It’s been a little over a year since I’ve started this blog, and it’s been quite the experience. I’m so glad I found this space when I was on maternity leave because it helped me deal with my anxiety and baby blues, and have grown to be so much more. With this post, I hope to be able to help other moms who may need a creative outlet to escape a little because writing can be so healing. So with that said, a question I’ve been asked quite often is –

“How do you set up a blog?”

Well, you’re in luck because today, I am here to guide you through the process! And what a great time to do so, because you’re just in time to get everything revved up and ready to launch in 2020. We’ll get to why in a bit, but for now – the moment you have all been waiting for.

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1. Pick a Niche

This is important because “A Jack of all trades is a master of none.” If you’re so busy trying to cover every topic under the sun, you’re going to miss out on the audience you really want to influence. Hone down on what you are good at, the message you want to get out, and what you feel good writing about.

Some tips to help you out – Who do you want to help? What is their age range? Where are they located? What are their pain points? How can you help?

2. Come up with a Blog Name & Register the Domain Name

It doesn’t have to be catchy but it should be memorable. It should also not already be taken. There’s a lot of sites out there that you can check to make sure the domain name isn’t already taken. I first used GoDaddy.com, but then switched over to WordPress.com. I wish I would’ve stuck with WordPress.com the whole time because switching over was a PITA!!! and pricey.

3. Build your Website

Blogger.com, Squarespace.com, Wix.com, and WordPress.com are just a few of the sites out there to build your website. I’ve only used WordPress so I can only speak from my own experience using them. I think it’s very user friendly, and depending on the plan that you choose, there’s a ton of resources and tech support is super responsive. Online Chat is Mahomie (lol get it? Patrick Mahomes).

4. Choose a Theme and Start Plugging Away

With WordPress, there are a lot of free themes to choose from. I have the Business Plan, so the Premium themes are free to me as well. Pick your fonts, colors, decide where you want your widgets (search bar, Instagram posts, social media icons, etc.), and just play around with your site to get familiar.

5. START WRITING

Isn’t this what you came for? Start typing out what you want the world to know. You can start out with an Intro to your Blog or just jump right into what you want to write about. Add pictures, utilize the templates, use the different headings throughout your blog for better SEO optimization, and just keep typing!

Why it’s a great time to start your Blog for 2020

We’re about 3 1/2 months away from 2020, so what’s the big deal? There really isn’t a big reason other than: content, pictures, planning, and promotion.

Content

You want to make sure that when you introduce your Blog, you’re not just starting out with one post and then there’s nothing else to follow. I think I waited until I had at least 4 posts before I started letting people know… partly because nerves got me. Dig up old pictures and ideas if you have to.

Pictures

Bust out the selfie stick, tripod, camera remote, husband, kids, whatever to start taking pictures of you. It’s fine to get pictures of your kids, families, dogs, etc, but this is your space and you are the face of your Blog – your Brand! How exciting!!! Use programs like Lightroom, PhotoShop, Fotor, or whatever program you have to edit your pictures if needed. You want clear, quality pictures.

Planning

Get a plan together with what you’re going to be posting about and break it down into multiple posts. One blog posts can turn into 3 or 4 other ones just by elaborating on a topic within the topic. Keep brainstorming so you can build up your content.

Promote

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Email – there are so many different social media platforms to promote your Blog on. Start with what you are most familiar with and work your way up to the others.

HAVE FUN WITH IT

That’s all I have for you. I hope I was able to help you in some way and hope that you decide to move forward with creating your Blog. Make sure you comment below to let me know if you’d like to see more blog planning/starting content, and if you do start a blog. And last but not least – HAVE FUN WITH IT!