Are you wondering how you can stop looking like a beginner in the blogging world?
Then this post is for you!
I’m sharing eight tips that will help you look like a professional blogger from the beginning.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.
How to look like a pro blogger from the beginning
Before we get into the post I just wanted to say that there is nothing wrong with being new in the blogging world and looking like a beginner.
We’ve all been there.
We all start at the same place (even though it might seem like that’s not the case, but it is! )
We’ve all been new and clueless and that’s totally normal and okay.
Blogging is a journey and you learn as you go.
BUT if you want to be taken seriously and turn your blog into a business one day, you should try to make your blog look professional from the beginning.
Now that I’ve quickly explained that, let’s get into the post.
Here are eight things that will make you look like a professional blogger!
Get your own domain name
The first step of looking like a professional blogger is getting your own domain name.
Nothing screams a newbie more than having a yourblog.wordpress.com.
Instead you should invest a small amount of money and get your own domain name that would look like yourblog.com.
See the difference?
Having your own domain name instantly makes you look more professional and serious.
Buying a domain name is quite cheap and you can get your own domain name for only $8.88 a year by clicking HERE.
Go self-hosted
Having your own domain name is good but going self-hosted is even better.
What does it mean to go self hosted? you might be thinking
Being self-hosted means that you don’t use someone else’s platform (e.g wordpress.com or blogger.com) to host your blog, instead, you use a hosting company to host your blog for you.
What is the difference? Why should I go self hosted?
There are many different reasons why a self-hosted blog is a better option but the most important one is the fact that YOU own your blog.
If you have a blog on a free blogging platform you don’t actually own your blog, they do.
Another reason why a self-hosted blog is a better option is the fact that you have a lot more options and control over your blog. You can add whatever you want to your blog and make it look exactly how you want it to look.
And lastly, something you’re probably most interested in is monetizing your blog aka the money part.
It’s so much easier to make money with a self-hosted blog than a free one.
Why?
Because many companies won’t work with you if you’re on a free platform.
Don’t let the word self-hosted scare you, there is nothing scary and complicated about going self-hosted.
You can set up your own self-hosted blog in only a couple of minutes by following my detail guide on how to start a blog.
Going self-hosted isn’t expensive either, you can for only $3.95 a month by clicking here.
Have legal pages on your blog
Having legal pages on your blog doesn’t only make you appear more professional but it’s also required by law.
Yes, you read that right!
If you don’t have legal pages on your blog you could get in trouble.
It doesn’t matter if you’re blogging for fun or to make money, you need to have legal pages on your blog.
What legal pages do I need on my blog?
The essential legal page that every blogger has to have is a Privacy policy.
You are required by law to have a privacy policy on your blog if you collect any kind of personal information.
I you think you don’t collect personal data, you are wrong.
Personal data can be collected through many different ways, from having Google Analytics on your blog to blog comments to email forms and so much more.
So most bloggers do collect personal data therefore need a privacy policy.
A privacy policy is the most important one and the one you should have from day one but there are some other legal pages you should add to your blog (especially if you plan on making money with your blog). I go in detail on all about them in my legal guide for bloggers so check out that post.
Where do I get legal pages for my blog?
There are a few different ways you can get legal pages but the most affordable one is by buying legal pages templates that were written by a lawyer.
These are the templates I use and highly recommend.
They are so easy to customize and set up. You just download the templates, fill in your information (it’s highlighted where and what to put), create new pages on your blog where you paste the templates and that’s it.
The whole process is super simple and takes you under 20mins.
>> Get your legal pages here! <<
Have a contact page
Legal pages aren’t the only pages you need on your blog.
It’s also important to have a contact page so people and companies can easily get in touch with you.
There is nothing worse than wanting to contact a blogger but there are no contact details anywhere on their site ????
You can create a contact page where you just put your email address where people can contact you or add a contact form.
An easy way to add a contact form to your blog is by getting a free plugin like WPForms.
Make your blog design clean and simple
Another important part of looking like a pro blogger is having a good blog design.
You don’t need to go and spend a lot of money on a blog theme to make your blog look professional.
There are so many great free themes you can use. And then just customize them with Elementor (a free page builder).
Here are some tips for making your blog look more professional
- make it simple
- white background with black text is best
- choose a font that’s easy to read and make sure your font size is big enough
- make your sidebar simple (only have a few important widgets)
Write good quality and well formated posts
Now let’s talk about blog posts.
The first, and most important, advice I have for you is to focus on quality, NOT quantity. Even if it means publishing one blog post per month!
Focus on creating good quality posts that help your readers and answer their questions.
One high quality post is worth a lot more than 5 average ones.
Here are some quick tips for formatting your posts
- write in a way that makes sense (have a clear introduction, body and conclusion)
- include headings and subheadings
- write short paragraphs (1-3 sentences is best)
- break up your text with pictures and graphics
For more tips on how to write good blog posts, you can check out my beginner’s guide to writing posts where I take you through every single step of writing a blog post, from keyword research to hitting publish.
Have professional looking photos and graphics on your blog
The next thing I want to talk about are photos and graphics.
No matter you niche you need to have some kind of photos and graphics on your blog.
Here are just some types of photos you need on your blog
- a favicon (that little photo next to the address bar on a website)
- a featured photo for each post
- photos and graphics in your posts (have at least one photo in each post, even a “decorative” one)
Where to get photos for your blog
There are a few different ways you can get photos for your blog.
The first, and most obvious one, is to take your own photos.
This is especially important if you are, for example, a food blogger. You need to take photos of the recipe you are sharing.
But for some other niches you don’t have to take your own photos and can use stock photos.
One thing you should NEVER do is take photos from Google or Pinterest and put them on your blog!!
If you want to use a photo you found on Google or Pinterest you, first, need to contact the owner and ask them for permission.
Have pinnable photos in every post
I know I just talked about photos but these photos deserve special attention.
First things first, what is a “pinnable photo”?
A pinnable photo is a photo that was created for sharing on Pinterest.
What makes a pinnable photo different from other photos?
- its vertical size (Pinterest recommends to use a 2:3 ratio for pins)
- it has text on it
Some tips for creating click worthy Pinterest photos
- make it simple
- use big bold fonts
- don’t mix more than 3 fonts
- don’t put too much text on your pins
- use power words (things like: fast, easy, quick, numbers, secret, hack, need etc.)
- use bright photos
- use photos that are related to your post (don’t use some random photos)
Final words on looking like a professional blogger
There you have it!
These were some of my tips for making you look less like a newbie and more like you know what you’re doing.
When you take a second to think about it you’ll see that these tips aren’t actually about looking “professional”.
Yes, by doing them your blog will look more professional but, ultimately, they are about turning your blog into a business and making it more successful.
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