When I started blogging in 2010, blogging was not at all the same as it is today. I had to learn a few basics on my own and especially follow the developments and fend for myself, asking some people for advice at times. This is where I am happy to have webmaster friends haha!
In any case, know that you don’t have to be an IT professional to start a blog, you just need to have a few basic things in mind and you can totally get started! I offer you 5 little basic tips to create your blog without missing the essential steps. If you like this article, I will write you a continuation because I still have a lot of advice in store, happy reading!
5 TIPS FOR CREATING A BLOG
1 # choose a guideline
I’ll quickly skip over the 0 # tip of really being sure of your motivation and why you want to embark on the blogging adventure. If the reasons are fame, money and gifts, I suggest you go your way. But I am sure you are all passionate and bona fide readers, so you will probably become quality bloggers. So, my first advice is to choose your editorial / guideline carefully .
Basically what do you want to talk about on your blog? Beauty, fashion, decoration, cooking, family life? Blogs exist on almost every subject! But I advise you to think carefully about your theme, because afterwards it is difficult to change without starting a new blog (and disappointing your readership a bit). However, it is totally possible to open a “lifestyle” blog that will cover all topics. They have become categories of blogs in their own right now.
But you also have the option, as I did, to choose a main theme and have a “lifestyle” category on your blog. For my part, my blog is totally oriented “feminine universe” with a strong makeup theme. I also speak a little about fashion and lifestyle therefore, a category where I like to include subjects that I want to deal with without restricting myself such as blogging, cooking, reading or my discoveries of places / activities. In any case, don’t forget to choose a subject that you are passionate about and that you want to share, that is the most important.
2 # Choose your name
It is perhaps the most difficult in the creation of a blog, to find its name , its nickname and by extension its identity. Again, it’s best to avoid changing along the way . Personally, I have done it and even several times, it has served me more than anything else, especially for Google referencing, but also for some of my subscribers who may have lost sight of me. However, it was still a few years ago, I am now well and truly Tendance Clémence , well established, for quite a while.
I don’t know if I could really give you some relevant advice on finding your name, it’s up to you ! You can use your first and last name, quite simply, but you have to assume. You can start from a typical name “The journal of…” , “The review of… ” which are quite classic in blogging. You can also use your nickname or a nickname that you like, or even take a more poetic name… The main thing is that it speaks to you .
On the other hand, it is very important to do your research beforehand: has a blogger / YouTuber / Instagrammer ever taken this name or a resemblance ? It is very very very important! Again, this will affect your blog’s SEO, but not only that, your readers will need to clearly identify you. Besides, copying others is not cool.
For the record, I found my nickname Tendance Clémence a bit by chance , I wanted to change my previous nickname because I was using a nickname that had no connection with my name and everyone kept asking me why How? ‘Or’ What. Suddenly, as I did not particularly want to justify myself on this subject, I wanted to take a more classic nickname. Tendance Clémence came to me like that, it rhymed well on top of that . Even if I admit that I still want to change for some time haha! But I will not do anything, I am there, I will stay there!
3 # Host your blog
You have your theme, you have your nickname, the time has come to create your blog and choose your hosting . To put it simply, there are two main platforms for creating a blog: Blogger and WordPress . There are others like Wix, but I don’t know them well so I don’t want to dwell on the subject. I started my blog on Blogger, at the time it was the basic platform for all bloggers. The tool is relatively easy to learn and there are now some cool designs to adopt. I recommend it if you really have no computer knowledge.
Then comes WordPress, which will give you a lot more possibilities in the long run. It can be a bit confused at first, but the advantage is that there are countless tutorials to fix any of your blockages. There is even a WordPress forum where community members help each other. Personally, I learned everything like that, I researched everything myself and applied what I learned.
Then, if you really want to start blogging seriously, it will be essential to buy your domain name , understand the famous .fr or .com. If you don’t want to get started right away, no problem, you can still open your blog with a tendanceclemence.blogspot.fr or tendanceclemence.wordpress.com style address . Yes, I know, it does less. So, if you make the decision to buy your domain name, I advise you to choose your hosting platform .
Personally, I have tried several in my personal and professional life and I highly recommend the 1and1 host to you . Whether for ease of registration, application and customer service (24 hour phone line, tested and approved). In terms of prices, depending on the formula you choose you can get by at a few euros per year . It’s always the one I use when I create a website for someone, you can go 100%.
I allow myself a small personal opinion concerning the choice of the extension of his blog . The famous question of .fr or .com. This advice is strictly personal and I know that there are several schools on this subject. But I strongly recommend that you buy the domain corresponding to your country and especially your language . Google will only rank your blog better. By definition, a .com blog and an international blog, and therefore normally in English. A blog in .fr is better referenced among French research results and will therefore have more visibility. This is a theory widely proven by web pros and I think it matters, especially when starting an unreferenced blog on Google.
4 # Choose the theme of your blog
Once your blog is created, your domain name acquired, all you have to do is customize your blog . The coolest part! To do this, you have two solutions: use the free “themes” offered by Blogger or WordPress. Or buy a theme and install it. Personally, I am convinced that you can create very nice blogs with a free theme, I have already done it for a lot of people.
After that, there are paid themes at a lower cost (we have something correct at 25 euros) which are really great and then once purchased this theme belongs to you for life. I think a small investment in a theme that suits you is relevant. Keep in mind that this theme will be your visual identity . I wrote you an article on 10 pretty and feminine WordPress (and Blogger) themes not long ago, I invite you to consult it for some suggestions. Otherwise, the most famous platform for finding themes is Envato Market .
On this site and often on the others as well, you have the possibility of having a “demonstration” of the theme with a dummy blog. This allows you to have an idea of the arrangement of the articles, the colors, the font, the size of the photos … Very often, these themes are customizable in terms of colors and writing, but the general style of the theme will remain the same . I reassure you, when your theme no longer suits you, you can easily change it by purchasing a new theme, nothing is final.
For my part, I change the theme quite often because I get bored quickly and above all, I love to install, browse, test them, tamper with them… You will also find tutorials to explain how to buy and install your theme . Maybe I wanted to do one for you too, tell me if that sounds like you …
5 # write some articles
The last tip in this article is to start writing articles before you launch anything. An empty blog isn’t great, just for design. I advise you to write at least 4-5 articles before you actually put your blog online and advertise it to the Internet. It is important that people who come to your blog by your advertisement or by chance, come across quality content.
As they say, “you don’t have the opportunity to make a good impression twice” and it’s the same here. I advise you to start with an introductory article , a classic, and then write on other topics. In addition, it will give you a good training and will allow you to get feedback from your first visitors.
Keep in mind that these visitors are essential , they are often the first who are the most loyal (this is the case for me, in 8 years of blogging). Myself, when I visit a young blog, I will “judge” the quality of the content and especially its potential , this will determine if I want to continue to follow it or not, if I will put it in my Google Favorites. Chrome and follow the person on social networks. Either way, don’t rush to get your blog online right away. There are still plenty of tips that I haven’t discussed with you …
