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Lifestyle blogging is on the up these days, and it’s no wonder why! People have learned that they can make a living from sharing snippets of their daily lives, giving their readers a taste of what it’s like to be them.
This article gives you a complete breakdown of how to start a lifestyle blog so that you too can enjoy the perks of the blogger life.
These days, pretty much anyone can be a lifestyle blogger. People all over the world have taken to their laptops to detail the intricacies of their lives for anyone who wants to read them.
And the thing is, people do want to read these kinds of posts!
Lifestyle blogging is extremely valuable to a huge number of people out there seeking information online, which is why it’s a steadily growing market, attracting more and more bloggers every day.
On top of providing value to their audience, there are lifestyle bloggers with a tremendous number of readers who regularly rake in thousands of dollars each month… just from sharing the ins and outs of their life from what they wear, their favorite restaurants, down to their latest exercise routine.
Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?
If you’re curious about how to start a lifestyle blog of your own, you’re in the right place.
Not only does this article have a step-by-step breakdown of how to start a lifestyle blog, it also includes specific information and resources to help you make your lifestyle blog shine and stand out from the rest.
Ready to get started?
How to Start a Lifestyle Blog in 5 Steps
- Step #1: Decide on Your Lifestyle Blog Topic
- Step #2: Choose a Lifestyle Blog Name
- Step #3: Register Your Domain and Get Hosting
- Step #4: Set Up Your Blog on WordPress and Launch It
- Step #5: Start Blogging!
- Bonus: Make Money With Your Lifestyle Blog
Let me take the stress out of starting a lifestyle blog with these 5 simple steps. Everything you need to know to get your blog up and running is broken down below, so you can accomplish it in bite-sized pieces.
By the end of these steps, you should have a beautiful lifestyle blog readily awaiting your content. So go on… what are you waiting for? It’s time to get started.
Step #1: Decide on Your Lifestyle Blog Topic
Before you jump head first into blogging, it’s important to think about what topic your lifestyle blog is going to focus on.
Sure, you want to be a lifestyle blogger, but what kind of lifestyle blogger exactly?
Do you want to talk about fashion? About living in a big city? About your daily life? Since the term “lifestyle” can cover a ton of themes, picking a super solid topic or niche to blog around will help you set your lifestyle blog apart.
Some examples of lifestyle blog niches are:
- Living in New York City
- Minimalist lifestyle guide
- Healthy lifestyle blog
- Lifestyle blog focused on beauty
- Single mom lifestyle
Picking a topic will help you focus your content and target specific readers who will be interested in reading what you have to say!
Having a solid niche also lets Google know what your blog is about, helping to build authority. This results in higher rankings when search engines can see that your blog is associated with one particular topic.
Remember, although lifestyle blogs are generally broad as you feature multiple facets of your life, those that succeed are those that are able to narrow it down to a specific lifestyle niche.
If you need some help with the process, check out this guide to choosing a profitable blogging niche.
Step #2: Choose a Lifestyle Blog Name
Moving right along, your blog name is one of the first things readers will see when they arrive on your blog or are searching for advice on Google. As such, you should have a lifestyle blog name that stands out from the crowd and draws readers in.
To choose a lifestyle blog name, start by creating a gigantic word bank full of terms related to your niche. From there, use a thesaurus to expand your word bank with more interesting results.
After you have tons of words listed down, start to mix and match them to find a combination that works best for your lifestyle blog.
Tip: To create a memorable blog name, use techniques like alliteration, rhyming, and puns.
If you need some inspiration, check out existing lifestyle blog names to see what really rolls off the tongue.
These are some of my favorites:
- A Vibrant Palette
- What the Chung
- Brooklyn Blonde
- Prosecco and Plaid
- Katie Did What
Don’t get too hung up on the blog naming process, but rather choose something that’s unique and sounds catchy so you can continue to get your lifestyle blog set up.
If you’re feeling stuck, try out a blog name generator, which is an online tool that allows you to plug in keywords and returns different blog name options.
We’ve actually developed our own blog name generator to make the process that much easier!
When you come up with a name that you like, pop it into the widget below to see if it’s available:
For more naming advice and name ideas, head over to our article: How to Come Up With Lifestyle Blog Name Ideas.
Step #3: Register Your Domain and Get Hosting
Once you find a stellar name for your lifestyle blog, you should register the domain name immediately so that no one else can use it.
A domain name is the URL address for your blog. For example, our travel blog domain name is www.adventureinyou.com.
While you can register domain names on their own for about $10 a year, through our hosting recommendation below, you can get a free domain name for a year when you sign up.
Hosting is what gives your blog a place to live on the internet and is actually what gets your blog live online. Without hosting, it’s impossible to create a website!
During this step, you’ll be able to get hosting completely set up and your domain name registered in under 10 minutes.
The Importance of Hosting: Any lifestyle blogger hoping to make money online will need a self-hosted blog. Self-hosting allows you to do pretty much anything with your blog, including making money, selling ad space, and having complete ownership of your website and content.
While it’s possible to start a blog on a free platform, if you choose to take this route, you’ll be severely limited in terms of monetization. You’ll also run the risk of losing all of your content if it doesn’t align with the blogging platform’s terms and conditions.
Overall, if you want the freedom to grow your blog into a business, self-hosting is a must.
Bluehost: Our Hosting Recommendation for Lifestyle Bloggers
There are lots of different hosting companies out there, but we swear by Bluehost. Not only are they one of the most trusted hosting networks, but they’re also the most affordable too, making it simple to start a self-hosted blog even if you’re on a budget.
