Want to start a blog from home, mama?
I’m sure you read a lot of mom blogs, go on Facebook, and hang out on Pinterest when your little one is sleeping.
You see everyone online with their blog, and you want to know how to start a blog. You want to join this awesome community. I can’t blame you.
I’ve been blogging for two years on this blog and let me tell you, starting a mom blog was the best decision I ever made.
I love blogging so much, and that’s probably why three years ago I decided to become a freelance writer. I blog for a living, and it’s been the best decision I made for my family and me.
You know why? My family has been sick. We’ve all had the flu, stomach flu, icky colds, low-grade fevers and more for over a month! Because I have a blog, I can take care of my twins at home every day, and not have to worry about going back to work, hiring a babysitter or taking them to day care.
I can stay home, make an online income and take care of my twins. Do you want that mama? I know you do.
You can make money on your blog as long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort to grow your blog. If you’re not sure if you can, just look at these bloggers who started out just like you and grew their blog to thousands a month!
- Abby from Just A Girl and Her Blog – $40,124 in one month
- Rosemarie from The Busy Budgeter – $32,469 in one month
- Lena from What Mommy Does – $9,997 in one month
- Jenn Snyder of Women Winning Online – $2,419 in one month
I’ve had so many moms email me personally telling me their story for wanting to start a blog, but they had no idea what to do or where to go.
If you want to start a mom blog, don’t worry, it’s easy, quick and you don’t need to know any tech stuff. Trust me. I’m tech illiterate, and I was able to start a blog with SiteGround in under 10 minutes!
Okay.
Let’s break this down and start from the beginning!
1. Figure Out Your Niche
One thing you need to think about when starting your blog is what you plan to write about. This can be a challenge for a lot of people. I struggled too.
When I first started Twins Mommy, I decided to write for work-at-home moms with little ones. But, this soon turned to mom bloggers who wanted to become mompreneurs. And even now, I’m honing my niche to make sure I focus on traffic growth, income growth, and email list growth. I will, of course, talk about my twins and being productive, but it’s not my blog’s focus.
You might be wondering, why do I even need a niche? There’s a lot of lifestyle blogs that talk about career, travel, beauty, parenting and DIY.
For your first blog, though, I suggest you find a niche. You know why? It will help you grow your blog and your following quicker.
People will remember you when they can think of your whole blog and what you stand for.
So, to find your niche, ask these questions:
What am I passionate about?
What’s that one thing that keeps you up at night? Look at your hobbies and find out what you enjoy and can write about it for a long time.
You can also look at previous experience to help you decide your niche. My background is in education and being a mama, but my online experience is in digital marketing. When I created Twins Mommy I drew from those experiences.
Is there a need for my niche?
This is a little bit more challenging. How do you find out if there’s a need when, on Pinterest, you see like a gazillion blogs that talk about the same thing? One easy way is to check on Facebook. Go to a few groups you belong to and use their search function.
Just type in your niche or keyword that represents your blog and see if there are lots of questions surrounding that topic. If so, you have a viable niche!
Can you monetize it?
Listen, we all love blogging for fun, but if you really want to stay home with your little one or be able to quit that 9-5 job you hate, you need to find a way to monetize your niche. For some, that’s doing sponsored posts, for others, it’s affiliate marketing, and for others, it’s starting a service (like me!).
Answer those three questions, and that should help you find your niche.
2. Choose a Blogging Platform
This site is a WordPress.org blog and while there are other blogging platforms to choose from – SquareSpace for example – for the sake of this tutorial, I’ll walk you through how to start a WordPress.org blog.
A WordPress.org blog requires hosting and this post walks you through how to set up your hosting using SiteGround.
I recommend starting a blog with WordPress because:
- Most sites are WordPress sites (like The New Yorker and even Beyoncé!)
- You have more options to customize your site with WordPress plugins and thousands of themes to choose from (both free and paid) to make your blog look the way you want it to.
- There is a lot of support to help you with your WordPress blog. There are YouTube videos, blog posts and WordPress forums – not to mention me! – that can help you with your blog’s theme and site.
3. Choose a Domain Name
This is the fun part, mamas! This is where your creativity comes out of the bag and can play 🙂 It’s time to create your website’s name. What are you going to name your blog? This will be what you type in the address bar – http://yourblogname.com.
It’s probably a good idea to have your niche somewhere in your website name.
But, if you take a look at my blog’s name – Twins Mommy – this doesn’t scream helping moms become mompreneurs!
So, don’t spend days thinking of the perfect name. Make sure, though, to have a couple of names in case the .com is already taken. I also suggest trying to get a .com since that’s the most common and easy to remember ( just make a list for now. Once we get into starting a mom blog, I’ll show you how to get your domain name!).
As a rule, make sure your domain name is simple, short and easy to spell, and relates to your overall brand.
Some of my favorite mom blog names are:
Kids, Cash, Chaos
Crazy Life With Littles
Living For Naptime
Okay! Now it’s time to create a blog.
4. Time to Start a Blog with SiteGround and WordPress
When I first started Twins Mommy I wanted to try a secure and reliable web host and SiteGround is one of the best hosting companies out there and a great value too, mamas!
I had no problems with them even when my blog traffic started growing a lot, which is great because I don’t want my site to be slow.
Why Choose SiteGround?
There’s a lot of other hosts to choose from, so why choose SiteGround to host your blog? There are three main reasons why I started my mom blog with SiteGround.
1. Their Uptime is 99.99% – That’s Amazing!
It sucks for bloggers when their blog goes down.
I mean, you’re missing potential subscribers, readers and customers. Yikes! But, with SiteGround, they have an incredible uptime – 99.99%.
In fact, over the past year, SiteGround’s 99.996% uptime means they’ve only been down for about 20 minutes total! Let’s just say this is an amazing feat that many other hosts can’t even compete with.
Your blog won’t be down when you need it up the most, mamas!
2. They Have 24/7 Support For All of Your Questions
If you have a problem or question, you don’t have to wait over an hour for a representative. SiteGround’s fantastic tech support will answer your questions any time of the day or night, and do it quickly.
You can choose to phone or chat online with their tech support team. Since their support team is available 24/7 you have access to their support team all the time.
If you’re a mom, I suggest the chat option in case your little one wants to test our their lungs 🙂
3. SiteGround is Equipped with SuperCacher – The Uber Best Thing for Bloggers
Your blog will get traffic mama! Don’t think that it won’t. Whether it’s 5 people a day or 500 people a day or even 5, 000 people a day (crossing fingers!!!), SiteGround’s SuperCacher can handle a viral pin or a boost in your traffic.
According to SiteGround, your site can be:
- 4x faster – your blog will have hyperspeed power mamas!
- Be able to “handle up to 100 times more hits” – with SiteGround’s SuperCacher, your site is cached so it can serve more visitors. I know, it’s getting all geeky up in here, but just think FASTER website.
- Improved – with SiteGround and their improved site tools, you’re site will just be better equipped for a better user experience.
Note: SuperCacher is available on the GrowBig plan and higher (which I highly recommend)!
So, you see, starting your blog using SiteGround for your hosting has a lot of great features for you, mama! Psst…there’s something else that I love about SiteGround, but I have to wait a bit until I tell you about it!
Okay. Are you ready to get started? Follow this quick tutorial and you can get your blog up and running in 10 minutes! And for moms, that’s the perfect time before you have to get back into mom-mode.
Before we begin, the best way to follow this tutorial is to also do it with me! So click over to SiteGround right now and follow along!
Step 1: Choose Your Plan
SiteGround has three plans to choose from: StartUp, GrowBig and GoGeek. The most basic plan is the StartUp, but the plan I recommend bloggers running WordPress start with is GrowBig.
If you use my special link, you will save 60% off the regular price!
**when you’re on SiteGround’s plan page, hover over the highlighted links and you can see exactly what the features are for each plan***
If you want the best performance for your WordPress site – or if you think you’re going to have more than one website (which you eventually will…making new sites is sooooo addicting) – choose the GrowBig plan with included SuperCacher. This is the plan I use, and it’s also very budget-friendly – starting at $5.95 a month!
It comes with more space and resources, as well as premium features like the SuperCacher I talked about earlier. (Can you tell I love the SuperCacher? Be honest mamas, don’t you just hate slow websites?!)
If you’re a brand new blogger and you just want to get your new blog up and running, the StartUp plan starts at only $3.95/month.
This plan is great for you if you’re bootstrapping your online biz and need to keep expenses down!
Finally, if you want to get your geek on, the high-performance GoGeek plan is $11.95/month to start. If you’ve already got an existing high-traffic site, if you’re a developer who loves advanced features or if you’re running an eCommerce site that demands PCI compliance, you’ll get top-of-the-line performance and support with the GoGeek plan.
When it comes to support, SiteGround is known for their insanely fast, and insanely helpful support – but the GrowBig and GoGeek plans come with even more priority support…something to keep in mind for the novice blogger.
Many people don’t think of this, but you can lock in the special discounted pricing for longer than one year. Yup, that’s right mamas. Choose the 2-year or the 3-year term for big savings up front. And bonus points…you won’t have to worry about a hosting bill for another 2 (or 3) years!
Click on the Order Now button for any of the plans. This will take you to step 2.
Step 2: Choose Your Domain Name
Remember the list you made of potential website names? Your domain name is what people will remember you by when they are on Pinterest or Facebook.
It’s also what will set your brand apart from others. So, when someone thinks of your site’s name, it should represent your brand. As I stated already, Twins Mommy isn’t such a great domain name since I changed my niche and decided to talk more about business than twins. But, I am still building a brand with Twins Mommy. People “know” me for my strategies to grow a blog.
When you get to this page, you can use your existing domain name or pick a new domain name.
Type in your website’s name, and it will check if it’s available. You can pick your domain extension like .com, .org, .net, but I highly suggest you stick with .com since it’s easier to brand and remember.
If your website name is available, you can move on to step 3.
Step 3: Your Account Info
Fill out your account and client information.
Next, fill out your payment and purchase information (make sure you pick the 12 month period (or longer) in order to get the 60% discount for the whole year).
At the bottom are a couple of Extra Services that you can choose to keep or not – they’re pretty self-explanatory so if you don’t need them, you’ll save a few dollars! At the bottom is your total for a year’s worth of hosting.
Below the title, make sure you click the box that you agree to the terms of service and then click Pay Now.
Congrats mama! You now have hosting for your blog! Easy-peasy right? Now you just need to install WordPress and start getting creative with those color palettes and designs for your new blog.
But wait, remember when I told you there was one more awesome feature that I like about SiteGround? Well, if you’re a total wreck when it comes to tech (like me) then the tech team at SiteGround can set it up for you! Wha-what? Yes.
All you need to do is go to “live chat” and talk to a SiteGround representative. Ask them if they can set up your WordPress site and send over your login details…that’s it! In about 15 minutes you’ll have access you new blog mama!
Install WordPress
If you want to configure WordPress yourself, you can totally do it – it’s easy too!
First, got to the My Accounts tab and click on Go to cPanel.
Next, click on WordPress in the Autoinstallers section.
Click on the blue Install button.
After install, fill in the information in the next screen.
- Choose Protocol – generally keep it the same – http://
- Choose Domain – choose your domain name from the choices in the drop-down menu – but, most likely the first choice you see is the one you want.
- In Directory – unless you know you want this, leave it blank.
- Site Name – This is the name of your site you picked out earlier. You can change this later.
- Site Description – A brief description of what your site is about, or you can leave this blank. Again, you can change this later.
