When you start blogging, there is so much information and it can be extremely overwhelming. This is why I wanted to share blogging tips for beginners that I wish someone had told me earlier when I started this blog.
Some of the pieces of advice are pretty unorthodox and some are universal and I feel the need to repeat them even to myself from time to time. I hope you will find at least a few of them useful. And I know I said they’re for beginners but honestly even those who have been blogging for some time forget these tips often.
My blogging journey
I’ve been blogging for a long time. But only in 2020, I’ve decided to take it semi-seriously and in 2021, I finally got enough courage to call myself a blogger and actually started blogging weekly.
I’ve been blogging in my native language – Russian – since I was 12 years old. Later I started blogging about fashion and style in English. I tried multiple platforms and outlets but switching to wordpress.org was a step that solidified what I envisioned.
I wish I didn’t wait that long. To be frank, I always thought that blogging about fashion was my passion. But 2 years ago I discovered that while I do love fashion, I can talk about personal development, career, life and lifestyle, and health for hours. So this made me switch to a more professional platform and take lifestyle and self-care seriously offline and online once and for all.
Blogging tips for beginners
Here are 12 easy yet useful and nonconventional blogging tips for beginners that, I hope, you will find helpful.
Start writing
Don’t wait for a perfect opportunity or for the right moment to start writing. Even if you don’t have a working blog yet, start writing now. This way you can explore your voice, topics you love to write about, your pace, structure, etc.
Recently, I read “Writing down the bones” which talked about the importance of practicing writing. I think it is applicable not only if you want to become a book writer but also a blogger.
You may think you have a lot of things to write about but until you actually write about them, you’ll never know how much material you have and if in reality, you want to discuss these things.
Invest in your own website
By investing I mean hosting, domain, theme, and other things. I use hosting and domain provided by Hostgator, and I bought a theme too. However, in the future, I plan to develop a theme with a professional and this can get expensive.
I know there are tutorials on YouTube about setting up WordPress.org and making a theme you want with the plugins, so you don’t even need to buy the theme. You can always use free themes by WordPress itself as well.
If you don’t want to or can’t buy hosting and domain, for the first year I always recommend using WordPress.com. You can learn about blogging and the platform, and work on your style, language, and schedule without spending a lot of money (a yearly premium account with the free first-year domain costs around $96 which is not bad).
But on top of that, there are other things like better cameras, editing software like Lightroom or Photoshop, newsletter and SEO platforms, events and products, and props for photography.
Decide what is important for you and where you want to invest first. But remember it’s a never-ending process and the times when you could create a blog on Wix or WordPress without getting a premium account (meaning your blog’s URL is yourblogname.wix.com) are over.
Keep learning
Blogging is always about learning and developing your skills. Whether it is writing, social media, your niche, editing, photography, networking, or coding, I promise, you will never stop learning.
A few weeks ago, I had a massive issue with the theme and spent my whole day resolving it because no one else could help me. Luckily, I knew a little bit about HTML so it helped me. But before that, I spend hours understanding the code of my theme, and what the issue was. Eventually, I had to learn about PHP and I was able to resolve a problem.
Even if you’re not pushed into learning something new, don’t stop leveling up as a blogger. Research trends, and what is popular or widely talked about within your niche.
Protect your information and content
Unfortunately, as a small creator, your posts can get easily copied by someone else, a bigger platform, and presented as their own. Small creators have fewer resources and of course, a lawyer or even a lawsuit in these situations can be extremely expensive. It costs money and a lot of smaller creators don’t have it in the beginning. So my advice is to use a plugin that will stop anyone from copying your text and content. I use and love WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click.
Have a Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions
In my opinion, it’s a big must for any blog and unfortunately, this is not talked about widely. You especially need these two pages if you have a comment section and newsletter subscription where you gather personal information such as name, last name, and email. Plus when you use tools like Google Analytics you also want to disclose what information is gathered and where and how it is stored and used.
