If you just came here from my other blog post: “My First Month Blogging with a 9 to 5: my experience and takeaways” then you’re a real one! If not, I definitely recommend having a read, since it heavily ties into this post that we are about to get into, and provides you with some context in my journey, and how I got here!
Disclaimer: there may be affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. I only recommend what I personally use and enjoy!
blogging: the start
The first 30 days of blogging, specially whilst working a full-time 9 to 5, and being a girlie in your 20s, just trying to enjoy life, can be quite challenging on different levels.
In this blog post, we will cover the challenges faced, on a technical level of blogging.
Many questions will come up, and as a result, a lot of time can go into researching to figure out the answers to all of these questions. This is completely fine, and if anything, this demonstrates your ability to want to learn, and get good at your craft! However, I believe we should all have as much of an easy journey to Blogging as possible, since we already have a certain scarcity for time; with all of our other life priorities.
So, here we have it, common questions I had in my first month of blogging, as a way to help relieve you that having questions is relatable, and completely natural to the process, but to also help you save some time in the researching, and provide you more time in the doing!
Some of these questions I have spent HOURS trying to figure out the how-to, so I hope this helps YOU!
the FAQ: on a technical level
Questions on all things platform-related, setting up, and how to navigate the technological foundations of blogging.
1.Where do I start?
Here, we go into the very basic foundation of what you need to start your blog, which is:
- choose your blogging platform,
- and host,
- then select a domain (what your website will read as after www.)
- and open an account.
The very start feels like the most daunting step of all, and even though something as simple as opening an account still does not imply anyone seeing your content, for some reason, it still feels so intimidating.
Well, let it be, and do it anyways! You’ll feel so proud after pushing through the mental block.
2. How do I know what to do to set up?
This step is all about the research to learning what the blogging business model is about, and what it consists of. Once again, my answer here would be mainly to sign up to download my free checklist of everything you need to set-up your Blog, whilst working full-time in your 20s. However, if you don’t want the full guide with all-you-need, then this stage is very much about getting immersed in content online to learn and see what other TOP successful Bloggers are doing.
Market research on people who are successful in the field you are trying to enter, is hugely impactful to making sure you set-up your blog the best way possible, but don’t worry too much; most things can be changed as you go and evolve. Despite this, your platform and host is something you do need to have down-pat from the start to make your life easier in the future.
The super basic guideline for setting up your blog is: the setting up of your platform, self-hosting domain, plugins, theme, brand identity and publishing content.
3. How do I tell the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
This one here!
I just could not find the answer to this one anywhere online besides looking at the logo; knowing the difference is crucial since one is self-hosted, which we don’t want (.com), and WordPress.org is what all the top bloggers are recommending, so it is essential to know how to distinguish both.
WordPress.org is grey-coloured (the one we want), and WordPress.com is a blue/green colour. Comment if you know any other way to distinguish between the two, so we can all learn and help eachother out!
4. Do I need to be spending 10 hours, and posting 4 times, each week, to be able to do blogging?
We all get overwhelmed with the amount of creators saying we should be posting 100 times per week (exaggerating here, but you get what I mean), and that we need to be working like machines, but here, in her Full Effect, we like to promote more of a balance with our social life and embracing life as girlies in our 20s, so no.
You DO NOT need to overwork yourself, but you DO need to have a plan.
Even if you can only post once a week, do that and STICK TO IT.
It may take you slightly longer to have Blogging become your full-time, but at least you won’t burn out and give up before you ever reap the rewards of your hard work.
I believe we should be enjoying the process as much as we can, and so if this resonates with you, check out my other blog posts where I go deeper into this:
a) How to Make Time Creating Your Dream Life Outside of Your 9 to 5
b) Work Smart, not Hard: Juggling Online Business with a 9 to 5
We don’t gatekeep here!
5. What do I write about?
If you don’t have any ideas as to what to write about, or what kind of content you want to share, this comes with getting to know what you want your brand to be known by; since this will heavily influence the content you will put out; that will direct your audience to associating your brand with these messages.
Also, I would personally focus on what questions you had in your own experience, and what you wish you saw more of when you were starting off on your journey.
Sharing this value will help others who are in the same place as you were, creating a more relatable connection, and truly helping others save time with knowledge that you acquired through your experience.
6. Is it just me or is WordPress.org not THAT easy to use?
Girl, SAME!
Everyone was recommending WordPress.org, and Elementor, but when I started using it I was like huhhh? Don’t worry, you’re not alone on this one.
I think the platform requires some adjusting and getting used to, but then it does become easier with time.
7. Why are Templates so confusing to figure out on Elementor? and how to fix this?
The HOURS I used trying to decode how to fix this; here, I essentially mean, how to use Elementor’s (Theme Builder) Single Post Template, so that all blog posts can display with the same template.
Not everyone will relate on this one, but if you do, find how-to fix this below:
After you create your Single Post Template in Theme Builder (Elementor), you need to:
- Add New Post on WordPress.org
- Add your text / content here on the WordPress platform
- Then select “Edit with Elementor“
- (to check) Press the Settings button in the bottom left corner and select Layout Theme as Theme.