- Admin Username – This will be the name you use to log into your WordPress blog (or you can always use email address here)
- Admin Password – This is the password to access your WordPress backend (your blog’s dashboard). Choose a strong, but easy-to-remember, password.
- Admin email – Enter your email address
- Choose Theme – While you can install your theme right in SiteGround, I suggest not installing any theme until you’re in the backend of your WordPress blog. There are many free themes to choose from so you can find one that will fit your brand easily!
Click Install and there ya go!
You did it, mama! Now, you can log in with your username (or email) and password!
Boom! You Have a Mom Blog!
Are you excited? I know when I started my blog I had about a million topics to write about!! ha..well not that much. But, I was excited and rearing to start publishing posts.
Now what?
Here are some posts in my Blogging Basics series that might help you:
- Blogging Basics: Why Every Blogger Needs a Gravatar (And How to Set One Up)
- Blogging Basics: The Best Types of Posts to Have on Your New Blog
- Blogging Basics: How to Write a Blog Post That Gets a Ton of Comments
I want to hear from you!
When you set up your blog tell me about it and make sure to give me your link! Email me or leave a comment or find me on Facebook or Twitter!
I just made my mom blog today! im excited to write about many things !
Hey Jacklyn!
That’s exciting! Congrats on starting a blog!
Thanks for sharing! I created mine!!!
Good to hear!
Hi there, Elna,
thanks for sharing your tips!
I am confused about WordPress and the host. Does WordPress also work as a host? It looks like they have plans for $8 a month..but I don’t know if that includes everything? Or would I still need a different host provider?
Hey Susana,
Hey the free platform that WordPress offers is fine, but it’s not recommended if you want to monetize and grow your blog later on. I’m not sure what the free hosting plan WordPress offers but I do know that they will place ads on your site and if they generate income, you won’t see it. I also know that not all WordPress plugins accommodate to the free platform. But, you can switch over too later one (just might be more techy if you don’t know how to do it yourself).
You made it so easy for me to set up my own blog- and the courage! I feel like a have met a new friend!
Hey Amelia!
You’re welcome! So happy you did and and you went to start a blog! Congrats! Your blog looks great as a beginner and you will only grow from here!
I love this tips, wish I knew this when I was starting out. Now I do have three blogs, and my mom blog is what I really enjoyed doing! blogging in wordpress and selfhosting was the best thing
Gracina,
https://www.gracinaestrella.com
Hey Gracina!
That’s awesome you have three mom blogs! I have two mom blogs and other blogs in different blog niches! Start a blog is the funnest thing for sure! Enjoy the rest of your week!
Hi Elna!
First, just want to say hi to a fellow twin mom! It’s always nice to know that I am not alone in the double trouble, I mean blessing category.lol 🙂
Also, thank you for all the hard work you do and for the awesome content you provide. I have recently started my own blog and have referred to your posts quite a lot! Thank you once more and please don’t stop!
Hey Yelena!
What a great blog you have to help mamas with twins!! Thanks for sharing your advice. The first year of having twins was literally a blur. I was a zombie and had NO SLEEP so I barely remember anything that first year…and a bit!! 🙂
I want to publish my blog next month but I’m leary that the LLC stuff and Siteground should all be in place before I publish so things don’t go down fast. Is this true? By the way so grateful for your emails!
Hey Tiffany,
I wouldn’t worry to much about the LLC stuff…you can start a blog before you set that up!
I LOVED READING THIS. I literally took down notes along the way. I’m pregnant with my first, so every little thing is new to me & i want to share my journey. I too have wanted to start a blog for a while, but have so many interests and could never really pinpoint a specific topic/niche. After reading about yours, i think i’m going to start a mommy blog about being pregnant and on a budget and incorporate health/fitness, food recipes, and just positive advice. Anyways, will definitely be coming back to your blog!
Thank you!
Hi Patrice!
So glad to know! Your blog niche ideas sound awesome for starting a blog! My other blog, Smart Mom Ideas has different topics too and it’s fun writing in different niches!
Thank you so much for the detailed instructions! I am hoping to have my mom blog up and running by the end of the week and I don’t think I could have done it without your post!!! I am so excited!
Coming soon: ArtiesMom.com :D!!!!!
Hey Kristen!
That’s fantastic to see! One thing to do though is switch your theme as that’s the default theme WordPress gives you. There are lots of other free themes that can work better!
Elna,
Thanks for the advice! Are there any themes you recommend? I tried a few different ones when I was creating my blog but they didn’t seem like a good fit.
Thanks!
Kristen
Hey Kristen,
Yeah! I enjoy this free theme called Unwind: https://siteorigin.com/theme/unwind/ I have a demo site with that theme. I like it because it looks similar to my theme which is customized. https://momtomompreneur.com
Thanks! I couldn’t find unwind on WordPress but I did find one I liked and I think it looks much better! Thank you so much for the advice!
Kristen
Hi,
I love you advice for starting a blog. I’ve considered it for many years. I am considering a pregnancy blog that will turn into a mommy blog. I’ve struggled with miscarriages so health during pregnancy is number one is that even enough to blog about giving advice for what to eat/do for pregnancy? My husband works full time and I will during pregnancy but I want to be able to stay at home with my child and earn income and want to connect with others from online. Thanks
Hi Sierra,
I think that’s a great topic for a new mommy blog! I feel that’s enough topic ideas for a blog for sure! Good luck!
Hi
My name is Christian and I’m a single mom of identical twin girls. And really want to start a blog. But I’m stuck on what to blog about. I mean I know I can blog about raising twins and how to budget with them all day. But is this something even worth it?
Hi Christian!
I love meeting other bloggers who are twin mamas like myself! How exciting you want to start a blog. As for your niche, you can totally rock those topics. You can have a lifestyle niche if you want where you talk about multiple topics. This post might help you: https://twinsmommy.com/types-of-blog-niches/
Hi! My husband & I own & run a small hvac business. He is 40 & works in the Texas heated attics. I feel with his knowledge & experience in hvac & refrigeration blogging could be a great alternative. How do I start the blog with an already existing website? I am currently doing research on blogging, so details are still a but fuzzy.
Thank you!
Hey Kristen,
If you already have a website you can have a blog on your site. I’m not the tech around here – my hubby is, but you can research how to start a blog page on your website to see what comes up!
Hi I am interested in starting a blog to generate some income as a stay at home mom. I’m wondering how do you get traffic to your blog when first starting out? How do people even find it? Thanks
Hi Marissa!
That’s awesome you are starting a blog as a stay at home mommy! As for getting traffic to your blog, I have a lot of resources on my blog that can help. An easy way is to make sure you are on Pinterest and Facebook. This is where you can promote your blog. In my traffic course, I do walk you through my blog recipe for traffic! https://twinsmommy.com/course/rsb-traffic/
Hey!
I was wondering if you have any suggestions for us who want to start up a “Mom Blog” but do not have the $50 to start it up? We’ve recently moved and I am a stay at home mom, money is VERY tight (part of why I am wanting to begin blogging) and there just isn’t the extra to pay for a site like that, as wonderful as it looks. Any advice would be amazing, thank you!
Hi Heleni,
Personally I feel if you don’t have the funds to invest in this then to wait and save up until you do. You want to start off on the right foot and that is having a self-hosted blog for sure. You have much more control over your monetization strategy.
Thank you so much for a great post! I’ve blogged for fun previously, but never through WordPress and now I’d like to grow my blog to maybe provide an income!
Here’s to learning a lot about how to get my blog to the point where I am ready to launch it for real, rather than my ‘soft opening’ whilst I tweak things.
Hi Sarah,
That’s great! So happy you want to start a WordPress blog. I know a lot of bloggers that went a different route and then regret it and end up starting a WordPress blog!
I’m so glad I’ve found this post – I’ve been blogging for a few years now but have been kind of winging it, with no real plan other than a few blogs for the company I work with… Now I’ve worked out my niche and have a few ideas up my sleeve that I can start putting into action over the next few days while the toddler sleeps lol. Thank you 😊
Hi Kate!
That’s awesome! So glad you found some niche ideas for your blog. For many new bloggers, figuring out your blog niche is a challenge. Can’t wait to read your new posts!
Elna, your posts are so well presented and obviously full of information. Thank you! But starting a profitable blog is soooo intimidating to those of us who aren’t very tech savvy. I am not tech illiterate but even still…
I have another blog project I never even published because I found WordPress so tedious and time consuming. Maybe I was doing it wrong. I would just be happy to start a blog and get it running. It is so intimidating to put in all that time to have a blog just fizzle out.
Hi Heather!
Thank you so much! So happy you found this tutorial helpful to starting a blog 🙂 Yes, staring a profitable blog is more challenging and can be intimidating if not tech savvy. But you know what? Neither am I! It’s a big learning curve but it’s possible to figure out WordPress! Take the time to learn and enjoy the process!
Sorry if this has already been asked I want to start a mom blog but I’m really curious about the safety aspect. You always hear about not sharing pictures of your kids online but I see my favorite you tubers do it all the time. I feel like if you are going to blog you’d want to share pictures of your kids. Do you have any advice on this?
Hi Jess,
It’s up to you if you want to feature your kids. I know a lot of bloggers that are craft bloggers share their kids doing the crafts. You can do it so that you don’t show their faces or tell their names too. I don’t share my twins’ faces on my blog but have on my FB page. It’s all preference. Blogging can be safe if you use a P.O. box and you don’t tell people the city you live in 🙂 You should be fine!
Do you have any recommendations on how to get mom’s interested in working with your brand? or where to post a campaign they will find it? I work with a company that has a program that teaches kids to read and we want to use mom bloggers to expand our outreach and product but we are having a hard time finding bloggers to work with and how to get the to respond. We send emails to their instagram accounts and never hear back.
Hi Melissa!
Have you tried Facebook groups? There are a lot of mom groups there and even on Pinterest. I believe 8 out of 10 pinners are moms!
I just got my domain name called bouncebackbody.me. I will be using the SiteGround and the plan you suggested. Honestly, I have been told by so many people around me to start my own mom blog. I was a little afraid to do it, but you have given me so much strength to move forward with it. I am a mom of twins as well. Thank you!
Luna!
Congrats! I wish I could give you a hug right now! I’m so proud of you for taking action and starting your blog. It is a long journey but a fun one too! If you ever need help just email me or ask in the Mom to Mompreneur Facebook group!
Hi Elna,
Do you have training on how to customize your blog once its setup?
Hey Areba,
I’m updating my traffic course and may include some intro lessons on that! For now if you take my free blogging course, you’ll get WordPress guide to help you! https://twinsmommy.com/start-grow-earn-free-course/
hello! i’m glad i came across your blog! i’ve been looking for the best way to make an income while staying home with my little one! your blog definatly has me very interested and motivated to start my own blog. i’m wondering though, how long does it usually take for a beginner blogger to start making any money from their blog?
Hey Jess,
Thanks for coming over and enjoying my blog! For how long it takes to make money as a blogger it’s different for each blogger and for each monetization strategy a blogger use. For me, I started a service and make my first $1k around 3 months later. For affiliate marketing, I tried that with Twins Mommy and it took over 4 months to see any profit, but once I did, I made $200 one month and the next month $2k! If you start creating products then you might make more money than with affiliate marketing or starting a service. Still, there are ads too but you need traffic for that!
