Blogging tips for beginners

So in this post I will be discussing my blogging process, my tips, tricks, and other things that have to do with my blog! *DISCLAIMER: IF YOU DECIDE TO CLICK MY AFFILIATE LINK AND PURCHASE A HOSTING PACKAGE, I GET PAID FROM IT. I APPRECIATE WHEN PEOPLE USE MY AFFILIATE LINKS.*

What made me want to start my own blog:

I had been reading other blogs for a while. It was Christmas Eve (December 24th, 2014) to be exact! So I will have been blogging for a year as of December 24th!  I started out of wordpress.com. My original URL was www.caralynn97.wordpress.com. I was feeling inspired and was like “I am going to start a blog. I love writing and taking pictures. I can do this!” Around May or June, I started to dislike wordpress.com, not because it is a bad part of wordpress or anything, I just wanted complete creative control as for as blog design went and owning my domain, etc. So on August 6th,2015, I went on BlueHost with my newly received debit card (NOTE: I had just turned 18 and had gotten my own bank account) I went on the site and purchased my domain. Then I went on wordpress spent the entire day setting up my blog exactly how I wanted it.

Hosting and blog:

So first off I use BlueHost as my hosting site. I use BlueHost because it is fast and reliable. The people at BlueHost are very helpful and friendly.  (Also if you click my affiliate link and purchase one of their hosting packages from my affiliate link, I earn a portion and I would really appreciate it.) I also run my blog on wordpress. WordPress has a lot of free themes that you can customize to fit your tastes. WordPress has a lot of free plugins that have useful features.

Plugins:

I use All in One SEO pack, All in one WP pack, Broken link checker, Akismet, Jetpack, Google Analytics, WP super cache and polylang. All in One SEO pack is a package that helps with Search Engine Optimization. All in one WP Security is where you can up the security on your website. Broken Link Checker is awesome for when you put links in post and it ill tell you if one is broken. Akismet is plugin that helps protect your site from spam comments. Jetpack is a plugin that helps you see stats of your website and inform you if your website is down. Google Analytic shows you detailed information about those who visit your website. WP super cache all this does is help your site run faster. Last but not least Polylang which translates your blog into different languages.

Camera/Equipment:

I use an iPhone 6 for my photos. My dad purchased a Canon SL1 for me for Christmas. I use a Dell Inspiron 17R laptop. I use picmonkey for editing photos or I save them on my phone and edit them using VSCO, Faded, Afterlight, Facetune or MOLDIV. VSCO, Faded, Afterlight, Facetune are all very similar. Then MOLDIV is a collage app which happens to be the app I use to make collages for my blog. VSCO is an iPhone app that has a lot of filters that you can choose from. Some of them you have to pay for. Afterlight is the same as VSCO, but some people feel it’s easier to use. Faded is also like VSCO and Afterlight.

My tips:

• Be yourself. Create a voice for yourself.
• Make sure your quality is good. A reader would rather read ten good quality post than 200 poorly written posts.
• When it comes to pictures, practice makes perfect. (Or you can use your boyfriend like I do!)
• Create a word document, note in a note app, or a sheet of paper that has blog post ideas or topics to talk about.
• Don’t freak out if during your first year of blogging people don’t notice your blog. Keep writing good post.
• MAKE SURE YOU NETWORK. This means you go on every social media account to promote your latest blog post. Use Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Redit, Stumbleupon, Pinterest, Tumblr, Bloglovin, Vine, etc.
• SEO is your best friend. Work on it. Cherish it!

Thanks for reading. Follow me on Snapchat: cara_lynn97. Also don’t forget to follow me on my other social media account which includes but isn’t limited to Twitter and Instagram.