This post is all about blogging in 2023. If you are interested in a run down of what I recommend to start your own blog. Keep reading!
Blogging in 2023
I am asked about blogging all the time. There is just so much that goes into it (way more than I thought when I jumped in). I have made so many mistakes but I have also celebrated so many wins that I felt like it was time to put the information out there for everyone who might be in the same situation that I was in. Something that I would like to start with before you read any further is that blogging is not a get-rich-quick type of business. It is also not free. Can it be cheap? Absolutely. You do need to invest a little though to get anywhere.
Best Niche for Blogging in 2023
Picking a niche is so important! How quickly you grow is very dependent on this. I wish I would have listened in the beginning to this. I wanted a lifestyle blog though and that is so broad. This made it much harder for me to grow. Looking back I wish I would have focused more on one specific niche and added to it as my blog was gaining traction. I was worried about not having enough content ideas. However, after learning more about SEO I realize that this is impossible. So while I don’t there is a straightforward answer on “the best niche” my suggestion is to pick something that you love and keep it narrow. You can always expand as you grow!
Pick your domain name, make sure it is available on all socials, and claim it.
Pick your domain name, make sure it is available on all socials, and claim it. This is another huge mistake I made! I chose SimplySena however, this was not available on every platform. So I had to change the wording around in places and I think it made my discoverability more difficult. Ideally, you want your handle the same across the board. So while I would love SimplySena to be everywhere. I had to add a “.” On Instagram and then I had to do it backward completely on Twitter (which I hardly use for this exact reason!) when someone searches for you they will remember you by your blog name. So just keep that in mind when choosing something! Also, make sure it is available in the form of a domain name as well!
How to Start a Blog and Make Money
Pick your host. Picking a host is also important! I know a lot of people start with one and then convert over. I also did this. However, I use BigScoots now and after seeing how affordable it is I should have gone with them from the beginning. I chose a cheaper platform to start on and outgrew them so quickly. It wasn’t terrible to switch but, I have heard horror stories about switching after having a lot of posts. BigScoots did make this process seamless for me and I am so thankful for that! I can’t speak for others though when it comes to the process of switching. Check out Big Scoots here.
Purchase your domain
There are different ways of going about this. I purchased mine with my hosting plan. You’ll want to check to make sure it is available as we went over in step 2. Most hosting companies offer this service of purchasing a domain name for an inexpensive price. So I would check that out. Also, you do not have to purchase your domain through your hosting provider. So you can shop around for this to make sure that you are getting the best deal.
Select a theme
This was my favorite step out of all of them when setting up my blog. I searched for so long when picking out one. I ended up going with 17th Avenue Designs. They are so beautiful. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them! I used both Willow and Harper as my personal aesthetic changed over time. I personally love to look at sites. I change mine a lot as my style changes. However, this is just my personal preference, I think you can pick a theme and keep it for years with no issue. The main thing to look for is to make sure it’s SEO optimized and mobile-responsive. Most traffic these days comes from mobile phones so you want to ensure your site looks good on a phone and desktop. Get yours here.
Set up Pinterest for business
Pinterest is great for getting your blog out there! It’s amazing for generating traffic when you first start. Honestly, I wish I would have just focused on Pinterest first and then built my other social channels. Doing all of them at once was very overwhelming and hard to keep up with. All social media sites thrive on consistency so if you start one and then drop it off it can negatively affect you. I’m not saying you can’t redeem yourself it just makes it harder on you. Until you really dive in on blogging you don’t realize how much time and work actually goes into it.
Legal bundle
This is something I cannot stress enough about! If you plan to make money with your blog you need this asap. This is one of those expenses that you just can’t put a price on. This goes for putting affiliate links within posts or ads or sponsored posts. You really need to make sure that you are protected. I know that this price can seem a bit scary but being sued could cost you so much more. ASelfGuru made this so incredibly easy for me. Her templates are so easy to go through and she gives awesome bonuses for the price! She’s an attorney who is also a blogger so she gets it and knows the importance of disclosures. I joined her Facebook group after purchasing where she shares valuable information as well letting you know that she has updated the disclosures as well. You can get her bundle here.
Start getting those email subscribers!
You do not want to sleep on the importance of an email list. Now, people will debate the importance of an email list. I for one would never. If Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest shut down tomorrow. How would you get in touch with your audience? Sure you can keep posting and hope they keep checking in, or you can send them a newsletter. It can be daily, weekly, or monthly and let them know what has been going on and what you are doing next. Not sure what to send them? Send round-ups of posts. Or just updates on what you are doing. Email-exclusive content is huge but not necessary when you start out. What is important is getting those names on the list as soon as you can so you can reach out to them.
Invest in Courses Early
You will not want to hear this but courses are so helpful. You just want to make sure you are taking the right one. I have taken a lot of courses over the years but I learned the most from the Perfecting series. Most courses I spent money on walked you through setting up your blog for success but I already had that. There are tons of free resources for that part of the journey. I needed help with what to do when you are already set up. This series of courses is just that! The order I would take them in is Perfecting blogging, Perfecting Pinterest, and Perfecting Email. If you are confident in your knowledge of SEO and blogging you could skip that step but I for one learned a lot doing it. Setting up your blog for SEO success in turn helps you set yourself up for Pinterest success as well. Email I know scares everyone but I really feel like it’s such a valuable tool to learn. When just starting you can for sure get away with not taking a course on it but also I think learning it early and setting your blog up around it is so valuable in collecting your audience. You can take each course over time or can grab the bundle here for a discounted price.
Does Blogging Have a Future
So I’m sure you have witnessed the question a dozen times. Does blogging have a future? The answer is yes! You found me, didn’t you? Just think of yourself at this moment. You wanted to know about blogging and whether you landed here because of a google search or from Pinterest you chose to search about blogging because you knew someone has written about it. No matter your niche someone out there is searching for information that you are willing to write about. So keep going and when you start to feel like you might be hitting a wall remind yourself why you decided to do this in the first place.
If you are worried about starting my advice is to start now! Do not keep letting things stop you. Any roadblock you might hit I promise you there is a way around it. You just have to keep going!
If you do write a blog, make sure to send it to me so I can read it!
This post was all about blogging in 2023.