Hi Elna,
I’m designing my blog and about upload some posts. To be honest I have no clue what I’m doing with the design etc. but I did notice that you had some good information on your blog that I will be looking at shortly. I also saw that you offer a course on getting more traffic to your blog. I’m very very new at this and I’m considering purchasing the course but I’m not sure if this will be two advanced for me what do you suggest? There is a lot of courses out there and I’m not sure what to do but yours look different from the others. Also starting out how long does it take for someone to get constant traffic which will result in making a solid income?
Hi Shawna!
Thanks so much for your interest in Ready Set Blog for Traffic. This course is geared for new bloggers but bloggers that already have a blog and have been blogging a bit (and wondering why they don’t have traffic). Since this is a self-paced course and you get lifetime access, you can purchase it now and take it when you’re ready if you want? I will be updating the course this year and increasing the price so it’s better to get in now at this price than to wait and pay more!
Hi elna,
I’m currently a stay at home mom who constantly gets on her “soapbox” full of ideas and experiences that I want to share and have an outlet for. The information you shared has my mind spinning with all sorts of ideas for my blog. You got me excited to get started. I feel so motivated to get started. Thank you
Hi Francesca!
Wow! Thank you for those kind words. I’m so happy to hear you want to start a blog as a beginner. I know your ideas will resonate with an audience. Make sure to write down all your ideas so you don’t forget them and remember to have fun blogging. Email me anytime you need help!
Thank you for this helpful and informative content. I follow your Blog since 6 Months really get Inspired and great post 🙂
Thank you Simran,
Glad you are finding these posts helpful!
Hi Elna,
U are always wonderful. One thing that I love about you that you are are always very honest to your readers. You are loved by thousands of people like me.
Elna I m going to start a blog soon. But now a days I m very confused about web hosting. You are right, according to my survey ‘siteground’ is best. But what about their limited number of visits?
For example the start-up plan is suitable only for 10,000 visits and so. Are you still working with them? Then how do you manage your readers. Because you are a great blogger.
Secondly plz guide me about a good company for domain name.
Hi!
Yes there are lower limits on the StartUp plan but if you currently only have a few visitors, it’s pretty high. I always recommend the GrowBig plan because you can host extra domains for free, and you get access to the SuperCacher that usually lets you exceed the posted limits by a wide margin. These aren’t hard limits, but rough estimates based on SiteGround’s calculation of CPU usage. I get free hosting for this site now (thanks hubby) but I still start most of my new sites on SiteGround. It’s just easier and performance and support is great.
Hi Elna,
Wow! Siteground is winning me over from Squarespace!
But…when/how do I install a theme? How do I choose one? Where do I buy one? Can I change my mind?
So confusing!
If this is covered by your upcoming course, I’m happy to wait though!!
(And yes, blogging is addictive!!)
Thanks for a super helpful post, Elna
Hey Lois,
At the moment no new courses for me yet but I have big plans for RSBT. As for installing a theme I’ll show that in the Mom to Mompreneur FB group. We are moving in the next two weeks so I’m pretty busy! But June will be a good time for FB lives!
Hello,
Your content is awesome. Apparently a lot of us have tossed this idea of formulating a mommy blog or other around. So I work in Dermatology, both cosmetic and medical, and I am interested in skin health and anti-aging. Do you think there is a way to monetize this as a “bloggable” service? I am confused about exactly how to monetize this expertise on the web. Are there other site you know if for reference? Thanks a bunch!
Hi Autum,
Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the start a blog post 🙂 I think practically any niche can be monetized. Your dermatology niche has a lot of products that you can promote on Amazon or with brands so I don’t see why you can’t do affiliate marketing with that niche. Also, sponsored content may be a way to monetize that niche blog too! And finally, I can see that you can create courses or an eBook with that niche! Good luck!
Hi Elna,
I recently have been considering starting a blog about motherhood to help others with the journey of returning to work after maternity leave, juggling social life and family life, maybe even recommend certain products I’ve used. Do you think that’s too much for a blog? Also if I use SiteGround and decide to have multiple blogs will it allow me to do that without paying a fee for each blog?
Hi Brenda,
Please check my site parenthoodtimes.com. You will love it.
Hi Brenda!
Congrats on wanting to start a blog! Your topic ideas are fine for one blog. This would be a lifestyle blog and you would be blogging for a demographic audience (moms with little ones or moms with school aged kids or healthy moms etc…). There are a lot of bloggers that have a lifestyle blog that are doing well with traffic and monetizing that traffic! So go for it!
As for the other question, I know that the Grow Big and Go Geek packages offer this feature of having multiple blogs under ONE account. I personally have over 15 blogs and it’s definitely a great feature to have!
Thank you so much! This is just What I needed to get started!
Hey Brenda!
Thanks so much! Yay and good luck with starting a blog!!!
I did it! I started my blog and even put up my first post! I’m a little nervous on the look of my site and wasn’t really sure on the theme for WordPress but would love it if you could look it up and let me know your thoughts. Thank you.
Hi Brenda!
That’s fantastic you started and just took action. So many moms start a blog but take months to launch! Way to go! As for your theme, you’re using the default theme WordPress gives you when you start a blog. If you join my Mom to Mompreneur Facebook group, in a few weeks I’m going to do a bit of a series of starting a blog for newbies. I’ll show you a theme that I like called Unwind.
Hi Elna,
Let me first say that your post is wonderful and very detailed. Thank you for providing such great information. I am in the midst of starting my blog and I’m nervous and questioning my decision wondering if I am doing the right thing and hoping at the same time if my blog is relevant and helpful to others. My question is how come you used Siteground as a hosting site vs another one such as Bluehost? I’ve been doing some research and other bloggers have recommended Bluehost as the go to hosting site.
Hi Shawna!
I know it can be hard but best thing to do is just start without thinking too much. And if you don’t make your domain name too niche, you can always change your topics once you get a feel for your audience.
There are lots of good hosts out there but I personally like SiteGround for blogs. It’s what I started this and many other sites on. It’s fast and their live chat support is very helpful.
Hi Elna,
Thank you so much for this site! I’ve been in the background soaking up all of this information. I just started working on my WordPress site…it’s under construction. One of the things that concerns me is the niche! I want my blog to focus on relationships, kiddos, and finance (specifically credit and budgeting). I don’t know if it’s a bit too much. It’s everythjng that worries us as mothers. Also monetizing my blog (huge concerns)! I have read a ton of information on that topic… From affiliate sponsors to ads! What do you suggest as far as monetizing for beginners starting off? Any insight would help. Thanks again!
Hey Ebony,
I think your niche is fine! You can blog about all those topics and more! As for monetizing, you can either start with affiliate marketing or offering a service. Offering a service is quicker in terms of generating a lot of income, but affiliate marketing can yield a much higher income in the long run!
Thank Elna! I just found your Facebook page and watched some of your Facebook lives. Very, very helpful! Thank you for being transparent and insightful!
Hi Ebony!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed my Facebook lives. I’m planning to do more but my voice is shot with this cold! Plus we are moving soon!
Hi Elna, Amazing work, very useful information, I also started my blog this year!
Thanks for giving me inspiration.
Thank you for this helpful and informative content. I am starting my blog now. Once finished please advise of how it looks, functionality, content, etc.
Thank You,
Girl Mom
Hi Glennda!
Yay! I can’t wait to check it out! Make sure to share your new blog in the Mom to Mompreneur Facebook group!
Elna, I am reading through when I have questions I have not been accepted to your Facebook group yet or have had any of my comments accepted yet but before I forget I want to ask the domain name and the blog name do they have to be the same? I have been longer blog name but it’s perfect for what I want to write about but it might be too long as an actual (.com) Thank you for your time.
Monica
Hey Monica,
I’m sorry about the FB group invite. I don’t know if I already accepted you or not? If not, just ask again! The domain name and the site name don’t have to be exactly the same…it’s common to use a shorter .com if your site title is very long.
For example, American Eagle clothing uses the domain name ae.com
Hi and thank you so much for all the info I have been wanting to start a blog but I am scared I want to start a blog about helping moms to feel better about themselves, give advice and talk about my experiences about being a mom, I want to post about my DIY ideas, and cooking recipes etc.
A blog about what I think and what I do.
I really don’t know how to do a niche about that and how to even name my website, as you can see I am very nervous
Hey Andrea!
You can totally start a blog like that! It’s called a lifestyle blog! Start a blog like that and after a while you will see which topic your readers are interested in! Good luck!
What do you think about blogger? I started my blog two years ago “Saving Money with CJ”. I am still trying to find my voice. I want to help people save money on their everyday living expenses. I would welcome any advice you could share with me. My goal is to become a better blogger and hopefully monetize my blog. Thank you for your help!
Hi!
I don’t know much about that platform but blogging on a third party source just means all that content you have on your blog belongs to blogger. So, if they shut down, your blog is gone. Also, I don’t think you can monetize on a blogger blog? You have to make sure you can first!
Hi. I have had my blog up for a couple months now, but I am still so lost. I feel like my blog does not look good and it isn’t getting a lot of traffic. HELP!
Hi Jacqueline,
A brand new blog needs a lot of focus to get it up and running! I’m creating a start a blog post to help you soon! Good luck!
I will admit, aside from the benefits when it come to audience growth, finding a niche made blogging itself a whole lot easier. I originally wanted to write about writing itself, and science, tech, health, language…pretty much everything. Pretty soon I realized that it was hurting my ability to blog as much as my ability to gain a following – I never knew *what* the next post would be, and I couldn’t narrow it down because there were just too many options.
Now I only blog about writing advice, and suddenly I have an idea each time I want to make a post – and better yet, I know where I can look to find one if I don’t.
Hey!
Saw your blog and you are doing great! Great position to help your audience as soon as they land on your blog! Many new bloggers miss that critical point in their copy. Great job!
Thank you, Elna. That’s really comforting to hear.
I’m starting my blog set up now thanks to your wonderful step by step!! Thank you so much for this!! My question is, how to make it profitable? How do I get sponsored adds and such? I would really love to be able to stay home with our little!
Hi LaDonna,
Thanks so much and I can’t wait to see your new blog!!! As for monetizing it, I don’t know much about sponsored posts. For me, after a few months, brands came to me to write sponsored posts. What you can do to start making money is to first write some posts that attract the right audience and give you some traffic and a tribe. Then from there find the products that your tribe wants. Like for me, my audience wants to start a blog so I promote SiteGround as an affiliate product. I also promote ConvertKit too. Good luck!
Hi , I’m a stay home mom of three wonderful kids and im very interested on opening my mom blog so that I could make an extra income for home. I don’t have any experience yet how to start. I don’t know if I should do a mom blog or the family blog about my daily life with the kids and family . I have lots of ideas what to write about.
Hi Iris,
Those are all great ideas. You can start a lifestyle blog and blog about being a mom, parent and your family and kids. There are a lot of blogs like that that are popular on Pinterest. And yes, there’s room for your blog!
Email me if you need more help!
Hi Elna
Thank you for this amazing, informative post! I’ve started my blog a month ago. Right now just concentrating on writing content, learning about, well…about everything blog… And, as of next week, the plan is to get on with starting my email list. Social media soon after that. All a bit overwhelming at the moment, but hopefully, in a year or so, I’ll have a little business that will keep my toddler twins (a girl and a boy!) in, at least, lots of nice toys. I am a single mom and would so love for my blog to be my main and reliable source of income. You are a great inspiration in all this – thank you! Best, Alenka
Hey twin mama!
Yes, I saw your blog and you have a lot of potential for sure to monetize your new blog. There is a lot to learn when you start a blog. Good luck!
