Blog Like A Pro With These Simple Tips

You’ve decided to start a blog, how exciting! But, it’s a minefield out there! Where do you start? What tools do you need? Which domain hosting site should you use? Well, fear not. I have compiled a list of the best resources for new bloggers – Here are some simple tips to blogging like the pros!
This article contains affiliate links, meaning if you choose to purchase any of the products mentioned, I will receive a small commission of that sale at no cost to you.
WHERE DO I START?
WEBSITE

When I first started, I read a lot on this topic. It’s something I knew nothing about so I figured knowledge is power. I wanted to find the best blogging resources for new bloggers.
I read a bunch of articles, but the best ones I found were written by Elna Cain of “Twinsmommy” fame. Taking on a lot of her advice and it hasn’t lead me astray.
She recommended creating a website on WordPress, so I decided to sign up. I set up my blog and practised posting blog posts, placed pictures and experimented with design. The interface is fairly easy to use for beginners also.
This is a great tool for you to get your grounding in websites and blogging. If you don’t ever really intend on massive website traffic or monetising your blog, then you can stay using WordPress for free.
The real downside is that it is quite slow to load, so if you ever intend on really marketing your site and want a lot of traffic to come along, then you’ll need to upgrade.
My recommendation if you want to upgrade is below.

Siteground is one of the best blogging resources for new bloggers. It is a domain hosting server, which you’ll need if you ever choose to monetise your blog or want large volumes of traffic reading your content.
You simply just can’t do it if you remain on a free server like WordPress, due to the limitations as well as the slow load speed. This is a sure-fire way to lose readers if the website takes too long to load.
I personally have visited some blogs where the page takes over a minute to load and honestly, I’ve lost interest before it finishes loading and I
So, the package I chose was the “GrowBig” package – it cost just $7.45 per month. For the year but it is 100% worth it. You can also choose from the cheaper package of $4.95 per month or the premium “GoGeek” package for $14.95 per month, dependent on your needs.

The load speeds are super quick, the interface is user-friendly and “uptime” for the site is 99.9% – wow. You simply cannot beat those stats. But, best of all the support team are second to none. They are extremely helpful, friendly and knowledgeable.
Starting my blog on “Wordpress”, I had to migrate it over. Siteground accommodates this by having a WordPress migrator. It was seamless and so simple to use, even for a novice like me. They also have migrators for Joomla! Wix and more so you can move your site over with ease.
Admittedly I wasn’t very savvy at building a website and had some teething problems. I changed my theme also and had a few issues with this. Each time though I requested help through their support page, they were super efficient and thorough in their response, including with follow up enquiries. I never had to wait long for help and they always solved my issue. As such, I couldn’t recommend them enough!

Want to sign up to Siteground now and start building your brand? Click here to sign up ——-> Siteground Signup
After a lot of research, I realised pretty quickly that if I wanted to get my content out there that Pinterest was a must-have. It is one of the best blogging resources for new bloggers and established bloggers as well.
I had dabbled in Pinterest myself when planning my wedding but aside from that had never really used it. Once I understood what Pinterest really was, I realised that I simply had to use it.
Think of Pinterest like this – it is a search engine, much like Google, but uses images or “Pins” to display content. It is also a hybrid in the sense that it is a social media website, allowing users to connect and share content to widen their reach. Once you grasp the concept that Pinterest is a search engine, with 250 million users per month, you will also understand why it is a
Follow these simple steps to use Pinterest to your advantage:
Sign up for a business account
You can also covert your personal account over to a business account if you have good boards or already have a tonne of followers. Getting a business account is essential as it allows you access to Pinterest Analytics, which shows your audience reach, engagements etc so you know where you can improve or what is working.
Join group boards
There are boards out there which display a heap of pins, with one contributor to that board. Then there are group boards, ones that allow multiple contributors. Essentially, you find the board you want to join and either email or DM the board creator to join. Generally, they will also request you follow them on Pinterest or another platform in order to be accepted. Once you have been accepted, you can start pinning your content to these boards, allowing them to be seen by all the followers of that board.
Tribes
This is something that took me a while to master. Once you do master it though, you definitely start seeing the benefits. Tribes work by having a ‘tribe’ of users join the one tribe focusing on their niche of choice. You then pin your content and re-share the content of the other tribe members, allowing a far greater reach of your pins. Remember though, you must follow the rules of the tribe or you will be kicked out. Don’t be selfish here, bloggers need to help other bloggers. Re-share the content as specified and you will be considered a good tribe member.
Pinterest works by consistency, this is the key. You should be pinning content daily. The trick is though, not to just pin a bunch of content all at once. Pinterest likes it to be spread out over the day. Unless you are a night owl who likes staying up at all hours pinning content, this simply isn’t achievable without a bit of help, which leads me into the next must-have tool.