There are many ways to write Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. You can use a plugin or a free or paid website to create these pages. In my opinion, a plugin is a good option. The moment your blog grows and you have thousands of visitors, or start selling something, you can work with a professional to make a Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions that are tailored to your needs.
Take a lot of photos
OK, so you probably noticed that I use stock photos sometimes, especially for the pins I make for Pinterest. In the near future, I want to totally avoid it. While there is nothing wrong with using copyright-free photos, I think incorporating my own vision is way better. So any time you go out, dress up, do daily things, take photos! You don’t have to use them immediately but it’s good to keep them in a separate folder as your own photo stock. Plus you can also use them for Pinterest or your social media.
I know, sometimes, it can be a lot of pressure. But having extra photos even if they’re not photos of you but is a simple B-roll footage still can be extremely helpful.
Don’t let the lack of visuals stop you
If you don’t have many photos or don’t have anyone to help you with taking them or simply don’t feel comfortable making photos yet, you can always use stock photos. Canva has plenty of options for creating headers and pins. My favorite platforms are Unsplash and Pexels. I think these platforms are modern and always have interesting and aesthetic photos.
However, still, try to use fewer stock photos and take as many original photos as you can.
Don’t overcomplicate
It comes to your theme, too many plugins, photos, categories, etc. Start small and simple. Planning is good, but you can’t keep planning for months without putting the content out. Blogging, primarily (surprise!), is about writing with a few visuals. Of course, the website has to be visually appealing and easy to use, but the content and its quality come first.
Instead of spending hours thinking about blogging, design, and excuses, make it easy and start blogging now.
Have a schedule
I think it’s important to have a plan and a good schedule that you will utilize. I use Google Sheet to create a schedule for my blog and Pinterest.
Luckily, there are many people on YouTube or Instagram who are willing to share their techniques on how to create a content calendar. So if you need some inspiration or guidance, look it up on YouTube. I also have a Pinterest board Content Calendar with some tips.
Sometimes, I don’t follow my calendar but having it and preparing for the months ahead always gives me structure and perspective even when I need to move the days and replace certain content.
The schedule is important if you want to level up your content and blogging, and to know what direction you’re moving.
Start your Pinterest page NOW
Pinterest is a massive platform that can help you with traffic. I would suggest starting a Pinterest Business page for your blog and social media immediately. Even if you don’t have blog posts yet, you can start creating the following for your niche:
- Lists
- Quotes
- Visual guides
- Upload photos with links to your social media
- TikToks
Make sure the content is original and relevant to your niche and social media presence. You can also start creating boards and pin images that are already on the platform.
Once you start blogging, create Pins for each blog post and make sure they go up on Pinterest right after you publish your blog post. I try to use Pinterest every day and pin at least 2-3 original Pins that are made by me and around 10 pins that were pinned by someone else.
Learn more about SEO
Knowing how to use SEO and what it is exactly is crucial in building your blog. I use the plugin Rank Math for blog posts and SemRush for researching the keywords. Both of them have the Pro versions but I use a free one and let me tell you it has a lot to offer.
Don’t overestimate the importance of keywords, it can really help your posts with better ranking. Start using the SEO tools right away. I made the mistake of not looking into SEO in the beginning and I really regret it.
Start using Google Analytics
I think it is essential to know your audience, where they come from, and what they are interested in. Google Analytics helps you to achieve it. Again, there is a plugin you can use and it gives you information on your audience, popular blog posts, and the overall performance of your website.
Start using it now to perfect your blog posts, what you write about, and to connect with your audience.
Conclusion
Honestly, there is so much more to learn about blogging and I have way more tips on blogging. I hope these blogging tips were helpful. And I will make more parts but meanwhile, if you have some useful insights or thoughts, leave a comment down below.
Read my other blogging tips blog posts:
Disclaimer: This post has no ads or affiliate links. Every suggestion is what the author truly likes or uses.
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