So I started a blog on WordPress and I barely get any eyes on it and I barely make it to the top of the Reader since my blog is competing against all the old school bloggers. WordPress has no easy way of connecting to other bloggers, no way to connect to facebook/twitter/instagram friends who blog. It’s extremely manual. For instance, why can I not follow you with my WordPress account? Any recommendations of what to try next? who to follow (on twitter/instagram/etc.)? who to nudge? Not looking to make money; I really just want to share my experiences and help others.
Let me know if you think my content is interesting.
Hi Shirley,
WordPress is only your content management system. It holds your pages, posts and content. You have to add plugins – aspects that optimize your blog – to enable sharing. For example social sharing buttons plugins help readers share your blog posts. Social media profile plugins enable you to link to your social media profiles for people to click on them and follow you. That’s how you connect with other bloggers. I do see, though, that you have a free WordPress account and with a free account, it’s highly limiting. So maybe that’s where your frustration lies?
Look for information on converting your free WP account to a self-hosted one!
You can also connect on Facebook, which is what most bloggers do. I find that I get the most engagement from Facebook readers than anywhere else! So start a Facebook page and Like other bloggers and then join Facebook groups and introduce yourself and your blog!
Hi! Im interested in starting a mom blog. But I wanted others to join in and share their stories too. Kind of like “Motherly”, a hodgepodge of mom blogs. I don’t know where to start. Do I need a full fledged website or do I start with my own blog?
Hi Brianna!
That’s an amazing idea! Yes, you can start a blog and then open that up to contributors! Add a “write for us” page and reach out to other moms and have them guest blog on your site!
Hi Elna!
I LOVE your step by step on how to start a blog! I started mines yesterday and was wondering if you can take a look and provide any insight so I can be as successful as you! Thank you in advance!
– Panda Mom
Hi Jaclyn,
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the start a blog steps for new bloggers 🙂
Hey Elna I am trying to start a blog that focuses on home design and designing on a budget. Thanks for your post! Getting started is a lot harder that I originally thought it would be!
Hey Emily,
What a great blog niche! Home designing on a budget will BLAST on Pinterest for sure and bring you some ah-mah-zing traffic 🙂
A great easy step-by-step simple “How to Start a Blog” tutorial. I wish someone would have made it this simple when I first start.
Hi Latoya,
Thanks so much!
I want to start a parenting/mom blog by sharing hacks, diy stuff, possibly depression, milestones of babies/kids but so unsure how to do it!?
Hi Shawna,
That’s fantastic! That’s a lifestyle blog with multiple topics and it should do well!
Thanks so much for this <3 I've been blogging for a while, but I just started a "mom blog" and this has been super helpful!
Hi Mary!
I’m so happy and glad! I can’t wait to see your new self-hosted WordPress blog!
Thank goodness I came across your blog. It so helpful… finally started mine, though its complicated and I’m still trying to figure everything out. Took me about a week for what I have no 😀
Hey Kelly!
That’s great and YES, it can be a challenge getting this up and all! Congrats on doing it!
Hello! I just launched my blog yesterday! I am forever grateful for your tips! I am still trying things out, but I would love it if you could stop by and give me your honest opinion. Am I off to a good start?
Hi Luna!
It’s a start and congrats! Try adding images to your blog posts so you can share them on Pinterest!
Hi Elna …I am a mother of two adorable children …I love to read a lot about parenting and love to tell everyone about it …and I love to encourage people and moms of course ..bec I know I have been there ..above all I love and adore kids …
I was planning to make a Facebook page or group about parenting advices ( quick ones ) parenting quotes —share hacks for moms – recipes and activities …I guess all can be niche right ?
My question is …what is the difference between creating a page and a blog ?
And 2 nd question ( do u think it will work out …?
Thank you
Hi!
That sounds alike a great idea! I know a lot of moms would love your quick advice to help them! As for your question, creating a page is a page on your site. So you can have a Contact Page or an About page. Your blog are blog posts that you can comment on and share. While you can enable comments and sharing, it’s not typical and you wouldn’t want to share your About page for example 🙂 I hope this makes sense!
Hi Elna,
I’ve had a free WordPress blog for seven years and am ready to take the next step. Is there a way to follow your steps and integrate my existing WordPress? Please note that I am not very computer literate. I’m so excited and motivated. Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth!
Yes you can export your existing blog content and then import it into your new WordPress blog. Might need a few manual fixups if you used internal links in your posts, but usually works well. If you want to automatically redirect all people going to your old URL, to your new URL, you’ll also need to pay http://Wordpress.com $15/yr they call it “Site Redirect.” Or for free you can just add a new post on your old blog saying “I’ve moved here” but that won’t salvage your search engine and social traffic.
Thank you so much for this how to! I just launched yesterday 🙂 So far so good. i’m at mommightloseit.wordpress.com for now. I wanted to start a free page just to see how I do first. 70 people have read it so far but no comments or anything yet. My Facebook page got 12 likes in the first day. i’m working on it all. Your help was perfect for getting started!
Hi Karina!
That’s great you started blogging! Congrats on your success so far!
Hi Elna! Your blog is very informative for first time bloggers like me. I just started blogging 2 months ago for “the introvert mom blogger”. I am using the free plan in wordpress. Do you think it’s the reason why I don’t get much traffic? Or maybe the content of my blog? If you have time, you can check my site and kindly let me know your thoughts. Thanks!
Hi Mariecar,
Your site looks great! I wouldn’t worry too much about traffic since you only have two posts! I did not get any traffic on my first few posts. It takes time! So publish more posts and make sure to share them! I don’t know if being on a free hosting is impacting your traffic? It will impact your monetization strategy and maybe your user experience since you can’t use WordPress plugins and things like that. Good luck!
Thanks Elna. I really needed that encouragement… 🙂
Hello Elna!
I have read about a hundred blogs about starting a blog and have always been tempted to but have never really motivated me as much as you have. Honestly, I am a very shy and introverted person but I love helping others find the right path to a career. Also, I am a stay at home mom and have always wanted to share struggles and achievements I have had with my kids. Do you think I may be able to use that as my niche? Once again thank you so much for the inspiration and keep making a difference! Sorry for the long comment!
Monica!
Thank you so much! We are so alike! I am introverted myself and shy, but that’s why I actually LOVE blogging. I’m in my own world listening to music as I write and connect with others! It’s amazing! I love your ideas about your niche! Your topics will resonate with readers for sure! These “worldly” topics mean that a big part of the population can resonate with your content, leading to growing your traffic and income! Way to go mama! I’m here for you if you need help. Just email me, elna@elnacain.com Thanks! <3
Hi Elna,
I’m 22 weeks pregnant with my miracle baby after getting major abdominal surgery and a stage four endometriosis diagnosis last year (possibly a blog post topic? Lol)
I am so excited to be a mommy but living in Southern California, we can’t afford to be a one income family. I have always wanted to start a blog and develop a social media presence but have zero idea how. This post has given me so much insight and reading through your comments and replies have me so much more!
Question: Before I set up the sight hosting and buy my domain, should I try to develop an Instagram/Pinterest presence? I also have zero real ideas for posts or how to start (maybe our nursery design/renovation, my battle with endo which led to severe panic disorder, being pregnant without living parents for support: ie how to find mom support away from family?) those are my only ideas!! Should I think of more before paying and starting? Should I have a few written? How often should I post?
(I’m so sorry for this huge comment!)
Hi Britany!
Congrats on your miracle baby. You’ve been through a lot and I know you can touch a lot of other moms to be with your stories and tips! I used to Live in SoCal! (San Clemente!!). You can set up your social media presence BEFORE you start a blog, but it’s not that important. Do what’s comfortable for you! The ideas you mention for your new blog is perfect! Start a mom or parenting type of blog or mom hacks and you should get some great readers!!! Good luck!
WHAT!? I just moved to Ladera Ranch from Dana Point! San Clemente is so close to me. Thanks for your response and the links. I’ll check them out!
What!!!!!! Really!
Wow!!! Small world! Yes, I worked at the Dominoes in Dana Point in HS! 🙂
Hi! Thank you for writing this blog.
When you spoke about finding your niche, this is where I struggle at. Maybe writing is not for me because, nothing keeps me up at night (except for when I am scheduled to work) I do not know what I could talk about forever.
I created my blog (well only bought the domain, I have not even started making my page pretty) but now i’m stuck.
so stressful :/
Hi Skakira,
Don’t worry too much about your niche RIGHT now. Blog about your passion and what you want to blog about. From there you can figure out what your audience wants to know more about!
Wow, excellent tutorial Elna! Thank you so much for making this available – just set up my first “personal” site, and feeling excited 🙂 Now onto content creating!
Hey Alex!
Congrats! How exciting. If you enroll in my free emailing course https://twinsmommy.com/start-grow-earn-free-course/ I’ll give you a free WordPress guide to get you started!
Elna, great blog post! I’m taking your WriteTo1k! Course right now and this info was also extremely helpful! Thank you for having a passion for helping other moms become mompreneurs, too!!!
Hi Taylor!
That’s great! I’m glad you are enjoying Write Your Way to Your First $1k! https://writeto1k.com Thanks again for coming to Twins Mommy and wanting to start a blog!
Hi there,
so I signed up at WordPress.com with the premium package do I also need to sign up at site ground?
-emily Shandrew
Hi!
WordPress.com can’t be self-hosted. You need to make the switch to WordPress.Org. But, I suggest you sign up to SiteGround first, and SiteGround will install WordPress for free!!!
Thank you, Elna, for awesomely detailed instructions on how to make this happen! I did exactly that – SiteGround then WordPress then made my Gravatar as you suggested – and it was easy-peasy! Woot woot!
Quick question: it seems like Gravatar wants me to create a blog there? Did I get derailed somehow?
As a side note, I had fantasized about starting a blog about 6 years ago… it literally never got off the ground. I made more progress in one day then I did that very first time with your tutorial. I look forward to sharing your recipes for success down the road, especially since as I continue to research how-to-blog I keep coming back! What would I need to do to share YOU?
Hi Vanessa!
That’s great to hear! Good for you 🙂 Gravatar is tied with WordPress but no, they don’t want you do start anything. To share my blog, just click on the sharing buttons 😉
This is a great post. Do you set up your WordPress.com account and blog first and then set up the siteground site? Would you use WordPress.org first or does WordPress.com work fine to start? Thanks in advance.
Hi Crystal,
I suggest you use a self-hosted plan and that’s on WordPress.org You first sign up to Siteground and then you can ask them to install WordPress for you!
This is a great tutorial….
I’d make a blog before read this, but does not work 😢.
But, after i read your tutorial, i get my passion to improve my blog again.
Thank you elna, now i followed you. Can you look my blog, then tell me why my blog does not work.
Thank you so much!
I know you’ll do well! Build your audience and traffic and you can start monetizing your blog!
Great post! Thanks for the step by step…who doesn’t want to to start a mom blog? lol
Hi Faith!
Ha! You made my day! Yes, who doesn’t want to start a mom blog after reading how great it is???!!!!
Wow, what an awesome & helpful tutorial! I’m so glad I stumbled across your blog. I am looking to start blogging as I am now a SAHM due to moving to a new military base with limited job opportunities in the area. I don’t quite know what my niche is at this moment but I was thinking of blogging about the military spouse lifestyle & experiences, my family and my new hobby which is decorating on a budget for base housing…Do you think their is a need for military spouse blogs? Any tips? TIA
Hi Marielis,
Yes! That’s a great niche. I think if you blog about once type of niche you will get a following. So military life and being mom is a great topic! A successful in this niche is this one https://themilitarywifeandmom.com/ use it for inspiration and see what your blog could end up being! Psst…don’t feel like it will be too hard – blog for YOU and blog to HELP!!!