- Preview to confirm your layout is as the Template.
The template will then automatically apply to all blog posts, and if not, double check that your template conditions, in the Theme Builder, are set for ALL blog posts.
8. Do my blog stats include my own views, when I visit my blog page?
I am still trying to better-answer this one myself (comment if you have more information for this question!) but it seems that if you are logged in, WordPress (.org) will not count your own visits, and views, in the statistics. However, if you are on Private Incognito Tabs, it will.
Therefore, there is a chance your blog stats may be higher than what they actually are, due to these conditions, if applicable.
9. Why are my blog stats so different across plugins?
Another one I still haven’t quite grasped, but will keep you updated on any new information I learn on this one!
From my current knowledge and research, and even observations, stats will look completely different across plugins!
- For example, my WordPress Statistics dashboard will display way higher numbers than my Google Analytics plugin.
I still don’t quite know why this is, or how to better distinguish what stats are as close to real-time as possible, but currently, I am trusting Google Analytics more since I’d like to believe it would be more accurate, and reliable, at pulling in Google traffic data, than the WordPress plugin.
This one will be something I will update you on further along my experience, since we ofcourse want the most accurate data to know how far-along we are in our blogging journey to being able to apply for an ad agency (topic for another day!), and also seeing what content our audience are resonating with, and loving, the most! This is KEY.
10. How important is aesthetic, initially, when posting content?
The answer will depend on your priorities, which we dive further into on my free checklist, but the essence of your blog comes down to the content, which is what will bring you returns on your time investment, therefore, bring you money with time. Thus, your content is the most important element of your blog.
Now, personally, when evaluating HOW important aesthetic is, I did care a little bit about this, because I didn’t want my Blog to feel scammy or unprofessional, so whilst I was still establishing my brand more and more, I went with a Template I liked, so I didn’t have to do too much to style my blog.
Your blog aesthetic could influence people to stay on for longer, so even though it is important, it depends on how much time you would like to invest on this in your first 30 days of blogging. I wouldn’t advise spending TOO LONG on this, because we don’t have all the time in the world with our 20s, and working 9 to 5, but something presentable would help.
11. What do I need to make my blog legal?
The very basis of making your blog legal involves having policies that protect your blog; usually a:
- Privacy Policy,
- Terms and Conditions Policy
- an Affiliate Disclosure (if applicable)
- Additionally, having a cookie banner for GDPR is always a good idea, since in certain countries it is a law-requirement, so best to be safe and add this one in.
Disclaimer: this is not professional advice, but is simply my own personal experience and opinion, from it. Please consult a professional advisor if you’d like the legitimate full response, but this is what I found from my research, and what I personally put into practice.
These policies may not be essential when first starting off blogging, but is something I like to have just in case. As my blog grows, I don’t have to think too much about this because it is already there (except any future updates I may need to adjust or learn about).
12. Do I need to collect emails?
This isn’t a question you may necessarily have at the start of your blogging journey, but it might be one you SHOULD consider.
So, here, I would say depending on how you are prioritising and allocating your time with your online business, a full-time job, and general life as a girlie in her 20s, the simple answer is that email marketing would be a gamechanger to your potential profits, and would nurture deeper connections with your audience. As a result, I would answer by saying yes.
I would personally recommend Convertkit Creator, which I currently use, since it is only £7 a month up to 300 subscribers, automates your emails for you and is very beginner-friendly!
If you download my free checklist, you will see how I would position this, in the spectrum of setting-up my blog in 30 days, relative to balancing out a fun, fulfilling life in my 20s; but this is also down to whether this is something you want or feel would be beneficial to do.
You don’t have to follow what others do, and that’s completely fine if that’s what you want!
13. Do I need to spend money to be successful with blogging?
Another question that will inevitably arise…The straight-forward answer is NO.
You do not need to spend a single pound to be successful with blogging online; only if you feel it will elevate and level-up your blogging strategy, or if you feel like it is essential to your unique brand.
I, personally, have spent some money on the following, but this is all because of how my priorities were laid out, and my clear awareness that spending this money aligned with these priorities:
- Bluehost domain (around £40: essential!)
- Theme from Etsy (around £30: one-time payment – professional aesthetic)
- Elementor Pro (around £50: annually – necessary for theme)
- Convertkit (£7 up to 300 subscribers, and £20 up to 1000 subscribers- will level up my blogging strategy!)
As you can see, everything I did spend money on had a purpose that aligned with my priorities, and therefore makes sense, but you don’t NEED to do this to be successful. It depends on your definition of success, and how this plays out in the tools you need to make it happen.
FAQ has come to an end…
Please let me know if you have found this helpful! Even if you are passed the first 30 days of your blogging journey, or haven’t started yet, many of these questions may still relate, and hopefully this FAQ empowers you to see that we all go through the same here, just on different levels, and contexts.
Keep going and you’ll see that you’ll be amazed at how much you accomplish, when you break-it-down and spend more time doing, than thinking about it!