Starting a blog – what I wish I’d known | The Aimee Effect

Starting a blog was a HUGE thing for me, I mean I was the shyest person around and I was so embarrassed by starting my very own site that people could see. It was only a couple of weeks ago when I was finally brave enough to share my blog with people. I honestly wish I’d known what I know now 5 years back, but I don’t regret anything I did…I got here in the end!

If you or anybody you know is currently in the dilemma of wanting to start a blog but are way too shy and care about what others think too much, please please read on. I’m hoping even if this doesn’t help anybody right now, then it will in the future. 

5 things I wish I’d known before starting a blog

• Lots of people are in the same situation and will support you whilst getting started

Obviously, I knew I wasn’t gonna be the only one starting my blog when I did. Hundreds of people are setting blogs up every single day so you’re not on your own. It’s also super easy to make friends when blogging by liking and commenting on their posts, the majority of them will notice this, check out your site and start to support you on your journey.

• Invest in Instagram

I’m not saying you 100% need to set up an IG account but it sure helps. It’s a super-easy way to connect with others in your niche and ask like-minded people to check out your blog. I set up my Insta 4 years into my blogging journey but have only just recently started to post and interact on there and I’ve gained a lot of followers in a very short time. Trust me when I say ‘invest in Instagram’.

• Self-hosting is the way

I didn’t want to invest in self-hosting when I first started blogging, so I waited until I knew I could keep a consistent schedule. I don’t think you necessarily need to be self-hosting whilst you’re building your follower base, but I think in the future it’s a lot more beneficial. 

• Do your keyword research

Silly me was very blind to this, I didn’t know how I was supposed to research keywords or anything. I’ve done a hell of a lot of googling about keyword research and there are so many amazing tools on the web. If you don’t already know, Neil Patel has some of the BEST advice when it comes to SEO and keyword research. I’d definitely recommend you check him out if you’re like me and know nothing!!! 

• Nobody is going to be-little you 

Being an extremely timid person meant that I was embarrassed to share my content with people I know as I was afraid they’d judge me or even worse ‘be-little’ me. I’ve always cared about what others think of me but it turns out people actually wanted to support me! If someone had told me this when I first started blogging I wouldn’t have believed them, but I was wrong this whole time. 

That’s all I have to share, for now, hopefully, this has helped you in one way or another….I hope it has. Go and smash your blog and remember to always believe in yourself!