Resources
Boy, how I wish I had the info I do now! The first few years of blogging I felt like someone blindfolded me, gave me a general idea of where I was suppose to go, spun me around a few times and said, “There! Figure it out!” Yeah . . . I tried, and failed over and over. Finally I found some amazing resources and determined this was it, time to get serious! I’m hoping you can avoid the pitfalls and mistakes I made with the tools and services listed below. With them you can start out strong and make an impact (and income) quicker than I did! Ultimately it’s all about passion. If you have passion for something you can be successful, and everything I mention below will be your building blocks, the foundation for making your blog great!
My opinion of the products listed are 100% my own. My recommendations are based on purchasing and using the products and sites myself. I would never recommend something I don’t believe in, or have never used. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
BUILDING A FRAMEWORK: THE ULTIMATE BLOGGING HANDBOOK
Abby’s course is life changing. I cannot recommend it (and her!) enough. My mom suggested the course to me after she took a different eBook course Abby offers. I want to take the before me by the neck and shake some sense into myself and yell “Spend the money and know the things!!!!” Before taking it I knew a lot about a few key blogging point, and little to nothing about everything else. And it’s SO HARD to figure everything out by yourself. You could do it, maybe, but it would take so much more precious time, time you could be working to implement it all if you were taking the course. She goes through the whole shebang about starting a blog, to aesthetics, to affiliate marketing, to email systems and opt-ins, even taxes and legal info. Pinterest Rich Pin certified? Say what? Things you don’t even realize you need, she shows you. Comprehensive is an understatement. This course was the game changer that made my blog what it is today. Take it, thank me later!
WORDPRESS.ORG
This is the best platform for running your site on. It gives you the most control and the best ability to monetize your blog. Other sites you essentials “rent” space and thus the site owns your work, and can take it down at any time. Don’t put a ton of effort into something that can be ripped from you. wordpress.org (not .com) allows you complete control.
Restored316
This is a site with feminine WordPress themes for female entrepreneurs. I had always ran free themes on my sites prior to purchasing a Restored theme and wow, I had no idea what I was missing! Their themes are so user friendly, significantly more than the free themes I used in the past that came with absolutely no help. Any questions I had about installation or aesthetics were answered promptly and their instructions were always easy to understand. This blog is operating 100% how I envisioned it to because of Restored316. I’m currently using the Glam Theme.
SIGHTGROUND HOSTING SERVICE
I know way to much about hosting services. I started out with HostGator for my first blog. In the beginning they were good but as the years have passed I’ve found their quality to have deteriorated significantly, until just recently (I still have my fist blog through them.) they gave me horrible customer service. I will be switching my first blog to SightGround soon! I’ve also had Host Daddy and although they are okay, they’re just not up to par with SightGround.
HOVER DOMAIN SERVICE
Domain service is where you “buy” your website name. Once it”s yours, it’s yours forever. You can purchase your domain name from SiteGround, but one thing I learned from Abby in her course is it’s good to diversify your account info so if for some reason one of your service providers goes down you still have info for your site with other services. You don’t want to lose what you’ve worked so hard for!