I am not in anyway a professional blogger or know better than anyone else, But I would like to share some of my experience and hopefully ideas if you wish to embark on a blogging adventure! I have read not so long ago that the hardest journey of a blogger is in the first 6 months! Get through that and you made it! Basically, you did not quit like a large bunch of new bloggers. I am now entering my 17th month and I haven't slowed down, I am actually blogging even more than before. As I was mentioning I am not a 'professional blogger' so to speak but I have freaking learned a LOT since I start this blog and if you want a good laugh I suggest you take a look at my first few posts back in 2014, they are rather cringing. Badly written and bad pictures I didn't have a clue, really I did not.
If you're new to this crazy blogging world or thinking to join the fun then there are a few things you should know and a few things that I wish I'd known right at the beginning. This posts theme will be split into few parts as I think there is too much to say in one post so here is part 1, which will be about the importance of choosing a platform, blog name, design and post.
Platforms: Where to start? You need a platform, if you're a genius in computer science and know everything about designing a website, understanding HTML, coding etc. then I have nothing to teach you but if you don't have a clue like me and HTML looks more like Chinese in reverse then you have two choices: the little bit adventurous platform: Wordpress and the easy one: Blogger. Personally, I found the Blogger platform the easiest and it is used by the majority of us but do check both of them and choose the one you feel suit your needs better.
Blog name: This is probably one of the hardest things to think about. Don't take it too lightly, a bad name or a very common name used already by thousands can mean your blog gets lost in the sea of bloggers out there. So think of something that perhaps identifies you or something that is close to your heart, whatever you choose do not rush and think carefully. But having said that still don't panic it took me about 2 days to choose my blog name and even at this date I am still trying to find that 'perfect blog name' as I am not entirely satisfied with my actual one. You'll have doubts and I want to say it's normal, ask a couple of bloggers around you if they ever think of changing their blog name and you'll be surprised by the result.
Design: For some bloggers this might not be as important but as a very active beauty and lifestyle blog reader I can ensure you that a confusing layout, use of too many unnecessary widgets, small writing, or dark, small and blurry pictures push me to leave a blog in a matter of seconds and go for a more inviting one. I know it might sound harsh but most of us do and we want the reading as pleasing as the viewing, right? But don't panic if you are not too sure how to design a blog, many websites offer free blog templates or beautiful blog templates at very affordable prices such as Etsy or one of my favourites: Pipdig. Or if you are happy to use blogger.com templates then go for it, but keep in mind that your blog needs to be inviting, so keep it simple, fresh, airy and with a twist of your own personality, and voila!
Post: So now you have a platform, a design and a blog name, you're almost there. I know how it feels, you want to do a very quick post most likely to introduce yourself & post it and hoping you'll reach a thousand views in a day. Unfortunately, you'll probably get no views or very little interest so before doing so it is better to actually create some more content: a couple of blog posts will do before you publish your brand new blog for the world to see. Why? Because you'll be more likely to get more views and people are more likely to stay on your page a bit longer and nose around. If you only have one blog post or just an introduction it is in my opinion, not the best way to start off, Build your content and give reasons for people to stay and give a flavour of all the great things to come!
Stay tuned for PART 2 ...coming in few weeks time!
Marie xx
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