So once you make the site ground you then have to pay for the wordpress too?
Hi Kratina,
No, you don’t have to pay for WordPress. SiteGround can set up your WordPress for you (just ask them in Live Chat). You can PAY for a WordPress theme (this is what your blog LOOKS like), but there are thousands of FREE themes that you can start with! Good luck!
Hi Elna,
Thank you so much for your posts. I found really valuable information; I am your new follower now.
I re-started my blog on health/wellness/weight loss in 2018. I put my heart into it and I feel it is literally going nowhere, as I am blogging to the audience of zero.
I am going to sign up for your course and hope to find my ‘right’ audience.
Once again, thank you for the inspiration.
Jane
Hi Jane!
Thanks so much! I hope you like Start. Grow. Earn – my free 6 day email course!
Thanks for this! I’ve been thinking about switching to WordPress but because I was already familiar with Squarespace I went there first. But this is good info. I think I may make the switch! Thoughts?!
I’ll add my site in the info form 🙂
Hey Carla,
I never used SquareSpace so don’t know how different it is to WordPress. I LOVE WordPress and it’s the biggest platform for blogs to!
I’m SO confused! hehe Help! 🙂 I followed your directions for setting up through SiteGround and then following the cpanel for WordPress. I had a domain from godaddy I was using and once I clicked install it came up with an error where I didn’t choose the correct https://. Once I changed this it said it already existed. I was very confused. Now I don’t see where the username and password I created for WordPress is the same or an option to even log in! I clearly do not know what I’m doing and could use some guidance! Thank you! <3
Hi Felicia,
I think I kinda did the same thing before! Installed it as http but changed my mind right away and wanted https. I just ended up deleting the WordPress install and starting over. But…the greatest thing about SiteGround is their live chat. Just hop on and they will either get you all straightened out, or they will do the WP install for you!
Naming my domain is the hardest part for me – really it’s renaming my domain.
When I started it was with the intent to follow health/wellness issues, but my focus changed. I see so many awesome domain names and all of my ideas come out wrong.
But I’m really glad I came across this post (though I have a feeling I read it previously), because it’s helped me think about a few things.
I thought in order to have a mom blog, I’d have to be an expert in a specific area but I realized I a have a lot of knowledge at being a mom.
Thanks again for the information. As always, I find your articles very useful 🙂
Hi Quinncere,
Thanks for being a follower! I’m glad you are pivoting to something you have passion for. Deciding on your blog name is hard. Twins Mommy was chosen because it was available and had a nice ring to it. I thought I would blog about my twins and working from home. But, it changed and I had to brand Twins Mommy for blogging. It’s not ideal, but people will eventually know that Twins Mommy isn’t about twins!!!! It’s about growing your blog traffic, list and income!!!
Your post was the inspiration and information I needed to do something I have been wanting to do for a long time. I have a wonderful son named Dean who has some health challenges and working from 7-3:30 ( I am a teacher) has been really hard with all his doctors’ visits and hospitalizations. I started DIYforDean.com so parents who have children with health issues can come and build a community, as well as find some fun crafting ideas to do with their kids (kinda random combo, but it is what I really love). I would love to know more about next steps. How much content should I be producing each week? How do I keep people coming back? Thanks again!!
Hi Kendra!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I love your blog idea and blog name! You can be the voice for parents with health issues. You have some great questions! I do have a course for that next step to blogging called Ready Set Blog for Traffic. https://twinsmommy.com/course/rsb-traffic/ You can try that! You can also Like my Facebook page to get some Facebook Live trainings! https://facebook.com/twinsmommyblog!
Thanks for this really helpful intro! What’s your opinion on using your name as your domain name? I’ve seen this growing in popularity, and it seems advantageous because as your niche grows or changes you don’t have to change your domain.
Hi Caitlin,
I think it’s a great idea! I do it myself (elnacain.com) and you’re totally right about niche it leaves the door wide open.
I loved everything you wrote. It’s so nice to have people like you motivating mamas to become free of the 9-5 jobs. I just became a mom myself and I work as a nanny for a living. I just decides to start my own blog – http://www.motherlyeverafter.com – and hopefully soon I will be able to quit my job and be a work from home mom!
Hi Ana,
Thank you so much! I LOVE helping other moms realize how wonderful blogging is and how you can create an income from blogging! That’s great you started your blog! Have fun!
hi elna,
I love your writing style and great job on your blog! I would like to blog and have the same roadblock as many others considering a niche. I am passionate about self care—- but i am wondering if this is too broad and how to tell….
Hi Megan,
It’s best to go broad with your niche and write under the self-care umbrella. From there you can see what is resonating with your audience!
Hi Elna! I just started my own mom blog, eventually I want to make it a job. I just have no idea how to get there. I hear all the time about mom’s who can do it. I have a really hard time thinking about what my niche would be. I’ve started off with it being a forum for advice and personal opinions on baby products and caring for baby. Whether or not I make a living from it, I have so much fun writing for other mama’s to see. You can find my blog, Livin’ With River here – https://livinwithriver.wordpress.com . Thanks for sharing this post with us!!
-Erin
Hi Erin!
That’s awesome! As for your niche, that is something that can come to you as you blog. See what resonates with your audience and what YOU like to blog about!
Awesome comprehensive yet simple post. This is very easy to follow! I always get stuck on the title, lol… here’s to another try.
Hi Faith!
I’m so happy to hear that! I love breaking things down into easy to read posts!
Hey!! I just started my blog (literally) and I am having trouble customizing it! My colors won’t change… And several other things! Do you have any tips on how to customize? Also I added my email for people to email by clicking on the envelope but when I click on it, nothing happens! Help! #brandnewblogger
Hi Keli,
Maybe try searching your theme on YouTube and see how to customize it? For simple things like adding a logo just go into WordPress and the customize menu option and you can from there!
Do you have any good recommendations on where to find WordPress.org tutorials? I’ve started my blog but am overwhelmed with all the content on wordpress that I don’t understand. Or don’t know how to share correctly on my social media.
Thank you!
Hi Krystalynn,
Have you tried putting social sharing buttons? I have a video on my YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeyG1oWVGKY
Love this idea! I am going to use my maternity leave time to get myself started. My question is, how are you making money from blog?
Hi Danielle,
I use affiliate marketing and creating courses for this blog. For my other blog I have a service, affiliate marketing and course! Check out my newest blog on how I make money blogging: https://twinsmommy.com/my-blogs/
Hello Elna!
Can I just say a huge thank you for your post, Thanks to this post I have just created my first ever blog although I used wix instead of word press I just really struggled with it. I love how your blog looks, how you write and your topic. I am also a mum to twins, 2 sets of twins so I can relate to your blog, I have a long way to go yet but I cannot seem to get my Gravatar on my blog? xx
Hi Claire,
LOVE LOVE LOVE your site. I just left a comment. It’s very inviting and makes me want to learn more about you! I don’t know about Gravatar and Wix. Maybe search for that on Google? I see you installed Facebook comments which is good too! You’ll probably get more comments that way! Make sure to join my Mom to Mompreneur Facebook group to share your posts!https://www.facebook.com/groups/momtomompreneur/
I have joined your group and I love it. Your site is awesome and your emails are still helping me! alos your youtube vids too! your an inspiration to us newbies xx
Hey Claire!
Thanks so much! So glad my videos are helping you with growing your blog!!! Yay!
I am interested in starting my own blog soon. How do you access your blog and edit and add new posts once I’m set up?
Hi Molly,
Once SiteGround gets your WordPress up you can try me free ecourse that has a WordPress guide to help you figure that out! https://twinsmommy.com/start-grow-earn-free-course/
Hi Elna ,
First off I want to thank you for all the information you have put together here ! It has made me that much more excited about starting my own blog . I am a stay at home mom of three ( soon to be four ) under 5 years old . Life is hectic and lovely and everything in-between. My question when it comes to blogging is as follows… I love the idea of sharing my thoughts, experiences etc.. but I am also incredibly private. I don’t post pictures/ stories of my children or myself on Facebook or any social media. Is it possible to become a popular blogger while keeping anonymity ? Thanks in advance !
Hi Rose,
That’s amazing! Congrats on your growing family 🙂 Twins is enough for me!!! 🙂 That’s great you want to start a blog. It is possible to be popular if you still want to be private. You can create an avatar or stick with one brand picture. I want you to look up ChasingFoxes https://www.chasingfoxes.com/ Check out their Pinterest profile too and see how they display their picture and story. They don’t show their faces very much (if at all) and they are making a living as bloggers. So yes, it is possible!
Very informative tutorial! Appreciate the time and effort you took to answer all the questions. I am excited to begin this new chapter and earn some extra income- being a singe mom to two kids who are in several sports takes a toll. I do have a question on how we work to get paid, and how often are we paid for blogging? Just curious if this is a good choice, or if it would be a waste of time. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Brianne,
Monetizing your blog is a long process but you can start making an income within 3 months. I’m putting together a guide to making your first $2k in 3 months as a blogger.
What if my niche is already to saturated? How do I find out that information?
Thanks! I enjoy reading all of your advice.
Hey Laura,
That’s okay if it’s over saturated. I started Twins Mommy in an over-saturated niche and I was able to grow my audience and list and income!
Hello,
I am so glad i found your article to help me get started. I was just looking into getting srarted as mommy blogger and making an income from home. I didn’t know i could do two in one. This was very helpful. About how long did it take for you to start receiving income from blogging? If you dont mind me asking. Thank you so much!
Hey Latasia,
For this blog, I started affiliate marketing around 6 months after I started the blog, but I didn’t have a good strategy. Once I did I went from $20 to $200 to $2000+!
WOW! you have me motivated! My husband loved the idea before I saw this but now I have something concrete to show him so I can start it up!
My topics will include first time mom stuff along with homeschooling and crafts for children and parents along with things like baby sign and since I am a artist I thought I would though some art stuff in it since I need to do something for me as well as for the family. I was considering my walk with being very depressed but until I feel I am in a good place with myself I think that topic will stay in my back pocket!
Hey Rebekah!
That’s fantastic news! And thanks so much! Love love love your topics! You’ll smash it on Pinterest with those niche topics 🙂
Must say it was refreshing to read such a down to earth post. Even though I’ve read tons this was comment worthy. Thank you for making it that simple to follow. I have about 5 tabs open from your website, so I must go and get my read on! Thanks again! xoxo, I hope to finally Launch my website and not get so caught up on perfection. My niche is my journey through the recovery of depression and anxiety and how I learn to become a better listener and teacher for my children. Plus DIY projects and my photography enjoyment. Looking forward to the possibilities!!!
Hi Dina,
Thank you so much! Your blog topic sounds amazing! Love it!
I just started my first blog! I am an artist, mom, wife and a million other things lol. I wanted to start a blog with my already current website which is through wix. I posted my first blog last night and I am very excited yet very nervous. I mean do people really care? Anyways, is it ok that I am through wix and not wordpress?
Thanks for your time!!!
