5 Things To Know Before Starting A Blog: Avoid Common Mistakes

If you’ve been researching on Pinterest about how to create a blog, you’ll probably have seen pins claiming you can start one in 30 minutes. The truth is, there are several things to do before starting a blog and launching it.

It will take you much longer to really get it all right from the start. Planning is key to a successful blog.

Stats from 2009 showed that 60% to 80% of new blogs were deserted within one month. I suspect that these stats are still true to this day.

I don’t want to scare you away with this little truth nugget. Blogs may seem easy to run, but there are many moving parts behind the scenes. It’s important to know the pros and cons of blogging.

So, what are the things to do before starting a blog that set you up for success?

These five essential things to know before starting a blog, and steps to take, help you create a solid foundation. Less stress, worry and back-tracking: you’ll be ready to start blogging and building your blog into a dream online business.

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links, meaning if you click on a product or service, and decide to purchase it, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All recommended products and services are based on my positive experience with them. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.

Two Things NOT To Do Before Starting A Blog

Before you start creating your plan, I want you not to do this thing:

Do not try to recreate somebody else’s blog.

For a number of reasons, this is a bad idea:

• You risk plagiarising, which can lead to legal issues down the road.

• If it’s in the same niche, people will notice the similarities.

• You have your expertise and knowledge to share. Build your own personal brand! Don’t try to be an “expert” on a topic that you know nothing about.

When you create a blog that’s about something you are passionate about and knowledgeable about, it will be a success!

Otherwise, you’ll start feeling like an impostor.

Learn how to write your first blog post like a pro and kick-start your blogging journey on the right foot.

Related: Top Reasons To Stop Stealing Content From Other Bloggers

Do Not Expect The Money To Roll In

The second thing you should know before starting a blog is that you won’t be making much money in the beginning, if at all.

This is completely realistic and acceptable.

Starting a blog requires time and effort before it’s very profitable. Without time and patience, you’ll find yourself discouraged that you’re not making the thousands that you’ve seen promised somewhere on a Pinterest pin.

Based on my own experience, as well as that of many other professional bloggers, the first year is always one where you’re building the foundation for long-term success.

Great blogs take time to start and grow. However, don’t obsess, as it can lead to blogger burnout.

So, make sure you’re thinking realistically about your short- and long-term blog goals.

RELATED: The Reality of Making Money With A Lifestyle Blog

What To Do Before Starting A Blog: 5 Steps

It’s time to get started on things to do before starting a blog.

My goal is to help you figure things out in advance so that when it comes to getting started, you’re feeling confident and ready to go.

Let’s jump in, shall we?

Step 1. Define Your Ideal Reader

Before picking a blog niche or blog name, determine who you’re writing for.

Write one short sentence describing your ideal reader:

“I write for ____ who wants to _____.”

For example, here’s mine: “I write for new and growing bloggers who want to confidently work on growing their blog into businesses.”

This is the basis of your mission statement, your categories, blog topics and even your blog’s tone of voice.

Have more than one audience? Create 2 to 3 reader profiles (name, age, core problem, desired outcome). This will help you keep on track with the content you create.

Commonly Made Mistakes: New bloggers who skip this step end up writing for themselves, and not their specific audience. Content ends up not having a common purpose and messaging that resonates with readers. Site visitors end up being confused as to what your blog is about and how it can help them.

Step 2: Determine Why You Want To Start A Blog

A core thing to do before starting a blog is to ask yourself, “Why am I starting a blog?” What is its purpose?

Most people begin blogging for three key reasons:

1. Desire to share their experience with others. They want to inspire others. Sometimes bloggers want to do an “online journal” approach.
2. Blogging on topics they love. With the potential of monetizing it.
3. As a business promotion strategy. Their blog will attract potential new customers.

I made the mistake of not considering my “Why”. My first blog was the first type, where people just share thoughts, opinions or their experiences. I spent months later on, moving from a free platform to WordPress.

This is fine. The reality is that these kinds of “journal” blogs get little traffic unless you are Seth Godin, and already a guru in your own field.

The second type is one that’s popular with many bloggers. They love a core niche topic and can easily share tips with others. You can be a food blogger specializing in baking or an expert in frugal DIY tips for home decor.

Monetizing this kind of niche blog is best through ads, affiliate links, selling digital products and brand-sponsored content.

The final reason is straightforward – you have a business. Blog content is good for SEO, discovery and providing value for potential new customers.

