I constantly get compliments on the design of my blog and I’m always incredibly flattered for a number of reasons.
First, I didn’t spend a lot of money making my blog look the way it looks! Most of what you see here is either an element of the design I purchased or something I designed myself. Also, I hardly consider myself a design genius. While I have to admit that I’ve come a long way since starting this blog, I don’t have any formal training; I rarely use professional software like Photoshop to create my graphics and I only know the basics of coding!
Reading: How to create a beautiful blog
So the truth is, if I can build a beautiful blog all by myself, you can too! This post is for anyone who is looking to start their own blog (travel related or otherwise) and may not know how to start. I share my knowledge from start to finish – that is, from getting your blog up and running to making it as unique and beautiful as you are!
Things to think about before you start
I would like to mention a few things I would have liked to think about before you dive into blogging. The first and perhaps most important thing is the name of your blog. Think about it seriously! Come up with several options and share your ideas with others. The name of your blog carries a lot of weight, and although it does It’s possible to change it after the fact, trust me when I say you don’t want to – it’s not easy or fun to change a new name if you choose a name too hastily at the beginning.</p
The next thing to think carefully about before you start is branding. What message do you want your blog to convey? What vibe will it convey? My blog went through facelift after facelift before I settled on the aesthetic decided who has it now before my photo editing had any kind of consistency and before I started designing clean branded graphics which I loved. Will your blog be spunky and bright? Will it be soft and muffled? Will it be clean and minimal? Will it be feminine, moody or sultry? Think about what fonts you want to use, what colors you want your design to be, and what type of images you will use. The more coherent your branding is from the start, the better.
It might be helpful to create a mood board of all your ideas to get an idea of what attracts you most; This can help you compare and contrast and eventually narrow down your style. Once you have an idea of your ideal aesthetic, you’re good to go!
Get Professional Web Hosting
If you plan on blogging for more than just a hobby, then it’s best to go directly to the self-hoster. This may sound scary at first, but it’s actually quite simple! A self-hosted blog allows you to really get creative with your design and functionality. You can install plugins, add and edit code, and extend your site to your heart’s content.
My hosting provider is Bluehost. I’ve been around since the beginning of my blog and have had great experiences; The support team is wonderful and it is one of the cheapest hosting options available at only $3.95 per month for the basic plan and $6.95 per month for “Plus” (name is thesweetestway.com) is free!
Once you have created an account and registered your domain name, select your plan options, e.g. B. how long you want hosting (I originally only signed up for a year just in case I hate blogging) and whether you want privacy, backup protection, etc. 
You can skip most of these, but you want privacy protection for only $9.99 per year:
If you do not opt for private registration, this online WHOIS list contains your personal contact information, like your email address and phone number, available to the public via a simple domain search. Using alternate contact information keeps your personal information private.
See also: Better together: 5 simple steps to build Gmail groups
Next, select any add-ons you want. Some bloggers choose to add extra protection to their brand by purchasing additional domains, e.g. B. those ending in .net, .info or .me. This can prevent copycat sites from popping up and potentially damaging your reputation. I argued that my domain name wasn’t under threat from a copy, so I skipped that particular option.
Once you have completed your Bluehost registration process, you can install your WordPress blogging platform in one easy step. WordPress will be your home base for blogging where you can change and customize your website to your liking. Installation and sign-up is straightforward as all you have to do is follow the instructions on your screen.
Buy a Beautiful Theme
Your blog’s theme is the foundation of your theme. Generally speaking, when people compliment my website design, they’re complimenting my choice of theme. I made very few adjustments; In fact, I didn’t even change the colors as they appeared in the demo. But my blog still looks unique because of the custom elements I’ve added such as: Like my logo and custom widgets in my sidebar.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive yet beautiful and functional theme, Forest Theme is a good place to start. That’s where I bought mine (for only $49!) and they keep adding new designs. Browse by most popular or recently added items or enter search terms like minimalist, feminine or modern. It’s helpful to have an idea of what you want your blog to look like, but don’t dismiss a topic right away if it doesn’t exactly match your vision. Each theme has multiple style options, and don’t forget that you can make many adjustments afterwards (especially if you have a bit of coding knowledge).
