How to Start a Blog in 2023 |  By Sophia Lee

This is all about how to start a blog in 2023. My name is Sophia, I started my blog five years ago and it is now a seven-figure business.

This blog post is all about how to start a blog in 2023. My name is Sophia, I started my blog five years ago and it is now a seven-figure business. We have a team of six of us, which is insane I'm in my office, and it has turned into way more than a Blog, but it all originated from me, starting a blog. When I was going into my sophomore year of college, I was absolutely broke and it has begun. This entire business began begun this entire business.

You know how to start a vlog, but maybe you don't know grammar and in the last five years I have learned so much like so so much. I've done a lot of things wrong, but I've also done a lot of things right that I look back at and I am like okay. This is one of the reasons why I was able to grow my business so fast or doing this on the blog allowed me to start making money earlier, Etc. So, in this video I'm going to go over first, I'm going to go over my top tips. For you, for starting a blog that becomes a successful business, slash makes money, and then I'm going to give you like the actual step by steps on how to actually like start a blog, I'm so strategic in the way that I think that you should be starting.

Your blog and just like the fastest way to do it and again become successful, so that will be at the end of the video, but let's get into it, because I think this is going to be like a jam-packed video. It'S one of my I film this video every single year and it's one of my absolutely favorite videos to film and I have a lot to say and talk about so, let's get into it tip number one, and this is something that we are asked all the Time IMS: all the time is how many blog posts should you be posting a week. I have a very strong opinion on this and the opinion is more to be consistent than anything. However, I would recommend posting twice a week. I think that's like a really good amount, where you can get Google and Pinterest and the social medias, knowing that you're serious about this.

What I would highly not recommend is that you would go and let's say one week: post five blog posts, but then the next week, you're busy. So you post none and then the next week you post three and then the next week. None and then you post their, you know like be consistent with it and be realistic too, like starting a blog is way harder than people think, which is why so many people start blogs and then fail. It'S like no joke, it's so real. It'S like work.

I'Ve considered it worked from the very beginning because it truly is, and so just be realistic with your time you know like when I was starting. My blog, like I said I was a full-time college student and I could only get out two posts a week, but getting out those two posts a week and being like religious about getting out those two posts. A week I was able to like Garner the trust of the platforms which sounds stupid, but it's like really true, like you have to get Google and Pinterest to trust you and know that you're putting out good content and are like almost serious about it like they. The things that those networks can now figure out is insane, and so, by being consistent, you can rank faster, which is like the whole point on why you should be consistent is because, as the more consistent you are, the faster that you can Rank and the faster That you're content will be shown um. So that's my number one tip you can post as many times as you want to post, but I would be very realistic about it and I personally think that a great number to strive for is to blog posts a week tip number two keywords and SEO.

So keywords and SEO I had never even heard of those two terms before starting my blog and now I always say I'm like those two things literally run my life. I think about SEO in every single thing that I do every single part of my business. Every time I put something on the Internet on social media, when I write captions how I say my sentences, how we write our blog posts, we are constantly thinking about SEO and the entire team is that way? Um, especially the part of the team that works on the website, because it is so important and so crucial, and basically in really I mean it's like pretty complicated, but in really really simple terms. Seo stands for search engine optimization and it essentially lets Google no or, like the internet, know what you're you are writing about.

So um instead of you know like okay, let's say I was writing a post on white t-shirts. Okay, so like that would be the key word white t-shirts, and then I want to let Google know or whatever, Pinterest, no or Instagram whatever, that. I am writing about white t-shirts over and over again, so that when someone searches, white t-shirts, my blog post was, would be the first one to come up. So it is very strategic, which is another one of my tips that I'll get to um, but definitely research SEO and keywords a little plug. I have a course all about my strategy for SEO.

It'S the perfecting blogging course and um. It'S basically like my every single thing that we do within our business for SEO, and it's just so important, but there are a ton of resources online that you can look at. You just have to know what it is. It will help you grow your blog. So much faster tip number three.

I have all my tips written down. If you can't tell tip number three, is I highly recommend focusing on Pinterest to promote your blog? This is one of the best things that I did in my business. To get me moving a lot faster than maybe some other people that started on Instagram or Facebook even like, and it's still that way five years later, so Pinterest is the only social media platform that people go to to go to websites on Instagram, like our click-through Rate to go to our website is solo, like think about. I just think about me personally.

