Ahhhh the weekend is almost here. And what better time to work on a project! Like......starting a blog maybe??? According to my recent reader survey, 80% of you who participated said that you'd be interested in a type of post focused on blogging and photography tips. While there's a TON of great information out there on the web about these topics {and really no need for me to reinvent the wheel}, I decided it might be helpful for me to share my favorite resources regarding these topics as well as pitch in my own two cents. Sound like a plan? Great!
When I first created my blog, I followed this "how to start a food blog" tutorial from Cookie and Kate like it was a life or death situation. I was SO nervous. Techie situations are super scary for me, since I had no experience with web "stuff" at that point. The tutorial has been updated since I started this blog almost two years ago and is very thorough. ALTHOUGH....I will say that some of the technical steps will involve a bit more research to carry out properly. I've found that if written instructions don't make sense, there's probably a YouTube video on anything and everything related to WordPress - just type whatever you are trying to do in the search bar and go from there!
Here's a step-by-step process of what I did to make my blog into what it is now:
1.Signed up for Bluehost to host my website. Essentially, they are the lot on which my website "home" is built on - they are what's called my website "server." It costs money to have a host serve your site, and Bluehost has definitely been the most affordable choice for me. Sign up for Bluehost via my affiliate link below:
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2. Once I had signed up for a year of hosting with Bluehost, I was able to create a domain/URL address for my site free of charge as part of my package. This is where you get to NAME your website! Be creative, unique, and try to choose a name that's not terribly long or hard to spell.
3. Install WordPress through your Bluehost (or other hosting) account. WordPress is my blogging platform of choice. Other popular blogging platforms include Blogger, Wix, and Squarespace. I chose WordPress because it's widely used, there's TONS of great tutorials on how to use it well, and it's very user-friendly to non-techie people like me.
4. Choose a blogging template or theme. After a year of using a free blogging template/theme for WordPress, I purchased the Genesis Framework + Foodie Pro Theme for my blogging template. This was a decision I made after lots of research with the following wish list:
- Make my site have a cleaner look/feel to it
- A visual recipe index
- More options to customize the way my site looks
- Good tech support
- User-friendly, clear cut template to use
- Well-built template that would run smoothly on WordPress and have good html markup
- Spend less than $150 on this project
You can view a step-by-step video tutorial from Minimalist Baker on how to set up Genesis + Foodie in your WordPress account here. You can purchase the Foodie Theme or any Studiopress them via my affiliate link below:
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And that's pretty much where I am today. Would I like a website re-design by a talented web designer with excellent graphics and more customization to make the site "my own?" Absolutely. But that costs big $$$ (at least a couple thousand). And I'll only be willing to do that IF and WHEN this blog makes an income that will cover that cost. In the meantime, I plan to grow the blog by creating the best content I possibly can, connecting with readers, and honing my writing, photography, and recipe development skills.
Below are some other resources that I have personally used and relied heavily upon in the creation/maintenance of this blog:
- ALL of the blogger resources articles from Minimalist Baker. Yes, every single one. It took me several hour broken over a week's time, but it was worth it. So much helpful, clear-cut information here from a trustworthy source.
- Food Blogger Pro - this resource is basically like blogging school; and in my opinion is helpful no matter what type of blog you create, be it food, fashion, travel, you name it. This is a paid membership with an annual fee, and there's currently a waiting list. What I like about this resource is that there are hundreds of videos on starting and growing a blog, and each video is complete with step-by-step written instruction as well. There's also wonderful discussion forums where members of the FBP team will help you personally with questions.
- My friend Helene is a huge champion of helping bloggers become better, and has a great collection of posts on how to start a great blog. See the collection here and check out her Pinterest page "All Things Blog" for great "how-to" articles and inspiration.
I hope that any of you looking to start your own blog find this helpful! Of course, it is a lot of work, but totally doable if you just take it step-by-step! As always, feel free to contact me with questions in the comments section below or shoot me a line at [email protected] .
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