as you work on them and once you hit publish you’ve formally put your first post up online!
Appearance– where you can choose your theme, change your widgets and do other things that I haven’t figured out yet 😉
Widgets– the little spots on the side and bottom of the blog where you can add your social media icons, disclaimer, advertisements etc. I added a small about me section, social media sharing section, subscription section and disclosure paragraph.
Plug Ins
Check out –> Secrets to Blogging Success, a Review of Traffic Transformation
A Plug In is a piece of software that adds specific features to your wordpress site. Some key Plug Ins to install when you start a blog include:
Akismet – protects against spam
Favicon by Real Favicon Generator – see that little square on the left side of the web address? That’s a favicon. I had no idea until a fellow blogger suggested that I change my favicon and I looked it up on google. This plug in helps you personalize your favicon.
Google Analytics for WordPress – this helps you keep track of how many people have visited your website, where they came from, how long they stay on the site etc.
Insert Headers and Footers – does what it says – lets you insert a header/footer.
Jetpack – also provides you with insight into how your site is doing.
Limit Login Attempts – since there are malicious spammers out there it’s important to make sure you have security measures in place to block these people from logging in to your site and hacking it (although I’m not sure why they’d want to hack my site but I digress).
Word fence – another one of those security plug ins.
Yoast SEO – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps you get your site found by search engines. This plug in helps you figure out if you’re ticking off all of the boxes. I don’t know much about SEO but like everything else – it’s a work in progress.
The beginner's guide to starting an awesome blog! #blogging Click To Tweet
There you have it! Starting a blog can be stressful but it’s also lots of fun and can lead to endless possibilities.
Amy @ The Quiet Homemaker says
Thank you so much for posting such a great resource for wannabe bloggers! It is so hard to get started and figure it all out.
Visiting from Party in Your PJ’s
Blessings,
Amy
Grammy Dee from Grammy's Grid says
All good ideas for those wanting to start a blog. I saw your post linked at the OVER THE MOON 87 party. I pinned it on Pinterest.
edira says
Hi Nicole, my blog is about one month old so your post is very helpful and feels relatable. It’s a good idea to set blog monthly goals! I need to add more plugins and set an editorial calendar as well next month 🙂
good luck with yours!
Lindsey says
It sounds like you’re off to a great start! You did similar things that I did to start off my blog. I really want to get more into Pinterest, StumbleUpon and Instagram. Good luck to you!
Sharon says
Hi Nicole,
Nice to connect with others just starting out with blogging! I am looking for a more fuctional theme & learning all this other tech stuff as well. Good luck on your blogging adventure!
Nicole Salama says
Hi Sharon good luck to you as well! I really like the concept and name of your site. Thanks for stopping by
Stephanie says
I remember when I started a blog, 5 years ago, I had no idea what in the world I was doing. I’m so glad there are blogs like yours who help people figure out where to start when they’re in the planning stages of starting a blog.
Thanks for sharing at Manic Monday Linky Party. I hope you come back next week!
Nicole Salama says
Thanks Stephanie. There’s so much to learn and so much information out there it’s hard to figure out which direction to go. I’m just hoping that if people come across the post it can make their lives a bit easier.
Mistle says
Great tips for new bloggers! I started my blog almost a year ago and I never knew exactly how much work it would be to start. I had a general idea but once I started, I was very overwhelmed at first. Stumble Upon is one of my best sources that drives traffic to my blog. Instragram varies for me at times. I also have no idea how to use Google+.
Jennifer Abel says
You have covered this beautifully. It will be of benefit to many newbies. Thanks for sharing on #overthemoon
Nicole Salama says
Thanks very much Jennifer!
Alicia says
Hi Nicole. I, too, started a blog almost one month ago. It is very overwhelming when you are first starting out. I think the most challenging thing for me (besides gaining followers) is to how to make my blog visually appealing. This is definitely on my goals list for month two. One thing you might want to try is Bloglovin’. Its a great resource to find other experienced bloggers and get inspiration. It is also another avenue to share your work.
Best of luck!
Alicia
Nicole Salama says
Hi Alicia – love your blog btw! Thanks for the advice. I’ve signed up with Bloglovin’ and now I just need to figure out how to share my posts on there. Take care
Alicia says
Your posts should show up on there own. I know that when publish a new post it automatically shows up in the feed.
Nicole Salama says
I’ll check it out! Thanks very much I didn’t realize that it automatically shows up.