Have you been kicking around the idea of starting a blog? Is it something you’ve been putting off for months? Now’s the time to bite the bullet and just go for it. Here’s why I think today is the perfect day to take the next step.
I started Oui In France back in 2012 and didn’t have any expectations about what this blog would become. I had no idea if I’d enjoy running a blog or if anyone would read my posts, but I’m here 6+ years later and I love blogging today just as much as I did when I started. I took the first steps and just started writing, not really having much of a plan. You don’t need to have it all figured out to start!
To cut to the chase, my hosting provider Siteground is having a HUGE BLOWOUT SALE for Black Friday, so if you are serious about starting a blog and are keen on saving money, it doesn’t get much better than this. But more on that in a sec.
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If you want to start a blog but haven’t actually taken action yet, maybe the reasons below ring true for you:
- You don’t feel ready yet. You don’t have a plan. You feel like there’s still so much to learn.
- You’re not sure what to write about or even what to call your site. You’re not sure you have anything to say.
- You’re a procrastinator.
- There are already a ton of blogs out there.
- No time/haven’t made it a priority.
- Scared to try.
Despite the reasons I listed above, the idea of starting a blog intrigues you. You haven’t started yet but you want to… someday. The best time to start was yesterday. Second best time? It’s right now. Really.
If you want to start a blog, this is why you should seriously consider taking the first step today. My incredible host SiteGround is running their best promo of the year that you don’t want to miss out on. Plans are 75% off through Nov. 26, 2018 with plans starting at about $3/month. That’s CRAZY! A domain name and hosting are two musts when you start a blog. I highly recommend SiteGround for both.
Simply put, a domain name is your unique slice of real estate on the web that starts with www. It’s what you type into your browser, or your site name. Mine is www.www.ouiinfrance.com.
Hosting is what makes your site come alive. It’s where your files are stored and is what powers your site. Think of a domain and hosting like your mobile phone number and service provider. You may have a phone number (domain) but without a service provider (hosting), you can’t call anyone or send texts.
Note: Free is never better although it might be tempting to go the free route when you start out. There are a bunch of reasons why you should self-host your blog. It’s the difference between having control of your own domain and owning your content versus not. I know of bloggers who have Blogger or WordPress in their web address (free platform, wordpress.com) and they violated the terms of service without knowing it, thus losing years of content with no recourse. While a free site may work now, down the road, you may be limited in terms of advertising, plugins and other functionality, customization, etc. so it’s better if you set yourself up correctly with a domain name from day 1. It’s simple to do and not very expensive.
All hosts are not created equally, and I found that out the hard way when I was hacked a couple of years ago. Small sites can get hacked too and you need a responsive host who is on you side. It’s worth a few extra dollars/month for that peace of mind. And with this promo, we’re seriously talking about just a few dollars per month.
Most of the time you won’t need to contact your host for day-to-day things, but if you get hacked or have tech issues, it pays to have a reliable, customer-focused company to support you. The developer who fixed my site recommended that I switch my sites’ hosting over to SiteGround. I wholeheartedly recommend them for newbies and seasoned bloggers alike and cannot praise them enough. Yes, I’m an affiliate and am proud to share why I use SiteGround myself. The customer service can’t be beat either.
With plans starting at $2.98/month, you can’t go wrong. I can’t stress enough what an amazing promo this is. 75% off plans is a big deal!
Don’t let fear or procrastination get the best of you if you have your mind set on starting a blog.
We’ve all started from zero. As I mentioned, I jumped right in without too much of a plan because I had a lot to say about my new life in France back in 2012. I knew it would be an uphill climb but that excited me. There was a time when Oui In France had only a handful of posts, about 4 readers and followers, and 2 comments but that slowly changed. When you put in the work a little at a time, you’ll make progress and build up your site. I did and there’s nothing special about how I approached blogging. It’s manageable in little bites.
Write what you know. Keep at it. Set a schedule for yourself.
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Blogging has been an incredible outlet for me and starting Oui In France was one of the best things I’ve ever done. It’s allowed me to share ideas and connect with all of you out there. Being able to entertain, inform, and inspire readers is something I’ll be forever grateful for and has been an incredibly rewarding journey. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself, so thank you for being here.
If you are looking to share some of yourself with the world and create something, you should do it. You’ll get so much satisfaction out of it. This goes double if you live a bit of an isolated life. So let me be the one to give you a little push that’ll get you started.
Get your site going today and you will save 75%. Who doesn’t like saving money?
It’s never too late to start a site if you have a point of view. The blogging world is NOT too saturated. If you have something to say, say it. Thoughtful, interesting, helpful content is always going to rise to the top. People who are dedicated to what they do will be seen. If you take your work seriously, that’ll show through.
So stop thinking and start doing. I’m here for you!
That’s interesting that you say these things, because I feel like blogging is starting to fall out of fashion in favor of Instagram over the past year or so. There are so few blogs that I used to read that still post anymore – it’s a bit sad. Have you found this to be the case as well?
I think that having your own platform is really important. If Instagram shut down tomorrow, a lot of people would lose their voice. I personally am not very active on Instagram and find it really impersonal and fast. All about scrolling and double tapping and moving on in two seconds. Maybe blogging is less popular than it was 10 years ago, but I am still active and I enjoy it just as much as I did when I started. 🙂