Hi everyone! Today, I’m starting a new monthly column for my blog, which I’ve been meaning to write for far too long, but kept postponing. It’s called my blogging tips, and with these posts I’ll try to help all new bloggers and possibly old ones too, and pass some of the knowledge I’ve gathered through these 2+ years of blogging. Since I’m far from an expert, I asked the help of my boyfriend T. who has been active on the Internet for many years, with his online business. He’s a self-taught programmer and freelancer with many years of expertise, and he’s the first one to go to for help for anything that needs coding, or if I need any general advice. So I want to thank him for agreeing to do this collaboration series with me, to combine our knowledge so we can provide you with valuable information for any (mostly fashion or beauty related) blogger. We’re going to divide this column in parts so it will be easier to read and write. However, be prepared to read quite lengthy posts. I hope you find everything we write here interesting, and that you’ll stick with us till the end. With these series of posts we’re trying to help bloggers and answer many questions that you might have. Of course, keep in mind that some of them are personal opinions, and cannot apply to everyone out there. After all, as the title says, they’re MY tips or ours in this case.
What you should know when starting a blog
1. Understand what a blog is
First of all you must understand what a blog is. “A blog is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. The term blog is a shortened form of weblog or web log. Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”. Individual articles on a blog are called “blog posts,” “posts” or “entries”. A person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”. A blog comprises text, hypertext, images, and links (to other web pages and to video, audio and other files). Blogs use a conversational style of documentation.” Source, Source
2. What is the purpose of your blog
So, you’ve decided to start a blog. You obviously know the field you want to write about, for example: Fashion, beauty, personal style, photography, food, travel etc. Before continuing with it, you must think about its purpose. Do you want to have a blog as a hobby? Or do you want it to become a profession in the future? It’s okay if you don’t know yet. You can start it as a hobby and evolve from there. But keep in mind that blogging is harder than you think, and it needs a lot of work, time, passion, and determination. You must not start a blog thinking you’ll become instantly famous and have a professional career out of it. You need to keep your expectations low and start with baby steps. I’m not saying these to scare you away. It’s the hard truth, and I want you to be aware of it. Very few bloggers have the fame and everything that comes with it, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t become one of them. Just keep in mind what I told you above.
3. How to choose a name for your blog
Choosing a name for a blog is hard for many of us. You should think about your niche…What is your blog about? Shoes, fashion, personal style? The best thing to do is to use keywords that will help you rank higher in search engines so it will be easier for someone to find your blog in the future. Of course having the right keywords in your name will help a lot (like fashion, style, beauty, food) but it’s also a huge cliché. Find something that characterizes you; that says something about you and what your blog will be about. Try to make it short and easy to remember. Do a research to see if someone else is already using it (we’ll give you the links below). You don’t’ want to steal someone else’s name. And if you’re thinking of having your own domain, be sure to check that it’s available. Also, make sure that your domain name is the same with your blog’s name; it’s really important. Some interesting articles to read by Independent Fashion Bloggers here, here and here.
4. How to set up a blog
After choosing your blog’s name you should start thinking about your blogging platform. There are 2 things to consider again, and there are 2 ways to do it: free or paid. First question to answer is: Do you want to start a blog entirely as a hobby? If you answered yes, then free is the way to go. If you answered no, and you want to start blogging professionally, or thinking to evolve it later, then paid is the right answer.
There are many blogging platforms out there, and most of them are free to use. The most popular of course are WordPress.com, WordPress.org, Blogger, Tumblr, Typepad, On Sugar, etc.
I started blogging having read all the pros and cons of the blogging platforms, and with the help of T. I decided to go right to WordPress.org, which is a free but self-hosted platform and buy a domain name since day 1. I’m really satisfied with this move, and seeing that many bloggers end up doing the same these days, makes me think that I made the right choice. I started blogging as a hobby, but on the back of my head I really wanted to evolve it into a profession, and I still do, so I think it was the right choice for me.
If you want it to be free, then wordpress.org is not for you. But wordpress.com, Blogger, Tumblr etc. are. Keep in mind, that when using one of these platforms your blog is being hosted on their servers and therefore they have the right to take it down for any reason at any time. It’s rare, but it can happen. If you’re interested in making money from ads or affiliate links then you should know that you can’t do this on wordpress.com. Here’s an article to help you find which platform is the best for your needs. Read it carefully. (More on ads and affiliate links on the next parts.)
