How to Start a Blog The Easy Way (When You’re a Busy Mom)
Step by Step Guide to Start a Blog
Do you want to start a blog but have no idea where to start? Or maybe you’ve started researching how to start a blog and you’re in information overload. I get it; we’re busy moms and starting anything new can be challenging when you have a million other things to do. That’s where I can help.
Don’t Make My Mistake!
It took me over 10 years to start a blog. I thought building my website would involve an insane amount of time, money, and coding experience…none of which I had. I found it so intimidating and sat on the idea year after year. I wanted a hobby blog to eventually have the potential to become a side hustle to then become a full-time job. That goal excited me but not knowing what to do and what I REALLY needed to buy, intimidated me.
Just Do It!
After thinking, thinking some more, and eventually overthinking, I was able to narrow down what I needed in order to have a website that could make me money and look good (but didn’t cost a fortune). There was a TON of trial and error in this process. I did not take the most time-efficient route, but I learned so much in the process.
Knowing what I know now, my goal is to help moms out there to start a blog, quickly and efficiently, with one easy-to-use resource, this one!
This blog post may contain affiliate links. These don’t cost you anything extra, but they allow me to continue running this site and providing free content for my wonderful community. Thank you for your support!
How to Start a Blog as a Busy Mom
1. Choose Your Niche
Think about what you want to blog about and who you want to write to (your niche/target audience). Do you have a passion for motherhood, fitness, fashion, beauty? Who will your audience be? Moms? Women?
Once you have an idea on this, choose your name. Will you go by your own name (like me)? Or something else that describes what you are blogging about (ExerciseWithCassie, BestBeautyFinds, etc…).
2. Choose Your Blog Name
Decide on your blog name. Use Namecheckr to see if the domain and social handles are available for that specific name.
3. Purchase Your Domain
After you decide on your blog name, buy it! I used NameCheap (it was the cheapest option at the time I started).
Where you buy your domain doesn’t really matter. It will not affect your blog speed, design, or anything else.
Once you buy your domain immediately go register for the social handles you need (Instagram, Facebook, Facebook Like Page, Pinterest, Twitter, Gmail, etc…).
4. Purchase Hosting
Hosting is what will allow your blog to be on the internet.
I personally use (and have only used) SiteGround. In my experience, they have had the BEST customer service and always answer my questions quickly and efficiently.
SiteGround will walk you through your WordPress installation, provides 24-7 help via chat, phone, and email, provides really fast sites (important!), keeps your site secure, easy site management, domain management, and reliable email service.
SiteGround has three plans and by using my link, they are offering you a great discount. I would recommend “The StartUp Plan”, which is perfect for someone with one website that they are starting now.
Other popular hosting services in the blogging world are Bluehost and Lyrical. You can learn more about them here: Bluehost Lyrical
(I still recommend Siteground but wanted to give you other recommend options I have seen in other blogging groups)!
5. Choose A Theme
Here is the fun part! You can start personalizing your site. You can purchase a theme (your blog design) before your blog is up and running. WordPress has free designs that are perfectly fine and decent looking, so don’t feel pressured to spend money on a theme.
If you want to take your design up a notch, I personally use 316 Restored Design. I absolutely LOVE my current design. It was so easy to install and it is easy edit.
Other popular blog designs include:
6. Find A Mentor
Or two mentors. But be careful, this can be a MAJOR timesuck….so set a timer! You want to find someone who offers free and paid information on how to start a blog and be successful.
I do not recommend more than 2 mentors when starting out. You want to keep information overload to a minimum so it doesn’t get overwhelming.
My mentors: Cate at Sweet and Simple Life and Amy Porterfield.
7. Buy A Blogging Course
Please please please, invest in yourself when it comes to blogging. It will make your life SO much easier to do it right the first time. This is not the time to be cheap. You don’t need to buy hundreds of courses, but investing in a few quality courses and ebooks will make a HUGE difference in your blog.
I highly recommend Cate Rosales’s Becoming a Blogger course. The content-packed course is described as a “comprehensive guide to turning your blog into a money-making business this year”.
Cate has an amazing way of breaking things down so you can actually understand what to do and why you need to do it. I cannot recommend her courses and products enough!
