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Module: 2

Setting Up &Starting Out

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Many newbie bloggers assume that if you’re going to set up a blog you’ll need to be experienced in

coding or HTML, or have experience with web design.

However this couldn’t be further from the truth and you’ll find plenty of tools and tricks available that

make it easy to get started. Most blogging platforms have in-depth tutorials, and there’s a wealth of

knowledge online, including YouTube videos, e-books, and blogs.

When you’re first starting out, you’ll also need to think about your branding and how the site will look.

When it comes to the Fashion and Lifestyle niche, it’s incredibly important that your blog is welcoming

and pleasing to the eye.

In Module 2, you will learn

2.1 Types of blogs

2.2 Choosing a platform

2.3 Choosing a name

2.4 Design

2.5 Layout

2.6 Hosting & Domains

2.7 The techie bits

2.8 Money, money, money

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2.1. Types of Blogs

The best way to decide how you want your blog to look is to do some research. Spend some time

studying your favourite blogs, and ask yourself why they appeal to you.

Write down the things you like, and may want to recreate with your own blog, and also the things which

you don’t like, and why you don’t think they work.

Blogs can be used for sharing images, writing or a mix of both. Fashion and Lifestyle Bloggers generally

have image-rich blogs, and your images, side bars, and menus may influence how “busy”your blog looks.

Do you want to have a homepage with a separate blog stream? Do you want it to look more like an

online magazine? These are questions to consider before you you actually get your blog up and running.

2.2 Choosing a platform

Now that you’ve got an idea of how your blog will look and what you’re using it for, it’s time to choose

the platform. Just like there are a few types of blogs to choose from, there are also a range of

platforms to choose from to achieve that style. A platform refers to the system or technology that

you’ll be using to set up your blog and run it through.

The type of platform you choose can also depend upon your skill level. There are lots of platforms

available, but some of them are more user friendly, whilst others are great if you have some

understanding of html, hosting and websites - so remember to take that into consideration too.

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2.2.2 Blogger

Blogger is a popular platform for new bloggers, and setting up a blog is simply a matter of creating a

username and password, and clicking the “Create a new blog” box on the right side of the screen.

You can choose if you would like your blog to be public or private, and then you have the option of

choosing one of the available “templates” which will determine how your blog will look.

When you sign up to Blogger, you automatically get a ‘.blogspot.com’ website address. This means

your website would look like “www.myfashionandlifestyleblog.blogspot.com”.

Should you choose Blogger?

Blogger is a free service, so if you’re not sure if you want to invest in a blog, or you want a “practice

blog”, it can be a good place to begin. It’s also easy-to-use and good for beginners, however the

changes you can make to the design and layout are extremely limited compared with other

platforms, and it doesn’t look as professional.

Remember, when you’re a Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger you’re aiming to show your readers that

you’re professional and knowledgeable. You want to convey that you’re an authority in your niche,

and if your URL ends in .blogspot.com, this may not be helping you show your professionalism.

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2.2.3 Wordpress.com

The first thing you need to understand about Wordpress, is that there are two different types. The .com

version is like Blogger in the sense that you can build your blog, but the platform does most of the work

for you, and you’re limited as to how much you can change your website.

wordpress.com is free, and your URL would be “www.myfashionandlifestyleblog.wordpress.com”.

For the purpose of this section, we’ll be talking about the .com version. The .org version of Wordpress

will be referred to and discussed more when we get to the hosting and domains section a little later on.

Wordpress as a platform is easy to use, and there is also a huge range of tutorials and how-to’s available

on YouTube if you ever get stuck down the line or even want to do a bit of research before you begin. So

let’s move on to why you might choose Wordpress over Blogger.

With Wordpress, you do tend to have a little more freedom with the design - which can be a huge

plus to some bloggers. If you’re quite creative or have a very specific idea or design in mind,

Wordpress could be the one for you. Again, a few simple tips and tricks can be picked up quite

easily though online tutorials if you're looking to know more.

Likewise, if you know a little code or HTML or you’re really keen to learn, then Wordpress is a really

great platform. You do get a better chance at being able to really customise features of your blog by

using code or HTML and that’s a huge selling point for some. So if you’re looking to get into the

technical side of things, this could be the better option for you.

2.2.4 Tumblr

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Now, this one is much less of a typical blog choice and often considered more of a stand-alone

social media platform. Whilst that could be true, there are bloggers that use their Tumblr accounts

alone for blogging purposes. You can still do many of the same things you would

using Blogger or Wordpress with Tumblr.

If you’re planning on creating much more of a visual blog than one with words and content, then

Tumblr is great. It’s a very visual site and works solely on sharing images.

Some bloggers do use the platform exclusively to support their blog or repost content rather than

launch it, but if you are really looking to be image focused, it is always an option.

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2.3 Choosing a name

One of the most challenging (and fun) aspects of starting a blog is choosing a name.

There are plenty of bloggers across all fields that use their name as their blog name and of course

there are many benefits. You may enjoy building up your personal brand, however this means that

whenever future employers Google search your name, they’ll be led straight to your blog.

