Start a Creative Blog!

Before I discovered the world of blogging, I wanted my own website/domain as my portfolio. I didn’t want to spend any money so I went to DeviantArt and created a portfolio website for free. Whenever I applied for a graphic design position, I would forward the link to each potential employer. I never had any luck getting hired for any design job. It’s disheartening to keep getting turned down and being stuck in a job that you don’t love. That’s when I decided I wanted to have my own design and printing business. I felt like I had more of a chance of making a living freelancing than finding a job in the design field! I just had no clue where to begin when it came to running my own business.

When looking up tutorials online to make money freelancing, I stumbled upon a youtube video about blogging. As wonderful and fun blogging sounded, I had no idea what I would write about. I’m not even that great of a writer! I still watched video after video, and eventually lead me to Pinterest. And boy, does Pinterest have a ton of content on blogging! After subscribing to multiple blogs, the bloggers I followed had the same doubts as I’ve had when they started out.

I now have a website where I offer design services, sell products and help others. If you want to start a creative blog, here is how you can do it!

Disclosure: This site contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no extra cost to you!). These are companies and/or products that I have tried for myself and would recommend. 😉

Step 1: A Blog Name, Colors, etc.

In my opinion, probably the most difficult on the list! You may have an idea of what your website will be about, whether it’s crafting, writing, drawing or designing.  Once you know what your website will offer, come up with a name for your website. Start thinking about what colors and the type of look and feel you want your site to have. Do you want to make it cutesy? Elegant? I chose mine to be green/blue with a leaf as part of my logo. It reminds me of the outdoors, which I love spending a lot of my time! 

If you need a bit of guidance with this step, see my Branding Guide blog post. 

Step 2: Go through Bluehost/Wordpress

Once you have come up with a name and an idea for what you want your site to look like, go get your own domain. I have heard so much about WordPress and so many people I know have their website and are successful. And for about $3 a month (increases after a year) and your own free domain name, that’s not a bad deal. I highly recommend Bluehost no matter what type of website/blog you want!

Not quite sure if you are ready to get a domain name yet? There are other ways you can start small. See Start Sharing Your Creative Works Online!

Step 3: Pick a Theme and Customize

There are free themes to choose from and you can customize it. 

• Use widgets
• Put links to your social media on it. 
• Create the basic pages: About | Contact
• When customizing and trying to figure out a look, check out other bloggers to see how they designed their website for inspiration. 

Step 4: Install Plugins & Get Tools

I had no idea what plugins were for how they worked, so it took me a few months before I took advantage of them. Trust me though, look into plugins because you WILL be using them! Click on plugins on the right side of your screen and search for the plugins I list here or browse through. If you have an issue with a certain feature in WordPress, there is probably a plugin for it. Here are a some I recommend installing from the start:

• Google Analytics by Monster Insights – This is great for seeing how many visitors you get daily, their location, what websites lead to your page and more! It’s very easy to install and it’s neat to see people from other countries are visiting your website!
• Pinterest PinIt Button – Pinterest will be your best friend when it comes to advertising your blog. I get more visits than any other social media. Make sure you download this tool so anyone viewing your website can pin your images on their board!
• Yoast SEO – This took me a long time to understand, but once you get a full understanding of it, it’s actually a great tool to make sure your blogs would be found in a Google search!
• Title Remover – Don’t want the title of your webpage showing at the top of each page? When you install this, all you have to do is click a button on the sidebar.
• Grammarly – Not a plugin, but a very useful tool. It checks your grammar, spelling, and I like it way better than the little red squiggles you get with the default spell-checking program installed in every program. I definitely recommend installing this!

Step 5: Add an Email Form

Some people use Mailchimp, others use ConvertKit, but for right now I am using what’s called Email Subscribers. I may go to another email host later, but just get something that gives anyone visiting your site the opportunity to get email updates from you.

Step 6: Pages to Add

At the very least, add these pages to your website:

• About – Description of your website
• Contact – Have your email or any other way a visitor can reach out to you. 
• Shop – You can use a plugin to enter a shop, but I figured out how to add my Etsy account so all my products show up on there. 

Step 6: Add Some Posts to your Creative Blog

Come up with some ideas for possible blog posts. As you think of ideas and topics, write them down. Here are some ideas for you to start with: 

• Your drawings and your progress
• Tutorials
• Your own experiences
• Checklists
• Tips 
• Supplies/ Equipment you use and would recommend
• How to fix the equipment you use
• Reviews on companies and services

Step 7: Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is basically finding companies to partner with and making a small commission when you recommend a product or service. ShareASale has thousands of merchants you can affiliate with. Amazon Associates is good if you have products you want to recommend or review.

Step 8: Promote Promote Promote!

Start telling your Facebook friends about your business. If you are already on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram or any other social media, spread the word about your new website and services and/or products you offer! Hashtag the crap out of everything! 

Some tips and other things to keep in mind:

• Use your own photos/artwork on your blog. Go for a walk, take your camera with you and take pictures. Take photos of your crafts and workspace. You may even have some pictures on your phone or uploaded on your computer already. ;D
• Your work is never done. There is always something that can be added or done to improve. Don’t worry about everything being “perfect” before you launch your blog.
• The bad news is that you are probably not going to get many visitors when starting out. The good news is that you can use this time to keep fixing up your website. 
• If you don’t already have a Pinterest account… go get one! I have more visitors from Pinterest than any other social media account. 
• Keep at it! This is not a get rich quick gig. However, each month I am seeing more of an increase in visitors. It’s slow growth, but don’t get discouraged. Just keep researching, improving and writing!

Have any questions to get started? Feel free to leave a comment or go to my contact page to send me a message. Good luck!! ;D