The 411 for stay at home wives who want to start a blog.
I’ve recently begun my journey of moving from a full time nursing career spanning more than 20 years in healthcare to becoming a stay at home wife and setting up a blog. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re considering starting your own blog, and I’m here to tell you that YOUR STORY MATTERS – the most important thing is just to get started!
Resist the Clickbait
Forget about those CLICKBAIT POSTS promising $10,000 a month whilst simultaneously trying to get you to buy in to tons of apps or add-ons that the brand new blogger really doesn’t need. Let’s focus on getting your blog up and running without breaking the bank. Ready? Let’s dive in!
Don’t buy ANY new equipment just yet! – I started this blog on an iPad!
Before you start: I’m going to say this very loudly for those at the back – DO NOT BUY ANY EQUIPMENT TO START WITH! Use what you have at hand – I used what I already had – my awesome and seriously quite powerful M4 iPad Pro that I already had as my only ‘computer’, a Magic Keyboard, an Apple Pencil Pro and an embarrassingly old iPhone to start my website (the same one you’re reading now!)
I didn’t go out and buy the newest MacBook or the best camera because honestly I had just left my job, didn’t have the funds to spare as I was in the middle of a move from the UK to the USA and I really didn’t know if I was going to enjoy blogging enough to stick to it (spoiler alert – I ended up LOVING blogging and can’t imagine wanting to do anything else!)
[ad] Click on the links below to view these products on the Amazon website:
Don’t worry about the successful mega-bloggers you see on YouTube who recommend all the fancy gadgets just knuckle down, make the most of what you have and spend your first 4-8 weeks doing the following steps to launch your blogging business. Remember you can absolutely upgrade your equipment later but the best thing you can do right now is start!
Step 1: Pick a Niche
First things first – you need to pick a niche. I know I know – hardly revolutionary advice but just know this is more than just choosing a topic; it’s about identifying what your future readers want to know. Think about what excites you, what you’re passionate about, and what you can talk about endlessly. Are you a whiz in the kitchen? Maybe you’re a DIY queen? Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you love, because you’ll be writing about it a lot!
It doesn’t need to just be one topic – it’s more about niching your audience – my audience niche is stay at home wives (or those who want to be) who like to read and be inspired by looking at what other stay at home wives are interested in, and people looking to start a blog. It makes it a whole lot easier to write for an audience you’ve identified (even if it’s just 1 person right now!)
Step 2: Buy a Domain
Next, you need a domain name – this is your blog’s address on the internet. I used GoDaddy.com because it’s affordable and user-friendly. Once you’ve chosen your domain name, grab it across all the social media platforms you plan to use. Consistency is key, so having the same name everywhere helps your readers find you easily and helps to build brand awareness. Don’t worry about activating all the social media platforms just yet, concentrate on your website and Pinterest for now.
Step 3: Register as a Business LLC
This step is crucial. Registering as an LLC limits your liability to just your business assets, protecting your personal assets. It might sound complicated, but it’s really not – there are plenty of resources online to guide you through the process. Make sure you also learn how to place disclaimers on your website and posts, especially if you plan to use affiliate links. This protects you legally and builds trust with your readers.
Step 4: Select a Hosting Plan
Your blog needs a home, and that’s where hosting comes in. I chose the BigScoots shared web hosting 105cc plan initially partly for its great value and near-zero downtime – it’s a great option for beginner bloggers with just 1 website to run.
There are many options out there, so do some research to find one that fits your needs and budget. Reliable hosting ensures your blog is always accessible to your readers. You can always upgrade to the fancy managed WordPress plans later but a shared plan will be just fine to start with. [ad] Click on my affiliate link to the BigScoots website below to view the options that might work for you:
Step 5: Use WordPress.org
Now, it’s time to build your blog! I used WordPress.org (again, not affiliated) to launch a self-hosted website (this is sooooooo important, you need a self-hosted WordPress.org site to be able to go on and monetize later so get this part right!)
It’s free and offers tons of customization options. Plus, there are countless tutorials available online to help you get started.
Don’t despair if you’ve found yourself on the WordPress.com platform for a season – read THIS helpful article about how you can still make it work for you until you can move from it.
Step 6: Pick a website theme
Your blog’s appearance matters, but you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a theme initially. There are plenty of free themes that look great and function well. I started with a free theme and later upgraded to the ‘Boutique’ theme from [ad] Restored 316 Designs and have no regrets (same theme you’re looking at now!). Their themes are beautiful, improved my blog site speed massively, come with a year’s worth of support and multiple online tutorials, and the support from their Facebook group is fantastic. But remember, a free theme is perfectly fine to start with and will help to keep your launch costs down.