Hey Ali,
I haven’t used Wix so not sure. I LOVE LOVE LOVE WordPress so I’m a bit biased 🙂
I have been doing a ton of research on starting my blog and your by far is the most down to earth and easiest to follow! THANK YOU! I am on the siteground site right now and ready to get this going but wondering if I sign up initially with the start up plan if I can upgrade to one of the others once I get my blog really going and if it will still be at the discounted rate? The reason I am asking is that based on my blog topic (I’m building a shipping container home) I won’t really be posting about MY personal experience until that process starts happening (which hopefully will really have content to grab attention and followers), in the meantime I plan to just post my research and experiences thus far in this crazy process so not nearly as active as I plan to be once the actual build process starts. I also would likely choose the 2 or 3 year plan options to save some $ and since I am already aware that my home building process will take between 2-3 years once I purchase my land. Thoughts?
Hi Jen!
Thanks for the kind words. That’s taking the tiny home concept to a whole new level hope it’s got insulation! For the hosting, tough call because the discounted rate is only available at sign up. If you upgrade mid-term it’s at standard rate (as far as I know).
I’m a sahm of 4! My oldest is almost 10 and my youngest is 10 months I’m now 30 years old and love helping other moms with pregnancy, fertility, and motherhood advice. I want to start a blog since I helped so many ladies over the years. I honestly don’t have much cash to start and looking for the least expensive route
Hey Heather,
Starting a blog is one of the cheapest things you can do as a way to start a business. Think of your mom. Back when she lived, she would’ve had to rent a place somewhere, buy business cards, buy a business license and so much more to start a business.
But, for less than $100 you can start a blog and within a few months make that and much much more back!!! Good luck!
I like that you recommended WordPress dot org. I always used WordPress dot com and was ALWAYS frustrated because there are awesome plug-ins I would love to use to help grow my traffic, but they won’t work with the dot com version. Boo… Especially this awesome one I recently found on a fellow bloggers site, which hovers a preview of your Pinterest account so people can directly click to your Pinterest so you grow your Pinterest and at the same time. I was in love with the service and subscribed and paid for my first month then found out it is only available with WordPress dot org… So I found out WordPress dot org has free plug-ins – and I’ve paid all this money and can’t do anything… Haha. :-/ well I found you can use a free service to switch your blog over from dot org to dot com but I’ve recently launched my blog on Amazon Kindle and am worried the RSS feed won’t match if I let the service switch me :-/ so many micro issues with blogging I’m glad there are people writing posts to help other bloggers!! Thanks for your writing!!
Erin,
What a story! I’m so glad you figured it out. But, you’re right – the first few months of blogging can be crazy! Thanks for stopping by!
This for sure couldn’t be more straight forward and easy for a beginner! I wish this post existed when I was starting up! Honestly couldn’t be more easy than what you laid out above! WordPress for life!!
Thank you Meg!
Glad you found it helpful…after the fact..oh well!
Hi! I have been coming back to your site over and over in the last few days and the more I read the more I feel this is a good idea! I’ve been a nurse for over 11 years and would like to begin the stay at home mom blogging career my kids and I badly need! I’m two months away from my third girl and unpaid maternity leave. Two months of limited income is less of stress than continuing a 8-430 job 4 days a week with up to 800 a month in daycare and limited valuable time with my little ones. Anyways better save it for my Blog. I have a few questions like should I create a new email address to dedicate solely to this if so is there one server you recommend more than others? Also any tips on personal opinions to stay clear from or are your personal opinions more beneficial? I know in nursing for a fact religion and politics are big no no subjects. Can make you the odd man out in nanoseconds! Sorry for the paragraph i’m kind of excited!
Hi April,
Thanks so much for commenting! I love hearing my readers’ stories. I think having a mom blog is perfect for you! Even with your newborn, you can make this happen! As for your questions, you can have a domain email address (like x@twinsmommy.com) that can be provided by your hosting. If you choose SiteGround, you can have your domain email address redirected to your own personal one. So you just have to check your personal email and get emails from your subscribers and readers! As for personal opinions, it’s your blog! Say what you want. 🙂 Stirring up the pot can help you get your blog noticed quicker!
Elna, I have to admit that as I am trying to figure out the process to start my own blog (exciting and scary!), yours is the first blog I come to. I love your blog, your writing voice, and your enthusiasm for helping beginners follow their passions and start their blogs. Thank you!
Carolyn,
Wow! You made my day and week! I showed your comment to my husband. He’s been a big help with the web development side of things. I’m so happy to hear you are starting your blog and yes, it IS exciting and scary too! But, I know you can do it! 🙂 Love your URL name!!!
Hi Elna,
Really helpful article for beginner! Thank you for sharing such informative article.
Hi Riya!
You’re welcome. Glad you found this post helpful to starting a blog!
Hello Elna,
Thank you for the tutorial and all the information. This was very helpful.. quick question though as I was confused..do we need to get our blog established first before getting SiteGround started or is that what SiteGround will do? Just want to clarify.
Thank you,
Hey Carrie,
No, you get Siteground hosting FIRST and then set up your blog. SiteGround can do that for you too!
Thanks for this tutorial, I can’t wait to start up my blog, am not sure what to write about between travel, history which I enjoy and Listicles (how tos) about anything since i enjoy researching but am sure am just yet to figure it out. Thanks, I have enjoyed every guide you have provided to words online businesses.
Hi,
Thank you so much for the detailed info on starting a blog! Best info I’ve found so far online. I have found a niche and am ready to dive into blogging. But can you advise me on how you turn blogging into income?
Thanks,
Emily
Hey Emily!
I have a lot of posts on Twins Mommy on how to make money on your blog. I suggest you take the free course at the end of this post or check out how I make money blogging! https://twinsmommy.com/stay-at-home-mom-make-money-blog/
Hi, do you have any advice for me? I would like to start a blog on showing people step by step using pictures on how to make crafty things. Thanks Rene from Canada
Hi Rene!
Thanks for stopping by! There are many wonderful blogs about crafting. You can totally do this and share it on Pinterest since it’s very visual! Good luck!
Elna, thank you for this information! I am confused (I am not techie). I tried WP and I had 48 hours of well you can guess. Why did you suggest wp.org? The one thing I am really confused about is the email. Do I have to use the email created by SG or WP?
Hi Peggy!
Yes, I would suggest self-hosted, which is WordPress.org. I know, it’s totally confusing and doesn’t make sense eh? As for your email, you can set it up with your hosting provider (SiteGround), but most people don’t. They use an email service provider like MailChimp to start their email list. What you want from your provider is a domain email address. This is your site’s email address. So, for example, myname@twinsmommy.com (my blog). If you need help I’m sure SiteGround can do it for you!
Hi Elna,
Thank you posting these insightful tips. Although I’m not yet a mom, I wish to start blogging soon. However, about the sites you can use to blog, what do you think about wix? Because with wix you don’t have to pay anything except if you want to buy your domain name. Can I drive traffic to my blog through wix? Because you mentioned other websites and I was wondering if I can have all the advantages the other sites offer if I use wix since I’m broke. And will I be able to get some money through wix again? or? whats your take on this. Thank you
Hi!
Sorry, I don’t know much about wix. All I know is that WordPress is the most popular content service platform. Maybe someone else can help?
I loved your step by step guide on how to set up a blog! I’ve heard about blogging and it sounded really difficult as far as set up went but you made it really easy to understand. After reading your post I thought long and hard if I would have anything to offer in a blog; then I remembered I’ve been looking for a way to educate and tell people about my experience using essential oils and herbs in every day mommy life. I have a 2 year old little girl, husband, family and friends that know to come to me with questions on EO or herbs for ailments but I have been itching to share with more people. I think that blogging is the way to go and with your tutorial it gave me the last push I needed. I will post my website soon for you to check out and look forward to following your blog as well for tips and tricks. Thanks again 🙂
Hi Ashley!
Thanks a bunch mama! <3 I think that niche would be good for your blog!
Passion is SO important to this recipe, especially in 2017! There are so many blogs out there now that even if yours is successful, it will probably take a little time to get traction. The easiest way to keep going through that initial growth period is to write about something you love and want to educate people about. It can be a slow grind, but if I’ve learned anything it’s that people can recognize passion and are drawn to it. Just keep putting it out there, and followers will come!
Hi Elna,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful information. I just started my own blog and this information was very helpful! Thank you.
Congrats Ashna!
I can’t wait to read your first post!
Hi Elna,
A friend of mine has been suggesting that I start a blog for quite a bit of time now . I’m actually thinking of it. Your post was super informative. It looks a bit overwhelming as a first timer. I wouldn’t even know wherected to start. I’m a mom in brooklyn raising a 3 1/2 yr old girl , my girl who’s 7 months , my 8yr old pitbull and of course my husband so I have 4 kids, lol. And we are vegan.
Hi Yesenia!
I totally suggest you take the email course. It’s more guided and takes it a bitter slowly since it breaks up the tasks!
this is fantastic, ive always wanted to have my own business at home, but can i choose some other niche like a product to sell from a big company like Amazon and still use your process same steps, thank you.
I am so excited to start my blog but I am curious how do you initially get traffic to your blog? When someone googles a topic that is close to your blog post does it pop up? What would be some examples?
Hey Anna,
Google is the primary platform to search for topics but it can be hard to be ranked in Google as a brand new blogger. Instead, I would focus your keyword strategy on Pinterest! Check out my free traffic accelerator course that will walk you through the steps you need to put in place for major traffic growth! https://twinsmommy.com/traffic-accelerator-challenge/
Every question I had about starting a blog led me to one of your posts. Thank you so much for making it so simple to get so much valuable information in one place! I’ll be following you on every form of media to stay up to date and have all the information at my fingertips! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
You’re welcome Sara!
So happy you found some answers to your questions. Starting a blog has a lot of information and can be overwhelming!
You’re welcome Sara!
So happy you found some answers to your questions. Starting a blog has a lot of information and can be overwhelming!
Hello,
I have started blogging myself. I am trying to find out the basic problems that my blog is having and looking for solutions. Also, I’m searching for some basic things like themes and other stuff.
I have read your whole article, I am looking forward to getting a positive result after performing this myself.
Can you suggest me any basic idea that I might need in the future as a new blogger?
Thank you
Hey Jamie,
Congrats on starting your blog already! As a new blogger, maybe you need Tailwind or an email service provider like MailChimp or ConvertKit?
This is not a comment, but an inquiry.
In one of the courses you’re offering READY SET BLOG for TRAFFIC, one of the question is if the course work for international bloggers? and you said it’s geared for English speaking audience.
Now, when I am out of Canada, and is in Jamaica where I spend some time it the winter months will I be able to access the course?
Hi Audley,
This course is geared for any blogger with a blog online 🙂 I say English Speaking as I’m teaching in English. But you can use those tactics in your native language. As for accessing the course, yes you can access it in Jamaica as long as you have internet connection and the URL of the course.
Hi Elna, I’m a stay at home mom, but to a 17 yr. Old and a husband lol! That’s like another kid!! I really want my own blog I have so much time on my hands now that my son is older and my husband is a major loner! I’m just really intimidated by all the writing cause I need to brush up on my writing skills. And I learn best if someone tells me how to do thing verbally. when I read here how to do it I get overwhelmed because I’m frightened I will not understand clearly. Please help!! Thank you, Carla
Hey Carla,
Thanks so much and YES, a hubby can be another child (I should know) 🙂 If you need help setting everything up go ahead and join the free blogging course at the bottom of this post. It will walk you through step-by-step and give you a lot of freebie guides and things. I even give you a WordPress guide so you can have your site up and running in no time.
Hi Elna! I loved your article. My case is maybe similar to some other moms. I’m a mom of 3, working now, barely have time to spend with them because of my job😞, but if I don’t work, no money gets in. I would love to start a blog, but I’m still really unsure if I’m gonna be good at it.