8. Invest In A SEO Course
Okay. This is another PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BUY THIS BEFORE YOU START BLOGGING. Trust me on this. I did not have any SEO knowledge when I started my blog. I had heard of it, and I knew it was something Google liked, but that was basically it.
While I was pouring my heart out into my blog posts, they were not performing well. Then I saw the wonderful Cate recommend this SEO ebook. Game changer. I so wish I would have purchased this in the beginning so I didn’t have to go back and update all my old posts to make them SEO friendly. Please friend, but this SEO ebook. You can thank me later. 😉
To save money, you can also purchase an SEO bundle which includes Easy on Page SEO and Easy Backlinks for SEO.
9. Extras to Make Your Blogging Life Easier
While these are not necessary, they will make your life so much easier. Chances are you are a busy mom looking for a creative outlet, hobby, side hustle, or full-time job with blogging. Regardless of the case, time-saving products will be a game-changer for your blog. I personally have used everything below and I would not be able to run my blog without them.
Create a beautiful design with easy to use templates. You don’t need any graphic design skills to use Canva. You can easily create graphics for your blog, social platforms, email marketing, resize images, etc… The “pro” account is 100% worth the money!
- Tailwind -Get $15 credit when you use this link!
Tailwind is the social media scheduling tool that gets real results in less time. It allows you to easily schedule Pinterest and Instagram posts (without being penalized aka Pinterest and Instagram are okay with Tailwind). Tailwind is a HUGE time saver and will allow you to grow your Pinterest and Instagram quickly and efficiently.
Mailer Lite is an e-mail marketing tool that allows you to become an email marketing expert with advanced tools made easy for you. Includes live 24/7 support and the latest features like landing pages and automation.
PicMonkey is another graphic creator (similar to Canva). With PicMonkey you can easily create images that attract eyeballs and get results. You can edit photos, create designs, and touch-up portraits.
This course incrested my blog traffic tremendously. Fun fact, most of my traffic comes from Pinterest! “Use this detailed course to learn how to maximize your reach on Pinterest, boost your blog traffic, create eye-catching pins, and make more money with Pinterest marketing”.
“This action-packed course will teach you the best strategies for earning money through affiliate marketing on your blog and social media”!
Ultimate Bundles “brings together content creators with well-crafted digital products like eBooks and eCourses, and package them up into something big, thorough, and so affordable”. They offer about 5 different bundles throughout the year ranging from different topics. This is a great opportunity to get the most bang for your buck! You will receive many courses/ebooks for an extremely low fee.
I highly recommend the Genius Bloggers Toolkit which generally comes out in September, but they have been known to do flash sales/change up their dates and content topics.
In addition to the Genius Bloggers Toolkit, Ultimate Bundles offers a variety of topic toolkits. The Ultimate Productivity Bundle is another great one for bloggers!
This Plug-in is a huge timesaver! Set SEO and Pinterest friendly descriptions for your images that will perform well in Pinterest search. Include hashtags, keywords, and whatever else you would like to include. As an added bonus, you can create as many pins as you would like while hiding the image on your website front-end with the click of a button. It makes it so easy to keep your blog posts looking clean while making Pinterest happy by providing fresh content with new pins.
10. Execute
JUST DO IT. JUST START. Please trust me on this. This is my biggest flaw. Done is better than perfect, I promise.
Start Your Blog (Easily) Today!
Need more time in your days to work on your blog? Check out these related posts!
- How to Do a Time Audit to Organize Your Schedule (includes free template)
- How to Plan Your Day With Time Blocking (includes free template)
- Tips for Balancing Life as a Part-Time Working Mom
10 Steps to Start A Mom Blog Checklist
Here are the 10 steps to start a blog (easily) as a busy mom:
- Decide on your niche
- Choose a blog name
- Buy Domain
- Cheapnames
- Get hosting
- Choose a Theme
- Free options from WordPress
- Restored 316 Design
- Etsy WordPress Themes
- Elegant Theme: Divi
- Find a mentor
- Purchase Blogging Course
- Invest in an SEO Course/Ebook
- Consider using more services to make blogging easier!
Join The Busy Moms Getting Stuff Done Community Group!
Looking for more help to manage the chaos mom life brings? Join my FREE Busy Moms Getting Stuff Done Community Group to connect with like-minded moms where we help each other simplify life and get more stuff done!
