How I Started My Blog & How You Can Too

I’m finally spilling the tea on my blogging journey! I always get tons of questions on how I started my blog and what website I use and a bunch of other stuff, so let’s get into it. :)

Self-Hosted vs Hosted

When it comes to your blog, you have to decide whether you prefer it to be self-hosted or not. Both options are great depending on your needs and expectations.

Self-Hosted Blogs: $$

With self-hosted blogs, you have complete ownership and control over your blog. You choose your hosting provider, manage your server, and have the freedom to customize your blog extensively. This level of control is ideal for those who want full autonomy over their online presence.

Hosted Blogs: FREE

On hosted platforms like WordPress.com, Weebly, Wix, or Blogger, the platform retains a significant level of control. While you can customize within the platform’s parameters, you won’t have the same level of control over server settings and other technical aspects. (Which honestly isn’t much of a problem for personal blogs)

Hosted platforms also reserve the right to take down content that violates their terms of service. This could include anything from hate speech to copyright infringement. As someone who’s been on various social media platforms, it was very important for me to have control over my blog. Self-hosted sites greatly reduce the risk of censorship or deletion of content.

Sudani Diaries

WordPress

While my blog is self-hosted, it’s a WordPress blog. I absolutely love WordPress, the interface and layout is super easy to understand, and I find my blogging experience much more enjoyable than other sites I’ve previewed.

Creating a WordPress blog is pretty easy. When you create an account, they provide you a free domain that you can customize but still has their watermark (sudanidiaries.wordpress.com). They offer multiple free themes to choose from, but I’m personally not a fan. They’re really artistic and different which I think is great depending on your blog niche, but I doesn’t fit mine. I actually prefer Weebly’s, Wix’s, or Blogger’s free blog themes, but I prefer WordPress overall, and I don’t mind paying for a theme that suits my needs.

WordPress also has options to upgrade and buy your own domain or hosting through them. I think the free option is perfect for those who are blogging as a hobby or want a starting point.

Bluehost

The hosting provider I use is Bluehost. I absolutely love Bluehost, their customer service is great, I truly enjoy paying for my service. Anytime I had an issue, they solved it, and trust me I had many! Not because of them, but because I was so new to this, but their guidance and clarity really helped me understand my site and server more. Initially I paid $35 (discount) for a year of hosting but I’ve upgraded my service since then. They have different options depending on your needs and I love their seamless integration with WordPress. Now is the perfect time to try Bluehost, as they’re having an early Black Friday sale with up to 75% off on websites and more! This is limited time but I’m sure they’ll be more this holiday season.

At the start my blogging journey I had no idea what I use doing. I didn’t know much about hosting sites, SEO, WordPress, and so many other things but I stumbled across this Free Blogging Course: 5-Day Challenge for Beginners! (I def took longer than 5 days lol) Without it, this journey would’ve been so much harder, I urge you to try it out! If your blog is more for fun, not profit (like mine, no ads) and you still want to be self-hosted, you can just skip the monetization steps (google analytics). The blogging course includes discount codes for Bluehost, domains, and other things of that nature.

While I did set up my blog to be monetized, I decided against that when I realized I couldn’t control what ads would show up. I mean, imagine an ad for a relaxer/perm showed up on my natural hair posts? Or just weird ads I don’t agree with in general. I know there’s some regulation and control on what ads appear, but I don’t want to deal with that. Plus, I think my blog is much prettier and enjoyable without ads. :D

NameCheap

Per the blogging course, I got my domain with Namecheap. It was very cheap for my first year, I think $6? Then after that it’ll be around $13 a year which is pretty inexpensive for me. It was easy connecting it to Bluehost and getting my site to SudaniDiaries.com instead of BSKLJASFLKSJF. Lol.

Legal Pages

Gosh, I almost forgot! Legal pages! As a blogger, it’s very important to protect yourself legally as well as inform your visitors of how you use their information.

The 3 Essential Legal Pages

1. Privacy Policy
2. Disclaimer
3. Terms & Conditions

Legal pages might sound a bit formal, but they’re like the backbone of your blog, even if it’s just a personal one. Think of them as your blog’s “house rules.” A privacy policy lets visitors know you’re serious about keeping their info safe. A disclaimer is like a friendly heads-up that your content is for info, not legal advice. Your terms and conditions are basically your blog’s rulebook. It covers the nitty-gritty details like how people should behave on your site, what they can and can’t do with your content, and what happens if there are hiccups along the way. It’s your blog’s way of saying, “Here’s how we play the game, and here’s what happens if the rules aren’t followed.”

