Daily Dose of Design: 7 Things to Think About Before Starting Your Blog

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

7 Things to Think About Before Starting Your Blog


If you're starting a new blog, you're in the right place! If you're already a blogger, you're also in the right place - these things apply to everyone and since it's an ever changing and evolving business, you can always learn/grow and implement things along the way. There's nothing more exciting than following your dreams and doing what you love and if you're a blogger or soon-to-be blogger, you likely love to write, network and help others. Your knowledge is more important and useful in the world than you think, trust me! :) 
 
My very favorite part about blogging is being my own boss. It's the best thing to have ever happened in my work life, and I highly recommend it! It takes more than just coming up with a few ideas and throwing them out into the world. It takes effort, time and diligence to succeed but realize all of this and you will do just that - succeed. That being said, here's 7 things you should think a lot about before diving in and starting your blog:


Why are you blogging?


This question is essential to running a successful blog. It also helps you to maintain your focus and narrow down your thoughts, which you likely have hundreds of when y oudecide you want to start a blog in the first place! While I think it's totally okay to be a multi niche blogger, you also have to know what the topic(s) are that you can talk about nonstop. Make a list of your favorite things to talk about, the things that you're interested in and narrow down your niche(s) from there.

Knowing your purpose and what you can do to help solve people's problems (no matter what it may be) goes hand-in-hand with writing about something you're passionate about.

What do you want to write about?


Can you write about it a lot? Do you enjoy your topics? Are you able to ramble (in a cohesive, organized manner, of course ;) and like I mentioned in point #1, is it something you know you'll be able to share relevant facts about for hours on end? These questions are essential to ask yourself when you begin thinking about your new blog! I wish I had done this - or would have known to - before beginning, but once I started putting together my brand, I wrote all of these questions and their answers' down. I still have all of them in a notebook and refer back to it quite often, so I highly recommend writing it down and having a physical copy to look back on!

Is there a demand or need for your niche?


You don't need me to point out just how saturated the blogging world has become. There's tons of bloggers and online influencers, so sticking out in a sea of people writing about similar topics is crucial to your success. This isn't something you'll nail from day 1 (unless you have some sort of magic!) and that's okay. I still ask myself before writing each post if it's something that's been done a thousand times or if it's a question that needs answering. If it's been done before but it's something I'm passionate about, I tweak my idea and try and turn it into something even bigger or more in depth. Moral of the story is don't get sucked into the comparison game and stay true to your writing style and your perspective and there will always be a demand.

Once you decide on your blogs name, can you claim the domain and social handles? If not, can you tweak anything a bit?


This may not be one of the very first things you do, but before becoming established it saves a LOT of time and headaches if you claim your social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) and can purchase your domain. Even if you aren't ready to be self-hosted or have your own domain, it IS beneficial to have these from the start and it IS smart to claim them while you can. You never know who will have the same idea name-wise as you, and you don't want to have to fight for a blog name that you likely already took a LOT of time to come up with! In the end it only helps save a few headaches ;)

That being said, if one or more of your names is already claimed, consider tweaking it. You don't want to risk getting into a copyright battle if it's too similar! If you don't think that'll be something of an issue, consider tweaking your domain or social handles; add a dash, a period, a number, "the blog" at the end of your name. All solutions to claiming your name!


Have you taken into account costs that will incur?


Once you're up and running and can monetize your blog, the costs will seem minimal and as the old saying goes, you have to spend money to make money! This is something you have to take into account and budget for, but I promise, once you're writing away and can monetize your blog, these costs that'll help you grow will seem minimal at best.

Some of the costs you'll face include purchasing your domain (I highly recommend GoDaddy!), web hosting, courses to help grow your blog, scheduling apps like Buffer and Tailwind, Adobe programs, memberships, blog design - the list goes on! All are invaluable to your blog and business, so invest in yourself - it'll pay off in the long run.

Are you ready and able to put in the time and effort it takes to run a successful blog?


Blogging is extremely rewarding and SO much fun, but it's a LOT of work. More work than some may realize. When I began my blog I was rather naive to the whole process and didn't know just how much time would go into all of the tasks that are important for growing, promoting and networking. Now it's my full time job and it's much easier to prioritize, but when I was still in college and juggled my blog, classes/homework and my other job, it was near impossible to get anything done in a timely manner. Knowing that being successful means a lot of hard work is crucial. Once you commit, put 100% in and you'll see results.

Do you know what you want your brand to represent? How you want your blog to look?


Your online appearance in your little corner of the worldwide webs says a LOT about you, what you stand for and essentially what kind of audience you'll attract. This is the funnest part - picking a theme, how you'll represent yourself and your blogs design. Once you've chosen your blogs name, you can pick the style of your website, the colors of your brand and the overall feel that your blog has to it. The most important part of representing your brand is being confident and sticking to it.