Okay, like how many times do I actually watch someone's story, click on a link and take me to a website like maybe once a day, but when I'm on Pinterest and I'm looking at a dinner recipe. For example, like I am constantly going to someone's website to see what the recipe is or when I'm looking at tips like I'm right now, I'm getting married this year, and so I'm looking at wedding Registries and so on. Pinterest, I'm searching wedding registry and I'm going to people's blog posts to see what they're putting on their wedding registry and so um Pinterest is the fastest way that you will get views to your website and the faster you can get views the faster you can get Into an ad Network and an ad network is probably going to be the first way that you start making Subs more substantial money um. So that is my lenses having a glitchy moment, but definitely definitely get on Pinterest another plug. I have a perfecting Pinterest course, but okay tip number three um test out short form videos.

So this is not something that I did when starting my blog. I actually didn't even start doing any type of videos until I was about three years in, but now with Tick Tock and even like YouTube, shorts and just in reels on Instagram like that is what these social media and Pinterest too honestly like. That is what these social media platforms are pushing out is the short form videos, if you can do them. You know I know firsthand. They take a lot longer than you think that they will and they're also like it's uncomfortable to put yourself out there, and especially when Tick Tock people are brutal on Tick.

Tock, like I slightly can't, like literally like people, are just mean on Tick Tock, so you have to have a thick skin to do it, but they are these social media platforms are promoting them. So much that, like the chances, if you're consistent with it of one of your short form short form, videos going viral is like really really high. I started my tick tock now it's like 18 months ago and in the last 18 months I had no idea how powerful Tick Tock would be. For my blog, like literally no idea, I feel like I'm not focused, and now it brings us like thousands and thousands of page views a month. Now you have to be strategic with it.

I am hoping that this is the year that Tick Tock allows links to be put in like videos or even on the stories just like Instagram does, because to get someone you I mean someone has to watch your video then go to your profile. Then click on the url url like there's a lot of steps involved in it, but it's a really great way to get your content out there. Now, like I said, I didn't do any of that for three years and I still think that you can be extremely successful without doing any short short form videos. It'S like a tongue twister, but um. If you have the capability - and you have the thick skin to do it, then I would recommend it because I really think that that can help uh grow your website even faster.

The reason why I we will always have our website, no matter how well our social medias are doing, because that is like the Hub of everything and on Tick, Tock and Instagram and Pinterest the things that I I mean you got ta love them because they've grown. My business, but at the same time I I hate them. It'S like very much a love-hate relationship because they have full control like on Tick Tock and I've gone through this multiple times. If they don't want to show your content, they won't show your content and they have the full, like the videos could be really really good and they just decide like nope, not gon na put this out there and they have control which, on your website, you have A lot more control and just like strategy more on how to get your stuff out there tip number five pick a short pick, a short term goal to help you stay focused, so I am an insanely goal-oriented person. I am always setting goals like for everything.

I do I basically have a goal on what I'm trying to do and it keeps me very geared towards what I'm trying to do and motivated so my first year blogging. My goal was to get into the Ad Agency because, like I said getting into an ad agency, is probably going to be one of the first ways that you start making substantial money on your website. My goal was to get into mediavine and I did hit that goal. I took a lot of work. I took it seriously.

I treat it like a business from the very beginning, but by the end of that first year you can. I have like income reports, so you can see how much I was making that first year I was bringing in like thousands of dollars after that. So that's pretty insane to think that, after like one year which in like the one year, it felt like it's way hard. It'S way harder to do than to actually like say out loud, because you're going to be grinding like hardcore and working all the time on making your website and for the first like 10 months, you're not going to see anything happen with it. And then all of a sudden it'll play really really fast, but that is what I would recommend for your, maybe like one year goal, but I would set like okay this month.

I want to do this and six months. My goal is to do this in like again one year. My goal is to do this and I think, if I'm remembering correctly, I actually have a video on the goals that I had in place. So go check that out. If you think, if your mind works, that same way, tip number six is to get your eggs in different baskets, and I think that's more something that you should be thinking about long term during your first year.

You want to be very strategic with what you're focusing on so again. I would majorly put an emphasis on learning about SEO and getting your stuff on Pinterest. That is like really all that I would be focusing on the first year, focusing on those two things will allow you to get into that Ad Agency and just to get your bearings, I mean, like you, are constantly going to be updating your website and figuring stuff Out we are still learning stuff every single day here on, what's working, what's not working, Etc. But one thing that we have majorly learned is that it's so important to get your eggs in different baskets because of the control that the Affiliates and other social media platforms have on you. You know, like my Tick Tock example of them.

Just not wanting to show your stuff is a a really really great one, and another really great one is Amazon like Amazon is a huge affiliate for us and for some bloggers it was like their main source of income and two years ago, in 2020, Amazon slashed Their affiliate income commission rates from eight percent to three percent that is Major and literally killed. Some blogging businesses, and so we were really lucky in the fact that, like that was not only our source of income and we had multiple different streams. And so I'm very thankful for that. Looking back now and I would highly recommend um as you get to that like one to two year mark you start thinking about like okay. How am I going to have my eggs in different baskets to protect myself if something was to happen with one of my income streams - and I think that's just like a good tip in in life number seven is to research and test.

