Blogging: One Month In
Interesting. No, that’s not the word I am looking for. What’s the word between happy to be starting a new adventure and frustrated with the kinks? Let’s go with blissfully baffled 😉 Blogging so far has reminded me of a road trip that I was really looking forward to. The kind where you only sort of have a plan on a few places you’d like to visit. Content Corner, Affiliate Ave, Publishing Place.
Thus far, I haven’t had any flat tires but I certainly have hit a few potholes and taken a detour or two. So long as I don’t run out of gas or break down I’m good to go. Detours are adventures are… right? The thing all the blogging pros have told me. Just Keep Going. Don’t Give Up. One Step at a Time.
Hosting
So far, I am happy with my publishing schedule. Seems to be working even on my busy days. I have also signed up as an affiliate for BlueHost. They are the hosting company I chose after doing extensive research into blogging hosts.
I looked into customer service, speed, price, traffic capabilities, site security and growing options for when my site is mega awesome. I looked at a total of seven hosting companies and BlueHost was my number one choice for many reasons. Ultimately the customer service was the deciding factor. BlueHost has an amazing reputation for fixing any and all issues quickly.
Blogging Photos
I was also able to meet with a friend who owns her own photography studio. Catherine Dotson has amazing talent. She is only a few years into her career and is improving every day, probably because she is so passionate about her hobby. We collaborated to come up with some photos to use for some of my blog posts. I am so grateful because this allows me to spend much more time writing content, which is my passion. I have hundreds of my own photos to use but hers are just better quality.
Figured out a few more things on the back end of WordPress, like how to add clickable links. I also spent some time on Pinterest because I don’t like to just randomly pin catchy headlines. I actually read content to make sure I am promoting something I believe will help others or something that speaks to me. This is time-consuming but I feel it’s worth it. I’d rather have quality than numbers.
[bctt tweet=” BlueHost has an amazing reputation for fixing any and all issues quickly.” username=””]
Blogging Bumps and Bruises
I hit a few speed bumps this week as well. I was a little shocked to open my email and find several subscribers in my inbox. Normally good news right? Not in my case because I have not yet put the subscriber box on my site. So how are people subscribing to my site with no link or form to do so? SPAMMERS.
I have Akismet but some were still leaking through so I just deleted them and put it on my “look into this issue” list. I was also unable to get an email matching my website name so I used my regular email to start up all my stuff. UGH! This will be a hassle in the near future. This prompted me to create a blogging checklist of to-do things this week. Slightly ambitious but doable.
Blogging Goals
- Call H&R Block to discuss if I need an S-Corp or LLC. I have to do this soon to be an affiliate for many companies. (This is ideal if you are planning on using your website for earnings because otherwise you have to use your personal ss# for tax purposes and can be held personally responsible if legal issues crop up on your site.) BlueHost was requesting this information right after my sign up. Pro Tip: Most bloggers can stay an S-Corp for at least a few years. You may want to go LLC if you start hiring staff.
- Set up an Amazon Affiliate Account. I don’t know how much I’ll use it but they are a very reliable company and if I promote a product or book in the future chances are they have it in stock. Blogging technology for dummies, I’d take one of those right now!
- I need to resize many of my photos. Some of them will not upload even though they are well below the recommended file size. I read this problem occurs after adding new widgets or plugins but I have the bare minimum so I’m thinking it’s something else. I also would like to have the images Pinterest ready.
- Which brings me to the next goal of learning how to create my own pins and linking my articles to my Pinterest account. I have used Pinterest for a while but I have never created my own pin or done anything technical for that matter.
- Work on my Opt-In Page. This has been stressing me a little. Free content to gain subscribers still has to be extra rich. You need to give people a reason to want to build a relationship with you.
- I am searching for the perfect header and logo for my site. I like the font and the color but just chose a photo from my trip to Hawaii for my background. Looking to find something more “brandable”. I fooled around in Canva and PicMonkey the other day but I wasn’t really accomplishing what I was aiming for.
- Search for two to three other bloggers in my niche. Um, confession time. The only bloggers that have responded to me are in the home decor or blogging niche. I have only found one other site that is similar to mine and they are super huge already so not likely to respond to an individual (I did try). I am sure there are more people out there blogging similar to me, I just haven’t found them yet. Since I am not on social media outside of Pinterest (Update: I am now on Twitter and Instagram) I am sure that’s part of the issue. Maybe my 14-year-old will take over a twitter account for me. Speaking of Twitter, my website name is already taken as a personal handle…sigh
- Look into alt tags and how to make them more effective. I understand these are supposed to help my photos show up in search engines or something along those lines. Yep, more research needed.
Blogging Has a Steep Learning Curve
I feel like the last week was productive but I created more questions than I answered. I assume this will be the case for at least the next year. Hence the photo choice for this post. Looks like a long way to the top. I have climbed more than one lookout tower and many mountains. I have had to stop and catch my breath, but once reaching the top, the views are spectacular.
There is always more to learn about anything people related. I envision the top to be a place of a better routine and solid confidence in my skills. When blogging feels less like learning and more like sharing and teaching others how to make the climb.
Thanks friends!
xoxo-Deanna
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