Today I am going to be sharing with you 5 Things to Know Before Starting a Blog in 2021. I have been blogging for several years and I have come a long way since the beginning.
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When I first started blogging I didn’t intend to be where I am today. Matter of fact blogging was very different when I started. Platforms are different and social media has a far greater impact on your success nowadays. Heck, even the ability to have ads and monetize your blog is something that wasn’t an opportunity when I first started out.
I am happy that I decided to become a blogger and I am proud to watch how much I have evolved over the years in my content and writing. Blogging allows me to work on me, daily. It holds me accountable and inspires me to follow my passion of helping others around me.
Blogging provides an opportunity. If blogging is your passion, allow me to share with you 5 things you need to know before starting your blog in 2021.
5 Things to Know Before Starting a Blog in 2021
1. Social media is important
Social media is very important when you are planning to start a blog. Before starting a blog in 2021, you must create a presence for yourself on social media. Come on it’s 2021, who isn’t on social media?
Specifically, the important social media platforms that are a must for a new blogger includes:
Pinterest is literally a search engine and library for blog posts. And Twitter is where you can connect with other bloggers and your potential target audience.
Building trust and gaining followers on social media is just what you need in order to grow your blog. Connecting with others is important and in order to be a successful blogger you have to start with showing up for social media and build your presence. After building your presence you can then focus on building your audience and gaining followers and those who will support your blog when you are ready to launch.
2. SEO is crucial to your blogs success
Despite having years of blogging experience I did not understand what SEO was until last year. It literally was not until I made a switch from wordpress.com to wordpress.org that I learned what SEO was.
Last year I decided to take my blog to the next level and I began self-hosting through BlueHost. I was inspired by Cathrin Manning with The Content Bug. Cathrin created a youtube video highlighting the Best WordPress Plugins for Bloggers and one of her favorite plugins was the Yoast SEO plugin.
I immediately upgraded to the paid version of Yoast SEO which is a plug-in that helps you create content that is search engine optimized (hence- SEO aka search engine optimization). SEO content is how your audience will find you on google. Through the use of focused keywords and formatting your blogs effectively your content will be more discoverable and attract more readers.
Without SEO, my blog would not be reaching the potential that it reaches today. Before starting a blog in 2021, you must take some time to learn more about SEO and how to create SEO content.
3. Write useful content that your audience will benefit from
When you decided that you wanted to be a blogger whether you are doing this for yourself or for other reasons- you decided to write for an audience.
And that audience is the audience that you are working so hard to build. Starting out you may not know who your target audience is but you will soon discover it- so keep writing.
But, you may wonder what am I going to write about? Write about something you are passionate about and something that is helpful and useful to others.
When I write content I always consider whether or not the content is useful and will benefit my audience. If the content is not useful, no one is going to want to read it more or less share it across their socials.
You don’t have to be a professional writer to create useful content that your audience will benefit from. All it takes is a blogger with a passion and that person is you!
4. Understand that you need the basics
Blogging isn’t just about having a platform to create posts on. There are several basics that you need in order to be a successful professional blogger.
Select a hosting site
When you decide to blog self-hosted you must select a hosting site. I chose BlueHost and I have had nothing but a great experience since using BlueHost. The support them is very responsive and it’s very easy to navigate especially if you are a beginner blogger.
Purchase a nice blog theme
Branding is everything. And a great way to start is by purchasing a nice blog theme.
I really enjoy blogs that have a minimalist theme. And some of the best themes are available on Etsy.com you can check out some of the WordPress themes here.
Invest in a scheduling tool
Blogging requires time and dedication. It’s not something you can do one day and then take a break from. In order to grow your blog, it’s something you have to invest time in and show up daily for.
I would say that this is one of the most challenging aspects of blogging. Until I decided to invest in a scheduling tool and that’s when life got a little better and blogging got a little easier for me.
Tailwind for Pinterest
For Pinterest, I use Tailwind which is a scheduling tool that allows me to schedule my pins for the entire week or more if I wanted. It saves me so much time when it comes to promoting my content on Pinterest.
Pinterest is one of the most challenging platforms to manage, but Tailwind makes it so much easier. I literally pick one day out of the week and schedule all of my pins for the week and then I sit back and watch my blog views grow.
You can try Tailwind free today for 1 month by following this link.
Buffer for Twitter
For Twitter, I like to use Buffer which is another scheduling tool that allows me to schedule my tweets for the week. Again, this is another time saver for me and ensure that I am constantly producing content, even on some of my busiest days.
Investing in a scheduling tool has made it so much easier for me to focus on creating the content I need for my blog.
Invest in a pin-making tool
Canva is the best pin-making tool there is out there. Matter of fact I use Canva to make just about every graphic you see here on my blog.
When you sign up for Canva you have the ability to access so many different templates. Canva is very easy to use and it doesn’t require you to have any graphic design background experience. It’s super easy to navigate and use to make amazing graphics for your content.