When you’re being hosted on these platforms you have a subdomain, and it looks something like this: yourblogname.blogspot.com or yourblogname.wordpress.com. You can upgrade to your own domain name with a yearly price and still be hosted on these platforms, so your blog’s URL will look like this: yourblogname.com or .gr, .net etc. This way you’ll have your own domain name (small cost -paid yearly) but still be hosted free on your blogging platform’s servers. There’s always the option to move to another platform such as wordpress.org. Here’s a guide to help you do it.
The other way to do it is to pay both for a domain name (yearly) and a host (monthly). This is not cheap, so I wouldn’t recommend it, if you’re not serious about it, or if you don’t see it professionally. If you do however, this is the best way to proceed:
1st step: Buy a domain name for your blog (make sure that your domain name is the same with your blog’s name, not to confuse your readers; and be sure to make a research to see if the name you want is available). To check out for availability on .com/.net & plenty more use this site, where you can also buy domain names at a cheap price/rate and with 100% free privacy on them (no personal information will be shown if someone looks up for your domain name, otherwise you have to show full information about yourself). To check for .gr domain names check this site.
2nd step: Find the suitable hosting provider and package for your needs. I will only point out a few hosting companies (there are tons of them out there but only a handful are good enough). For starters try to find a “shared hosting package” with at LEAST 100GB of bandwidth (important to keep your website up) and around 10GB Hard disk drive (so you can upload tons of pictures :)), and preferably close to your visitors country (for example if you mainly get US traffic, find a host in the US).
So you can check out: http://www.hawkhost.com/, http://www.stablehost.com, http://www.eleven2.com, http://www.geekstorage.com.
Also, try to avoid the extremely cheap hosts. They are usually no good. Be prepared to pay around $6-$15/month. I occasionally host some blogs on my server too with competitive prices, so if you’re interested drop a comment below and I will contact you :).
This is the end of part 1 of our blogging tips series, which was mostly targeted on new bloggers or people that are now thinking of starting a blog. But I really hope that we covered most things you need to know before starting a blog, and that we answered to all of the questions you might have about some of these. If you do, however, still have a question about these steps, ask away on the comments section below, and we’ll do our best to answer as soon as possible.
We’ll cover many more topics and important steps on the next parts. Stay tuned to read more on next month’s post, somewhere around the middle of the month. If you have any other questions that you want us to cover to the next ones, leave them below, and we’ll make sure to have an answer for you.
Interesting reads for you:
– 10 things I wish I had known about blogging by Stylish Thought
– 100 Reasons Why It’s Great to be a Blogger by IFB
– The Blogging Landscape: What It’s Like To Start A Blog Right Now by IFB
– How to start a blog – Beginner’s guide, by Superficial Girls
Thank you so much for reading! Happy blogging!
Για να διαβάσετε το άρθρο στα ελληνικά πατήστε εκεί που λέει: Language: Greek.
♥ BLOGLOVIN’ / FACEBOOK / TWITTER ♥
Have a blast 🙂
<3 Thank you love! :)
Μπράβο άλλο ένα υπέροχο και πολύ χρήσιμο post 😉
Na’sai kala glikai mou Elena! Eixa toso agxos gi’auto to post, kai mou pire para polles wres na to organwsw kai na to grapsw…Elpizw otan apofaiseis na kaneis kai esi to diko sou blog na se voithisoun auta ta post! 🙂
Πολύ ωραία ανάρτηση! Χρήσιμη για όποιο ξεκινά, με απλά λόγια… μπράβο γλυκιά μου! Φιλάκια πολλα και καλή εβδομάδα!
Christina/Fashionable.gr recently posted..ARRENWALK by Nicolaos: Το Rock Του Μέλλοντός Μας
S’euxaristw poli Christina mou! Eipame na ta paroume apo tin arxi gia na voithisoume oso to dinaton perissotero…Oi epomenes enotites den tha einai estiasmenes mono se new bloggers, alla tha protinoun simvoules kai gia palies…Elpizw na sas aresoun…
Filakia polla! Kali evdomada! 🙂
I looooved this post, and will love the series! You and T. are such a great team – I really thank you for all you have done for me and my blog! You are stars! I will still write a post thanking you and T. properly! By now, great information and links! As I said, you are such a star! 🙂 Makia!
