As I reach the 3 year mark of owning this blog it gets me thinking. The landscape is constantly changing and there are always new developments coming out or new trends you need to know. However, as a new blogger the fundamentals of getting started are always the same.
I remember when I came up with the idea of starting a blog. It really was to help me build my portfolio to launch my career. I found I wasn’t getting anywhere just trying to build myself from job to jobs, I needed to take measures into my own hands. The other reason I wanted to start a blog was to help you, my readers in any way I could. Overall I wanted to show you how you can travel the world without quitting your job, selling all of your things and leaving.
All that said, knowing where to start a new blogger can be confusing. There are hundreds if not thousands of articles telling you different things. Basically, I’m here to add to the noise. Just kidding, I’m here to help add a little more guidance so you can navigate the crazy world of blogging a little easier.
The 6 points I’ve listed below are all of the important things I’ve learned that I wish I knew before I started my blog!
| Affiliate – Disclaimer Pages |
This isn’t something I had from day one but I wish I did. Luckily I didn’t learn the hard way with this one as I read a lot of horror stories from those that had. If you plan on working with companies as an affiliate marketer, many countries have made rules on how you display this information.
Essentially, you are putting in your blog a form of advertising and with that comes rules and regulations. Make sure you are up to date and savvy enough because if you get caught not having the proper terminology and disclaimers you need, it’s not going to be good.
There are some affiliate sites that will put together a disclaimer for you or tell you what you need to include. Make sure to read these over before you start using the services, it’s really important and could save you from getting in trouble down the road!
| Get your own domain |
Of course having your own URL that is dedicated to your website is important as well. If you want to be taken seriously by brands or look more professional than you need to have your own domain. It took me a little longer to do this because I had a history of starting projects and not finishing them so I made Ben a promise I wouldn’t spend money on my blog until I was serious.
You can register your domain with a number of different providers. I decided to go with GoDaddy when I started out because it was one of the only ones I knew and it was a pretty easy process. Make sure you buy the URL for the most amount of time that you can, it’s just a pain in the ass to renew later on.
Make sure you think of something that is going to make sense, represents your website and a name you won’t get tired of later on. Obviously when I started The Restless Worker I had no idea that I would still be doing it this many years later but here I am! The name is one of my favourite things about the blog as well, I think it represents not only me (anyone who knows me well knows I’m rarely sitting still) but also what I was hoping to achieve with the blog as well.
| Get a web host |
This one is a little trickier to explain and I’ll likely be setting a post up in the future but it took me a little while to learn that I needed a web host. I chose to register with Bluehost. Everything that I was reading said they were the best hosts for new blogs. I actually still use them today and *knock on wood* haven’t had any problems.
Having a web host essentially allows you to take your blog away from the free WordPress site, implement your own URL and add customizable elements to it. You’ll also get an email account associated with your blog as well, I was such a dork back then but I was super excited about it. I couldn’t believe that now I could have an info@therestlessworker.com account and it would come just to me!
| Installing Google Analytics |
Any good marketer will tell you that if you’re producing content on a regular basis, you’re an idiot for not tracking it. I’m not saying that everyday you need to go in and check your analytics or monitor it the same way a large company would but you should have some idea of where your traffic is coming from, what they do on your website and who they are.
All of this information is super important when you start pitching brands. If they are investing in you at the end of the day they want to see the Return on Investment. You’re not going to get a complimentary hotel stay for nothing.
Keep stock of where your traffic is coming in from. This will help you in your future efforts to grow your brand. If you are getting links back from other sites, ask them for more likes or posts.
| Social Media |
As a social media manager, this is one of the most important things I think any company should do. For the most part social media platforms are free ways for you to advertise your name, your brand and anything you think important enough to get out to your audiences.
For my blog, the biggest traffic driver I have is Pinterest. With very little effort and maintanence, I get hundreds of visits in a day from Pinterest alone. Of course, you can’t forget the other platforms as well, it’s important for you to be present in as many as you can that make sense.
With more brands wanting to work with Influencers on Instagram I think you should consider this as a direct extension of your blog. Take the time to really work this and build up your audience because it will hold a lot more weight when working with companies than many of the other platforms.
| Email Lists |
I started this late and I wish I hadn’t. An email list is a perfect way to engage and already dedicated audience. It’s an easy way to bring people back to your website or to send them information about an important update or new product you love. This is one thing that today I’m still not utilizing to the best of my ability. There’s just so much to do when owning a blog!
MailChimp makes it super easy to set up an email list. They’ll also help you to be CASL complaint and GDPR compliant as well. If you don’t know what either of those are, get Googling! There’s also an app that you can embed right to your website for easy installation and access to your audiences.
So of all the things I wish I knew as a new blogger, did this help? I hope so. I find so much joy in blogging. It’s tough work and sometimes I have to kick my own butt to start creating content but at the end of the day when I get a thoughtful comment, a nice email or even just a coworker saying they love my photos, I consider it a job well done!
| Ensure You’re Fully Educated On Internet Safety |
You can never be too careful when it comes to the things you do online. This can be a very harsh world for so many people. You can find yourself in a precarious position through lots of different means. Ensure that you are completely protected and that you cannot be attacked by vicious malware or Ransomware. It might also be a good idea to use a website cookie checker in order to know exactly what is being tracked and what data is being taken. It’s always nice to know that your privacy and GDPR aren’t being breached. If you are in a good place regarding safety online, you will be able to continue on your blogging journey properly.
