If you have read my "What is Blogging?" post, you'd know that I have promised to do this entry. And now that I finally can, I hope you'll learn a little something from me. Keep in mind though that this post is for those who are interested in creating a blog using Blogger.com. 😉
A Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Blogger Blog
1. Sign up on blogger.com
Go to the Blogger website and click on the "Create your Blog" button. Sign up using your Google mail and then create a profile for Blogger. You are then lead to your Blogger Dashboard wherein you will see a "New Blog" button. Click it to create your blog and fill up the necessary details.2. Decide on what your Blog Name should be
Think of a unique name that you would like to call your little corner. This can make or break your blog so give it time and really think about it because it will be your brand once you launch your blog, and you will be living by it after. Take my blog for example. The Random Bibliophile has been my blog name since 2013, I think, and I've been living by it since then. It's perfect for me actually because while I really love books, I don't post solely all about it. That's why I'm the random bibliophile because I talk about some other things I like other than books. 😊
Did I ever tell you that my blog name used to be "Living in Random Thoughts"? It was my brand when I was still on Tumblr and it was really perfect for what I used to post. I've grown a lot since my diary-writing era and I just love learning new things day by day. Okay, so much for that, haha!
Once, I thought that I'd make my blog solely for books, or that it would be all for travel. But then, that idea didn't really work out because what I wanted my blog to be was for it to be a means of release of all the things that are running in my mind. I wanted it to be an outlet for my "creative" thinking. I wanted it to contain all my life's adventures. So now, it contains bits and pieces of me, of my love for books, and of my dreams to travel. And so, my blog is what it is right now. And even if it doesn't fit into any niches, I'm fine with it because everyone can create something unique, and I'd like to think I did. And I'm very proud of it.
Your blog can be anything you want it to be. Find what you love talking about, work at it, and refine it. 😊
3. Check the availability of your desired domain name and buy it!
While it isn't really essential, believe me when I say that having your own domain name is important, because it is! Having your own .com legitimizes you as a blogger, it would mean that you are serious about it and you are willing to invest in things to improve your site. I don't know about you but I've never felt happier when I purchased mine last August. Purchasing my own domain was a blogger achievement I've been wanting to reach since I started!4. Decide on topics that you will be blogging about
Before I made the decision to move to Blogger, I brainstormed on what possible topics I should be writing about on this new platform. What will be my pitch? What will be the things that I would be talking about for the next months to come that wouldn't bore the stuff out of those who would read it?Once, I thought that I'd make my blog solely for books, or that it would be all for travel. But then, that idea didn't really work out because what I wanted my blog to be was for it to be a means of release of all the things that are running in my mind. I wanted it to be an outlet for my "creative" thinking. I wanted it to contain all my life's adventures. So now, it contains bits and pieces of me, of my love for books, and of my dreams to travel. And so, my blog is what it is right now. And even if it doesn't fit into any niches, I'm fine with it because everyone can create something unique, and I'd like to think I did. And I'm very proud of it.
Your blog can be anything you want it to be. Find what you love talking about, work at it, and refine it. 😊
5. Find a nice template for your blog
Blogging is a way to express yourself, so how your blog looks like will reflect on your personality. It also is the first thing that people will see when they go to your site so it seals their first impression of you and your blog.
When I first made an account on Blogger (and that was way 2010), I didn't know how to use it. And compared to Tumblr, Blogger was ugly and confusing to use. I didn't like how it looked like and that is why I stuck with Tumblr because Tumblr was so customizable and I love customizing my blog to my liking. The codes were easier to understand and tweak, and I could make my blog look really pretty.
This year, though, I was determined to move so I rekindled my "relationship" with Blogger, and with the help of Google and a little bit of Youtube, I discovered a lot of quirks I didn't know Blogger has. Now, I am in love with it and I am contented to be using it, at least for now.
With all the free templates you can find, you won't have any trouble choosing one to your liking. There are also Premium Themes you could buy if you cannot find a free one that's good enough for you (like what I did). Here are some sites where you could find free ones: Sora Templates, ThemeXpose, Gooyabi Templates, etc.
6. Setup your About and Contact pages
Now, this is vital to every blog. How can people really know you and what your blog is about if you won't have an About Me page? How can people reach out to you if you don't have a Contact Me page? If you don't want people to find out your real identity, you could just really put out the very basics. Everyone would appreciate it, I know I do. 😉7. Prettify your sidebar (but not too much!)
Keep your blog as clean and as well-organized as you can. Your sidebar can have absolutely everything you want, just do not overdo it. Nobody likes a cluttered sidebar. Nobody wants messy ads all over your page. Nobody wants annoying pop-ups appearing every 30 seconds! But I'm not saying you shouldn't put any ads, you can if you want to, just keep them at the minimum. So maybe a little bit of an introduction to your blog, some of your social media links, a search bar, and some other stuff like Categories and a subscription box (maybe?) would be pretty enough on your sidebar for your new blog.8. Do a test run.
Now that you have everything you need to get started, do a test run before you officially launch your new site. You should probably post some photos, a text post, a text post with pictures, links, the whole shebang; so that you can see how these will look like on your blog. You can just then delete them and then you can do step number 9. :D9. Publish your first post and launch your blog
Finally, you are ready to launch your new site! Think of a great first blog entry, write it, proofread it, publish it, and be proud of yourself because you are now officially a blogger. Doesn't that sound grand? ^_^ Welcome to the blogging community!10. Love what you do!
Last and definitely not the least, love what you're doing. Blogging takes a lot of hard work and patience. It's easy to create one, running, and maintaining a steady flow of content is the real challenge here. But if you are passionate about sharing things and writing, then I believe you won't see blogging as work. Enjoy everything, learn every day, be proud of what you're doing because it's not easy to keep creating great stuff. *winks*
So that's it! I'm not really good at writing anything in technical terms, so I hope you don't mind if I included my personal views on each item. If you have questions, feel free to comment below or shoot me an email, I'd be happy to assist you in making your own blog. 😄
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