There is so much to learn when you start blogging. Don’t panic, you just need to chip away and learn as you go. Luckily, if you have the right tools, you can know your hard work won’t go to waste. That’s why I pick products and services that are reliable and well-respected.
This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up using these links, I make a small commission that helps this blog keep going, without any change of cost to you.
Setting Up a Blog
There are a ton of programs out there that will teach you how to start a blog. It took Suzi Whitford’s Start a Mom Blog course.
Without her course, I wouldn’t have a blog. She walks you through every step of the process from picking a name, getting hosting, creating a favicon, making printables, etc. She’s regularly updating the content in the course so you pay once and have a wonderful resource for life.
Web Design – StudioPress
I wanted a website with reliability and a good reputation for stability and function. That’s why I chose to do a Genesis Framework with a the Refined Pro Theme. WordPress does a great job of offering combinations.
If you plan on making multiple websites, the StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package is your best bet as you get all their themes for one single purchase.
Web Hosting – Siteground
If you want to make money from your blog, it is absolutely essential to have a self-hosted website and that means using a service like Siteground. I used them to purchase my domain, set up my WordPress account and start blogging! From the start, Siteground has been easy to navigate and with my GrowBig plan, I was able to quickly made another website for just a little more. The customer service has been fantastic too when I couldn’t quickly find the answer.
Dare to Conquer Blogging Course & Community
Dare to Conquer or DTC is a super active blogging “course” and community. Calling it a course is inadequate since Scrivs and Marybeth cover every topic under the sun. Lots of bloggers will hear about both DTC (formerly Billionare Blogger’s Club or BBC) and Elite Blog Academy. I haven’t tried EBA since I heard how involved Scrivs is in DTC.
Regular webinars, constant additions to the DTC vault, and a super active community on Slack are pure gold, especially since you only pay once.
To get a feel for Scrivs’ teaching style, here is a link to his free 12-Day Blogging Bootcamp.
Affiliate Programs
I recently signed on with ShareASale and it couldn’t be easier to find merchants, affiliate links, and banner ads for a variety of merchants. Don’t waste your time searching millions of websites for the ‘right’ person to ask about the affiliate program. This puts you directly in touch with merchantmen. I have found that some programs, like Etsy, do not sign affiliates with new bloggers but there are plenty to take their place. I take the affiliate programs seriously and only join ones that I know I can support. Take a look around ShareASale to see if it fits your blog.
I also signed on with Rakuten Marketing, PepperJam, and CJ.
Stock Photos
Sometimes it’s impossible to get the right photo at just the right time. You might not be able to take a photo of people hiking when you are writing a post at midnight. Enter stock photography. One great site is Deposit Photos. They have a mix of photos, vectors, and videos. Here is my referral link.
