Looking to start a food blog but don’t know how? I understand that starting your own blog can be a little confusing. After all, in order to start a blog, you have to do a lot more than just write. There are a lot of technical stuff like hosting, domain name, SEO, etc. that you need to know about in order to start a blog.
Don’t worry, because I have listed down a few tips below to help you start your own food blog. Before you start a food blog, you need to choose whether you want to hire a professional to create a website or you want to DIY. If you don’t want to spend thousands of bucks then I would suggest you DIY and follow the tips mentioned below.
Select a Name for your Food Blog and Choose a Matching Domain Name
First and foremost, you need to find a good and catchy name for your food blog. This name will also be used as your domain name so choose carefully. Go for a name which is descriptive of your work and easy to remember as well. Avoid using jargons or abbreviated words and go for a name which will be memorable as well.
This will make it easier for people to find your food blog when you mention the name to them. After you have finalized the name, check the availability of the domain name with the .com suffix. If you don’t find an exact match then look for some name variations for your domain name. But remember, don’t use punctuation marks as they are hard to remember.
Choose a Reliable Hosting for your Blog
After you have finalized on your name and website domain name, you need to buy a good and reliable hosting plan. Make sure that you choose a shared hosting plan with WordPress installation as it will make it easier to connect your domain name to your WordPress website and manage it.
There are a few good hosting websites like Hostgator, Bluehost, etc. where you can find the desired hosting plan for your website. Also, when you are buying a hosting plan, make sure that you purchase for a longer duration so that you don’t have to auto-renew it every year.
Select a Good WordPress Theme
Once you have your WordPress and hosting account ready, it is time to customize your WordPress website. For this, you will need to start by choosing an attractive theme which will be user-friendly and responsive. Thankfully, WordPress has an abundance of free themes for you to choose from.
You will also find premium themes which you can buy if you happen to like them. For the most part, free WordPress themes work okay but if you want a quicker response and better features then a premium theme is a better choice.
To search a good WordPress theme for yourself, go to the WordPress dashboard. On the sidebar, you will see the ‘Appearance’ option, hover over it and then click on ‘Themes’. On the Themes page, you will find options of already installed/default themes available for your blog. You can click on the ‘Add New’ button to search for WordPress Theme and make sure that you test the preview of the theme before installing it.
You can install the theme by clicking on the ‘Install’ button and then activate it.
Set up Google Tools for your Blog
Now, set up a new Google account for your food blog which you can use to set up the necessary Google tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, etc. Google Analytics will help you keep a track of your website traffic while the Google Search Console will give you updates on your site’s status.
These tools are important if you want to grow your food blog and want more organic traffic via Google search. It will also greatly help you in choosing the appropriate keywords and making your blog posts SEO-friendly.
Install WordPress Plugins for your Website
Another important step for starting your food blog is to install a few necessary WordPress plugins which will help in keeping the content on your blog safe and appealing. A few important plugins to install are YOAST SEO, Wordfence, Akismet, Jetpack, Share buttons, and so on.
Some of these plugins will protect your website from spammers while a few other plugins will make it easier to be shared among readers. So, search the required features and install a plugin for the same.
You can install a new WordPress plugin by going to your WordPress dashboard. On the sidebar, you will find ‘Plugins’ option, hover over it and click on ‘Add New’ option. Search for the plugins by typing the name in the ‘Search Plugins’ field and then click on ‘Install Now’ once you find your desired plugin. Also, don’t forget to activate your plugin once you find it.
Draft your First Blog Post and Publish It
Finally, it is time to start writing your first blog post. Make sure that you edit your blog post a couple of times and check how it looks in the ‘Preview’ option before you even think of publishing it. Add some nice photographs and use a good font style and color to spruce up your blog post.
Once you are happy with the outcome, you can click on the ‘Publish’ button to publish your draft. Your post is live now.
Share it on Social Media
After you have published a couple of blog posts, it is time to share your blog on the Internet. Spread the word on Instagram, Facebook, etc. and ask your friends and family to share it too.
Initially, you won’t have a lot of organic traffic so it is important that you share it manually and persuade more readers to read it.
Conclusion
Starting your own food blog can be exciting and fruitful if you know what you are doing. In the starting, it will be slightly difficult and you might not see good results. But keep at it and keep posting new content and your food blog will start growing in no time at all.