Blog Resources
Just starting out? Choose these blogging resources to get you started on the right foot.
Hosting
Buying your Domain and setting up hosting for the non-technical person - Bluehost is one of the top web hosting companies in 2018 and you can start your own blog with them for as low as $3.75 a month. Bluehost is a great web host, it walks you step by step through the whole process of creating your blog. 2 million use it and it is recommended by the best. You get a free domain name 24/7 support best of all one-click installer of WordPress. Learn more about how to start a blog in this step by step tutorial I put together for our readers. Oh and in 5 Easy Steps. If you are just starting out, this is a great choice for only $3.95 a month and the 1-click installation of WordPress.
WordPress Templates
Now you’re going to need a WordPress SEO friendly theme. We LOVE Ashe Theme! This is very inexpensive for how powerful this theme is and how easy Ashe is to set up! What’s really great about this theme is that it has many predefined styles already set up. If you want to activate one of the Predefined Styles in the Ashe Pro theme, navigate to Appearance > About Ashe and click on Activate button on the style you want to apply.
StudioPress Themes Blazing fast performance, out of the box SEO, beautiful mobile responsive designs, Genesis framework. Think of WordPress as the car, Genesis as the frame and body and Studiopress as the paint job. Genesis Framework acts as a design, security, and SEO foundation for your website. To learn more, here is a FREE Beginners Guide to Genesis.
Skinny Over 40 started with a Themeforest.net theme. These themes start as low as $3.00. Visit ThemeForest for affordable and effective themes and plugins. Don’t waste time doing the work that’s already been done! Choose a responsive theme, with this theme it is already set up for mobile viewing. 90 % of our visitors are on their cell phone.
Tools for Email Marketing
Aweber - Email marketing will help you connect and grow your audience. Email marketing allows you to build relationships and build your brand. Drag and drop email builder, over 700customized email templates. Easily integrate with WordPress. Learn how to craft the perfect email with this fill in the blank template. Free download from Aweber. Highly recommend. there is a whole lot of hands-on training.
ConvertKit has one feature that is pretty nice if you don’t have a website, they have a landing page where you can have folks subscribe to your landing page. They are priced at $29.00 for your first 1000 subscribers. It is not the cheapest plan or the most expensive. Unlike MailChimp, you work with only one list, beautiful opt-in forms and best of all when you sign up you get the first 30 days free to test the waters on ConverKit. No credit card is required!
Getting Traffic To Your Blog
Tailwind - Our number one source of traffic comes from Pinterest. You can use Tailwind to schedule your posts at the best time of the day, and also post multiple pins at once. The Interval Pinning feature of Tailwind will let you set a time period between when each image gets pinned, from 10 minutes to 90 days apart. Tailwind Analytics tells you which pins are performing the best, which boards are performing the best along with your new followers. If you’re not yet using Tailwind, I highly encourage you too. Tailwind PLUS account is $15 per month, the better value is a one-time annual payment of $120 with 4 months free and your monthly payment is only $9.99 per month.
Food Blogger Pro - Even if you are not a food blogger, this is the go-to site you need to join. You will learn so much when you join the Food Blogger Pro community. I have been a member since Food Blogger Pro opened their doors. They are a very popular community, right now there is a waitlist so you are going to want to get on it if you are serious about blogging. The thing I really liked when I joined was there is no contract to sign, you can pay month to month. The forum is my favorite place to go when I have a question be it, video editing, setting up a shop page or basic SEO questions. There is another blogger in the forum with an answer.
21 things
YOU’LL LEARN FROM FOOD BLOGGER PRO
- The best tools for starting a food blog
- How to take beautiful photos with artificial light
- How to increase traffic with easy SEO tips
- The tools you’ll want to create viral food videos
- The best way to structure your blog’s permalinks
- How to set up branded short URLs
- Generating income from eBooks
- The best way to set up giveaways
- Creating and submitting a sitemap
- What FTP is and how to use it
- How to optimize your images
- How Google Webmaster Tools can improve your SEO
- The right way to use anchor text in links
- The most important tools in Photoshop
- How to set up a branded email address
- Backing up your site so you don’t lose content
- Adjusting manual settings on your camera
- How to set up a caching plugin and CDN
- The best way to use affiliate marketing
- Using Photoshop to enhance your images
- Photo editing workflow tips and tricks
I will continue to add to this page, this is a good start for you if you are a beginner blogger.
Related: How to Start a Blog - Step by Step Guide.