Starting a blog is such a fun creative outlet. You have complete freedom to write and design your blog any way that you would like AND you can work at your own schedule. Fashion, food, your daily life/Exeter student life, even reviews of your favourite films. You can literally fill your blog with anything that you are passionate about!
Below, I have detailed a few useful steps that I think provide you with some foundational knowledge on how to start building your own blog, I hope that they help!
Step One – Finding a Blog-building website
So many blog-building websites are free of charge and provide useful tools and guidance that will help aid your blog creation.
Some include:
- Blogger
- Weebly
- WordPress.org
- Wix (however there are limitations due to costs)
Some software such as Wix and Squarespace are free of charge when building your blog, however you will incur charges when you come to make your blog live and begin publishing posts.
Step Two – What’s your niche?
Thinking about what your blog will be focused on is difficult if you’re coming at it from the perspective of ‘I want to write a blog, but I’m sure on what…’, and sometimes all it takes it brainstorming ideas. Writing a list of everything that captures your interest or you love to talk about. Remember that your blog is about what YOU want to write about, so it can be as silly or as serious as you would like!
Step Three – Design!
This is where your creativity can really take over. I recommend using Pinterest to create a mood board of ideas surrounding your niche first. This can really help you get a feel for the vibe and aesthetics of your blog. Just having some photo inspiration can kickstart the design aspect and provide you with some ideas about colour, font and graphics.
Step Four – Graphics
Websites like Canva are really great for designing graphics. Canva is really useful for curating your blog aesthetic and finding graphics that align with it. If you would like to add anything from Canva to your blog, you can export files from Canva and download them to your laptop, then upload them to your blog. You can also use tools such as Photoshop to remove the background from graphics, however Photoshop does require a monthly cost.
Step Five – Schedule
I think that it is always useful to create some sort of schedule for yourself so that you are keeping consistent. Even just one blog post a month (because we all know that the uni workload is a lot) is a great start. A flexible schedule is a great way of adjusting to the time commitments that starting your own blog demands, whilst also recognising that you’re a university student with deadlines!
So, have fun and play around with your blog! Being able to curate something with complete agency and freedom is so exciting and provides the perfect creative outlet. This hobby is also great for practising your writing skills and can be a fun addition to your CV – it is impressive to show how you have materialised your passion!
References
Adobe Photoshop. Accessible from: Transform photos and make gorgeous graphics | Adobe Photoshop | Adobe UK
Blogger. Accessible from: Blogger.com – Create a unique and beautiful blog easily.
Canva. Accessible from: Templates – Canva
Pinterest. Accessible from: Pinterest
Squarespace. Accessible from: Create Your Website — Squarespace
Weebly. Accessible from: Login
Wix. Accessible from: Wix Blog | Web Design & Small Business Tips to Promote Your Site
WordPress.org. Accessible from: Blog Tool, Publishing Platform, and CMS – WordPress.org
Disclaimer: This article reflects my personal opinions and research from publicly available sources. It is not intended as professional dietary or medical advice.