Bee-zee recently posted..Words of Wisdom
<3 My sweet Bee-zee, you're the biggest supporter of my work. And I can't thank you enough for it. It was my pleasure helping you with your new blog, and you know I'm here to help you with whatever you need! You've already done so much for me, you don't have to make a post about us. hehe 🙂 Thank you, really! 🙂 Makia!
Καλή αρχή στη νέα στήλη!!!
Νομίζω πως θα τα πάει περίφημα γιατί όλοι μας (ακόμα κ’ να τα ψιλοκαταφέρνουμε να “πειράζουμε” κωδικούς!), πάντα θα βρίσκεται κάτι νέο να μάθουμε!!!
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ!!!
Φιλάκια (και στους 2 σας)!!!
Καλή εβδομάδα!!!
syros2js recently posted..ΓΑΜΟΥ… ΔΩΡΑ!!!
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ!
Ελπίζω να βρείτε τις επόμενες ενότητες ακόμα πιο χρήσιμες, γιατί αυτό ήταν κυρίως για αυτούς που ξεκινάνε τώρα.
Χαίρομαι που σας άρεσε!
Φιλάκια πολλά! Καλή εβδομάδα! 🙂
πολυ ενημερωτικο το αρθρο μπραβο!!
εγω δεν το εψαξα καθολο πριν ανοιξω το blog μου :Ρ
An.ni recently posted..It’s not summer YET !
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ γλυκιά μου An.ni.
Ελπίζω οι συμβουλές μας να σε βοηθήσουνε μελλοντικά. Αν χρειαστείς καμία βοήθεια, στο μέλλον, μη διστάσεις να μας ρωτήσεις! Αν και σε βλέπω, εσύ ψάχνεσαι πολύ και με τα ποστ και με τα βιντεάκια σου! Κάνεις πολύ καλή δουλεία, μπράβο!
Great tips!
Akaleistar recently posted..Manicure Monday
Πολύ κατατοπιστικό!!! Αν και είμαι του κλάδου αυτά τα posts είναι πάντα χρήσιμα…;o))XXX
elena♥elenas finds♥ recently posted..….And the winner is….
S’euxaristw poli! Xairomai pou to les, eidika otan mou les oti eisai tou kladou! Prospathisame oso mporesame na grapsoume kapoia vasika tips…Tha mporousa na grapsw poli perissotera, alla to keimeno einai idi megalo! Tha exei omws kai alla tetoia post sto mellon…
Alitheia me ti asxoleisai?
Προγραμματίστρια με εξειδίκευση σε Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition και PLC.
elena♥elenas finds♥ recently posted..….And the winner is….
Psss..den se pianoume me tipota xixix 🙂 Egw den exw toses gnwseis to omologw…Exw arketes alla apo programmatismo den kserw…imoun kai thewritiki kateuthinsi vlepeis…Den kserw o T. ti kanei…
xaxaxxa καλά αν πιάσουμε τις κατευθύνσεις…Γαλλική Φιλολογία έχω τελειώσει…όλα τα άλλα τα έκανα μετά… δηλ έστριψα :ο))
elena♥elenas finds♥ recently posted..….And the winner is….
simple amazing style!
love your site, hope you follow back <3
Sergio,xx
nice post and great tips!! thanks for sharing this!
oomph. recently posted..top gun.
Glad you found them interesting. You’re welcome. There are gonna be more posts in the future, less targeted in new bloggers, and more on old ones! 🙂
cuttie cuttie!
Thank you!!!
CaterinaDrak recently posted..my outfits. the inner skater.
Poly kalo kai poly xrisimo…bravo!
Zoi recently posted..Easter Giveaway!!!
Na’sai kala Zoi! S’euxaristw! Tha iparxoun kai alla sto mellon pou elpizw na voithisoune kai palioteres bloggers poy exoun idi to diko tous blogs…
very fine post
kamila recently posted..445 snake print
Are you talking about yours? Or mine?
