Starting my own blog a few years ago seemed like an impossible dream. Being over 50 made it seem even more difficult. I learned that the steps for starting your own blog and working from home seem fairly simple, and they really are, but there are many add ons after starting your blog. Starting your own blog is just the beginning. Once you complete this part you will want to do so much more.
At our house, the conversation around the table sometimes covers all kinds of things. A few years ago when I started actually trying to blog. I will be honest with you, the days starting out was really hard. I thought I would never ever accomplish it, but I did learn. Now I would like to share with you the 5 steps that I initially took to start with the goal of one day working from home.
No Experience Needed
First of all, let me tell you if you are someone that has no graphics experience and very little computer skills you can still do it. That was me, I didn’t have either one. When I went to nursing school they did not even make you take a computer class!! Crazy, right, now it is a prerequisite for every degree. I finally took one at our local college about 5 years ago. Even that class did not prepare me for all the things I have learned.
I am living proof that you can do it. It may take a lot of hours and a lot of You Tube, but you can do it.
My girls started talking about blogging and vlogging. Now I knew a little about blogging because I was already 9 months into writing my blog and really enjoying it, but their language and terms went beyond using the phrases blogging and vlogging.
You probably already know this but, with every skill, hobby or craft comes a language. It is a language filled with words and acronyms that some do not understand. I know this because I am a military brat and when someone says they are “PCSing” I know exactly what they are going to be doing, moving. The military comes with its very own language too. Just like blogging and using the internet as a resource or way of making a living.
During the last year I have learned sooooo much, and really loved every minute of it. I would like to say though I have loved it the struggles I had were real.
The Struggle Was Real
There were some days I did not feel like laughing.
As a matter of fact, there were days I felt like crying. There is a different language attached to blogging. Just like there is a different language surrounding all new technological things. Because I did not know the language and have all the skills I spent hours after hours searching and learning.
My sister called it,
The Learning Curve
There really is a learning curve and maybe that is true for everyone and every new adventure we start. My kids kind of laughed at me. No, they really just laughed at me, but the struggle was real. It was a challenge, but not a bad one.
Nurses throw around acronyms and abbreviations all the time and wonder why others can’t understand what they are talking about.
So here I was having to learn a new language mixed in with a lot of technology. That is why I am calling this the 50-year-old’s Learning Curve. Yep, that is what it is and it has taken me a whole year to understand just a little bit of it and guess what? I am apparently still behind but learning.
That is okay though, I don’t mind, because I have really enjoyed learning all these new things. So, that is why I have decided to share with you what I am learning and maybe help you along too.
Get Past the FEAR
“If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.” UnKnownTweet
Those are some really wise words, aren’t they? If you want something bad enough you may have to work for it. If you never ever try something new and different then you will just always be stuck where you are. The fact of the matter is you have to get past the fear. I don’t know how many times I told my daughters I was going to start a blog. I talked about it for years and the fear was holding me back. Well really, 2 things kept holding me back.
FEAR AND THE LEARNING CURVE
Don’t let these two things stop you. You shouldn’t let anything stop you if you really want to do it. I let them stop me. I was afraid if I couldn’t do it and I would be wasting my time and not knowing how kept me in limbo.
So that brings me to where I am today. I am a lot farther along. Once I learned a few things I just started writing. So I would like to tell you somethings you have to put into place to get started. By the way, my husband has been my biggest cheerleader. He has always said you can do anything you put your mind to.
The other thing that has really helped me is taking a few courses. I will tell you about those as well.
So Let’s talk about the foundation
1. Pick A Name
Picking a name may not seem like a big deal but it can be. Especially is someone else already has it? When I picked the initial name for mine it was already being used but was not active. Use the link below to find one that is available. Pick something related to your area of expertise or even your name. It will be important later when your brand is more defined.
At the end of your blog title, you have to choose an “Extension”. An extension has a lot to do with the address. The most common extension is .com. If your domain name or blog title is not available with .com you can try, .net, or .org. I think some more have come along as well, but I would try .com first because people are familiar with it.
Your blog title is going to be your ‘DOMAIN NAME’.
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2. Choose A Web Host
Disclosure: I have recommendations in this post. The opinions are mine about the products. I will get paid if you choose to use the affiliates product.
Now that you have chosen a domain name you have to register it. The company that registers your domain name will be your host. I am going to tell you about the one I use because they are good for beginners. They have different levels of hosting but beginners should start with the beginning level.