Step 7: Create a dedicated workspace
I really had zero funds to buy any new furniture or create a dedicated home office but I knew I didn’t have the discipline to just work from the sofa without being distracted by whatever was on TV. So I made our dining area into a basic hot-desk for me and used a tray with my pens, pencils, paper, iPad and Apple Pencil to be able to quickly grab my blogging tools whenever I had a moment (see my set up below).
I have a fairly minimally styled home so this worked really well for me and I’m still using it 2 months later with no immediate plans to upgrade at this time because the whole point of me coming home from a career to be a stay at home wife was that I wanted to enjoy working in my home, serving my family and being present – it wouldn’t make much sense for me at this time to create a scenario where I needed to be off in a separate room for hours a day now would it?! Make it work for you.
(Edited to add – so many of you have reached out and asked about the sweet little cake ‘nest’ I’ve had for a couple of years now on my dining room table in the photo of my hot-desk set up above. It’s by Godinger and I simply adore it (I’ve been obsessed with all things birds for years!)
[ad] Click on the affiliate link below to view this product on the Amazon website:
Step 8: Just Start Writing! And don’t overuse AI.
This is where the magic happens. Start writing your content! Aim for four articles in your first month, each between 1400-1800 words as the sweet spot. Use tools like ChatGPT (Not affiliated) if you need help brainstorming ideas or fleshing out your articles. Create a few pins or graphics for each article to share on Pinterest and to help break up your article. This will help drive traffic to your blog.
I don’t use ChatGPT to write my content but I do sometimes run it through as an almost editorial function because I’m a Brit and I’m dyslexic – most of my audience is from the U.S. and so I can ask it to flag up and correct anything a U.S. audience may find confusing, or ask it to help me style what I’ve written for a particular audience. I think that’s really the best use of AI within blogging – you can REALLY TELL when people use them to write their entire articles that read like BOT comments – stay away from doing this.
If you’d like to learn more about how to overcome dyslexia as a blogger click HERE.
Step 9: Utilize YouTube Blogging and Pinterest Resources
Now it’s time to plug in to the blogging community and learn from those who are already successful, and journal with other newbies like me! YouTube is a goldmine for free blogging and Pinterest tutorials. You’ll find tons of creators who share valuable tips on everything from content creation to SEO.
As you watch, you’ll discover who you like and whose style matches your own. Later on, you can consider purchasing their courses to support them and gain more in-depth knowledge.
I highly recommend subscribing to the Farmhouse On Boone YouTube channel (not affiliated) for other stay at home wives looking to start a blog she has some great tips and courses that I later purchased which greatly improved my knowledge and also has a facebook community you can join when you purchase the courses that is very active and just so encouraging.
Step 10: Publish!
Don’t overthink it – just hit publish! Your first few posts might not be perfect, but that’s okay. You can always go back and edit or refresh them later. The important thing is to start sharing your content with the world.
You’ll hear lots of the YouTube bloggers talking about SEO (search engine optimization) and plugins and analytics – I’m going to be honest, these ARE important. BUT they are not important in your first 2 months.
In your first 4-8 weeks just get used to how to write an article, how to create pins, how to use your website editor etc. Just learn the tools AND THEN once you’ve mastered those then you can dig in to SEO and looking at what other topics people are interested in etc.
I wish someone had told me this when I first began because I spent about 5 weeks just fretting about learning all the terms when really I should have been publishing more articles and learning as I went.
So yeah – just get started! Publish! This is the brave part – go on, you can do it!
Step 11: Master Pinterest and Canva
Pinterest is a powerful tool for driving traffic to your blog, especially when you’re just starting out. Create eye-catching pins using Canva – it’s an easy-to-use design tool. I recommend upgrading to Canva Pro (not affiliated with Canva or Canva Pro) for even more features and convenience. As your blog grows, consider using a paid Pinterest scheduling tool like Tailwind to save time and maintain a consistent posting schedule but you 100% don’t need to do this at first.
Step 12: Focus on Starting, Not Monetizing
Finally, don’t stress about monetizing your blog right away.
Ignore the temptation to believe all the clickbait YouTube channels and articles. Yes, making money from your blog is possible, but it’s more important to focus on creating great content and building your audience first. The money can come later.
Enjoy the process of blogging, learn as you go, and let your passion shine through in your writing. If blogging was easy then everyone would do it – it’s still going to take time and you’ll need to put serious hours and work in to make it successful.
Takeaway
I hope this has inspired you to take the leap and set up your own blog. Remember, the most important thing is to get started. Have fun with it, and don’t worry too much about perfection. You can always improve and grow along the way. Good luck and if you’re a new blogger too I’d love you to share your blogs or Pinterest profiles with me below and I’ll give them a visit (every website view counts right?!)