I think I could share tips when traveling, budgeting, kids, school, everything all moms talk about, but I think I’m not getting my niche like that right? Is it too wide open topics to share ? Should I think on one or two topics max?
Hi Andrea,
Congrats on your three kids! Cherish those moments for sure! I think starting a blog is a great idea for you. As for your topics you can be a lifestyle mom with all of those topics. Then in a couple of months you can see which topic is most popular and then write mostly in that niche! Good luck!
Hi Elna! Really enjoyed reading your post – so informative yet easy to understand.
I’m a mama of 8 (ages ranging from 6 months to 10 years!) As you can imagine my days will range from “Awwwww” to “Aarrrgghh” in a matter of seconds. Besides keeping my kids, my husband and myself (almost barely haha) alive – I am passionate about my faith as a Christian. I also took up a network marketing business which I do struggle with as I’m a bit of an introvert so the outside world tends to intimidate me (just a tad). However, the challenge of building a network marketing business is the “circle” outside my everyday Mummy/Wifey “square” – meanwhile my church duties as a piano player and choir director are also in the mix there somewhere somehow.
I havea passion for putting my thoughts onto paper (although I may need to brush up on grammar haha). Should I focus on just one angle of my collage of a lifestyle or is there a way I can create a niche by combining my interests/duties/lifestyle into the one blog? Which by the way I’ve never attempted to write one before, causing my Facebook friends to have no choice but read my overly long statuses on their newsfeeds instead 🙄😅
Any input would be tremendously appreciated!
Hi Eva!
What a nice story! Wow, eight kids…congrats and let me give you a hug. My twins are such a big challenge I can’t imagine throwing in a few more! 🙂 Blogging is a great way to get your creativity out and have some fun.
As for a niche, you can do a lifestyle type of blog. Blog about different topics and see which topics are attracting more traffic. From there you can focus your blog in that vein! Good luck!
Hi ! We just started our blog too! We will read your others post ‘Blogging Basics series’. We will add personal stories soon. Thank you! http://www.newmommag.com/
Mag,
How great! I can see this being a big blog for a lot of moms. Can’t wait to see it evolve.
Hi:
Thank for the tips on how to create a blog! I am new to this “world” and I have so much to learn. There is a bunch of new terminology that I need to understand, but there I go! I just publish my first post!!!! It is pretty excited! Thank You!
Evamarie,
Congrats! So happy for you! Enjoy blogging.
I just started my mom blog last month ! It’s been great to connect with other moms!
https://dailydoseofmotherhood.com
Hi Tinicia,
That’s fantastic! So happy you took the plunge and started a blog!
Hey Elna!
My name is Inna and I’m thrilled to be a mom. I only have 3 months to go and I am joining the bandwagon of amazing women on this world. However, I am not a newbie in the blogging world. I’ve been blogging since I was in grade school but stopped during college. Now I am back again, and hopefully you can check my blog out. Please let me know what I can improve.
Congrats Inna on your expected little one!
Your blog is cute and refreshing. It’s clean and easy to navigate! So glad you took blogging up again! Good luck!
Love, love, love, this. Just started my mom blog!
Hey Janice!
Oh yea! You go mama!
Hi Elna
Brilliant actionable advice.
I only have a tablet ATM. Can I set up my website using my tablet ? Hard at
work saving up for a laptop.
I’m very keen to set up my website. So I’m eagerly awaiting your response.
Hey!
Yup you can start a blog on your tablet!
Hello Elna
Let me first start off saying Thank You for your clear and concise instruction on starting a blog, I found it quite informative. I was employed for 14 plus years with the gov’t and lost my job 2 wks before Christmas behind being a nursing mother in the workforce and a strong female. I am now a mother of a 2 yr old and a 3 mnth old and a full time homemaker to them and my truck driver husband. The daily challenges that come with our dynamic life style demanded learning on the fly and relying on social media sites and support groups to maintain a successful and proficient household. I am finding it a chore to narrow down my niche for my passion of starting my blog. Any suggestions that you may have I thank you in advance.
Hi Melanie!
Congrats on persevering! Yes, my life is crazy too with twins that are 4 years old. I have to hold my tongue a lot!!! 🙂 As for a niche, what you can do is create a lifestyle blog at first. Blog your heart out and figure out what you like to blog about. Also, find out if it’s profitable. Are there services or products in that niche? I hope that helps!
Thanks for your clear instructions on how to get started with a blog. Many people think it will be difficult but you showed how simple it really is to get going.
The most challenging part is usually choosing a niche market and figuring out a great domain name!
Thanks again!
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Yes, finding a niche is difficult, but I find just blogging about topics that interest you first helps. From there you will realize what you really like to blog about, OR what type of people are coming to your blog and engaging with you. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, Just stumbled upon your blog from Pinterest and believe me I am loving each post of yours. So I am certainly going to stay here for long and read your posts. I have also recently started my blog and that’s why I am pretty excited.
Hi Elna,
I really enjoyed your write-up. I am a Nigerian and I’ve been looking forward to starting a blog. How do I monetize my blog? I have a 6 months old daughter and would love to make income working from home. I am comfortable with the prices of SiteGround. Am I eligible to starting a blog from your link?
Hi!
Yes, monetizing your blog is a great strategy for new bloggers. You can do affiliate marketing or offer a service. I started by offering a service and then moved on to affiliate marketing.
Good luck!
Hi elna i must say and admire thst your an amazing writer, i am from Italy and stay home mom of 5 months old dolly Angel. I need to know few things i am not clear about is their any fee to pay to WordPress to or its only siteground as i am a little confuse here another question does SiteGround work with the same accuracy to European countries like Italy. I am interested in an yearly plan using your link.
Your post is really helpful
Hi Nido,
I’m sure you’ll be able to use SiteGround as your web hosting in Italy! Try it out and see!
Hi Elna,
You really know your stuff. I like the sound of Siteground and the prices do seem very reasonable. I wondered if it possible to use in the U.K.? Sometimes when you have to add the zip code or postcode in U.K it can cause problems in that it stops you setting the account up, therefore, you then cannot carry on at all.
I have tried creating websites before as an affiliate. But it didn’t work out for me because of a very tight budget at the time. I learned a lot and now I see it as a positive thing.
I have been toying with the idea of doing another blog and found yours on Pinterest where you are indeed pinned for easy access for me.
You have given me a renewed feeling of confidence.
Hello Elna,
Thank you for sharing such informative article.
Starting a blog is a great way to share your story as a mother.
Keep sharing 🙂
Hi Elna,
I am a mother of a 16 month old boy and i found that during my pregnancy and now raising a child i have become very knowledgable when it comes to mommy hood. i find that a lot of my friends ask me many questions that vary from different topics and with great delight i answer them or find an answer for them. I am very passionate about it and think that running a blog is definitely a part of my calling. I am also very religious and cultural and i wonder how i can incorporate all that into a blog !
Hi Dolly!
Those are great topics to do for your blog. Christian lifestyle blogs are great! Good luck!
Very great read. I’m so excited to start my new blog and this post helped me so much.. I was stuck on finding a web hosting and now I’m definitely going to use Site Ground thanks to you. I’m still in the process of making profile pics and details for my social media sites but I’m getting closer and closer. Thank you for this post! 🙂
Hi Brandi!
Hooray! So happy you found a good hosting for your blog! SiteGround is reputable and great for bloggers!
Hi Elna,
I am so enthused by everything that I am learning so far. I must admit that I am a total newbie at blogging but have always been interested in it.
My question is this. Can I be successful at blogging while living in the Caribbean? I just keep second guessing myself and wondering whether or not this can work. I believe it will. I guess I am just hunting for reassurance.
I am a primary school teacher and mother of a six (soon to be seven) year old and an eighteen month old. Both of whom are very hyperactive. I also have a brother who is autistic and being the eldest of three, I help to care for him. How do I harness this into a blog from my island home and make it work? Or should I blog about my island home as a great vacation destination.
I want this to be fun, easy to read and easy to follow but bottom line: profitable. Any suggestions?
Andena
Hi Andrea!
Thanks so much. You have a lot of rich experience to start a blog. It’s up to you where you want your focus. If you want to blog about your family like and ways to help other moms cope or inspire than that’s a great niche. You’ll be able to join related FB groups and Pinterest groups.
You can also blog about travel and cater to those interested in travel (varied demographic niche). Good luck!
I have been wanting to start a blog for a long time now but I think I have too many topics!
I am a holistic nutritionist, crossfitter, trainer, soon to be mom (2 weeks left), home remedy queen and love to bake and cook. Would you suggest narrowing down topics or are they similar enough to fall under one blog?
Any suggestions would be great! Thank you!
Hi Anna!
Well that is a lot of interests! You can do a demographic niche if you want? That means picking one type of demographic readers like young moms, moms with school-aged kids or toddlers or newborns etc….and then cater to them with the topics on your blog. That’s what I’m doing with TwinsMommy. I blog for mom bloggers that want to move to being a mompreneur.
Hi Elna! I loved reading this as I have been thinking about starting a blog. The thing is, I’m not sure if it’s a niche, or a novelty? I want it to be a niche, though, so I can write about it! I have 2 biological boys, one on the autism spectrum, 1 was born with albinism (albino). Then that led us to go adopt 2 girls (diff times) from China with albinism. Our story is so crazy though, and how we managed to survive it and continue to walk it out-that’s what I want to blog about. I feel that with all of our issues I could surely help someone? I’m pursuing a degree in Human Services and feel I have a gift for encouragement. I would appreciate your thoughts on this. Thank you!
Hi Carolyn,
I think you have the perfect story to share with the world. Just remember, though, that if you want to eventually monetize your blog, you should be helping your readers cope and be educated in those topics.
So, if you do open up your story on your blog, instead of making it a diary, make it helpful. For example, you have a child with autism, you can create posts Melt-down activities to combat tantrums, or how to use social stories to facilitate self-help skills and things like that. You can, of course, create posts that are more inspirational. I do that with my twins posts. It’s your blog after all. 🙂 Have fun!
Great post, thank you! What do you think is the best way to narrow down what to blog about? I have no kids yet, but that phase of life is coming fast, and I want to get an author/book website going. I also want to dabble in the art community with freelance writing. There is so much I want to do. Is there a way to mix these things together?
Hi Haley,
That’ sounds awesome! As for narrowing down your niche, you could open up a service-based website and talk about the behind the scenes of that and incorporate your topics? Finding your niche will evolve and it will reveal itself eventually 🙂 It did for me!
Great post! We run an adventure travel blog and I think the most important thing we tell people is to travel with a purpose, Do not just wander around the world aimlessly. (Like ours is to experience and document the Top 100 Travel Adventures) So many travel blogs do not really have a purpose or a niche. Niche is key and many miss out on that because they want to cover and do it all. Do not just start a blog because you think you will get rich quick and be able to travel the world. It takes a lot of work and lots of time.
Hi Elna,
Amazing blog! started my blog in 2014, but failed to grow it due to not putting in the proper efforts and because of working. I’m now laid off and I am ready to grow my blog. I get so overwhelmed with all of the aspects of growing the blog (affiliate marketing, pins, traffic…). I will begin to take it one day at a time. I’m about to revamp my website as I see that it’s a complete mess. I wanted to know which theme are you using? My website is kindridwestsuccess.com where I help to build success in health, finance, and personal development as I am an accountant, personal trainer, and self-help enthusiast. Thank you for the advise.
