A few weeks ago, I asked fellow dog parents what’s holding them back from starting a blog? Some of your responses are the same concerns I had before I started my blog. Such as a website taking too much time to create and not being sure what topics to write about. But a few responses surprised me! Such as being concerned that your writing wouldn’t seem professional. Below I address the questions and concerns that you may have yourself! It’s good to know you are not alone in your concerns and are with good company.
What’s Holding You Back From Starting A Blog? Questions + Concerns From Fellow Dog Parents.
“It’s Going To Take Too Much Time To Start A Blog.”
Being hesitant about the amount of time it will take to start your blog is a valid concern. Initially designing my website took me months mostly because technology is not my strong suit. Also, I lacked clarity on how I wanted my website to look. I even hired a person to do my web design and I hated the design! I recommend starting with an easy web design template that includes the necessary pages (about, privacy policy, etc) and start writing blog posts. As you get more comfortable with the technology and understand how to make your website more user friendly, you can make changes to the web design.
“I’m Not Sure What Topics To Write About.”
If you are thinking about creating a blog, then you must have some idea of what topics you’d like to write about. Take 30 minutes and brain dump all your topic ideas onto notecards or post-its. Then take another 30 minutes to organize those ideas into categories. Now you have both your categories and topics you can start writing about! Often times as you start writing blog posts you may decide to change directions on where you’d like to take your website.
“I’m Not Sure Where To Even Start Or What Steps Are Necessary To Create A Blog.”
I remember saying this exact sentence when I first contemplated if I should create a blog. I was ready to write blog posts but was not ready to create a website. It was intimidating! To make it easier for you, I created a FREE download that walks you through the exact steps you need to start a website. Download it below & get started today!
“What Blogging Platform Is The Best?”
Before starting a blog, I recommend taking time to decide what your long term goals are for your website. Do you want to sell products? Is being searchable on Google Important to you? Do you want to showcase your paintings or photography on a website? Your answer will help you decide what blogging platform you should use.
Personally, I started on Wix because their platform has built-in hosting and it was super easy to design my website. What I quickly realized is that easy doesn’t equal performance. Wix is limiting and didn’t allow me to truly customize my website to my needs. Many bloggers love to start on Squarespace because they also have built-in hosting and their templates are beautiful and easy to use. Similar to Wix, Squarespace is limited on customizing your website. I moved my website from Wix to WordPress and hosted with Bluehost. There is a learning curve with WordPress. But WordPress is the most customizable blogging platform, great for SEO and doesn’t cost anything to get started!
“What Is Web Hosting + Which One Should I Use?”
Web hosts provide secure space to house your website on web. Think of it as a store in the mall that has space for it’s inventory. In this case, It’s space on the web to hold your blog posts. As I said before, Wix and Squarespace have hosting built-in but WordPress doesn’t. Setting up your own hosting site may seem intimidating but Bluehost makes it so simple! Why Bluehost? They have 24/7 customer support, 30 day money back guarantee, you can get a free domain name at registration and it’s cheap! It’s only $8.99 per month for the basic plan but with my special link you get a discount to $2.95 per month! That’s under $36 for a whole year!
Sign up with bluehost here For $2.95 per month!
“I’m Afraid My Writing Won’t Seem Professional.”
This is a valid concern and you are not alone in thinking this way! Most people think about writing papers and essays for their high school or college English classes when they think of writing blog posts. But that isn’t how you should approach your blog. You want your writing to be similar to how you speak in real life so the reader can relate to you better. Your personal way of writing captions on social media already draws people to you. Your blog posts should be an extension of that.
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