Hey there! Wondering what blogging is all about and if it’s right for you?
Then you’ve come to the right place!
If you would have told me two years ago that I would be blogging, I would not have believed you. Writing is something I have always enjoyed, but I didn’t always have time to get it done. After having three kids and being a stay at home mom, I wanted to finally make the time for ME.
I wanted to make time for myself and have something I was passionate about-other than my family. I put so much time and energy into my family, every single day. Don’t get me wrong, that is what I LOVE doing, but I also had energy to do something that was just for me. Something that didn’t have sticky peanut butter and jelly fingers all over it. Something that could not be drawn on with purple marker. Something that I could do during nap time and after my kids went to bed.
I decided to combine my love for writing and wanting to help people and create a blog. I knew that I liked to write with a conversational-type feel, which is one reason why blogging made sense for me. I also am passionate about our law enforcement lifestyle and felt resources for us (wives) were few and far between. So deciding on a niche to write in was pretty easy for me.
I will say that I am the least techy-person you will ever meet. I watch a lot of You-Tube videos, late at night, and I am not ashamed to say it!
Is Blogging for you?
If you are reading this post, then you may already have a blog and you are looking for advice on how to get it done with little ones around. I hope my step by step guide helps you!
But what if you haven’t started this journey yet? Are you looking for a way to stay home with your kids? Or do you already stay home and want a little side hustle of your own?
There are so many reasons to get started if you want to be a blogger. But the first one should be because it is something you want! As a busy mom, you need something for yourself. I sure did and I love the doors blogging has opened for me. Don’t let time be a determining factor. You can absolutely find the time. Yes, my house is messier. Yes, I spend less time doing other things, like watching T.V. at night, but now I realize how much time I have in the evenings to devote to my website.
How can you get started?
Blogging is great because it does not take much money to actually get started. I knew what “niche” or topic I wanted to write about early on. This is the first step to really getting started. You need to have a clear idea of who you want to write to and what you want the main focus of your blog to be about. Once you have that, you can begin brainstorming website/blog names. Once you have a totally awesome blog or brand name, it is time to protect it.
I used GoDaddy.com to search for my domain name “proudpolicewife.com”; I made sure it was available and I snatched it up quickly. You don’t want someone else coming up with the same name and buying the domain before you. Don’t spend a fortune on this. I spent $9.99 on my domain and not a penny more. There are people in the domain world that buy “good website domain names” then sell them for a high price. Please don’t buy those; brainstorm something else.
Once my domain name was purchased, I signed up for a self-hosted WordPress account through Bluehost. I absolutely love Bluehost. They are super helpful and have fantastic customer service! Honestly, any issue I have ever had, I got to talk to someone, quickly I might add, and I received help. I highly recommend Bluehost for starting your blogging journey!
Bluehost’s pricing cannot be beat- these prices are even cheaper than when I signed up! And it is worth every penny.
Once you set up WordPress, you can pick a theme to design your blog. You can choose a free theme or a paid version, but I also recommend starting with a free theme. They are perfectly fine and you can always change themes once your blog begins to grow.
Write at least 5 strong, content-rich posts. You can’t launch your website with no content. Go back to who you are writing for. What do you think they want to hear? When you figure that out, you can start writing.
Once you have your theme designed and a few strong posts, you will be ready to launch. Starting social media accounts (for your blog) is a great way to share your content with others. Don’t be afraid; just put it out there. When I launched, my blog was far from perfect (still is) and it is always a work in progress. I make updates and changes all the time, as I see fit.
I also HIGHLY recommend taking a blogging course if you are serious about making blogging work for you. I could NOT have a successful blog today if it was not for Elite Blog Academy. Elite Blog Academy (or EBA) is hands down the BEST and most comprehensive blogging course out there. It does not show you any technical aspects of blogging, but it should be how to grow my social media following, write strong blog posts and more! It is worth every penny and more!! The course was developed by Ruth Soukup, a New York Times Bestselling Author and Blogger.
If you are interested, you can sign up for the EBA waitlist here. They will take new applicants in March, so be sure to be on the waitlist so you can get all the information about when enrollment opens.
If you need additional blogging help, then reach out to me via email at info@proudpolicewife.com and I would be happy to help you!
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