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You wouldn’t build a home by adding the roof first, the same way you shouldn’t start a blog without a purpose. Anything built without a foundation is built to crumble. Before starting your blog, finding out your purpose is the most important step. Your purpose doesn’t have to be anything profound. It can be as simple as “I dress cute and I want everybody to see me” or “I’ve discovered ways to look fabulous on a budget and I want to teach others how to do so as well.” It’s that simple.
When I started my first blog, before bellarosablog, I knew that I loved clothes and fashion, but also knew my parents were not willing to buy everything I saw on Tumblr and lookbook.nu. I borrowed clothes from my aunt’s closet, went to thrift stores and repurpose clothes to recreate my looks. At the time, I didn’t even know I had a purpose.
As I started to take my blog more seriously and learned more about blogging, I relaunched and started what is now bellarosablog.com. I was very intentional about my purpose for this blog and sat down and asked myself the following questions.
– What do I want to achieve with this blog?
– Where do I see this blog in the next 5 years?
– How much free time do I have to commit to this blog?
– Who are my ideal readers?
– What steps will I take to manage this blog?
I’ve created a printable worksheet that you can use to write your answers to these questions. I suggest downloading this sheet and use it as your blueprint.
In the next post, we’ll talk about which platform you should choose, the difference between WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and others.
Until then, if you want to know what platform I use, what apps I use on my socials and my cameras, check out my blogging resources page.
What to Expect in This Series
I’ve been blogging for 6 years and I’ve learned a lot. I decided to share all my knowledge for free to help other women like me start their own blogs.
Blogging for Beginners will be an ongoing series covering topics such as:
5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Blog- Choosing a Platform + Getting Started
- Creating your Brand Theme
- Promoting your Posts + SEO Basics
- Monetizing your Blog + FTC Rules
If you have any topics you’d like to see me cover in this series, be sure to shoot me an email (hello@bellarosablog.com) or shoot me a DM on IG (@bellarosablog).
As always, thank you for reading!
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Iām here for it! You are always answering my questions about blogging on IG. I really appreciate it! Some people like to withhold information.
You are right. I haven’t answered to any of those questions, yet. And I’m in my 3rd year of blogging… š Of course it’s on and off journey, and my blog is not a business but more social experience sharing and keeping my memories š But I see what’s missing.
Just starting on this journey so a great time to find you. š