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After you can answer these questions, don't waste any more time - get started! I highly suggest writing things down (sort of like answering homework questions all over again!) so you can refer back to them and use them as your own, personal mission statement of sorts. Happy blogging!!

XOXO -A

30 comments:

  1. I've been struggling a little bit lately with finding the true purpose for my blog. I want to make my content mean more, and to relate my passions through my blog. Thanks for the tips and the encouragement!

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  2. These are great. It really isn't an easy job and I think it's hard to know all of this beforehand, but it's definitely good stuff to think about! I've had many surprises on costs and on how much time it all takes, but it's been a fun ride! Wish I had read something like this before I started.

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  3. I definitely have been struggling with all of these recently. My blog started as a study abroad blog, then a creative outlet, and now I'm not really sure anymore! HA! I definitely need to start thinking about that more.

    Tori
    www.mooretori.com

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  4. I always tell people who ask me about starting a blog to start one solely because you enjoy writing and creativity! But when you get to a point where you're ready to monetize these things are important to think about!

    xoxo A
    www.southernbelleintraining.com

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  5. This is excellent advice. You've listed points I recommend everyone consider before starting a blog; especially if you have plans of blogging professionally.

    I like the first point you made because knowing the "why" is what will help you push through, even when times get difficult.

    When I started my business, I had no plans of blogging, but soon discovered that in today's time, blogging is a must for a lot of small businesses. It took a while for me to find my place, but now that I have, I really love blogging. In fact, blogging has become a large part of my business.

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  6. This is a great post for those looking to start a blog! When I started blogging in 2012, I did it for fun and had no idea about monetizing, branding, or anything! Once I started transitioning my blog from hobby to business, I realized just how much work really goes into making a successful blog. A lot of people don't know the commitment it takes upfront!

    Carrie | http://carrieeliseandkho.com/

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  7. Knowing the why and the how are so important!

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  9. These are all great tips, I loved reading this. All things I looked into before getting in.

    Corsica Nambiar | kissesfromcarolina.com

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  10. All great things to consider before starting a blog! Seriously it takes a lot of time and effort!

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  11. All really great tips! I didn't think about it much when I started but definitely learned a lot once I did!

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  12. These are all so important! Definitely keeping in mind that there are going to be some costs from the get go is important.

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  13. These are all such good tips for beginner bloggers or those who want to start blogging. Wish I had this list when I started!

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  14. Love this. These are all great things to consider before starting a blog. Especially time. It is a lot more work then you would think to blog.

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  15. So many people ask me about starting a blog...I am just going to refer them to this post! Lol. Very good post!

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  16. These are all amazing! I feel like so many people (myself included at the beginning) jump into blogging without thinking of all the possibilities. While I've self-taught and educated myself throughout my experience, people need to do that before they even begin!

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  17. Great post! There is so much with blogging, I never knew!

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  18. Awesome post! Definitely hit on all the good points. I always think branding is one of the most important things. With so many people starting blogs everyday it's important to know yourself and what you want to showcase from jump.

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  19. These are all really great things to consider! Blogging really IS a lot of work and there is certainly a difference between blogging for yourself and blogging for others. Really focusing on your purpose and directing all of your content back to your purpose is really key, in my opinion!

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  20. besides the point, but can we plz talk about that opening shot. I'm obsessed. So gorgeous.

    But I so agree with your points!! the cost was definitely something that snuck up on me... hosting sites can get crazy expensive depending on your plan, as do the costs of buying new themes, maintenance, etc.... something to consider for sure!

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  21. Agree with everything here! At first I didn't change my social media handles to my blog's name, but when I did my engagement grew so much!

    -Alix

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  22. These are great tips that I couldn't agree with more!

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  23. These are such great points - I am going through everything and slowly changing stuff around to make everything look cleaner, but keeping my "why" at hand to go back and look at has been so helpful to keep me on track!

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  24. These are all such great questions and super helpful ones to think about before really committing to blogging. Admittedly, I kind of just jumped into blogging headfirst and it's been a learning process along the way. I loved my messy journey though.

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  25. This is really great advice! Super important questions to answer before starting!

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  26. These are all such amazing tips and great advice for anyone who wants to start!

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  27. I think one thing that matter before starting a blog is your mindset. If you prepare your mind in any field the success will come towards you.

    Bloggersea

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  28. These are really decent tips mate, thanks! Also, visit this blog for related article

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  29. Every day, I get my daily dose of design inspiration from a variety of sources. I follow a few design blogs and interest boards, and I also keep an eye out for interesting design work in the real world.

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