How To Start a Lifestyle Blog- Simple Steps & Recommendations
Although my blog revolves heavily around digital marketing, it also focuses on my experiences, successes and failures in this industry and ultimately the lifestyle that comes with it, which inspired me to write this post.
I get questions all the time based around “How To Start a Lifestyle Blog” or “How Can I Start a Successful Lifestyle Blog” etc…
Now “lifestyle” is a broad subject and could mean many different things to many different people…however, starting any type of lifestyle blog will be very similar in terms of taking the first initial steps and coming up with a game plan.
In my opinion this is one of the best blog types to start no matter what niche you operate in.
The reason being is that there are so many people that are looking for tips, demonstrations, strategies, techniques, motivation and leaders to help them progress in life.
And with a lifestyle blog, this is where you can position yourself as an authority figure, and provide valuable content for your readers to gain knowledge from.
Let’s get a little more specific though.
Initial Steps On How To Start a Lifestyle Blog
1.) Sign Up For Web Hosting: The first step is to sign up for web hosting. NOTE: It’s important that you do not go with any free blogging platforms if you are at all serious about starting a lifestyle blog. You need full control of your blog and a reputable web hosting company to back you up. The service I recommend is HostGator and you can sign up here for an extremely low rate (at the time of writing this it’s $3.95 per month). It’s a no-brainer.
2.) Choose A Domain Name (you will do this right after signing up with HostGator in step #1…see screenshot below): I always recommend using your full name in your domain name if possible, similar to my blog here…and especially if you’re trying to brand yourself as a leader. Even just your name as the domain is great too, for example: evanhoeflich.com. If your blog, brand or idea has nothing to do with your birth name, no problem. Just come up with a catchy domain name that is relative to your niche/blog. You have complete flexibility with your domain name when joining HostGator, so feel free to brainstorm a bit before settling on anything. Here’s the screen you will see when registering your domain name.
3.) Install WordPress: I’ll save you some time here. Please watch this short video on how to install WordPress: How To Install WordPress
4.) Choose An Engaging Theme For Your Blog: This is a more enjoyable step in a way because now that you have most of the initial technical stuff out of the way, you can begin thinking about the style of your blog. Pick a theme that matches the vision of your website. There are numerous to choose from so don’t rush this process. Instead take your time to pick something that is simple, yet attractive to visitors (don’t try to get too fancy or flashy, some of the best blogs have very simple themes).
Once you’re logged into WordPress, in order to pick your theme, on the left navigation menu go to => “Appearance” and then => “Themes”.
See screenshot below:
4.) Install Necessary Plugins: I won’t go into too much detail here about WordPress plugins as this post would end up being way too long, however a few important ones that come to mind are highlighted below. Please do your own research on this step as well:
- Yoast (SEO Plugin)
- Wordfence (Security Plugin)
- W3 Total Cache (Speed & Performance Plugin)
5.) You’re Ready To Start Blogging: With all the above steps out of the way, you are now ready to start blogging. It’s important that you learn some SEO basics for your blog in order to get recognized in the search engines and generate organic, natural and free traffic. It’s also important that you produce consistent content and adopt a long-term strategy/mindset when it comes to your lifestyle blog. Trust me, you will get much better at writing over-time and it can actually become quite addicting. So get out there and start sharing your message with the world!
A Few Final Recommendations for Starting A Successful Lifestyle Blog
1.) Record & Publish What You’re Doing: People love following someone who provides frequent updates on their journey, on what’s working and on what’s not working. Think of your blog as a journal really, and record anything interesting that you think your readers will benefit from. Don’t be afraid to highlight what you’ve struggled with, what you failed at or what you need to work on as well. This builds more trust, credibility and transparency with your audience.
2.) Show Real-Life Examples: This goes hand in hand with the point above. Most people respond very well to real-life examples. A good technique to accomplish this is by taking actual lifestyle photos and uploading them to your blog, videos, visual screenshots etc. These connections that you build with your following is what separates you from the thousands of other lifestyle bloggers out there.
3.) Create Massive Value: Again this correlates with the other two points above. The most successful lifestyle blogs I’ve seen on the Internet are the ones who create the most value for their audience. The main goal of your blog should always be to bring as much value to the table as possible. This means, writing in-depth and demonstrative articles, giving away e-books or video courses for free, starting a private Facebook group, answering all your visitor’s questions via email, responding to comments and so much more (these are just off the top of my head). If you approach each and every blog post with this mindset, the monetary success is sure to follow.
“The main goal of your blog should always be to bring as much value to the table as possible.”
Hopefully, if you’ve stumbled upon this post, you’re a little bit more clear on how to start a lifestyle blog.
Or maybe you’ve already started one but are looking for more tips.
Either way, I hope at least one of these points help you out in your own journey online.
Remember to always be patient as well as consistent.
Learn from your mistakes and build upon your successes.
If you have any questions, I’d be happy to help!