Hi Kindrid,
It happens to all of us eh? Life gets in the way or you move on. I’m glad you have refocused on blogging! As for my theme, it’s actually a customized theme that my husband and I created 🙂 Thanks!
Thanks Elna for your response. Keep up the great work!😊
Hello again Elna! I think I am going to go ahead and take the leap with beginning a 2nd blog and have it be a little bit about everything that I do. My kids especially, my crafting and when I figuore out what I’m doing, my blogging. 🙂 Wish me luck! Thanks so much for your previous advice. I love your blog and I have to say I got a lot of my ideas from reading some of your blog. Your my “twin” twin mommy. 😉 Keep a look out for my blog in a while. I don’t know what the name of it will be yet though. 🙂 Have a good day!
Hi Melody!
Thanks so much 🙂 That’s fantastic that you want to go ahead and create a second blog! I know a lot of bloggers are doing that. I LOVE blogging and it’s really addictive 🙂 Ha! Good luck!
Hey! Amazing tips! My blog has now been up and running for a couple of weeks – yay! Blogging about family travel and life in Saudi Arabia mostly 😊🌍
@ourdreamsincolour
That’s great!! Enjoy blogging!!
Hey Elna!
I simply love your blogs. I, too, wanna start blogging and I will, sooner or later. I am in the learning phase and your blogs are just giving me all the information needed. Thanks a lot.☺
Thanks a bunch!
Good luck on starting your blog 🙂 Make sure to share it with me!
I really want to start a blog. I want a blog that will make me money. My biggest hesitation is being able to get the traffic to my blog. Getting traffic to any business or blog is the biggest challenge. Do you have any words of wisdom or help that you can give me.
Thank You, Karen
Hey Karen!
That sounds good to start blog. I am starting a product to help with traffic, so keep on the lookout for that by joining my newsletter!
Am I still a Mompreneur if my kids are grown (barely)?
Hey mama!
Of course. If you’re a mom and have a biz you’re a mompreneur 🙂
Hi Elna!
I love your articles, you’re my go to resource for all things blogging!
My blog is in its infancy and I want to get it right. I started it with the idea I would give advice to new twin moms so my website is twoplustwins.com. I just don’t feel like it’s going to workout for consistent content. I love how you incorporate cute twin posts into your blog but its not the actual focus of your blog.
I have recently decided to try and niche down on what I’m more passionate which is my weight loss journey, healthy tips, chronic disease prevention, etc. I’ve given myself a year to get into shape and hope to grow a motivational blog from that journey. I know the weight loss area is saturated but I’ve read one should go big when blogging.
My questions are:
1. Should I start over with a new domain name that is related to weight loss?
2. Are affiliate links only for established blogs?
3. I’m really struggling with the niching down part. Do you think a blog about plus size twin moms is too limiting? I noticed there were no Facebook groups related to twin moms who were plus sized so I’m not sure if it’s a dead zone or if there’s potential there.
I would appreciate any advice you have!
Hi Elise!
Thank you for your comment! I LOVE learning about new blogs and people. And hey! You’re a twin mama!! I stayed in the house the first year 🙂 No outings…only doctor visits and stroller walks. Nothing else. They didn’t go to a play group until they were almost 2 years old. Yes…I fear going out alone with them. They are four and I am more confident now. But, my husband works from home also, so I don’t have to work on that. Anyways, I digress.
As you can tell, I took a looky-loo at your blog and I like the content. One quick pro tip: please separate your paragraphs into smaller paragraphs. It’s hard to read your post when you have big blocks of text. Also, play around with subheadings as this breaks up your post even more, making it easier to read!
For your question, you don’t have to create a new blog for your weight loss journey. You can still use twoplustwins. I mean, I mostly blog about growing your blog and my site’s name is Twins Mommy 🙂 Go figure.
As for affiliate links, some programs may want a mature site, but many don’t. Sign up and see what happens. You can also sign up to be an affiliate for digital courses.
As for niching down, you can brand yourself as the twin mom weight loss blog?
Thanks for looking at my blog Elna! I really appreciate it and will definitely take your advice in cleaning it up. I needed that boost of encouragement.
Congratulations on making it through the baby years!
Twin mom power! 🙌🏻
Hello, I just followed your instructions to set up a blog and got as far as signing into the admin page but the connection isn’t secure. It states that logins here could be compromised. Any idea of how to make the connection secure so I can sign in? Thank you!
I figured it out! So never mind. 🙂
Phew! Good to know 🙂
Can you pay by the month with this service or are you billed for the whole year?
To get the best savings, it’s recommended you pay for the year (or more!) up front.
Thank you, Elna for this post. I have talked about starting a blog for a few years now even going as far as setting up free blogs but never truly committing. Your posts have inspired me on a deeper level that makes me believe that I can and WILL commit this time!
I actually set up a hosted blog today AND took your advice on setting up my gravitar (this is my test to see if I did it right! *fingers crossed*) Now, with tomorrow being day 2, I hope I can do better figuring out how to run my new blog. Wish me luck and keep up the good work!
Hi Crystal,
Thanks so much! I’m so happy to hear you are giving blogging a second chance! Blogging is such a great outlet for moms and so happy you are starting again!
Great tips! Setting up my blog now.
Thanks!
I became recommended your blog by our cousin.. domino We’re no longer favourable when it put up can be created by method of the pup as nobody else realize these kinds of particular close to my own trouble. You might be awesome! Thank you!
Thanks for coming over!
Hi Elna! I just published my first blog post today! I would not have been able to do it without your blog. I appreciate all of your practical and easy to read and follow tips. Thank you so much!
Hey Cara!
So happy you have your blog 🙂 Yay!! Make sure to join us in the Mom to Mompreneur Facebook so you can promote your new blog post 🙂
This is an amazing tutorial. Elna is my hero for providing her Write Your Way to Your First $1k course. I am a newbie to blogging and freelance writing and almost have my site and blog ready to roll. Thank you Elna!
Hey mama!
Thank you so much and glad you are enjoying the course! Make sure to say hi in the private Facebook group!
Lots of great information! I have been wanting to start a blog for YEARS and am finally diving in this adventure! Siteground no longer has a free domain name though. :/ I will be looking forward to your posts in the future! If you do guest blogging, I’d love to have you!
Hey Lacy,
Yeah I just got notified and updated the post 🙁 I’m upset by that..
thank you very much for all this information! I already have a blog through Word Press, so I was wondering if I could transfer all my info from Word Press to the new domain or I would have to start all over again?
Hi Alan,
Yes you can. There are tutorials on all that 🙂
This is an amazingly helpful tutorial! I’ve been blogging for a long time, but on Blogger. Recently I have decided to start an additional site, but have been hesitant to make the jump to WordPress. It all seems so foreign, but this tutorial has me thinking I may just go for it.
Hey Vanessa!
Thanks so much 🙂 Happy to hear you have the blogging itch…as I so much do! I have four sites! Well one is my freelance writing service site so that’s static. But this one, ElnaCain.com and FreelancerFAQs.com 🙂 I’m pretty busy but I love it. Make sure to tell me about your new site when it’s live!
Elna,
Some great advice and simple – thanks! I started my niche years ago before kids came on the scene (http://equus-blog.com – equine careers and education), but now that I’m home with 2 under 3, I am working to turn it into a viable income earner! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Christine,
Thanks so much and yes! You can totally turn your blog around to a new niche! Good luck!
Hi Elna, I just stumbled upon this post (metaphorically, not using the website lol), and it’s a great help! I’m just starting off on my own blogging journey, so I’m positive I’ll be coming back to reference this guide in the future.
Thanks again for your clarity & insight!
Hey Molly!
Nice website name 🙂 ha..That’s great you are out there blogging away. Thanks so much for wanting to reference this when you want a self-hosted blog 🙂
Awesome tutorial!! Smashing as usual!!! 😉
Hi Ana!
Aww thanks so much 🙂
Hello Elna,
May I ask what plugin do you use for that image and button (click to download)?
Your tutorial is great by the way! I recently switched from WordPress.com to WordPress.org and it is really much better)
Hi Maria,
The image is something I made in Photoshop (but you can make it in Canva). I then linked it to OptinMonster 🙂
Hi Elna,
Really helpful article. With all the inspiration from here I have started my food blog. Hope I could be a successful blogger.
Do visit my page.
Here’s link to my site:
https://cookwithdesitadka.wordpress.com/
Hi Priya,
That’s great. Good luck with your cooking blog and if you’re ready for self-hosting, I know SiteGround is one of the best!!
Really helpful tutorial for a beginner ! My wife want to make a blog and want to earn online money, she wanted from me a good resources/tutorial for learning blog promotion. I think this post will be definitely helpful for her. I will gift your posts link to my wife 🙂 . Great tutorial step by step. Get it up.
Thanks !
Hi Andrew! That’s great. Make sure she shares her new blog with me!
So I have a blog on WordPress.com but what exactly is SiteGround? Is it like WordPress or what exactly? I would love to switch to SiteGround or do whatever it is I need to do. If you could email me and maybe help me I would appreciate it so much.
Hi Katie,
SiteGround is hosting service for your website on WordPress.org (not .com). If you follow my step-by-step tutorial you can set up your new WordPres blog. Why switch? Well with a WordPress.com your URL has .wordpress.com in it rather than just a URL with http://yourblogname.com Doesn’t that look a bit more professional?
I’ll be sure to email you soon!
Really great tips! I’ve been thinking of starting a blog for a few months now, but it seems a bit overwhelming. So far I have just been brainstorming ideas, but I would really like to be up and running within the next month.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much! Yes, starting a blog is a step-by-step tutorial. Once you have your WordPress blog, there are YouTube videos to walk you through how to get a theme and set it up. At this time, I don’t have anything set up, but will hopefully have something soon!
That is definitely a helpful tutorial on how to start your blog. I also really like Siteground. I used their chat a lot in the beginning and they were very helpful.
Hi Brenda!
Thank you so much. So happy you found it helpful. And yes, SiteGround is da best!
I took the leap and started a blog (with siteground too!) before I found your blog post.
I’m stuck on monetizing and adding ads. I thought this was a great post and actually went searching through your series for one on monetizing and adding ads (a visual how to like this one) but there’s not one. Any tips?
Thanks!
Hi Brandi!
That’s awesome and so happy you started a blog 🙂 As for monetizing, you can check out my post about affiliate marketing https://twinsmommy.com/triple-affiliate-earnings/ but I don’t have on on ads since I’ve never used them! For affiliate marketing, find products or services that you enjoy or have used. For example, I’m an affiliate for ConvertKit and Tailwind. I’ve been using them and LOVE them. Once you find those products, you can create tutorials on how to use them (video also helps) and place your links in your email (if it’s allowed) and on your side bar or menu! Good luck!
I’ve been pushing back creating a mom blog for quite some time and have finally decided to commit and push forward. This is honestly the most helpful, concise, and simple “How to Start a Blog” tutorial. Thanks so much for the motivation!!
Hi Christina!
That’s great! So happy for you and good luck on your new blog. If you need more help with getting your blog up and running you can totally email me and I can help you 🙂 elna@elnacain.com
Wow!! what an awesome tutorial on getting a blog. i have read several tutorials on getting a blog , but none of them were as easy as yours. Thank you so very much! I am definitely going to get a blog now.
Hey Tina!
Thanks so much! Glad you liked it 🙂
This is a great tutorial on how to start a blog! I recently just started my blog and this is very informational! Great Stuff 🙂
Hi Crystal!
Thanks so much! So happy you enjoyed the post 🙂 Good luck on your new blog!