This is fine if you’re working in the industry, and a Fashion and Lifestyle blog attached to your name

can help demonstrate your credibility, however it’s important to think about the future, and whether

you would like to use your name for another type of website in a few years.

Here are some things to consider when choosing your blog name:

Is it optimised for SEO?

Search Engine Optimisation means that your blog is optimised for search engines (primarily

Google). This means using keywords which people will naturally search for, in the hopes that your

blog will “rank well”(appear on the first page, preferably within the first three websites) in Google.

The trick is to find a niche which is searched often, but not competitive enough that you’ll have no

chance of getting on that first page of Google. There are a lot of resources online which can teach

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you how to do keyword research, and determine the best words or combination of words in order to

capitalise on your blog name.

This is one reason why it’s better to choose a blog name related to your niche, compared with using

your actual name. The chances of anyone Googling your name while looking for a fashion or lifestyle

blog is minimal unless they know you, however many people may search for “What to

wear”“Outfitideas”“Fashionnews”etc.

Is it representative of your brand

If you’re trying to get people to click on your blog, but you’re not telling them what it’s about in your

url, you may be missing out on a large target audience. If you generally blog about reading, and yet

don’t have a word relating to books in your blog name, or blog about fashion

Is it timeless?

As you and your blog evolve, it’s important to consider whether your blog name will still represent

your brand. For example “Cristina in Jamaica” might be a great blog name while Cristina is living in

Jamaica, however if she moves and wants to blog about something different, this would probably

require a name change.

It’s also important to make sure you’re happy with your blog name. While you can go on to change it

at a later date, it isn’t the best idea to just pick one ‘for now’ and come up with something better later.

While it’s possible to change your blog name, this would also mean changing all of your social media

accounts, and potentially losing some readers with the switch.

2.4 Design

When it comes to designing your blog, you’re only limited by your imagination. Many bloggers will start

out with a basic design, refining it and improving it until they have something they love. Unlike a blog

name, your design can be continually updated through the years, ensuring that it constantly looks

modern.

2.4.1 Theme &Colours

If you choose a blogging platform like Tumblr, wordpress, or Blogger, you’ll have a few basic themes

which you can choose from.

Once you’ve found the template or theme you love, take a look at the available colour schemes. Some of

them will have one that is preset and you may already love it, but some do give you the option to choose

from a range of colour palettes. It’s customisations like this that can really make your blog your own or

give it the right look and feel.

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2.4.2 Style

When we talk about style, we are linking quite closely to the idea of a theme. Do you want to choose

something that is very monochromatic? Or maybe you want something that’s a bit more cute and girly?

Is a vintage feel important to you? Maybe pastels? Perhaps you prefer a bright and fresh feel?

Whatever it is, you have the freedom to choose an overall look that matches the vision you have for your

blog. You can even choose a style that suits your content and clearly connects with your topic.

Remember that you only have a few seconds to grab a readers attention, and most of this will be done

with the style and theme of your blog.

You want your audience to be impressed and intrigued, and click through to read more about you.

2.4.3 Text & Fonts

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Some themes and templates come with really great fonts that you’re instantly going to love, but you

might find that you love the template for it’s overall look and colour scheme, but you’re not keen on the

fonts. And that’s okay.

Many templates can actually be customised when it comes to your fonts, so make sure you read the

description or play around with the options. If not, perhaps it’s best to go for a site that has the right text

style for you - especially if typography is your biggest priority for your design (this is sometimes the

case).

2.4.4 Customisation vs. Custom Design

It’s also worth noting that you can be quite free when it comes to your design, as long as you learn

how. Many platforms allow you to access something that will be called the CSS, Editor or

Stylesheet under the design or appearance section. Here, you can change your template or theme.

But, be careful, you may end up losing your design or breaking your website if you attempt to change it

without really knowing what you’re doing.

It’s best to only attempt to customise your blog if you know the right code or HTML.

You can find excellent and customisable themes on websites like Bluchic CreativeMarket,

and AngieMakes. Famethemes is another popular choice amongst bloggers, and Envato also has many

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different themes, graphics, and stock photos available and is really a one-stop-shop when it comes to

customising your blog.

Studiopress use the hugely popular Genesis framework to build Wordpress themes which are secure,

mobile-friendly, and built to last into the future. This is a good option if you're planning to manually

customise your theme, as they're also built to be easily changed, without users needing to change any

code.

There are also plenty of web designers who can create personalised and custom blog themes for a

reasonable price (depending on what you’re looking for).

Web designers are skilled at designing themes, logos, and designs for blogs, so you’ll be able to request

exactly what you want and they’ll create it for you. A service like this can be costly and you may be

looking in the hundreds, if not more, so do keep that in mind.

2.5 Layout

Although this can be confused with the blog design (and is very closely related), the layout is also an

important element to the way your blog looks. The layout refers more to how the content on your

blog sits, where everything is and how it’s all positioned. There are some preferred and very

common ways to lay out a blog, but you really are free to set it as you wish.