We test everything here. We are constantly testing like one of our one of my most said. Phrases probably is like let's test it and we are never afraid to test anything, but we majorly researched something and you are going to be experiencing so many algorithm changes. Every single platform has algorithm changes every year, and it's just something that you have to roll with, and the biggest thing that I see bloggers do wrong is that they will be an algorithm change like let's say on Pinterest, I have gone through like 10. Huge algorithm changes on Pinterest in the last five years and people panic like full on go in a panic.

I'Ve been there, I panicked before, and they will just change their entire strategy. And then you can't go back and see like what is working or what's not working. So when we test something, we do it very minimally like we will change a color or we will change a word or we will change the time of day that we post something or we will change how we write the first set like we are so small With it, and then we wait a few weeks to see if that worked or not, so that we can exactly pinpoint whether something or not is working but definitely don't be afraid to test things like you really can't go wrong with testing. You can always go back, but I think that you should just always be testing and never be afraid for something to like fail. Tip number eight is to get on Google analytics.

This is something that I didn't do from the very beginning, and I wish that I would have so get. Google analytics set up ASAP when starting your blog, because then you can track your stats from the very beginning. Google analytics is definitely the most comprehensive stats tracker. I don't know how to say it in a technical way, and it's insane all that Google analytics can show you. We barely skim the surface on it, but it is really really good for you to be able to look back on like what's working what sources of traffic are taking people to your website.

Um, your age, demographic, where people are coming from how many people are looking at your website so definitely get a Google Analytics tip number nine is to get your blog published ASAP. The fact of the matter is, is that in the beginning, it will probably only be your mom or your significant other, or maybe one of your best friends looking at your website, do not try to make it perfect. That is a huge mistake that I see you want to get your website published as soon as you can, because the longer that it's published the longer Google will have to figure out what your website is and push out your content um. So that is something that I highly recommend: don't worry about, making it perfect. If you would have seen my website when we when I first started it, you would die like it was so bad, but I just got it up there like.

I would even get it up there when you have only one blog post and then you just can continually add to it. No one is going to be looking at it probably for like months, but you want to have it up there so that you can start getting it like searched. Basically, number 10 prioritize, your Roi. I I've said this like three times on this video, but I was a college student. I was a full-time college student.

I was taking like 20 credits or something like that, and I was also working, and so I had to be so strategic with what I was spending my time on. So Roi is your return on investment. I did not do anything on my website for probably the first like two and a half years three years that wouldn't be a return on my investment at that point. In my life, if my investment was my time um, and so just everything that I did, I would think, is this going to make me money you're about page, do not spend a lot of time. Writing your about page, because that is not going to make you money and honestly, no one really cares about your about page.

This is another thing that I should have added in here. Is that no one cares about you? They only care about themselves, and so you have to make everything geared towards helping them. Everything that we do in our business is to be as helpful as possible to the reader or to the purchaser or to the follower or viewer or whatever it is and um. I think that, just like thinking about those two constantly will really help.

You grow your blog faster now to the actual, like tangible steps that I think that you should take to start your blog, I'm so specific with how I think you should do this, because you will thank me later on. I promise you you will. Thank me later on. These are things that I've learned and you will hate yourself if you have to go back and switch these in the future, because it will be it's just way easier to do in the beginning. It will be a pain in your if you have to do it later on when you actually have content on your website and photos, and it's just like a mess.

So these are the steps that you need to do. Okay, so step number. One is that you are going to want to start a wordpress.org blog, but how you start that wordpress.org blog is by getting a host that is attached to Wordpress.

So when I started my blog - and this is how I would completely recommend doing it today as well and how we basically have started all of our other businesses, websites, too, is to be to get your host on bluehost.com. So I have actually like a this - will probably be easier to follow in word form because you can just go down a list at least that's how my brain works. So in the description of this video, I have a like buy Sofia lead.com, how to start a blog and that will take you to a blog post that goes over these steps and like the links where you should be going Etc.

So Bluehost is the host that I would recommend, and I always use this as an example. It'S basically like the Walmart version of Hosting aka the cheapest host that you will be able to find again. I use them. It'S like two dollars and 95 cents a month, something like insanely, cheap and then, as you start actually making money, you can kind of go higher and higher with your hosting. So after I start after I hit 200 000 page views a month, so I was with Bluehost.

