I can’t believe I’m here, one year later, still blogging! It’s been a fun and challenging time so far and I can’t wait to see what that next year holds for me and this blog. Although I’ve only been blogging for one year, I’ve learned a lot! And since October 1st is my one year “blogiversary”, I want to share with you what I’ve learned over this past year in hopes that it may help you in your blogging journey.
This is by no means everything that you need to know or everything that I’ve learned in one year but they are helpful tips to read for anyone wanting to start a blog or that may have just began the journey of blogging. So let’s just jump right into it! Here are 10 things I learned during my first year of blogging.
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1. Blogging Isn’t Free
Sure, there are plenty of blog posts out there telling you that you can start a blog for free, and you can, but you won’t own your blog, and you’ll be super limited on your themes. Who wants that?? Here’s the truth: blogging is not free. However, you can get started with just a little money! Believe me, I was (and still am) on a budget but I paid for my hosting and theme.
I wanted my blog to be owned by me and I wanted a theme that would work for me and allow me to do what I wanted with my blog. So I chose to go with Bluehost for my hosting needs and Bluchic for my theme.
2. Pay For Your Hosting
You can start your blog today with Bluehost for $3.95! Pretty cheap right? It’s actually not a bad deal at all and one that I decided to take advantage of. Now, you do have to pay for the year upfront, so that may be difficult for some, but that’s still only $3.95 a month for something that could potentially make you tons of money in the future!
I decided to make that small investment. Plus, that includes your domain name, SSL certificate, 1-click WordPress install, and 24/7 support! That’s a pretty sweet deal and makes it even easier for you to start a blog.
3. Buy A Domain
You want to own your domain. I’m glad I learned this when I started my blog.
The blogging terms “domain”, “host”, etc. confused me, even after doing my research. With Bluehost though, I didn’t have to worry so much about all of that. As I mentioned above, when you sign up with Bluehost, you get hosting AND a domain and it’s all set up for you!
However, I have another website that I use for my photography and I created my domain with GoDaddy and have had no problems with them. Choose hosting and a domain that YOU feel comfortable with.
4. Buy A Theme
After buying my hosting and getting my domain, I realized what exactly a “theme” was. I was brand new to blogging, even though I had done my research. Doing research about blogging and actually putting yourself into blogging is a lot different. I’ve learned to just do it before you’re ready and learn as you go.
Before buying a theme, I tried out some of the free ones that WordPress provides. Some were really cute and I played around with them for about a week or so. Then I realized that these free themes weren’t really capable of doing what I needed them to do. Bluchic is a website and company that I had found months prior to starting my blog and I remembered that they had WordPress themes.
I checked theirs out and liked that light and airy feel that most of their themes had. I learned that I would have support from Bluchic if I needed help with any theme I purchased from them. This was a big plus because again, I was a newbie at blogging. Another positive I found with Bluchic’s WordPress themes are that they’re also affordable. I ultimately bought the Isabelle WordPress theme from Bluchic and have been using it ever since!
5. You Must Love Writing
This is a big one! I did not realize just how much writing I had to do with my blog (naive, I know). But, since I put out a new blog post every week (well, I try to), I’m writing several times a week. For me, this is a lot. I don’t consider myself a writer and I don’t like to do it all the time. Having a new blog post every week is a lot for me but manageable.
Some bloggers post every day! Some, once a month. Find what works for you, but you have to have some love for writing because regardless, you’ll be doing quite a bit of it!
6. Know How To Do It All (At Least in the Beginning)
Blogging is so much more than writing a few words, posting some pictures with it, and uploading it to your blog.
You have to be the writer, the photographer, the coder, the website designer, the customer service representative, the tech support…you get the idea. I didn’t realize before starting a blog just how much behind the scenes work there was! I’ve learned to do a lot by having my blog though. I have a few new skills and am still learning so much because of it. I’ve learned not to worry so much about not knowing how to do something. Just research it a bit and/or learn how to do it from someone else. The internet is an amazing learning tool for bloggers!
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After their blogs become profitable, bloggers will sometimes hire out some of the tasks that they no longer have the time (or patience) to do. Now, some of you may have the money to do that already. If you have the money and don’t want to deal with some of the behind the scenes stuff with blogging, hire someone to do it for you! Then you’ll have more time to focus on the aspects of blogging that you enjoy most.
7. Use Social Media
I’ve always been a fan of social media. My favorites are Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest (I’m still working on figuring out Twitter). The way I drove traffic to my blog was first by Instagram. I made sure that my profile was public so anyone could see the content about my blog that I was sharing on Instagram. I also used my personal Facebook profile to tell friends and family about the blog. Lastly, I started gearing my Pinterest account more towards my blog. I made it a business account and started sharing my blog posts there.
Pinterest is now where most of my blog traffic comes from!
I actually enjoy the designing aspects of blogging so creating Pinterest graphics for my blog posts is fun for me. I use Canva. It’s free and so easy to use!
I would suggest focusing on one to three social media outlets to use for getting the word out about your blog. If you try to learn them all, you’ll just burn yourself out quickly and always be on social media trying to keep up.
8. Blogging is a Lot of Work!
When I had the idea of creating this blog, I didn’t realize how much work it would actually take! I have new blog posts publish once a week and it almost feels like a fulltime job. As I mentioned earlier, in the beginning, you have to do it all, be everything. It’s not just about writing a few words and taking a few pictures.
You have to work hard if you want to have a blog but it is also so much fun! I enjoy learning new things about blogging and the designing aspects of it as well. I enjoy writing about stuff that excites me and that I hope will help others. Blogging allows me to dig out the creativity inside and let it shine.
9. Blogging Takes Time
Here I am, one year after starting my blog, and I’m still working hard at it!
I’m still struggling to make it a profitable blog but I don’t plan on quitting just because I’m not seeing the results I want yet or that it’s hard work. I’m confident that at some point, I can begin making a profit from doing something I love while helping others with my blog. I know that all good things take time. So if you decide to start a blog, have patience! If you want it to be good it will take time to make that happen.
10. I’m More Adventurous Because of Blogging
I hope I haven’t scared you away from blogging by talking about it being a fulltime job, having to work hard, and it taking time because blogging is actually pretty awesome!
Since I started my blog, I’ve noticed that I’m becoming more adventurous. Now, my blog is centered around travel, lifestyle, and creativity so one would think that I’m always traveling. But I’m not. I wasn’t going on big adventures when I started my blog but I wanted to start. I figured my blog was a good way to share my adventures and what I learned from them with others.
Any place I go can become an adventure now and I can make it into a blog post for the blog. I’m constantly thinking about how I can make this trip or this activity into a blog post. There’s been new places that I’ve had the opportunity to visit this year and the blog has allowed me to share my experiences and new knowledge of those places with others.
You may not want to start a travel blog but no matter what kind you decide to start, trust me, it will lead to new adventures. It’s been that way for me and I can’t wait to see what the next year holds for me and my blog.
So to quickly recap what I’ve learned from one year of blogging:
- Blogging isn’t free
- Pay for hosting
- Buy a domain
- Buy a theme
- You must love writing
- Know how to do it all
- Use social media
- Blogging is a lot of work
- Blogging takes time
- You become more adventurous
I hope that what I’ve learned in my first year of blogging has helped you as well. Whether you’re just thinking about starting a blog or you’ve been going at it for a few months, don’t give up! You never know where this new venture may lead you.
Are you ready to start blogging after reading these tips? Are you already blogging and want to share what you’ve learned so far too? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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