I guess blatantly advertising is in now.
wow this post is really helpful!
thanks for sharing!
🙂
evi mili recently posted..Greek Designers for Pinko _ The event @Golden Hall
You’re welcome Evi! Thanks for reading! 🙂
Interesting tips, thanks for sharing!
Glad you found them interesting. You’re welcome.
Πάρα πολύ αναλυτικό κι ωραίο post! Η αλήθεια είναι πως τα τελευταία δεν τα κατάλαβα πολύ, αλλά πού θα μου πάει! αχαχχαχα! Προσωπικά με έχεις βοηθήσει πολλές φορές με διάφορες δυσκολίες που συνάντησα με το δικό μου blog, οπότε σε ευχαριστώ για αυτό κι εδώ!! :)))
Μπράβο σου, γιατί είσαι από τις ελάχιστες bloggers και δη στην Ελλάδα, που είναι διατεθειμένες να βοηθούν τους νέους bloggers. Επιπλέον, είσαι πολύ προσιτή και προσγειωμένη και χαίρομαι ιδιαίτερα για την αλληλοστήριξη και την επικοινωνία μας! (believe me, πολλές έχουν καβαλήσει το καλάμι ;))
Φιλάκια πολλά Εμ!! :*
Elena recently posted..Fairy tales in Athens
S’euxaristw para poli gia ta toso kala sou logia! Pragmatika xairomai na voithaw opou mporw, kai to kanw me megali mou xara! Gi’auto ithela na kanw kai autin ti seira twn post gia na voithisw akoma perissotero…
Ama den ta katalaveis kai xreiasteis kapoia voitheia, min distaseis na me rwtiseis…Distixws den ginotane na ta grapsw pio analitika, giati itan idi para poli megalo to post…Sta epomena tha analisoume alla themata, kai texnika kai mi… Xairomai pou eixe kali ipodoxi to prwto post ti seiras…
Kai esi eisai glikitati kai poli xairomai gia ti metaxi mas epikoinwnia! 🙂
Filakia polla Elena!
really great advice for people starting out m! and t is like my boyfriend, he does all the hosting etc. – very handy hehe 🙂
Steph recently posted..Nowhere in particular
Really? What a coincidence! It’s indeed really handy, because he’s the one hosting my blog too! hehe I would be lost without him. I don’t even own a credit card.
I’m glad you found my post useful. Hope anyone who’s interested will find it interesting and useful too. And there are going to be more parts, as a collaboration with T. to share whatever we can.
Πραγματικά ενδιαφέρον! Αλήθεια, πόσο καιρό γράφεις? Πώς ξεκίνησες? Να μας γράψεις μια μέρα τη δική σου ιστορία, που θα εμπνεύσει και άλλους να αρχίσουν κάτι δικό τους!
S for Summer recently posted..Τα δικά σου Brownies σοκολάτας..!
S’euxaristw poli kai xairomai pou vrikes to arthro endiaferon. Ithela mines na grapsw kati tetoio, alla thelei polli douleia kai organwsi…
Grafw ta teleutaia 2.5 xronia, apo ton Ianourario tou 2011. To pws ksekinisa kathws kai merikes alles plirofories tha tis vreis s’autin tin sinenteuxi pou eixa dwsei persi, stis Greek Beauty Bloggers: http://www.doyouspeakgossip.com/2012/06/my-interview-to-greek-beauty-bloggers/
Para poli wraia i idea sou, kai s’euxaristw poli! Ama iparxei endiaferon, vevaiws kai na to kanw… 🙂
Se liges wres tha anevei kai to 2n part 🙂
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Wow this is amazing, good advice for a beginner like me. Thanks for that.
Pingback: My blogging tips part 4 – How to make your posts stand out | Do You Speak Gossip?
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I appreciate all of your advice. I have recently started blogging and truly have used your tips and incorporated them when creating my blog. Thank you!
xoxo!
Thank you very much Shivu! I’m glad that my post managed to be helpful for you on your first steps of blogging. You’re welcome.
If you need any more advice for your blog in the future, don’t forget to check out the rest of the blogging tips. You will find them under the Blogging category, or you can just click here to read them all: http://www.doyouspeakgossip.com/category/blogging/
Have a nice day! 🙂