A quick guide for the newbie blogger

So you’ve decided to become a newbie blogger? That’s fabulous, a blog is a wonderful way of keeping a 21st century diary online.

As that is what a blog is – an online diary. And like any other diary, it thrives on being updated on a regular basis, and will decline if neglected or forgotten! I’m telling you this now, because so many blogs are started and then abandoned, as it does require commitment to keep them going.

New mums make excellent bloggers because they usually develop a routine around their babies. In the beginning it’s difficult as you learn to adjust, but once you’ve introduced a schedule into your life around your little one and yourself (or your blog), life suddenly becomes much more enjoyable.

Is blogging difficult?

It’s quick, easy and inexpensive for a newbie blogger to set up a blog, as long as you already have a computer/laptop/tablet and internet access/wifi. If you can type reasonably well, understand how most word processing systems work (eg Word), and have plenty to say, you can blog. You don’t need to have a knowledge of code or websites, as blogging has been made easy for anyone to start with the minimum of web understanding.

There are plenty of blogging platforms available for you to choose from, and the main two on offer are WordPress and Blogger. Which one you like best is totally dependable upon preference, and what you have been used to in the past, so do some research to see which blogging system is the most suitable. Basically WordPress is the easiest for a newbie blogger to use because it’s more intuitive, whereas Blogger may appeal to those who are used to CMS systems from work.

Now the reason why I suggest WordPress and Blogger is that you can create a blog for free using these platforms. There is nothing wrong with using a free version to get used to blogging, as this way you don’t need to worry about expense, facilities, technicalities, backups and even design. It is important to get a good grounding in how blogging works before moving up to the next stage, as things can get quite complicated and technical, which can be off-putting to a newbie blogger.

Why are you blogging?

Now before you even go to set up your blog, there are some things a newbie blogger will need to consider first. I know this may sound boring, but it will save you time in the future.

Niche – what are you passionate about, do you have extensive expertise in a particular subject or do you just enjoy expressing your observations? Find your niche and don’t stray from it, or you will confuse your readers.

Readers – understand who your readers are, and what they want to read, before starting to write anything. This way you will not only retain your existing readers, but attract new ones as your blog develops.

Voice – develop a style, preferably in a conversational strain. Blogging is part of social networking, so treat your posts as you would for your Facebook updates or tweets. Write your posts as a conversation to your readers to make them instantly more readable and enjoyable, and much easier for you to write too.

Add value – your posts should contain information that is worthwhile reading. The more helpful and interesting stuff you can provide, the more attractive your blog becomes, and your posts will more likely to be shared and commented on.

Honesty and transparency – it’s important to keep your blog as real as possible, and many mummy-bloggers will want to share their experiences to their readers, but remember who you are, protect the identity of who you write about, and don’t talk about or show inappropriate information. What goes onto the net, stays on the net, forever.

Be sociable – blogging needn’t be a lonely pastime. It’s very easy to connect your blog to your social media profiles so that your newly published posts can be seen by all your friends. And if you want to find other blogging friends, spend time researching into social bookmarking sites and join websites like the BritMums Community to find like-minded writers, and interact with them as much as possible before submitting your posts for approval.

Why you shouldn’t start a blog

Some people think that by blogging they will become instantly rich online. Let me tap that on the head – using a blog as an online marketing machine requires skill, time, patience, persistence and constant attention. With a new baby in tow this won’t happen.

If you create a free version of a blog you won’t be able to monetize it, because the blogging police will probably close you down without notice. This is a good thing, because otherwise you will destroy a good reason to blog. A newbie blogger should concentrate on gaining skills, developing a writing style and making friends and followers rather than a pittance of an income, as that is what it will be from the start.

To make money you need to create a lot of web traffic to your blog, and this requires constant new content practically every hour of the day. As well as continuously finding something to say, you will need knowledge in how the search engines work, how social media works and understanding what your potential customers for your affiliates will want.

Also you will require a fully fledged blog with all the technical trimmings there are available, at considerable expense as well as time. Is it really worth all this hassle at the beginning of your blogging career?

So what else is needed?

Having got the boring stuff out of the way, let’s give you a list of what a newbie blogger needs to get started.

A computer – or laptop, iPad or similar tablet, or your smart phone. Depending on your existing skills (typing ability, knowledge of technology, what you’re used to using) you will need to consider if a keyboard and mouse is easier to use to type stuff in than a touch-screen or keypad. And you might want to consider how to blog with a fractious child on your knee, or whether it will be at the kitchen table, a quiet office somewhere or on the move.

Internet access – I know this is pretty standard nowadays, but make sure your wi-fi is constant to avoid losing data or newly typed-in content. Find a location where your connection is strong and secure too.

Username and password – if you want to create multiple blogs in the future, consider creating a username as an umbrella for all your blogs in the blogging platform you’ve chosen. It will become your identity throughout the blogosphere as well. And passwords are extremely important, considering the amount of cyber attacks there have been lately, so think of a specially difficult one you can easily remember!

Which platform? – decide on whether to use WordPress or Blogger. (Once you get better at blogging you could look at the other platforms and easily move your content to them if you prefer them.) Look at what your friends are using so you can help each other if necessary.

Content – you will need lots of ideas about what to post about. Remember this needn’t only be words, but images too. Sometimes it’s much easier to post a picture with a short description, especially if you don’t have much time. And if you’re feeling very brave or have the technology to hand, why not create a podcast (recording) or a video instead? It’s easy to post a video on YouTube and paste the code into your blog post, and the screen will show up and everything!

A subject or niche – I mentioned this earlier, so take note and try and have one ready before starting if you can. Don’t worry if you haven’t, it is more likely to happen the more you get used to writing in your blog.

Social media – since blogging is part of social networking, be aware that they can all be connected to each other. This can become a huge advantage towards increasing your blog’s popularity with your friends, followers, readers and the search engines. It doesn’t matter which social media you prefer, as long as you’re comfortable with it, and can engage and interact effectively within it.

Are you ready?

Phew, this is a long post! Well done for getting this far! Of course I’ve only touched on the surface about blogging, and there is still a very enjoyable journey ahead of you.

I’ve been blogging for nearly eight years, and have loved every minute of it, so there’s every reason you will too. At least a newbie blogger starting now will have technology that has moved on considerably to make it much easier to do it – eight years ago everything was very clunky and difficult to understand, especially for a non-technical person like me. Yes, I am non-technical, I’m not a web developer, and older than the average blogger beginner, so if I can do it, so can you!

There is a e-course available especially created for newbie bloggers learning how to create a WordPress.com blog, should you be interested. Click on the link for more details.

About Alice Elliott

Alice Elliott, aka Fairy Blog Mother, is an award winning blogging consultant who has been looking after bloggers since 2006! Woah, that's a long time! She specialises in "explaining things really simply" about WordPress, and has twice been noted as a top WordPress influencer for 2019.

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