Do you want to know How to Start a Blog?

When I began blogging in March 2012, I really had no idea what I was doing. By researching and with the help of blogger friends, I slowly grew to Call Me PMc. For new bloggers, I want to make it a little easier to find help. Below are resources on how to start a blog that I used and continue to use. You can find additional information in my Important Links tab.

For all my blogging information posts visit blogging resources.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means I will earn a commission if you purchase through them, this service is something I offer in order to pay to run callmepmc.com. It doesn’t cost extra for you to go through my affiliate links. 

A blog is the perfect place to share your thoughts, stories, and recipes with family and friends.

There are 3 easy steps to starting a blog:
1. Purchase hosting
2. Choose a domain
3. Install WordPress

1. Find a Host

The ‘host’ is where your site will be housed. It’s the garage for your car so to speak.

Unless you start your blog on Blogger (Google) you will need a host for your site. I recommend not using the free service, but investing instead in a Wordpress blog and host. Call Me PMc is hosted at Grits Design. I highly recommend Orange Geek, the service is impeccable. Check out their rates, they are very competitive and use my promo code it gives a new customer 10% off their first hosting purchase. Use promo code: callmepmc

I was on Bluehost’s Basic plan for 15 months then moved to the Prohost plan.

Once you decide on a host, you will decide on a plan. Most hosting companies offered tiered plans based on your traffic. If you are starting out, you will most likely need the lowest (cheapest) plan.

2. Choose a Domain

Think long and hard about the name of your site. It needs to be catchy and memorable. I chose www.CallMePMc.com. You can read how that is significant here. I would recommend going with a ‘.com’, something that is easy to say and easy to spell. I don’t recommend using hyphens or numbers, weird characters, or obscure words. If you’re having trouble, your name is always good.

3. Install your Blog

As I said, I recommend WordPress. You can choose different Blog Themes depending on your needs. At this point, unless you are computer savvy, I recommend hiring someone to help you set up your blog.

Programs I use

1. WordPress SEO by Yoast will help with SEO
2. Tailwind helps with social media scheduling, email, and graphics for photos.
3. I use PicMonkey for design.
4. Toby will help you manage links and notes.
5. Bootstrapped Ventures has a great recipe box plugin with support.
6. Lasso. Once you start using affiliate programs, Lasso is a must for managing all the affiliate links.

4. Tech Support

I use Robin at Grits Design to help me with backups, mess-ups, and the behind-the-scenes of my blog. I have a monthly plan with her so I can focus on developing content, while she keeps Call Me PMc in good shape.

5. Photography

Camera

Blogging is visual. That means good photographs are a must. When I started blogging, I knew nothing about blogging and I knew nothing about photography. I started blogging with a Canon point-and-shoot. After blogging for just over a year, I upgraded to a Canon Rebel T3 with a Canon EF 50mm f1.8 lens. This is a moderately priced camera, but with a little practice can give you very good photographs.
Update: the Canon Rebel T3 is out of production. I recommend this Canon EOS Rebel T7 DSLR Camera.

I recently upgraded to the Canon EOS R10 and this Canon RF100mm F2.8 L Macro lens.

I wrote this post, Photography Essentials, as a reference for you regarding all my photography and digital creation equipment.

Photography Tools

I use PicMonkeyto edit my photographs. You can use Lightroom or different photo editing software, but I find PicMonkey to do all that I need. You can use the free service or upgrade to Royale which has more tools to use. There are two prices for Royal $4.99 per month or $33 per year. If you’re starting out, I recommend giving this a try before sinking lots of money into another service. You can sign up for PicMonkey here