This guide will help you figure out how to start a food blog and the steps you need to take to make it a success.
So, you want to start a food blog?
Starting a food blog is an exciting way to share your passion for cooking and baking with the world. It can also be a great way to whip up some income, as you can monetize your blog through sponsored posts, affiliate links, online courses, or selling products. Plus, it’s lots of fun!
And don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy or don’t have any experience in the blogging world. By the end of this guide, I’ll introduce you to everything that you need to know to get started building your food blog. It’ll be as easy as pie, maybe even easier!
How did I learn about making food blogs?
So that I could learn everything I needed to know about building a food blog, I did something a little different. I actually dove headfirst into the world of food blogging myself, by building and running my own food blog for several months, this gave me a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in this space.
The tips and tricks I’m about to share with you have been tried, tested, and specifically tailored to help you succeed in the world of food blogging. And if you want to dive deeper into a specific topic, like how to design your own food blog website or how to master search engine optimization (SEO), don’t worry! I’ve included links to in-depth tutorials throughout this post.
So, get ready to take notes and start cooking up some delicious content that will make your audience drool!
Overview of the steps to launching and growing your blog
1. Pick a niche or focus for your blog
2. Choose a name for your blog and register the domain
3. Build your food blog website
7. Monetize Your Blog With Ads, Affiliates, Products, Courses, etc.
Now that you have a better idea of the steps involved in creating a successful food blog, let’s get started and dig into the details!
Discovering Your Food Blogging Focus: From Your Kitchen to the World
Start by exploring ideas that get your taste buds tingling; the things that make you excited about cooking. Maybe it’s healthy meal prep or unique flavor combinations. If you land on a theme that others are searching for too, all the better.
For example, when I started my food blog, I was seeking ways to lead a healthier lifestyle, and I discovered the benefits of a low-carb diet. I decided to focus my blog on low-carb recipes that featured a lot of vegetables and exciting flavors. This set me apart from other food bloggers who focused on bland recipes whose main ingredients were meat. My goal was to inspire people to eat healthily without sacrificing taste.
So, ask yourself – what inspires you in the kitchen? Is it experimenting with unique flavor combinations or cooking healthy meals? Whatever it may be, don’t be afraid to take risks and try something new. After all, that’s what food blogging is all about – sharing your passion for food with the world!
Choose a name for your blog
Your blog name should reflect your niche and help readers quickly understand what your blog is about. There are a few different things to consider when coming up with a name:
• Is the domain name available?
• Does it reflect the focus of your blog?
• Does it sound catchy and memorable?
• Will people remember it easily?
Start by brainstorming a few different options for your domain name. You want something that’s not only catchy and memorable but also easy for your audience to remember.
You don’t need to have settled on a domain name to start building your website, but if you have some ideas, now is the perfect time to take action!
There are two things that you can do right now!
- Bookmark this page, or send yourself an email about this page so that you can come back to it.
- Check the availability of your ideal domain name and secure it for your brand.
How to check the availability of your domain name idea:
I recommend using Hover to check the availability of your domain name. They specialize in domains and email at your domain, making it simple to secure your ideal domain name and connect it to your website once you’re ready to launch.
So what are you waiting for? Get those creative juices flowing and start brainstorming your potential domain names today. Take the first step in creating your dream food blog website with Hover.
What is the best way to build your food blog website?
When it comes to building your food blog website, WordPress is the best choice by far.
I’ve tested many different website building platforms, and none of them compare to the features and customization options that WordPress has to offer to start a food blog.
It’s no surprise that WordPress powers more than 40% of all websites on the internet – it simply offers an unrivaled range of tools and resources for bloggers. The types of features that you will need to grow, expand and make money with your blog.
How do you get started with WordPress?
There are a few different ways that you can get started with WordPress. The two most popular are WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
WordPress.com is a closed system that provides website hosting, themes, plugins and more in one convenient package. If you don’t have a guide it is easier to get started with WordPress.com, but you don’t get access to some of the features and plugins that self-hosted WordPress.org sites do.
WordPress.org is the self-hosted version of WordPress that I prefer. It’s more powerful than the free version, and it allows you to have full control over your blog and website. If you want to make money with your food blog, it’s best to go for the self-hosted version of WordPress – this will give you access to all of the features and tools necessary to grow your blog.
Don’t let the idea of building a WordPress.org website intimidate you! With my tutorials, you’ll have all the support you need to get started. From creating an account to customizing your site, my tutorials provide simple and easy-to-follow guidance every step of the way.
How do you build a self-hosted WordPress Website?
First and foremost, you’ll need to choose a hosting provider.
Your hosting provider is the one who will give your website its very own home on the internet – a server space for it to live on. Meanwhile, WordPress is the platform that gives you the power to create and manage all the amazing content for your blog.
So think of your hosting provider as your website’s apartment, and WordPress as the tool that helps you design and furnish your online home exactly how you want it. Just like having an apartment, you can always move your website to a different hosting company in the future if you want.
Check out this review of one of my favorite hosting companies for bloggers.
Now it’s time to think about how you want to style your blog.
Starting with a WordPress Theme
The most common way to design a WordPress blog is by using a pre-made design called a WordPress theme.
Using a WordPress theme is a quick and easy way to set up your website without having to start from scratch. There are thousands of WordPress themes available that can give your blog a professional and polished look. There are even many themes designed specifically for food bloggers.
One thing to keep in mind is that while WordPress themes are customizable to some extent, if you want to make significant changes to the design, you will need to have some knowledge of coding. However, the great thing about using a WordPress theme is that you can always switch to a new one if you decide you want to change the look of your website.
If you decide to go with this method, I have a tutorial that will guide you step-by-step through the entire process of signing up for hosting and installing and setting up a WordPress theme that’s specifically created to help you start a food blog.
