[This post contains affiliate links – meaning if you make a purchase from any links in this article we may make a commission to keep funding our travels]
Do you want to share your adventures with friends and family but don’t want to spam everyone daily on Facebook? Are you looking for an organised way to journal your travels and write about your adventures? Do you dream of living full time on the road and earning some extra money by sharing your journey? If any of these statements apply to you then a blog could be an ideal solution!
I’ve been blogging about our travels for the last 18 months, and before that I had a parenting blog to keep me creative while on maternity leave. I’ve gained so much from blogging that I should probably write a whole blog post dedicated just to the benefits of blogging, but the main are recording our memories, making new friends, growing in self confidence and skills and making some extra money for our travels.
I’ve learned so much over the last 3 years in the blog-world that I wanted to share my skills. That’s why I recently launched a course to inspire and teach others to start their own website – aimed specifically at Australian families with a love for travel. We noticed that there were a lot of courses out there but none that really suited our situation. I therefore spent hours figuring out all the below steps for myself – making a lot of mistakes and spending a lot of unnecessary money along the way. Let’s just call it an investment in your training – I spent the $$$ so you don’t have to!
Setting up a blog is much more straightforward than you might think – but while it is quite a simple process it’s not easy. There are a lot of steps to follow and it can get a bit overwhelming – that’s why it’s great to have support along the way.
Here is a checklist of the things you’ll need to do to get your blog online:
- Choose a blog name (probably the hardest decision!) We offer some advice and tips on choosing a name for your blog as part of the free trial for our course – you can sign up for it here.
- Check the domain is available and register the .com version at Namesilo
- Choose your hosting company – we recommend Siteground (amazing technical support 24hrs). Sign up for the the longest time as you can afford to get the cheaper rate.
- Install WordPress.org as part of your hosting setup (your host will guide you through this when you sign up)
- Customise your site – edit your blog details, site name, site image and tagline
- Choose your blog theme – start with a free one until you get going then upgrade later
- Learn WordPress! This will be gradual – you will learn as you go – at the start play with basics and change the look of your site under the ‘customise’ section.
- Choose widgets to improve the appearance and functionality of your site
- Set up your blog emails through your C-Panel
- Install the first few basic plugins
- Create a logo! This does not have to be expensive – you can pay as little as $7 for a basic one
- Choose your menus and set up some main pages – a ‘Start Here’ page is a great idea – as well as ‘Work with us’ and ‘About us’ pages. Make sure you include a good privacy policy somewhere visible.
- Start writing blog posts! Your content is the most important thing on your blog – jump in as soon as possible and get creating.
- Create amazing imagery for your website – make sure any photos you upload to your blog are optimised for online – visually and technically. Use free online tools for this.
- Set up social media – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, YouTube. Link to your blog.
- Set up a free account with Mailchimp and start building your mailing list. Embed the list onto your website.
- Create a pop-up for your blog to remind people to subscribe to your newsletter.
- Set up Google Analytics for your website so you can see your audience, traffic and growth as well as loads more insights for your blog.
- Take a course! These steps can seem overwhelming at first but with step-by-step instructions and ongoing help and support the journey is made much simpler.
Making Money from your Website
If you would like to monetise your site then also think of these things
- Sign up to Google Adsense or Medianet for adverts on your website
- Learn about affiliate marketing – a passive way to make money from your content.
- Set up a shop on your site. Choose products to sell – do you make anything or have a product already? If not you can sell other people’s stuff.
- Create digital products – if you love writing you can sell your knowledge in eBooks or printables – or even write a book
Don’t forget the easiest way to get a blog up and running is to GET SUPPORT!
Many of the courses available are from international bloggers – our course is designed with Aussies in mind and shows how we run a successful blog and make money here in Australia – with relevant resources and tips. Each of the above steps is outlined in detail in the online course – with instructional videos to show you exactly how it’s done. Access to the course is unlimited – so you can work at your own pace – and it also includes membership of an exclusive private Facebook group where you get ongoing support and bonus material.
If you would like to learn more about blogging you can join our free newsletter below and get updated on new free training opportunities and information webinars. If you sign up below we’ll send you a bonus free PDF printable version of this checklist to help get you started.
Leave a Reply