start a mom blog in 2020 - here's how

It’s safe to say that 2020 has not been the year we all expected. But perhaps if you’re home and stir crazy, contemplating a job change, or looking for a side hustle, you’re starting to consider what it would look like to start a mom blog.

Even if your eyes light up a little at the thought, you might also have a LOT of questions.

Do I have anything to say that someone would want to read?

Is it worth it to start a mom blog now? What about all the other ones out there?

How do I go about blogging? I am SO NOT tech-savvy.

Many people tell me they would be interested in starting a blog, but have no idea where to begin. Here is everything you need to know to get up and running.

Yes – you have something to say.

I mean you, sitting there, reading this post. You have a unique perspective to share, your own story to tell. There is absolutely no one out there with your exact perspective, background, experience, thoughts.

And I’ll tell you right now – someone will benefit from your words. Just think of all the moms looking for advice in social media groups and through internet searches.

If you love to write and have a heart to help other moms out there, please don’t talk yourself out of it because of numbers, negative words, or tech issues. (I can help with the tech stuff – read on!)

Yes – it’s still worth starting a mom blog.

Whether you have dreams of making it a business, or you’re just looking for a creative outlet, now is the time to make it happen. (What better time than when you’re stuck at home and mostly connecting with others online anyway?)

It’s also fairly simple to start a mom blog. Don’t get me wrong – it takes effort, time, thought. There is lots to learn, and many ways to go about it. Consider this your permission slip to get started.

Yes – you can start a mom blog. And yes, you can be non-tech savvy and still figure it out.

There is nothing wrong with starting now, and googling as you go.

But start now. It takes very little to set up a blog. Don’t hold yourself back to wait for the right time, or the perfect post.

Here is the simple process for starting your mom blog in 2020:

(Please note that this part does contain affiliate links. Thank you for your support in making my own mom blog dream happen!)

1. Decide on a name and general theme for your content.

First of all, what do you want your new blog to cover? Come up with a mission statement, and choose categories that fit. You can check out my about page to read more into my mission for this blog.

And then comes the name. Don’t overcomplicate it, but do make sure it’s what you want. (It can be tricky to change later.)

You can go with your own name or a play on your name (Kendi Everyday, Merrick’s Art and A Hopeful Hood are great examples). You can use a popular saying or quote (ahem, “life is what you make it“, or The Simple Things Blog). You can even string together two of your favorite names, words, topics, or things. (Not sure of their name origins, but Olive & Tate and Oak & Oats are two of my favorite mom blogs.)

2. Set up a WordPress account and blog.

I started on Blogger, but ended up at WordPress, and it won me over. Both are easy to set up, and I would argue that Blogger is an easier interface to understand.

But while WordPress does take a bit longer to get used to, it has an amazing amount of features and plug-ins that make it easy to customize your mom blog the way you want.

When it comes to starting the blog, simply go to wordpress.com or blogger.com and follow the directions. Play around with the different free designs and customize it as you’d like.

NOTE: It’s easy to set up a free blog, and you may want to leave it at that. But there are good reasons to upgrade to owning your own domain (I.e. YOURBLOGTITLEHERE.com) and setting up self-hosting (meaning paying a company to put your blog online and store its data).

Why own a domain and set up self-hosting?

Purchasing a domain and self-hosting means that you can drop the “.wordpress.com” or “.blogger.com”, leaving a cleaner and more professional feel.
A free blog is technically owned by the platform (WordPress, Blogger, or other). You can’t necessarily control it if the website takes your blog down for some reason.
Self-hosting your mom blog gives you a lot more space and freedom to control your blog, customize it, and add what you want. It gives you enough speed and space for adding the media you want.

3. Purchase your domain.

When it comes to buying a domain, I have always used GoDaddy.com. It’s one of the biggest names out there, and I appreciate how communicative they are. You can even get a more personalized domain extension, like a .me or .co. Domains start at 99 cents.

Start by figuring out if your blog domain is available. If not, consider tweaking or all-out changing your name to avoid confusion with one that is already taken.

GoDaddy gives discounts for signing up for more than one year at a time, so consider that as you set up your domain.

4. Purchase self-hosting.

There are SO MANY options out there. As a non tech-savvy mom with little time or money to waste, and after years of having trouble with various hosts, I’ve finally arrived at the absolute best hosting service.

Lyrical Host works especially with bloggers, even the non-techy ones, on a small business level. At first, I worried that a small company would be difficult to communicate with, or have gaps in service. That is not the case with Lyrical.

Any review of Lyrical Host needs to start with their incredibly fast and thorough responses to questions. Even from the beginning, with my zillions of questions about signing up (and zillions of questions since), owners Jenni and Joseph personally respond much faster than any other company.

They completely transferred my blog over from my previous host as a FREE service with their hosting plan, keeping me updated every step of the way. They also include an impressive amount of benefits – daily back-ups, a free SSL security certificate (important to search engines and browsers, a constantly-updated resource library, and even email accounts.

And in contrast to my years of hosting with “big companies,” my blog does not have gaps in service for some unexplained reason, leaving me panicked and spending hours communicating with customer service to get it fixed. If anything goes down, it’s for maintenance at off-hours, it’s well-communicated, and it doesn’t last long.

Pricing has not increased since sign-up (it starts at $11.99 monthly), which is another rarity in the hosting world.

If you’re anything like me (busy, non tech-savvy) – please save yourself trouble and go straight to the best hosting. I could not recommend them more. Get 10% off when you sign up at Lyrical Host with my referral code ‘ whatyoumakeit10 ‘.

5. Consider upgrading to a professional design.

I hate to admit it, but aesthetics make a world of difference. If your blog looks unprofessional or messy, even if you have quality content – people are likely to exit fast.

You could easily spend a ton of money on a new design. But I’ll share my secret weapon with you – 17th Avenue Designs. They produce the most gorgeous themes for both blogs and online stores, at prices you can actually afford starting out.

17th Avenue designs are customizable, mobile-responsive (i.e. look just as good on your phone as your computer), and really have such beautiful, feminine designs for any need.

You can hire them to set up the theme for you, or follow the simple step-by-step guides to setting them up yourself. (I did it myself and survived. Have I mentioned I am NOT tech-savvy?)

6. Start adding content.

And now maybe the most exhilarating and scary part of blogging – posting.

You can store up a little bit of content first. Some encourage about 5-10 posts before going live.

Or you can just go for it. Introduce yourself, and when you are comfortable, be sure to share your blog with the world. Often your friends and family are so much more supportive than you will expect.