Even if your blog is all about you and your interests, these pages are like your blog’s safety net, making sure everyone has a good experience and you’re covered if any issues pop up.

I bought mine for about $150 from A Self Guru, if it says $197 wait until they offer you a coupon or there’s a sale, trust me there will be. There always is. But if you can’t afford to purchase them, there are free legal page templates available if you search for them (I wish I could link them here for you sorry!). It’s better that you have free ones, than none at all. If you’re a public figure or run a popular blog, it’s especially crucial that you protect yourself and blog legally.

WordPress Alternatives

Weebly

A great alternative to WordPress is Weebly. While I was customizing my current theme, Weebly blogs were a source of inspiration. I added a photo collage and “Recently,” because of the pretty Weebly blogs I saw. They offer simple yet beautiful designs. Weebly’s a great option if the WordPress interface isn’t your style. Weebly also has upgrade options for domains like WordPress if you don’t want their watermark (sudanidiaries.weebly.com).

Blogger/Blogspot

Blogger is yet another great blogging platform! I actually just checked it out for the first time, the interface is super user friendly and I set my blog up so fast! They have what I’d describe as beautiful themes and I love the blogging format. Websites do include the watermark (sudanidiaries.blogspot.com) and I don’t see an easy way to upgrade like WordPress but with a quick google search I see that it is possible. Again, I think options like these are great for personal blogs or beginners testing the waters.

Website Themes

If you’re not satisfied with the default themes or your own customization, I recommend using Etsy to find themes! It’s important to note that a majority of these themes are only compatible with Self-Hosted blogs, meaning not the free WordPress service. But they do have Blogger & Wix themes available. (Do check if that’s possible on free plan or if a upgrade is needed!)

Funny enough, writing this blog got me looking at other themes so if my blog is looking different, that’s why! The theme I first launched with in June is Freya from Sparrow&Snow. My new theme is Coraline from Sky And Stars. I also love 17th Avenue Designs themes. Make sure to read the description of a theme before your purchase, they clarify which platforms it’s for whether that’s WordPress, Blogger, Wix, etc. (There aren’t Weebly themes)

Get Started Writing Blogs

My blog was private for over a year, and I didn’t start actually writing blog posts that I felt good about until this spring. It can feel overwhelming but just pick a topic that’s easy for you to talk about, or something on tv you’ve been loving (or hating), maybe share tips and tricks on xyz, post your own art, writings, poems, literally anything you want!

If you’re nervous about the quality of your writing, that’s normal, but don’t let it deter you. The more you write, the easier it gets, and that’s how it is with everything. Besides, you don’t need to be a scholar to run a blog. That’s especially true if your audience likes casual fun writing. I guess it really depends on what type of blog you’re going for, is it more educational or a personal blog?

Either way, I think using a tool like ChatGPT to check your writing is super helpful! It’s also great for improving your blog titles, giving you alternative ways to say things, and overall informing you. For example, I ask ChatGPT questions, and follow up questions to learn more about certain topics or to verify my information. Of course, Google and Bing exist but I find ChatGPT faster and more reliable.

ANOTHER BIG TIP: Follow other bloggers!! I love that WordPress has so many users, I can just click discover or explore, even choose certain niches, and tons of blogs will appear. You can see what others are writing about and draw inspiration from that. Looking at other blogs has reminded me to be more laid back, not every blog post needs to be this big thing, it can just be something as simple as “My New Favorite Snack” or simply a blog sharing pictures, no words. (I’m totally making these two blog posts in the future loool)

If you don’t feel too confident while writing your first blogs, remember you don’t have to publish them. I have so many drafts that will never see the light of day. The fact that you’re writing is more important. As time goes by, you’ll feel better about your writing and won’t have trouble coming up with blog ideas. I mean, I literally wrote 4 blog posts today, and I’m supposed to be asleep right now, but here I am still typing away. Someone will have to drag me away at this point!

But seriously, I believe in you and wish you all the best on your blogging journey. Remember, not everything needs to be perfect so just have fun with this experience. You got this!!