Thank you for taking time to read me. Blogging, my chosen method of emotional survival, turned into something I still can’t believe. Every so often, I get a comment requesting a few pointers for beginning a site. Here are a few helpful hints to get started.
1. Start with Bluehost. They’ll walk you through everything you need to do to create a free site. It is so easy, I could do it. You follow very simple directions and all of a sudden you have a professional looking site. Please, oh, please, don’t choose the succulent I used. I love it so much. Your actual blog will be part of a site called WordPress.
Remember. Your site is only free the first year. The second year it costs $300-500 to keep your domain name. After a year of writing, you’ll need to decide if you want to continue.
2. Whatever your topic, write you. Don’t write what you think others would like to hear. It’ll be fake and your readers will know.
3. Watch the inner workings of your blog carefully. I’ve been seriously hacked one time. I ended up having to pay another $350 for protection and haven’t been hacked again. The internet provides lots of great information on keeping your site safe.
4. In the beginning, write every single day, choosing a time of day that works for you. Make it your job. Check your punctuation and spelling. People do care. I get reminded of that every day, so I do my best to make sure things are correct before publishing. There are always mistakes, but, do your best to limit them. Punctuation and grammar are important. No one wants to read a poorly constructed blog.
5. Wait to advertise until you have a rhythm, style, and brand. Start with family and friends. They’ll let you know if they like your writing. And, they will. I’m almost ready to start advertising now. I’m not on Facebook, but plan to be, soon. Using Instagram and Twitter, I plan to grow my numbers. I have a self-published book coming out in April 2022.
6. Journal your progress. Blogging is the easiest thing in the world if you love to write. It took me 3-4 hours to set up my site on September 23, 2020. Since then, it’s been the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had. I’ve been read in over 70 countries. By Christmas, I hope my total number of reads reaches 100,000. Not astounding for the internet, but just right for a beginning blogger after one year with no advertising. Word of mouth adds a few readers every day. So tell someone if you enjoy my site. It’s helping me grow.
I hope this gives you inspiration to start. Send me your domain name when you do. I love to read fellow bloggers. If you have more questions, let me know. If you have suggestions, email me at Hawaiianhurts@att.net.
I’m truly humbled you like my writing. Happy blogging to you.
Joy Hurt