Choosing your platform
There are plenty of platforms to choose to start your blog on. I chose Blogger as it's pretty basic with options to expand further if you purchase a theme externally. Platforms like Wordpress are more in depth with plugins you can use to customise your blog. Other platforms are Wix, Tumblr, Squarespace, and Weebly. You need to decide on what type of blog you are aiming for and read up on what the different options offer you. If you decide you would rather be on a different platform further down the line, you can also migrate your blog over.Picking a theme
I bought my theme from an Etsy store to make sure it had what I wanted from my blog, such as the sidebar, sliding header, feature posts and more. Pipdig and Creative Market have some other great themes too that provide you with plenty of features to accessible and engaging. If you're looking for a free theme outside of the ones provided, make sure they don't have huge ads on them.Creating a name
Blogs come in a range of different forms; from hobbies, full-time businesses, professional and more. Your name will help define your blog and set it aside from others. I went with my name as my blog is ran full time but it doesn't confine me to one specific topic such as beauty. Note down a number of different options to give yourself a few different choices. Don't feel like you have to decide on one straight away either, give yourself time to be sure.Setting up social media accounts
To help your blog become successful, it's important to set up relevant social media accounts to help promote it. When deciding on your social media platforms, try to get one that is available across all platforms. This will be much easier for people to remember and find you at ease. My fiancé's blog is andrewmarksmith.co.uk but had to use @amsblog for his social media accounts so be prepared to shorten or modify usernames too.Have pages set up
This is a good way to section up the different content on your blog. A couple of useful ones to start with are to have About Me and Work With Me pages. This gives people an area to come to so they can find out a little bit more about you and what type of thing you are looking for when collaborating with brands and companies. As you develop your blog you might find you another page you'd like to add on which can be done in the same way.Clear imagery
Taking the time to get good photos is definitely worthwhile. This doesn't mean you have to spend hundreds of pounds on a brand new camera. If you have a smartphone then this is a perfectly good camera to use when starting out. Getting your set up right is more important than the camera you are using and getting good quality lighting can make a lot of difference to the quality of your photos. You can always edit your photos later too if you're not completely happy with them.Plan ahead
It will be exciting when you've finished your first post and ready to hit that publish button. Although you are keen to get your post up, it might be worth writing yourself a few more so that you have some other content ready. This means that people will be likely to start viewing your blog is you start having posts going up consistently. Don't feel like you need to publish one each day as you will probably soon run out. Space them out by a few days as it's better to post more consistently than having long gaps between your posts.For other blogging tips and tricks, make sure to have a look at my post 'The Best Blogging Tips, Written By Bloggers' for helpful ideas on writing, photography, editing, HTML, SEO and much more.