Your blog becomes a way to generate awareness and interest in you and your business offerings. You do this by showing your readers that you can provide them with valuable insights and more if they decide to work with you.

Commonly Made Mistakes: Determining the goal of your blog early on saves you time. You don’t have to switch from a free to a self-hosted site; you’re more focused on creating content that resonates with a specific audience. When choosing to blog for money, avoid going too broad, like with a “lifestyle blog”. It’s harder to monetize it.

Step 3: Decide On Your Website Hosting

Before starting a blog, a key consideration is your website hosting. There are several options for hosting, ranging from free to paid. However, you need to consider whether you will be monetizing your blog or not.

Bloggers who want to make money blogging, often make the mistake of starting off with a free blogging platform. This ends up limiting them in the long run.

Here are the best considerations:

• For personal blogging with no intention of monetizing, consider a free platform like WordPress.com.
• Niche blogging with monetization, use a self-hosted WordPress blog.
• For promoting your business, your website ideally should be a self-hosted WordPress website.

To create a self-hosted WordPress site, use reputable hosting providers such as either of these:

• NameHero. Great customer service, an independent hosting company with fast servers. For anybody serious about blogging long-term and scaling it up to a business.
• Siteground. Another great hosting provider, with fast servers and very good up-time.
• BigScoots For professional bloggers seeking a fully-managed hosting provider, proactively working on ensuring your site is running top-notch. Can be a bit pricier, but the customer service is top-notch.

Although there are other blog platforms such as Wix or Squarespace, WordPress has the most flexibility, tools and resources to help you monetize.

From setting up a shop with WooCommerce to integrating with third-party digital selling platforms, WordPress lets you scale easily.

Take your time to figure this out. Your decision will affect all of the other things to do before starting a blog.

Once you choose a hosting provider, your next step will be choosing your blog name and domain.

Commonly Made Mistakes: Things to consider before starting a blog – whether to invest now or later in a self-hosted blog. Many new bloggers who want to make money decide on using free platforms or basic hosting packages. Many hosting companies offer deep discounts when you lock in a hosting package for more than a year to start. It’s a great way to save money. You can begin recouping the hosting costs in your second year of blogging.

Step 4: Defining Your Niche and Choosing A Blog Name And URL

Before starting a blog, you should have a plan in place with your niche clearly defined. You start with your “Why” and ideal reader, and move to determining exactly what you’ll be blogging about.

Ask yourself, “What kind of expert would I be known as to my readers?”

For example, I want to be known as a blog coach and blogging strategist.

For this next step, you’ll be doing two things:

• Determining your blog niche. Define it and commit to focusing solely on it.
• Choose your blog name and URL. Research potential names and what .com domains are available.

You want to get this right: you don’t want to have to rebrand your blog soon after launching it.

These questions will help you choose your niche:

• What are you most passionate and knowledgeable about?
• What topic do you see yourself blogging about three years from now? Five years?

Go back to your “Why” as this is the topical area you’ve already decided on. Niching down helps with SEO and it helps you build a following of interested readers.

When choosing your blog name, make sure it aligns with your niche.

Read more on my tips to choose the BEST blog name for you, as well as the perfect URL, in my post on how to start a blog.

Commonly Made Mistake: Before starting a blog, bloggers sometimes fail to check to see if somebody has already used their preferred blog name for their social media accounts. It’s easier for people to find you if you use the same URL and account handle.

| RELATED: The Best, Profitable Lifestyle Blog Niches And Their Sub-Niches

Step 5. Set Up Your Legal Pages

The final step of the top five things to do before starting a blog is to understand what it takes to blog legally.

Before you can officially make your blog go live, you need to set up your legal pages. These are the:

• Privacy Policy: tells your site’s visitors how you collect and use their information
• Disclaimer: lets the visitor know what they can or can’t do with your site’s information, and discloses affiliate programs, commissions or other third-party links on your site.
• Terms & Conditions: states the rules of your site, covering your intellectual rights, etc.

You can get easily customizable legal pages that work in the US, Canada and internationally from Amira at A Self Guru.

Read more about why you need legal pages (keep yourself from being potentially sued or fined for BIG $$), and about my review of the Legal Pages Bundle.

Commonly Made Mistakes: To create your legal pages, publish them as pages, not posts. These are static pages that you’ll probably not need to change at any time in the future (unless there is a new policy or legal requirement).