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2.5.1 Sidebars

A general layout will feature some form of menu bar, just like you see on all sorts of websites, as well as

something called a sidebar. The sidebar is the long strip of content that is separate from your blog posts

or content.

The sidebar is great for holding information that you want readers to see or find easily. You can put

whatever you like in it, but some of the things most commonly found are:

An image of you and your contact details

Links to your social accounts

Your recent or most-read posts

Adverts

The sidebar is also a place where you can keep widgets. Widgets are small software programs which are

embedded directly into your blog, and are sometimes part of plugins. They add functionality to your

blog, and you can use it them for analytics, social media, email sign ups, photo slide shows, and contact

forms. Forms are important for blogging as they allow readers to contact you, and can also be used for

surveys, purchasing products, and notifications. One of the best plugins for forms is Gravity Forms,

which integrates with a number of other services such as Paypal and MailChimp.

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2.5.2 Content

When it comes to layout, it’s also worth thinking about the content you want to have or have in the

future. From the research that you’ve done on blogs, you’ll probably notice that they all have similar

bits of information - this is definitely the case when it comes to pages.

You are free to share whatever information you want to get across, but there are a few pages that you

want to make sure are in your layout. These could be;

Information about you

Details on how to work withy you

Other places your writing has been featured

Contact details

You can also choose how you show your posts, whether you want them to be completely visible from

your home page or just as snippets that readers then have to click through to ‘read more’ to view the full

post.

2.6 Hosting & Domains

One of the more complex sides of blogging comes with the idea of hosting and having your

own domain. Hosting refers to the place where all of the information and files for your blog are kept.

With platforms, they usually take care of that for you, which is why they give you a free domain for

your blog too.

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Domains refer to the name of your website. If you stick with a .blogspot.com or

.wordpress.com domain, the platform will host your blog for you, but if you want a personal domain,

like trendimi.com, you’ll need to purchase it and hosting to go along with it.

2.6.1 Going Self-Hosted –Get set up in 3 steps

If you choose to be “self-hosted”, this means the host offers you server space for your blog, giving

you many more options, a more professional look, and the ability to more easily monetise your blog

later.

Here’s how you can set up your blog with a hosting company:

1. Choose your Host

The most popular hosting sites are Hostgator, Bluehost, GoDaddy, Dreamhost and

FatCow. andBluehost are the most used and recommended, and when it comes to hosting you

definitely get what you pay for. Be sure to research your hosting company and check their customer

service. If your site goes down for any reason you’ll want a hosting company who can get it up and

running quickly.

Generally you’ll pay for your domain name, and then pay a small monthly fee for hosting. The price

you pay is definitely well worth having a self-hosted site. You can choose from a variety of plans with

different features.

2. Install Wordpress

This is when we mean wordpress.org. In order to install Wordpress you’ll need to get into your

cpanel, and your hosting company will tell you how to do this. Once you’ve logged in, you simply

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click the WordPress icon, press Start (or Install), and choose your domain from the menu which will

drop down. Next you’ll need to add your site name and information, along with a password which

you will use to login to theWordpress back end. Within a couple of minutes Wordpress will be

installed and ready to go. Be sure to copy down all of the information for your site, including your

billing, cpanel, and Wordpress logins and passwords.

3. Start Blogging

Now you can experiment with different themes, begin drafting new posts, and get to work on your

images. Wordpress is very user friendly, and you don’t need any knowledge of HTML, although as

you become more familiar with blogging you may want to learn the basics so you can customise

your site even more.

2.7 The Techie Bits

If you’re not sure whether you want a self-hosted blog, it’s perfectly okay to start with a platform that

does it all for you and move at a later date when you feel a bit more confident that you can. However

moving can be a tricky process, so if you’re aiming to blog professionally you should definitely start with

Wordpress on a self-hosted site.

Thankfully, there are plenty of resources on the web which can help you start your blog. The Free 5 day

Website Challenge at WP*BFF is excellent, and will teach you how to install themes, how to use plugins,

where to find the best fonts and color palettes, and the basics of Wordpress.

While every blogger should eventually know some basic HTML for formatting posts and pages, it’s not

necessary to know how to code an entire site. If you do want to work on your HTML try SkillCrush which

has a range of courses which can transform you into a Wordpress ninja.

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2.8 Money, Money, Money

Setting up your blog can cost as little or as large as you want it too. If your blog will just be a hobby and

only read by your family and friends, going with wordpress.com or Blogger is a free way to explore

blogging and see if you enjoy it.

Things like design, content, imagery, hosting, domains and emails can be costly and while you may

already be prepared for that, it’s worth taking it into consideration as you start to plan your site.

Knowing that you may need to spend a little (or even a lot) to achieve the site you have in mind is

realistic, but only if it’s something you can consider.

Perhaps now is the time to budget. Do you have funds that you can and want to put towards setting up

your blog? Would you rather keep it to a minimum, if you spend anything at all?

Remember, your blog and the decisions you make towards setting it up are completely individual to you.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to be a great blogger, many of the world’s biggest bloggers today

started out on a free platform and adjusted as they grew.