Blogging 101 | How To Set Up A Successful Blog

I’m back with another blogging tips post because a. I enjoy writing these and b. tbh I wasn’t sure what to say about this outfit bc I’ve already worn all of these items so many times on the blog already! This time I’m sharing my thoughts on how to set up a successful blog, and by successful I’m not measuring it on the amount of money you make from it or the number of followers you have. Although these are both things every blogger wants if we’re completely honest, to me a blog is successful if it has its own style, its own look, and runs for a good long time without being given up on. Don’t be fooled – blogging isn’t a piece of cake. No, it takes up a lot of time, effort and thinking to come up with the ideas, create the content, and post it online to a schedule, and if you can keep this up while maintaining your own individual style then you’ve pretty much made it! In my eyes anyway. Keep reading for my 5 tips on how to set up a successful blog…

Choose a platform to create your blog on – Blogger vs. WordPress

If you’ve already done ya research then you’ll have probably figured out you’ve got two options here. Blogger or WordPress. You could sit for hours on Google reading about the pros and cons of each one but for me, it’s always been WordPress. Now I’ve never actually tried Blogger out so maybe it’s not a fair fight but having used WordPress for nearly 4 years, I can assure you that it’s a super easy platform to find your way around and even if you’re the most computer-illiterate person in the world, WordPress has all the support and chat forums you could wish for. I’ve had endless nights of chats on these forums and every single time, I’ve come away with a working solution. How’s that for good service?

Basically, regardless of which one you go for, you’ve gotta choose one in the set up of your blog. My vote goes to WordPress.

To Self-Host Or Not To Self-Host?

Self-hosting is quite a big decision to make when you’re in the early stages of blogging because it’s means you’re pretty much going it alone. I know it’s a decision I didn’t make until earlier this year, meaning I spent 3 and a half years safely sitting under the protection of a WordPress-hosted site. If you choose to go self-hosted then you’re basically paying to be able to properly personalise your website and have complete control over every aspect of your blog, but it also means you have to do absolutely everything yourself. Anyone up for a spot of coding on their first day of blogging? I definitely wasn’t, in fact I don’t think I even knew what coding was at that stage but for me, with more experience comes more confidence and I’m now a happily self-hosted blogger with all the freedom I always wanted – only now I have half an idea of what I’m doing when it comes to the techy side of things! It might look more profesh but if you’re a bit shaky at first then a WordPress-hosted site might be best for you. Don’t worry though – you can easily migrate your site to a self-hosted one at any point in your blogging life – you’re not tied to one or another.

Customise Your Website

Now, if you’re a new blogger and took my advice in the previous step to sign up to a WordPress-hosted site, then you’ve got hundreds of templates to choose from to customise your blog and make it look pretty much exactly how you imagined it to. There’s plenty of free themes, or if you’re looking to invest a little bit of money into your website, then there are some premium themes which require a lil’ bit of dollar to activate them too. If you’re going self-hosted then your blog design is completely up to you. Choose a theme from WordPress to work from, pay a third-party site to make one for you, or simply design your own (I say simply, but you’re gonna need to know your coding if you want the last option!).

The layout of your blog speaks volumes about who you are and what your website is about. Are you a colourful, vibrant person wanting to reflect that in your online presence, or are you a city-chic minimalist fashion goddess who wants a sleek white background and swirly black typeface? Think about it.

Decide What You’re Going To Write About

This can be whatever you want it to be but you need to have a passion for it. Whether you’re a fashionista, beauty guru, or a sports car enthusiast, you’ve gotta love what you’re writing about or you’re probably going to run out of content. Like they say a dog isn’t just for christmas, it’s for life, and that’s pretty much how I see my blog. OK maybe a tad bit dramatic but I think you catch ma drift – my blog is a huge part of my life and I couldn’t have kept it going for over 3 years without having a deep love for fashion and style. Plus, if you’re not really into what you’re writing about then who’s going to believe a word you say and keep coming back for more?

Get The Word Out There

This one’s probably easier said than done because I was definitely one of those people who didn’t want anyone to know that I was blogging for a really long time. It’s only in the past year that I’ve started to let people know about what I do, and I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner! While you’ll get negative people wherever you look, most people are really excited to find out that you have your own little corner of the internet that you’ve created and that they can read. If you love it and you’re proud of it, then shout about it!

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Let me know if you find these tips helpful or if you want more blogging tips posts here on the blog xx Sophie

Wearing: H&M jacket, Firetrap t-shirt, H&M jeans, Next backpack (tan version), Bershka shoes