Tailwind is a scheduling tool which automatically pins your content in selected time slots, during the day and while you sleep. This allows you to walk away from the computer knowing your content is still getting out there.
This tool is by far one of the best blogging resources for new bloggers. It is the best way to schedule your content.
Admittedly, I wasn’t sure at first if I would like this tool or if it was even worth it, so I signed up for a free trial to test it out. The free trial is quite generous and definitely allows you to get a good feel for whether it is worth it for you or not.
After my free trial, I signed up because this tool is fantastic. I spend an hour or two scheduling all my pins for the week so when life gets busy, I know my content is still getting out there.
Pinterest also prefers that you pin over a period of time, instead of all at once so Tailwind can assist in doing this as well as saving you time having to manually pin all the time.
Tailwind also works with Instagram, so you can be scheduling your content and growing your followers while you sleep! Perfect right?
Want Tailwind? Sign up here ——> Tailwind Signup
Grammarly
Another one of the best blogging resources for new bloggers is Grammarly.
Another neat little tool I use that skims across all your posts and corrects any grammatical errors or spelling errors it finds. While I have never been horrible with grammar, inevitably everyone makes mistakes but this tool ensures I can press publish with confidence.
Best of all it is a free download, installs onto your web browser and skims across your work as you type.
Interested in Grammarly? Sign up here —-> Grammarly Signup
Choosing Your Theme
To me, choosing the right theme is vital to the overall feel of your blog. It is an entirely personal choice depending on your niche and your preference.
There are plenty of free themes available on WordPress. I tried and tested a fair few different ones, but nothing really took
I wanted a soft, feminine feel and came across one I loved on another blog site. So I scrolled the bottom and had a look at the details which brought me to “Code & Coconut.” They have stunning themes, the one I chose for my site is called “Adelle.”
I think it works perfectly for my niche and is exactly what I was looking for. It was only $35 and I think it was money very well spent.
Secondly, when I had some issues with my theme settings not working correctly I contacted their support and honestly, they couldn’t have been more helpful.
Would you like a gorgeous Code & Coconut theme like mine? Get it here —-> Code & Coconut Signup
Images To Illustrate Your Site
Blog posts and websites always look better and do better if they have images on them. But where do you get these images from?
Unless you are an extremely talented photographer, chances are you won’t have beautiful images to place on your site. So, what do you do? Well, there are plenty of free stock images available out there where you can get thousands of gorgeous images to use on your site.
One I found that I absolutely love is Dreamstime.com. They have literally thousands of images for all different subjects, niches and topics to help illustrate your site.
On top of this, I was looking for a place where I could create a blog header, something unique and recognisable and I found Dreamstime is where I could get them from. I downloaded this gorgeous background and placed my header over the top and bingo! A beautiful looking blog header!
Want to sign up to Dreamtime? Do so here —–> Dreamstime Signup
Another alternative for images is PicMonkey. They have hundreds of artists designed templates, images for your site and more!
Check them out here ——-> PicMonkey
So go ahead and make that beautiful blog and get your content out there!
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SIMILAR POSTS FROM REALBADMOMMY
Thank you so much for this! I’ve just recently started my own blog and it’s proving a little more difficult than I expected but this has really helped, especially the tips about Pinterest!
It is so difficult starting out, hopefully it helps point you in the right direction! Best of luck x
Some very useful resources mentioned for boggers
Thank you! Hopefully it helps new bloggers and points them in the right direction!
Great post
Grammarly is awesome. English is not my first language, so Grammarly really helps me.
Bettie
http://www.thewildflowerhippie.com
Grammarly is brilliant, even for the little things I miss! I know at least when I press the publish button that there are no errors!
Awesome tips! I’d not heard of dreamtime for images and have just been using Canva – another graphics tool I’d highly recommend to any other beginner blogger!
I was using Canva too and I do like it, but when I found dreamstime I was amazed! Such a huge selection of images and also allows you to make your own beautiful blog header! Thanks for the comment!
Couldn’t agree with you more! Recently I have started using Pinterest and Tailwind, after signing up years ago but having no idea what to do! I am obsessed with them now!
Chantelle
xoxo
https://thatyorkshiregirlchantelle.com
I was so unsure at first but I agree, both are fantastic!
This is a great selection of tips for new bloggers! I still haven’t got round to getting to grips with Tailwind, but am definitely planning on it. xx
El // Welsh Wanderer
I couldn’t recommend it more! I was unable to do much blogging for a week but yet knew my content was still getting out there with Tailwind publishing for me!
Great, list of resources! Thanks for sharing! One thing I really need to work on more is my presence on Pinterest. I’m going to take a look at Tailwind!
Definitely do! It takes a while to get used to it but works so well! X
This is such a great resource!
Thank you! Glad you found it helpful! X
Just started my own blog! This is great!
I hope it helps you in some way! Good luck with the blog, it is so much fun! I’m addicted! X
This is an amazing post! 🙂 I wish I had found this when I started, but this is amazing for new bloggers! Thank you so much for sharing. x
Thank you! I hope it helps new bloggers! I found it so difficult when I first started out, there is just so much information out there it’s hard to know where to start! x
I would like to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this website.
I am hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well.
In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my
own, personal site now 😉
Thank you x Good luck with it x
I have not mastered Pinterest yet but every other post I read seems to indicate I should be getting motivated on doing that, so I am thinking it is definitely something I need to put at the top of my to-do list!
I love Dreamstime for photos and also find Unsplash has some incredible imagery available.
I totally understand I was so reluctant to master Pinterest, but it certainly does drive traffic to your blog! You’re right, Unsplash is also fantastic!
I’m a fairly new blogger who’s pretty much been learning as I go. This was super informative. Thanks for the great tips!!
~Jay |www.moodyj.co|
Thank you, I’m glad you found it helpful! Best of luck with your new blog, it is a steep learning curve but it is so much fun as well. Enjoy the journey xx
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every
day. It’s always interesting to read articles from other writers and practice a little
something from their sites.
Glad you enjoyed it x