Once you have found and purchased a theme that you like, you have the option to to pay for a professional installation, typically around $50. Don’t pay for it! Installing a theme you’ve purchased from a third-party site is insanely easy. You download all the required files in .zip format which you can easily upload to your WordPress dashboard by navigating to the Appearance tab -You should buy the appropriate accessories like a 32 or 64GB memory card and maybe even an external hard drive for storage.
For a long time I mostly shot with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5, 6 kit lens that it came with and that’s totally fine if you’re just starting out and getting into photography. There’s no need to dive right in and spend a fortune on a lens. If you’re ready to upgrade, my new favorite lens is a 24-70mm f/2.8, which is great for portraits (it creates that nice bokeh effect behind your subject) and is wide enough for landscapes too. I find the images much sharper than what my standard lens could do, even when shooting handheld. My lightweight aluminum tripod comes in handy for long exposures, night shots or self-portraits.
When it comes to photo editing, my software of choice is Adobe Lightroom. Again, it’s easier to use than Photoshop, and even if you’re not familiar with Adobe software, it won’t be too difficult to learn.
Regardless of what camera equipment you use to take photos, whether it’s a a DSLR, a GoPro, or just a smartphone, Lightroom can bring out the best in your photos.
On the other hand, if photography just is NOT your thing and you’re not ready to invest the time to learn, you should Consider using stock photography. If I ever need to use stock photos, my favorite site is Unsplash. All images are royalty-free and licensed under Creative Commons Zero, which means you can modify them however you like and don’t have to give attribution. I mostly use my own photography on the blog, but when I create Pinterest graphics for clients, this is the first place I look. Other good sites for free stock images include Pixabay, PicJumbo, gratisography, and Death to the Stock Photo.
If you’re willing to spend some money on photos, Shutterstock has a phenomenal selection of beautiful stock photos.
Create amazing content
Now is the time to start creating amazing content! The type of content you produce is entirely up to you; The most important thing is to find your voice and be consistent from post to post. And of course be yourself! People read blogs because they have personality and offer unique opinions; they want to hear your stories, not just flat facts, so make things interesting! ” alt=”Create a beautiful blog – be unique!” />
See also: How to Create a Logo in GIMP (Text Version)
Investigate what other bloggers are doing in your niche and DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE! Be original, write productively, and be ready to promote, promote, promote (and get yourself on Pinterest ASAP!).
Finally, oh my goodness sake, proofread your content! Reading typo after typo or one grammatical error after another is one of my biggest blogging annoyances. But we are only human and mistakes often go unnoticed. As I can’t hire a professional proofreader, I installed a handy browser plugin called Grammarly as a solution. It not only catches spelling and grammatical mistakes, but even contextual misspellings and underlines them so you can’t possibly miss them. It also serves as a thesaurus, giving detailed explanations of why something is wrong and how to correct it. Use it! Your high school English teacher will thank you.
Grow your community with email marketing
This is a step in building an amazing blog that I’ve had for WAY too long overlooked. If you want people to keep coming back to your blog, you need to capture leads through email marketing.
It doesn’t have to feel shabby!
Everything means that You get to know your readers on a more intimate level by communicating with them directly, rather than hoping and praying they’ll return to your blog after that first visit.
The tool I use capture leads and building my inner circle is ConvertKit. The widgets are beautiful, customizable, and blend perfectly with my blog’s design. It has powerful tools for separating my list based on each reader’s personal interests and allows me to set up automatic sequences that help me promote valuable blog posts, products, and services to my visitors.
If you’re really serious about blogging as a business, email marketing cannot be neglected, and a powerful tool like ConvertKit can help you build your network quickly and efficiently.
Read here my full review of ConvertKit’s awesome features.
Get blogging now!
So there you have it, my secrets to creating a beautiful blog. I hope you can take something useful with you! If you still have burning questions, leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Good luck on your blogging journey, and don’t be a stranger!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I can earn a commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.I only recommend products that I use and love myself. Thank you for your support!
See also: How to Build a School Website Using WordPress
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