I love bluehost.com. They made it easy to set up, the price is right and they have good customer service. I have called them several times and no one laughed at me. Just click on the banner and get started there first and register your name.
Use any bluehost link I have provided to get your name registered. Click on any highlighted name or any banner and it will take you there.
9 Really Good Reasons To Choose bluehost.com
They have the very best reasons listed right here.
- Powering Over 2 Million Websites Daily
- WordPress Easy
- 24/7 Support
- Money-Back Guarantees
- Free SSL Certificate Included
- Blue Flash, Help Building Your Website
- Strong Uptime Of 99%
- Fast Pageload
- Low Introductory Price
That’s a lot of very good reasons and there are more. There are other web host companies and they are probably very, very good. You will not regret using bluehost.com.
3. Start Creating Your Website with WordPress.org
After you have registered your domain name and get started with your hosting site, bluehost WordPress.org will automatically download it for you. WordPress.org is the framework for your website. Think of it as the template for your website and you will enter the words and content.
There are many templates from WordPress.org that you can use to start with. If you have no graphics experience like I did then this may be a little tricky. I do not really know how to decrease the time it will take to get everything looking the way you want it to. Just look at all the choices on WordPress.org and start playing with the templates. Choose one that suits your taste. You can always change it later.
I wish that I had started with the FREE WordPress.org template first, I do not love the one that I paid for after a year of using it. You can spend a lot of time and money working with it only to find out you could have started out with a free one and learned there first.
The different layouts of the blog on a site are the “theme”. There are 100’s themes. Some free and some not. The themes have blocks for moving about different elements on your website. One recommendation is to try not comparing your website to other peoples. Your website is a reflection in some ways of you and that is how you want it to be.
4. Write Content
Once you have downloaded WordPress.org you can start writing your post. The left-hand side of the program has all the functions offered to you. You click on >Post>Add New and begin your first post.
You really want to start writing posts. That is after all the purpose of a blog. Now I will tell you what course helped me the very most in setting up my website and writing content.
Your Blogging Mentor Crystal has very clear directions on setting up your website, writing content and many more courses. There are a lot of courses on blogging and setting up your new website. None give clear concise instructions like Crystal.
Here is a list of some of her courses.
- 5 Days To A Successful Blog Launch.
- Blog Start-Up 101
- Content Creation
- WordPress 101
- Your Blogging University
In my humble opinion, she has the perfect course for beginners that really need Step by Step instructions. They are video generated and complete.
When you have finished writing your post you hit >Publish. Take a deep breath and you have started your first blog post and published it! That is the thrill of writing a blog. You get the chance to teach, love and talk about your particular skill set. The reason you do this, right?
If you want to add pictures go to >Media>Add Media and upload some pictures to place in your blog. A free source that I use is Unsplash.com They offer great pictures for free but if you take good pictures then, by all means, use yours. I don’t take good pictures.
5. Email Service Providers
Convertkit
If at any point you are going to start collecting emails from people you will need an email subscriber service. EMS or email subscription services collect your names and address’ for you. They tag a categorize the address’ and track them. I use Convertkit.
Convertkit has the easiest system to start collecting your emails. They offer many, many videos and if you do not want to collect emails eventually you will.
Collecting people’s email is the way to stay connected. You want to develop relationships with people interested in what you have to say. Convertkit will help you do just that. ConvertKit The Best Email Marketing for Online Creators
- Pick your Name.
- Register with bluehost.com
- Download WordPress.org
- Create your blog with a theme.
- Write
- Publish
- Set up your email marketing with Convertkit.
So Let’s Get Started
Fear is never a reason for quitting, it is only an excuse.
Norman Vincent Peale
The first step is the scariest step. Remember when your babies started walking. Wow, when they figured out they can really walk there was no stopping them. When you take the first steps there will be no stopping you either. You have something that someone needs to learn from you.
People need all kinds of things these days, a kind word, direction, and simple skills mixed in too. Offer yourself to others in some way. A blog is a good place to start. Consider yourself a modern-day writer reaching out to people out there in the world needing something.
I am here to give you encouragement. Don’t give up. The work is worth the effort. We should never let our age keep us from trying something new. There are so many resources out there. Here are some links that I used. I could not have learned without them. If you wait it only delays your starting day. So be brave and begin today.
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