How To Start A Blog

With all of this craziness going on in the world and fear of financial security there is one thing that has been circulating everyones mind: How To Make Money Online. It is super scary out there, but we are fortunate to live in a time with so much entrepreneurial potential!!

If you have EVER thought about starting a blog, trust me when I say there is no better time to do it than right now.

I am currently offering a FREE 5 Day Launch Your Blog course that I HIGHLY recommend you enroll in! Sign up below.

This course is going to walk you through every single step you need to take when it comes to starting a successful blog — in just 5 days!!

Don’t try to do it on your own. It can get frustrating, complicated and stressful. I am here to help.

Why now is the best time to start a blog:

Financial security. No more worrying about getting laid off, or working for another person. When you start a blog you control your income. You are your own boss.
You can work from home. As we are all practicing social distancing, you might as well fill your time with something beneficial: Starting Your Online Business!
More people are online than ever. With everyone quarantined and lets be honest, bored out of there minds at home, your already massive audience just got bigger. Your new blogs chances of getting recognized fast are higher than ever.

This post is going to walk you through my experience of starting a blog and every step you need to take to learn how to start YOUR OWN blog today. PLUS I am throwing in a FREE Guide “Growing Your Traffic With Pinterest” 💕 (message me if interested)

My Blogging Background Story:

Two years ago I was probably where you are right now.

Endlessly researching how to start a blog, taking notes, contemplating if it is worth it… basically, spending hours planning, but not taking any real action. Trust me, I get it.

I was 21 years old, entering my last year of college and knew that I wanted something more. Growing up, I always had that entrepreneurial spirit and by that I mean, I didn’t just dream of being a CEO one day I knew I would be the CEO (I know what you’re thinking…. pretty confident for a 8 year old, huh?) 😂

My point is, I have always wanted to work for myself. Create something big! Build my own legacy. But when you are a broke 21 year old, already working 2 jobs and a full time college student… that dream seems a bit far fetch.

Then I stumbled upon a post similar to this one – “How To Start A Money Making Blog” and I was hooked.

That night (and weeks to follow) I barely slept. I would stay up all night drinking wine and researching how to start a blog. I knew that this was something I wanted to do, I just had to learn how.

I pretty much spent that entire summer in my room reading and taking notes. I was entering an information overload.

There were so many articles out there telling me a new blogging trick or strategy I didn’t know yet… so I convinced myself “I wasn’t ready”. This was a vicious cycle all summer.

In hind site, I am kicking myself for so wasting so much time “planning”.

I think about where I would be today if I hadn’t spent over 6 months filling notebooks and procrastinating.

I knew I wanted to start a blog but it took me forever to actually start it because I spent all my time planning and not doing.

The truth is, when it comes to blogging, you are never going to be “ready” you just have to do it.

So finally one afternoon, I forced myself to sit down and make a pros and cons list to starting a blog.

The pros:

Have my own business
Be my own boss
Make money from anywhere (6 figures!)
Create and write whatever I want
Work on my own schedule
Challenge myself and learn something new
Ability to be independent and creative
Discover and try new products
Build new relationships with different bloggers and brands
Work on my own schedule, on my own terms
Live freely

The cons:

What will my friends and family think if I fail?

The only thing that was holding me back from getting started, was my own self doubt. I was letting the fear or what other think dictate my future and choices.

This was my turning point.

This was when I knew it was time to get out of my own head, and start my blog.

The result? The BEST decision I have ever made.

Fast forward to today, I am a full time self employed blogger.

I quit my 9am-5pm corporate job at age 23 and am running a successful money making blog with thousands of viewers per month.

Starting this blog has been an incredible journey that I recommend to anyone who has interest in it!

It is hard work at first, but trust me when I say every hour put in is worth it in the end.

You just have to dive in and take the FIRST step. Invest in yourself today, to change your future.

Click here to sign up for your blog RIGHT NOW. Im telling you, you can do it!!!

Need help or have questions along the way? Right now I am taking all questions and emails! Don’t hesitate to contact me!

Contact me:

Email: cassandra@livinglikelola.com
Pinterest: LivingLikeLola
Instagram: @itslivinglikelola <– brand new account! Go on and give it a follow 😂😂😂

How To Start Your Blog Today. (Start Here)

This post is going to break down EVERY step you need to take to kick start your business and make sure it is successful.