Until I hit 200 000 page views a month, then I switched over to Big Scouts as my host. But that cost me thousands of dollars a year where, like the Bluehost, one cost me like 36 dollars a year or like the 295 a month. Something like that and then Bluehost is attached to wordpress

Org, so, basically, by doing that, you own that website and even when you're going to like apply for brand Partnerships or your Ad Agency they'll ask you what your host is. You want to be able to say that you are using a WordPress blog Bluehost allows you to do that, they're all like integrated into each other, and that way your URL and so like, even in Bluehost, like that's, where you're gon na put like your website name. So they'll ask you like URL, and you can search like to make sure that the URL that you want is available or the website name you want is available, and so a you want.

The self-hosted WordPress blog, where a hosted WordPress blog, would be something like buy. Sofia, Lee Dot wix.com and the self-hosted one is just by Sophie lee.com. If that makes sense again like, I think, the blog post will be way, help more helpful and just like when you're actually signing up, because you can just go down the list of what to do.

Okay, then you're going to want to pick a domain and Blog name, that's in the process as well, and so this is going to be maybe frustrating because now so many people have like website names picked out um. I would highly recommend as much as you can to get a website that ends in.com like now. You can do dot, Co or Dot. I don't know there's like so many endings that you can do now.

Try to do a.com, also don't get funky with your name. Have it be an easy spelling if you try to get creative with your name, people are just not gon na know how to search it. They'Re gon na constantly search the wrong thing. So take some time with this.

I know that like this is also something you can go back to and figure out a name later on. You don't need to do it right away, um, but that's where you're going to want to pick a name and then pick a theme. So a theme is the way that your website looks so there's multiple places you can get themes. I got my theme from 17th Avenue and but you can also go to Etsy and search like WordPress themes that is going to be way cheaper than you hiring a website designer. I finally hired a website designer last year and it cost me thousands of dollars, but at that point we were making like seven figures on the website, a and even like we're still for our other parts of like our businesses like the Daily website.

That'S a theme, and there are so many website designers, doing themes. Now that you can have such you can find such a good theme in it. You can customize it with your colors. You can even add in your own fonts and that will get you the most professional looking website, the cheapest way and the fastest way um. So those are the four steps and then start writing blog posts.

Start writing blog posts right away, but I would just highly taking that route instead of doing like a Squarespace blog or a Wix blog. I can almost bet my life. Okay, that's a really strong statement, but seriously that's how much that I would put my place my bets on that one, that almost every single professional, blogger, blogger, making a ton of money is using a self-hosted WordPress blog. That'S the reason that I did in the beginning, because I was doing research just like you, and that is what all of the bloggers that were making like two hundred thousand dollars a month or something like that were starting their websites on. And so I was like.

Okay, well, if they're doing it, then I'm gon na. Do it too? So that's how I was that's how I would do it on my website. I have so many resources on blogging and I have free guides. I have the courses um and the courses courses.

No matter, if you buy my courses or if you buy someone else's courses, I swear to you. Taking courses was the reason why one of the main reasons why I was able to grow my blog so fast, because, instead of me trying to figure out something for six months or a year, I was able to take a course from someone that was very successful In whatever I was trying to learn and learn their strategy in like a week of taking their course, and then I could, you know like have it work with my type of content, and it just saved me so much time like there is just there's a lot Of time figuring out again, like I can't say it enough, like blogging, is all strategy. It'S not just you randomly being like. I want to write about this like nope. We are so specific with every single thing that we do on our website and it's took us a lot of time to learn it and it took the other bloggers of the courses that I was taking a lot of time to learn it too.

So um, I don't know, that's just my little tidbit on that. I would like babysit on Friday, nights and Saturday nights and on the weekdays or whatever, and I would just immediately put that money towards taking courses and it majorly paid off. So that was a really good investment, but that is my top tips and the steps that I would do to start a blog in 2023. Definitely, let me know if you have questions below in the comments. We look at all of the questions and that's actually how we come up with these video ideas, and so whatever you want to see, let us know it's extremely helpful, but I just think that blogging is one of the best things that you can do for your Career or for your business, it runs the world and websites run the world, and I mean I even think about like I am constantly searching on Google every single day like I search how to what temperature should I pick a chicken breast at you know like that.

Will take me to a Blog and even like the best dog foods like if you want to start uh blog on dogs, like think about what that could take you, because then you can start a blog on dogs right how to start or the best dog food And then, like, let's say in the future, you start a huge dog food company like that all started and gave you the credibility from starting your blog. So I highly recommend it. I think it can do huge things for your career for your businesses and it's like a really exciting and fun path to take. So that is the end of this video. I will see you at next week's vlogging, video.

As Seen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjf2q9C17BI&t=730s