How To Start Your Own Blog in 2020

Just do it!! Thank you for coming.

Haha jk, imagine that was the whole blog post? So if you’re reading this, you probably have been wanting to start a blog for some time now but have no idea how and all the information out there isn’t really helping you or it’s just super confusing.

I was like you once, I literally googled “How the fuck do I start a blog easily?” lol. Everything I read was just all the same but really didn’t get the answers I was looking for. Somethings were too advanced or complicated for me to understand that I just felt like giving up, to be honest. Before I give you all the details, let me just give you a back story of how I got into blogging. Feel free to skip this if you don’t care.

How and Why I started Blogging

So when I was fairly young, maybe 11-ish I started writing songs and poems. Then I started writing stories and things I was going through especially when I got my very own laptop back in 2006ish. The writing was just something I loved to do. Fast forward to 2015, I was a REALTOR® at Century 21 Alpha and they provided every agent with our own website and it had a blog section. I was so thrilled. 

The Beginning of Damarissanchez.com

The Century 21 Alpha blog only had the option to write a post directed to buyers and sellers so that’s when I decided to create damarissanchez.com so I can share more personal stuff or posts still related to Real Estate but beyond just seller and buyer information. 

Websites, Domains, Hosting…WTF?

So this whole website building, hosting, etc can get a little confusing so instead of me trying to explain the details which are where things can get confusing, I’ll just tell you what I got and the steps I got them in and briefly explain. So I got everything on Godaddy.com. I debated on Squarespace but decided against it.

Buying the right website hosting plan

As I said, I got everything from godaddy.com and from there I chose the WordPress Deluxe Hosting Plan. They give you the option to pay monthly which comes out to 16.99 a month but if you buy it for a year it’s only $9.99 a month which then you pay out upfront so your total for 1 year is $131.88. There is a cheaper option if you’re not ready to invest in the deluxe version. The basic plan is 7.99 for 12 months which comes out to a total of $95.88. This is an investment for you and your brand, don’t think of it as an expense.

Domain

Don’t buy a domain first then a website, usually, when you buy your website aka blog it comes with a FREE domain. Unless you want two then go ahead but it’s not necessary. If you are stuck on choosing the right domain for your blog, don’t stress it for too long. I got caught up in thinking I needed this really cool hip name to stand out. I mean I guess I was pretty fortunate enough that my first name isn’t too common but still I was looking at bloggers like Blank Itinerary, Thrifts, and Threads, Damsel in Dior, etc. I felt lost and then I realized, wait a minute, I am Damaris Sanchez and if I want people to remember me and my blog then my name shall be enough. Just choose something that is original, fits you and your brand or what you envision your brand to be. 

Themes

Once you’re all set up WordPress will ask you to choose a theme, don’t worry you can always change it later. I have the Astra theme which is pretty basic but it allows you to work with other plugins that allow you to further customize your blog which is HUGE!!!

WTF Are Plugins?

Basically a plugin is a program or a tool to help do a variety of things on your blog. For example, I downloaded a plugin to count how many visitors I’m getting a month. I also downloaded a plugin to add my Instagram account. There is a plugin for SO many things. 

BEST PLUGIN EVER…ELEMENTOR

So this is like the holy grail when it comes to building and customizing your site. I have Elementor Pro but the free version is pretty good itself. This will really help you do a lot of things to your site without being a pro at coding. Somethings take a little time to figure but overall it’s pretty user-friendly. I highly recommend anyone building a website to use this plugin. FYI don’t worry about making your website look perfect the first time around. My blog has changed and evolved so much over the last year, I never worried too much about it. When I was over something or into something else, I would just log in and update my page. That’s the beauty of owning your own blog, you can do whatever you want at any time.

Upload Pictures

You’ll want to add some captivating pictures that really make your blog stand out. Think of this as a first impression when you meet someone. What do you want them to know? what do you want them to see? Don’t give it all away though, be a little mysterious, make people interested in you and what you have to say. Also if you don’t have a photographer or a friend you can force to take your pictures, invest in a tripod. Somedays when Tyler isn’t in the mood or not around, I set up my tripod and take my own picture. It’s easier to give ourselves roadblocks instead of solutions. So don’t block yourself from starting something you’re passionate about.