Even better? It literally takes 10 minutes to set up your blog RIGHT NOW and start building the life of your dreams.

The 8 Steps To Follow To Start Your Blog Right Now:

Decide What You Want To Blog About
Download WordPress – (this will be your blogging platform)
Pick A Host – (I HIGHLY recommend Bluehost – keep reading to see why)
Pick Your Plan
Choose Your Domain Name.
Add Your Account Information
Set Up Password
Design Your Website

1. Deciding What You want To Blog About

The first step in creating a blog is deciding what your focus is going to be! When picking your niche, ask yourself what it is YOU enjoy talking about, reading about, or doing. Is it fashion? Cooking? Maybe a hobby, such a DIY crafting, painting, or woodwork? Or perhaps you’re something like me and realizing you find interest in nearly everything – that is when you have reached the good ole’ lifestyle category.

Stuck between two topics? Get a piece of paper and right down 20 potential blog post topics for each category. Whichever one comes easiest and is most exciting to you should be your answer!

2. Download WordPress

Note: I use and only recommend WordPress! It is the most reliable and easiest platform to use out there.

This is a super easy step because all you have to do is go to www.wordpress.com and download it to your computer! Once you have that step done, you are on your way to the fun stuff!

3. Picking A Host – Bluehost

You need to pick a host in order to upload your blog and make it “live” to the public.

While there are MANY hosts out there, the only one I recommend (and hundreds of other successful bloggers) is Bluehost.

WHY? It is the easiest to navigate, they offer amazing (and fast) customer service 24/7, the security is top notch, and the best part? They are the most affordable… $3.95 a MONTH!!

They have a few different plans out there but you really only need the $3.95 a month package. (I am still using the $3.95 plan and doing great with it!)

4. Pick Your Plan

After you arrive at bluehost.com you are going to see a green button on the home screen that says “Get Started Now”

It should look something like the image above. (If it looks a little different that is fine! They update their website frequently, go ahead and hit the green button.)

Next, select your plan.

Again – I recommend the $3.95 a month. Anything more is not entirely necessary however it would make your website faster and more responsive… this is up to you!!

5. Choosing Your Domain Name

Now we are really getting to the fun stuff! Your domain name is going to be what people type in the search bar to find your website. For example, my domain name is www.livinglikelola.com

Tips on creating your domain name:

Keep it short
Make it catchy – you want something that is going to be easy to remember
If possible, tie it into your niche. If you have a food blog, maybe make it “something food” “eating healthy” “tastytreats” etc.
Make sure its sharable – check other social media platforms to make sure it isn’t taken!
- Check Pinterest, Instagram, Etsy, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook etc. You want to make your domain name only YOURS. Even if you don’t have plans to use Twitter yet, still reserve an account with the same domain name just in case.

You may come up with the perfect name just to learn it is already taken. This can be frustrating but don’t worry! You have time and will find something.

Note: You don’t have to come up with a domain name right now! You can always come back to this step if you cant think of one just yet.

6. Add In Your Account Information

This step is quick and easy. Simply add in all your information and select your plan. It is kinda frustrating how you cant just do the $3.95 monthly payment… BUT overall it comes out way cheaper than other hosts that do let you pay per month.

7. Set Up Your Password

Once you have all your information in hit submit, pick a password and you are on your way!

Note: it is probably going to try and sell you promotions or upgraded add ons at this point – don’t do it. You really don’t need anything extra at this point!!

8. Design Your Website

Yay! The boring stuff is over time to get creative. Picking a theme can be so much fun – but maybe try not to waste too much time deciding! There are a lot of free options out there that are so great (the one I use is free from wordpress) OR you can buy a really nice one from sellers.

One of the best places I have learned to purchase a theme from is 17th avenue. They have gorgeous layouts and lots to choose from! I have been tossing around the idea of remodeling my website, so if I do splurge on a paid these it will for sure be from them.

Well that is it!! Time for you to start writing 🙂

Feel free to leave your new blog in the comments and I will be sure to check it out! Good luck with everything.

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