5. Create a blogging schedule
Starting a blog in 2021 requires consistency. So, creating a blogging schedule is the first step in holding yourself accountable.
I try to blog at least 2-3 days out of the week. I have committed to blogging on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And since creating a blogging schedule it has been so much easier for me to plan out my content throughout the entire month.
RELATED: Top 5 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid
Creating a blogging schedule has also helped me plan my content around my categories to ensure that I switch my topics up throughout the week.
Another benefit of creating a blogging schedule is again building trust and expectation with your audience. Make it clear and show through your consistency to your audience when and how often they can expect to read your content.
If you are a beginner blogger I am sure that with some dedication and application of these 5 things you need to know before starting a blog in 2021 you will have a successful year.
You have already taken the first step when you decided that you wanted to become a blogger. Now, all you have to do is apply what I have shared and you will be off to a strong and successful blogging career.
I wish I had of known these 5 things sooner before starting a blog.
Em
I’ve just started my blog and this is really helpful, thank you!! I really need to start scheduling my tweets and creating a blog content schedule, this would help so much! Thank you for sharing xx
Em – earthlyem.co.uk
bloglifewitherica
Hi Em,
Scheduling your tweets will save you so much time. I highly encourage you to also get started on creating your blogging schedule as soon as possible. Determine what days you are committing to publishing your posts.
Don’t forget also to schedule out your blogging tasks throughout the week. For example, on Mondays, I like to catch up on blog comments and emails. Don’t overwhelm yourself, spread out your tasks and to-do list over the course of a week.
xo Erica
katieemmabeauty
OMG I LOVE Canva! Also, I wish I’d started a blog schedule earlier! I made one for the last year or so and it’s made a huge difference!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
bloglifewitherica
Hi Katie!
Creating a blogging schedule is really going to help you this year! I could not imagine blogging without a schedule.
xo Erica
CristinaR
Thank you for sharing these tips! When i first started i didn’t know there were so many things to do, I counted there would be lots of work but never knew how much. But I learned so much since starting! Thank you for sharing x
bloglifewitherica
Hi Cristina,
Same here. I literally thought of blogging as just writing a post and publishing it. I even thought that someway, somehow readers would find me. It’s not that easy at all. Blogging is a full-time job whether you consider it to be or not.
xo Erica
brittshedhappens
Great advice. One thing that I would add relates to scheduling. If you’re getting started and concerned about the costs associated with everything, consider giving the scheduling options in each platform a fair shake. As someone who works in Social Media Marketing, I’ve always relied on a third-party tool. However, I can honestly say that each platform has been working hard to offer scheduling themselves that will make life easier for their users. Experiment and find out what works for you – you may find that paying for a service isn’t necessary at all.
bloglifewitherica
Hi Britt,
I definitely have tried out a few different platforms until I found what works for me. The user experience is important for me. The platform must be flawless and easy to use.
xo Erica
Toma Ruh
Great advice! Thank you for sharing!
bloglifewitherica
Thank you so much for reading!
xo Erica
Sara James
Great tips Erica. You are right, scheduling your blog posts and try to develop a useful content is vital in getting noticed and appreciated. Your Pinterest guidelines are helpful, thanks for sharing such a useful article.
bloglifewitherica
Hi Sara,
I am so happy you found this tips helpful. Pinterest is still a struggle for me. It’s my biggest focus and project when it comes to my blog.
xo Erica
Sara James
Great tips Erica. You are right scheduling your blog posts and try to develop a useful content is vital in getting noticed and appreciated. Your Pinterest guidelines are helpful, thanks for sharing such a useful article.
Jaya Avendel
I love sleek and stylish themes too, which are most often minimalist themes. I did not know one could buy themes on Etsy until recently either and people code the most lovely designs I have ever seen!
I love that you have created a blogging schedule! Finally deciding on what days to post and (mostly0 what to post was a big help in giving me more time to enjoy writing. 🙂
bloglifewitherica
Jaya,
Yes, I honestly love etsy themes. They are cute and way cheaper than wordpress themes in my opinion.
Accountability is everything. I highly encourage you to create a blogging schedule. Having set days on when you post on your blog will help you remain consistent.
xo Erica
Sharila
Thank you for this! I have only been blogging for two months and have discovered the importance of all these elements. I never knew blogging would be so complicated and time consuming, but I really enjoy my niche which helps make it worth it. My goal for the next few months is consistency in posting and promoting my posts.
bloglifewitherica
Sharila,
I am so happy you enjoyed this post. I promise that as long as you enjoy your niche and have the passion to blog you will be successful. Far to often, people chose a niche that they aren’t passionate about and it’s a guarantee that you will hit a wall if you do not have passion for what you are blogging about.
I can’t wait to watch you grow this year as you work on consistency and promoting your posts. Twitter is one of my favorite platforms to promote my blog.
xo Erica