It’s Week Two in our Fashion Blogging Series. This week we are creating your new blog. By the end of this post, you will be up, running and ready to write!
Self-hosted. Self-hosted. Self-hosted. You are going to be investing a lot of time and energy into your new blog, why risk it on a property you do not own? To make money in the blogging industry (long-term) you need to make a few investments. It is literally going to cost you $15 to start a self-hosted blog. If you can’t afford $15 today, wait to start your blog until you can. Trust me. This is going to save you such a headache down the road not to mention the missed opportunities from those companies that don’t want to work with those on free platforms. And if you think setting up a self-hosted blog is hard, just think about how hard it is going to be to move your blog down the road. P.I.T.A.
Domain Name
There are several things to keep in mind when choosing your domain name. You can’t change your mind tomorrow. You want something memorable and relevant to your industry. Keep it short and sweet. Don’t use hyphens or weird spellings. Don’t use trademarked names. Have fun! And don’t be afraid to use adjectives. A few fun fashion/beauty blog names:
Cheetah is the New Black
Man Repeller
Cupcakes & Cashmere
The Haute Pursuit
No More Dirty Looks
She’s In The Glow
You can pick up a domain name from 1&1 for just $2.99 right now.
Hosting
There are several things to look for in a hosting company; affordability, scalability, newbie-friendly, good customer service and one-click WordPress installation. To date, HostGator is still the company I recommend to new bloggers though I have personally outgrown the service. You can’t beat the easy cPanel and customer service was almost always great. The cost is less than $10 per month and you can currently save 25% with code CJSAVE25.
(Note: you will need to change your nameservers with 1&1 to point to HostGator. This is super simple. Your nameservers will be emailed to you by HostGator when you register. The step-by-step process for pointing your new domain there can be found here.)
WordPress Installation
Many new bloggers think that installing and setting up WordPress must be time-consuming and difficult. Not so much! It should take you less than 15 minutes. I have a walk-through tutorial available here.
Themes
Ah. The second-most difficult decision of the day! (After that name, of course.) When choosing your theme there are a few must-follow tips:
Embrace the White Space – a little color is good, but your background should be white. It is easier on the eyes and looks clean, crisp and professional.
Beautiful Images – Photos are the eye candy that is going to get people to your blog and poking around. Your theme needs to display them front and center.
Branding – You likely have a color scheme in mind already. Make sure your theme supports it.
SEO-Friendly – Some themes are far more optimized for search engines than others. This should be listed in a theme’s features, it is that important.
Trusted Source – I am going to list a few of my recommendations below but if you choose to go off on your own, know who you are dealing with. Some unsavory developers place hidden code or links within their themes that can impact you negatively down the road.
Mobile-Ready – More and more readers are visiting from smartphones and tablets these days. Rather than worrying about an additional plugin, just pick up a theme that is ready to roll.
Recommendations:
Free – Virtue and Family (themes within the WordPress.org depository are typically safe)
Level I – Elegant Themes has several themes perfect for fashion/beauty blogging. There is a cost, though it is only $39 per year for unlimited themes (for the frequent theme-switchers like myself). Lucid is one of my favorites.
Pro – You can’t get any better than Genesis framework and child themes. This is a hefty expense for someone starting out, though I would recommend upgrading as soon as your budget allows. When it comes to fashion, I love Runway.
Plugins
Now we are ready for some fun. Plugins! There is a plugin for everything these days and your needs may change as you go. Here are a few of my current favorites.
WordPress SEO by Yoast – Search Engine Optimization is essential for every blog. If you are focused on quality content, as you should be, it can often slip your mind however. WordPress SEO is a long-trusted plugin that will ensure you complete those SEO steps prior to publishing.
Jetpack for WordPress – Jetpack can replace a number of individual plugins. This heavy hitter includes website stats, (near)spam-free comments, contact forms, social sharing and publicizing, image enhancements, grammar check and more. You can also turn off and on individual features to fit your needs.
AddThis SmartLayers – AddThis is a popular social sharing plugin. They recently introduced a separate SmartLayers plugin that includes additional features. The fly-out and “Recommended for You” options will keep visitors on your site longer. The Following feature will encourage readers to join your preferred social communities after sharing your content.
WP Total Cache – Even a half-second can greatly impact your blog’s bounce and conversion rates. We simply do not tolerate slow load times in our fast-paced society. Fashion and beauty blogs tend to be heavy on imagery which can slow down a site considerably. A good caching plugin like WP Total Cache can speed things up in just a few clicks.
Pretty Link Lite – You likely have a page or two or even an affiliate program or two that you share regularly on social media and/or link to within new posts. Pretty Link Lite is a free plugin that will allow you to create simple, easy to remember URLs. Rather than having to cut and paste next time you want to share, you can easily remember yourblog .com/favorites. An added bonus: should you ever need to update that referred URL (ex. The company changes affiliate networks), you only need to change it once within Pretty Link. No need to hunt down every instance on your blog and elsewhere.
Post Ender – This plugin can be used for a number of time-saving tasks. Maybe you want to add a pretty signature at the bottom of your posts. Or maybe you want to have a more eye-appealing or time-saving disclosure to add to the bottom of your reviews. With Post Ender you simply create the end statement once then you can either make it global on all posts or add a simple shortcode to the bottom of wanted posts going forward.
OIO Publisher – If you want to start selling ad space on your fashion or beauty blog, I highly recommend OIO Publisher. This is not a free plugin, but it does make the sales process simple. Your advertiser can purchase available space. You approve the ad. Your advertiser will then be sent weekly stats and reminders to renew as their purchase comes to an end. All while you are conducting blog business elsewhere. (Use code HELLO14-WAH to receive $10 off.)
VigLink – If you are new to blog monetization or just do not want it to be a main priority at this time, VigLink can link up product or merchant mentions within your posts and allow you to earn a commission on any resulting sales.
I think that’s enough for this week. You should be ready to start posting at this point. Make sure you come back next week for the next installment in our Fashion/Beauty Blogging Series.
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