How to Start a Personal Blog: An Easy-to-Follow Guide

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If you’d told someone 30 years ago that everyone would have their own individual media platform, they’d likely scoff and laugh at you. Yet when you stop to consider blogging, that’s exactly what’s happened.

Now, anyone and everyone has the power to create their own blog and give a global voice to their ideas! It’s an exciting, liberating time to be a blogger, but simply getting started is often the hardest part of the whole process.

There’s a lot to blogging, after all, especially if you’re one of the many people looking to make money off of your blog.

Don’t get intimidated, we’re here to walk you through it. Here’s an easy to follow guide on how to create a personal blog that’s sure to attract tons of attention.

Why Start A Blog, Anyway?

One of the biggest reasons why people avoid blogging is because they think it’s too difficult. And, on one hand, they’re not too far off. Personal blogs do take a whole lot of time and effort.

But like anything else, that time and effort can lead to some rather rewarding results.

Personal blogs are so much fun because they let you as a writer express yourself however you see fit.

Want to get personal about your life? Absolutely an option! You may even help others along the way.

Want to keep things at a distance and write about an interest or hobby of yours? That’s also a smart call, especially if you’re looking to monetize your writings.

Best of all, it can help you connect with others. It doesn’t matter how niche your interests are, you can undoubtedly find an audience with the same interests as you.

Whether you’re into video games and movies or unique art from Tanzania, there’s going to be someone out there who shares your passion.

Even if blogging isn’t something you see yourself doing long term, it can be a rewarding endeavor, as you can establish yourself as an authority in your field.

To sum it up, you can do pretty much anything and everything you want with your own blog. The freedom is entirely in your hands!

Setting Up Your Personal Blog

So now that we understand a bit more about why blogging is still so popular, let’s talk about how you can set up your personal blog.

If you’re short on time, don’t worry. Most blogs only take an afternoon or so to set up.

Find the Right Content Management System (CMS)

Admittedly, the term ‘content management system’ can be a bit intimidating. Not to worry, though, it’s nothing more than a fancy way of describing a platform that lets you create, write, publish, and manage any type of content.

A bit of research will show that you have quite a few CMS choices to parse through, including:

  • WordPress
  • Drupal
  • Textpattern
  • SilverStripe

Tumblr is also technically a CMS, though it fits somewhere between the spaces of a traditional CMS and a microblogging site a la Twitter.

Each CMS has its own advantages and drawbacks, so make sure you look into each one before finding the right choice for your blog.

If this is your first time setting up a blog, we recommend sticking to WordPress, which powers about 30% of all websites. It’s simple enough that most new bloggers can set up their site quickly but also features some pretty in-depth customization for when you begin to feel more comfortable.

Choose the Right Design for Your Blog

With the right CMS host chosen, it’s time to start designing your blog. For first-time site designers, this can seem like a nightmare.

On the contrary, it’s a lot easier than you’d think. In fact, you can change between themes and designs at a moment’s notice.

Whether you choose something simple and elegant or otherworldly and exciting, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind.

First, make sure your design fits with the theme of your blog. If you’re writing about true crime, for instance, you wouldn’t expect to see a flowery background. Likewise, you wouldn’t find a morose, bleak design on a site about your family (at least, we hope not).

Next, test it out a bit. Make sure the dimensions look good and that the theme doesn’t mess with any images too much.

Finally, when all else fails, consider the user. If your personal blog isn’t easy to navigate, your audience is just going to go elsewhere.

What To Include

Speaking of design, your homepage is going to be where the vast majority of your audience lands. Therefore, you’ll need to include a few vital details.

Write up a quick paragraph explaining who you are and your blog’s purpose. An introduction can go a long way toward making an audience feel like they know you.

It’s also important to balance text and images. Walls of text can be intimidating, after all. Break things up into succinct, readable paragraphs and throw in a few images.

Last but not least, make your menus easy to spot and navigate. Even if your blog is simple, you’ll have a few pages such as your homepage, the blog itself, and one or two ancillary pages for similar topics.

Tips For Populating And Maintaining Your Personal Blog

Good news! The hardest part of setting up your blog is almost done. Now it’s time to start populating your site with great content but not before you create a content schedule.

There’s no perfect number of times to blog per week, so expect to do a bit of experimentation to see what works for your audience.

Too many posts and you run the risk of over-saturating your blog. Too few posts and your audience may forget about you and move on.

As you begin crafting more content, brush up on the basics of search engine optimization, or SEO. Including links, tagging images, and using keywords are all fantastic ways to make sure your blog is easily discoverable. Most CMS platforms have SEO plugins to help assist you but don’t rely entirely on automation.

Starting a Blog Is Easy

Now you have all the tools you need to create a fun and engaging personal blog. The only thing missing is your unique voice!

Looking to learn more about your CMS choices and what they could mean for your blog? Be sure to check out our guide on how to successfully use a CMS to run your blog.