Set A Realistic Blogging Budget

One of the key things to know before starting a blog is the costs involved with running a blog. For this, you will need to do some research.

If you’re blogging on a free platform, you can skip this. However, if you’re going self-hosted, here are some general costs to get you started:

Starter Budget Essentials ($125 – $200/year)

• Domain name (potentially free if part of your hosting package; paid $25)
• Web hosting (depending on your package, but basic ones for the first year, $100)
• A premium lightweight theme (optional – consider the free Kadence theme)
• Essential tools (sharing plugin – Hubbub Lite, email provider – MailerLite, Canva, stock photos — all have free options available)
• SEO tools (RankMath, Yoast plugins are both free)

Optional Extras To Invest In As You Grow

• Premium plugins — WP Rocket, if your theme is slowing down your site
• SEO tools – Keysearch.co for keyword discovery
• Paid stock photo memberships – check out feminine stock photo sites and memberships when ready to scale up
• Courses or coaching – let’s connect when you’re ready to work with a blogging coach

You don’t need everything on day one. Choose your essentials and grow from there.

PRO TIP: When you’re ready to take the next step, check out my list of reviewed and recommended blog resources and tools.

Get Started Content Planning: Key Questions Answered

Before starting a blog, consider what kind of content you’ll be writing for your chosen niche.

There are a few questions beginner bloggers have before starting a blog:

• How many posts do you need before you launch a blog? That’s up to you. You can have zero if you like. However, I always recommend having at least three blog posts on your site. Read more about the ideal number of blog posts for your blog launch and reasons why three is a good idea.
• Where do I find blog post ideas? There are many resources for blog content. Start by brainstorming topics and searching them on Google. The autofill in the search indicates topics that are popular.
• Should I write my first blog post about why I started the blog? No. Jump right into a cornerstone post on one of your core topics. Move the “why” story to your About page. Write an awesome first blog post that readers actually find valuable. It’s a bonus if it’s an evergreen blog topic.

Get inspired for blog content with this list of blog topics:

Over 200 Lifestyle Blog Post Ideas

300+ Mom Blog Post Ideas

60+ Travel Blog Post ideas

100+ Food Blog Post Ideas

Consider your blog categories before you start writing. Organize your site structure by creating category buckets and then writing blog posts for each category.

Finally, research what it takes to write great blog posts:

How To Write Great Blog Posts That Engage Readers

Now that you have a solid list of things to do before starting a blog, the next step is to dedicate a day to planning.

What To Do Before Starting A Blog Checklist

Here’s an overview of the next key steps as you get ready to start your blog.

Define your ideal reader

• Write one-sentence ideal reader statement: “I write for ___ who want to ___.”
• Create 1–3 short reader profiles (name, age, core problem, desired outcome)

Determine your why

• Decide your blog’s main purpose: share/journal, niche + monetize, or business promotion
• Set realistic short-term and long-term goals

Choose your blog niche

• Identify a topic you are knowledgeable and passionate about
• Confirm it aligns with your ideal reader
• Consider the long-term sustainability (3–5 years)

Brainstorm blog name & URL options

• Generate 5–10 potential names
• Check domain availability (.com recommended)
• Ensure the name is flexible for future content growth
• Check social media handles for consistency

Research content ideas

• Write down 10–12 post ideas in your chosen niche
• Consider categories and types of content your readers would find helpful
• Note potential ways to monetize content in the future (optional at this stage)

Set a basic blogging budget

• Estimate costs for a domain and hosting (even if you’re not ready to purchase yet)
• Decide which free or paid tools you might want later (email provider, design, SEO)

Check competitors & inspiration

• Review other blogs in your niche
• Identify what works well and where you can offer something unique

Avoid common mistakes

• Don’t skip defining your ideal reader
• Don’t choose a name before checking domains and social handles
• Don’t commit to a blog niche that’s too broad for your audience

Launch Your Blog Successfully!

My hope is that this post on what to do before starting a blog has inspired you to get started ASAP!

You have a plan, an activity list and a general idea of things to do before starting a blog. If at any point you’re stuck, it helps to work with a blogging coach — like me — to get a strategy and plan in place.

Not sure if blogging is still right for you? Read about 10 good reasons to start one. Get past blogging myths and start your blogging adventure.

Your next step — sign up to my free Start A Blog course & toolkit:

QUESTION: What questions do you have before starting a blog?

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