Designing your own WordPress Website
I want to clarify my earlier statement about theme design – while it’s true that changing a WordPress theme can sometimes require coding knowledge, there are actually some amazing tools out there that make designing your own WordPress website a total breeze!
With these easy-to-use tools, you can customize your website exactly how you want it without having to know how to code. They come loaded with tons of features and options and use simple drag-and-drop interfaces that make designing your website a fun and enjoyable experience.
In fact, I’ve put together a super helpful tutorial that will show you step-by-step how to build and design your very own food blog website using Elementor – an awesome drag-and-drop website design tool for WordPress. It’s probably easier than you think!
The best part? The hosting company that I recommend in the tutorial offers amazing support for both your website hosting as well as the builder and core functions of WordPress. This is something that can be hard to find with other hosting companies, so it’s definitely a major bonus.
If you want to learn how to design a beautiful and functional website that showcases your love for all things food, give this tutorial a try! With just a little bit of guidance, you’ll have the skills to design your own stunning website in no time.
Have your website built for you
If you prefer to focus on creating content rather than designing your own website, I’ve got you covered! I can set you up with the completed design from my tutorial on how to design your own food blog website. All you need to do is add your logo, adjust the colors to your liking, and start adding in your amazing content. This is a great way to save time and get started quickly.
Hints for Developing an Effective Food Blog Content Strategy
Now that you have a functional and attractive website, it’s time to start thinking about the content that will make people come back again and again. A successful blog is all about content – so how can you develop an effective strategy?
Developing a Posting Schedule That Works for You
First of all, in the beginning, be patient with yourself. You will be learning a new skill, even if you are already a writer writing for your blog still has a bit of a learning curve. For the first few weeks get an idea of how long it takes you to create a post. This will give you a better idea of how much content you can realistically create in the long run.
After a few weeks, you should have an idea of how many posts you can create in a week. I would recommend posting fewer posts a week than you can create. For example, when I was working on my food blog I figured out that I could create 3 posts a week, but I only posted two per week. This gave me a buffer for working on more difficult posts, and most importantly to be able to take a break, but keep a consistent schedule.
Planning your content calendar
Once you have a posting schedule that works for you, it’s time to start planning your content calendar. While in the beginning, you may simply create a list of current ideas, over time you may want to get more advanced by scheduling specific posts and setting aside time for research and writing. Be sure to include reminders to come up with new ideas.
Something that you will want to mark on your calendar is important food-related holidays. You will want to post recipes about a month in advance of those dates. For holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll want to start working on those recipes at least 2 months in advance to ensure they are posted at least one month before the holiday.
Creating a variety of post types
It doesn’t have to be recipe posts all the time. There are a variety of post types that you can create to keep your content fresh and interesting. For example kitchen hacks and tips, ingredient comparisons and reviews, or the history of a particular dish.
Once you have a solid collection of recipes, consider creating recipe roundups to showcase them in a themed format. For example, you could compile your favorite vegetarian recipes into one post. Recipe roundups are also a great opportunity to create content around popular search topics, such as “easy Sunday dinner recipes.” By providing solutions to common kitchen conundrums, you’ll keep your readers engaged and build your reputation as a reliable source for food-related advice.
You’ve made amazing content, Promote it!
Promoting the content is something that I struggle with, but it’s really important to get noticed. To do this you can use social media, create pins for Pinterest, and start an email list with MailChimp.
Social media strategies
An easy way to get started with promoting your content is to simply create social media accounts for your brand on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr.
The process of promoting your blog can help save time and effort, and one effective way to do this is by using the WordPress Jetpack Plugin. In addition to its many other helpful features, Jetpack allows you to automatically add your latest post to both your Facebook and Tumblr feeds, making it easy for your followers to stay up-to-date with your content.
Here are a few additional ideas for promoting your blog:
- Collaborating with other bloggers
- Participating in online communities
- Building an email list and newsletter
How do you make money from your blog?
You’ve put in some hard work! Now it’s time to get paid! There are a few ways to monetize your blog, including affiliate marketing, running ads, sponsored posts, and selling products such as e-books or digital art.
Affiliate Marketing for your food blog
One of the easiest and most effective ways to start making money from your blog is affiliate marketing. Affiliates are companies that you can partner with by placing ads or links on your site. When someone clicks on these ads or links, they are taken to the company’s website, and if they make a purchase, you can earn a commission. Some examples of companies where you can find affiliate opportunities are Share A Sale and Impact.
Running ads on your website
It’s also possible to make money by running ads on your website. Google Adsense is an easy and popular option for serving ads, and you will be paid each time someone clicks on the ad. The easiest way to run ads on your website is also with the Jetpack plugin they offer a service called WordAds. You do need to use one of the paid versions of the JetPack plugin to access the WordAds service.
Selling products on your website
Another way to make money with your blog is by selling digital or physical products that you have created. You can create a store page on your site and use services like Shopify or WooCommerce for easy product integration. This gives you the flexibility to create and sell your own products, which can be a great way to monetize your blog.
Celebrate your success!
Creating a successful food blog takes time and effort, but the rewards of building an audience can be incredibly rewarding. Keep in mind that it’s important to take breaks from creating content every once in a while so you don’t burn out. And remember to celebrate your accomplishments along the way! Did you get your domain name? Do a little dance! Did you finish building your website? Celebrate with a close friend!
Then keep going. Take some time to plan your content calendar and create a variety of post types, and make sure to take advantage of social media and other promotional tools. Last but not least, don’t forget that you can monetize your blog with affiliate marketing, ads, sponsored posts, or selling products like e-books or digital art. Remember to be proud of each step you take towards making your food blog successful.
And if you want help getting started building your Food Blog website check out my tutorial on either how to build your food blog website with a WordPress theme, or how to design your own food blog website.
