behind the scenes of blogging
Curious about what goes into blogging? Here is a snapshot of what I utilize.
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Website Hosting
Through a blogging course that I took from a favorite blogger of mine, I learned about BigScoots. Truly not disappointed in the least. Any time I have a question or an issue arise, I simply submit a support ticket and within a couple of minutes someone is looking into my inquiry. Great company with top notch customer service. Very glad I took the recommendation!
Content Management System
Through the same blogging course, I learned about WordPress.org. It’s free and open-source, and you can download and install it yourself. There is some confusion between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com includes managed hosting, but WordPress.org allows you to choose the hosting provider of your choice (I went with BigScoots). It comes with themes, plugins, and the ability to create an online store. I went with WordPress.org and am very happy so far!
Theme
Even though WordPress.org comes with plenty of themes to choose from, I wanted my website aesthetic to match the brand that I had envisioned as closely as possible. I stumbled upon 17th Avenue Designs, and am so happy that I did! Their designs are simple, feminine, and affordable, and they have excellent customer service. Their themes are also specifically designed for WordPress, so there were no issues in applying my theme. I went with the Clover WordPress Theme and absolutely love it. Two thumbs up!
Ad Management
I know no one really likes ads, but blogging takes a lot of time and thus requires compensation!! I am currently using Journey by Mediavine. It is great for bloggers desiring to monetize their content, while still in the process of building up their site and followers. It is integrated with Grow, which offers cool features for both bloggers and visitors who want to save and/or share content from your blog. Journey by Mediavine was very simple to apply for, I was emailed when I was accepted, and the dashboard to track analytics and earnings is user-friendly. If you use BigScoots for your website hosting, they offer a plan specifically for users with Journey by Mediavine. The Journey plan is actually even less expensive than the original plan I signed up for. So far so good!
Affiliate Links Management
In order to successfully manage the affiliate links I utilize while blogging, I use ThirstyAffiliates. ThirstyAffiliates is a WordPress plugin that allows you to manage all of your affiliate links in one location. It cloaks long and ugly affiliate links, it autolinks keywords so you don’t have to manually add every single link, it uses an automatic 404 checker so you never unknowlingly have broken links on your site, and you can import from third parties like Amazon through Amazon Products API. I love how everything is organized in a simple dashboard.
Email Operating System
A must-have is a domain specific email. It is essential to a cohesive brand and successful blogging. After you have your domain specific email, which you can set up through BigScoots, you need a platform to grow your email list. That is where Kit (formerly ConvertKit) comes in. With three different plans available, free, $25/month, and $50/month, you can choose which plan suits your current needs. You will have the ability to grow your audience, manage subscribers, send email campaigns, and monetize your content. Add in 24/7 support and you can’t go wrong!
Graphic Design Platform
Canva is my go-to for all things creating and editing. Whether I am making a logo, a banner, or an eBook, Canva is my very first stop. I have been able to create everything I want while using the free version. I am able to save my brand colors, which is a major plus in saving time with each new creation. Canva is also a very simple, yet effective, resource for editing photos. A basic filter here and there does the trick with everything looking cohesive. Highly recommend in general, and it is very easy for beginners entering the realm of blogging.