If being the most trusted and affordable isn’t enough, as mentioned, a domain name is included for free with your purchase of hosting, giving you the best of both worlds.
Some other reasons we love Bluehost are:
- Reliable Customer Service: If you have any problems, Bluehost is there to help you solve them. We actually switched to Bluehost after having a really negative customer service experience with our last hosting provider. Bluehost has recently spent a lot to improve their customer support and we’ve seen a huge change!
- Domain Name Perks: As I mentioned, a domain name is included for free (for a year) when you sign up with Bluehost. Even if you don’t have a domain name in mind yet, Bluehost allows you to continue the process of securing hosting and you can put in your domain name later.
- WordPress Compatibility: Bluehost is ultra compatible with WordPress, the top content management system for bloggers. They’ve made it so that you can set up WordPress in the blink of an eye, using their one-click install.
- Free 30-Day Moneyback Guarantee: If you’re not completely sold on Bluehost, they even offer a free 30-day moneyback guarantee so that you can try out the product and make sure that it’s the best fit for your blog.
If you’re worried about the costs of starting a blog, Bluehost is one of the best options. With our discount, you can take 63% off hosting and start a blog for just $2.95 per month… that’s less than a cup of coffee each month!
In case you were wondering, we aren’t sponsored by Bluehost. We use them ourselves and have had a very positive experience, which is why they are our go-to recommendation to anyone starting a blog.
Setting Up Hosting: Video Tutorial
For a quick rundown of how to get hosting for your blog, we put together this video tutorial to walk you through each of these steps.
If you continue scrolling, you’ll also find a step-by-step breakdown that you can follow along with, too!
Setting Up Hosting: A Step-By-Step Guide
If you prefer to follow this guide using images, follow the instructions below.
To get started, click here and you’ll be redirected to Bluehost, where you’ll be able to go through the hosting set-up process.
Hit the “Get Started Now” button on the Bluehost page and you’ll be able to check out the different hosting plans they offer.
You’ll see that there are 3 different plans: Basic, Plus and Prime.
For most lifestyle bloggers (especially those on a budget), the Basic Plan will do the trick. Another perk of Bluehost is you’re able to upgrade plans whenever you want, so don’t feel like you’re locked into this plan forever.
After you’ve decided on a plan, you’ll have the chance to register the domain name you chose. And remember, with Bluehost, this is included with your package for the first year, so it doesn’t cost anything extra.
Note: When registering your domain name, we highly recommend sticking to a “.com” address. This gives you the most authority online and will make it easier for search engines to pick up on your content.
If you don’t have a blog name in mind yet, you can always click “I’ll create my domain later” and move on to the next step.
The next step is to confirm your package and decide if you’d like to add on any extras (we opted not to include any). After that, you’ll have the chance to pay.
When reviewing your package, remember that the Basic plan for 36 months will get you the best deal on hosting and suit your needs just fine.
Check out how much you can save with it:
As you can see, that’s more than $180 saved on hosting, with your blog secured online for 3 years. It doesn’t get much better than that!
If you’re thinking that 3 years is a bit of a commitment, you can also get hosting for a single year. Just keep in mind that the shorter the plan, the higher the monthly price.
Note: Our discount may vary depending on Bluehost’s individual promotions, and taxes may be included at the end, depending on what country you’re making the purchase from.
Once you’ve reviewed everything, go ahead and pay for your plan and press “submit”.
Congrats, you’re one step closer to starting your lifestyle blog!
Step #4: Set Up Your Blog on WordPress and Launch It
Now that you’ve secured your domain name and hosting, it’s time to actually get your blog set up and ready to launch.
Install WordPress
As I mentioned before, one reason to love Bluehost is how compatible it is with WordPress. In fact, they even have a one-click install process that makes it a breeze to connect your domain to WordPress.
Note: The WordPress referred to in this article is WordPress.org, a free content management system for self-hosted websites. It’s easy to mix this up with WordPress.com, which is a free blogging platform that allows you to start a blog called “www.myblog.wordpress.com”.
WordPress.com has its own hosting, which means that bloggers are subject to tons of terms and conditions when they start a blog here. This is why we always recommend taking the self-hosted route and using WordPress.org.
To get your blog set up, first you’ll have to install WordPress.
Go to your Bluehost dashboard and choose “My Sites” from the sidebar. Next, click “Create Site” and Bluehost will walk you through the quick process of getting WordPress installed.
Just be sure to input your site name and tagline, choose the correct domain from the dropdown menu, and there ya go! WordPress is installed for your lifestyle blog.
Pick a WordPress Theme
After getting WordPress installed, you can choose a theme to start putting your blog together.
WordPress themes are seriously one of the greatest inventions of recent times as they allow anyone to create a beautiful looking blog without any design or coding experience.
There are thousands upon thousands of WordPress themes, some free and some “premium”.
While free themes are great for anyone starting a blog on a budget, we typically suggest springing for a premium theme as you’ll have much more control over the customization of your blog. Purchasing a premium theme right off the bat will save you tons of time and headaches down the road!
When you purchase a premium theme, you typically have several demos to choose from. These are pre-built websites that you can directly import to your blog and edit as you wish.
We love to recommend Divi as a premium theme since it comes with an advanced visual page builder and more than 800+ pre-made designs to choose from. While it’s slightly pricier than other premium themes, it’s well worth the splurge because of how simple it is to make your lifestyle blog look exactly the way you imagine it.
To help you sort through the massive number of themes out there, we put together a guide to the best WordPress themes for lifestyle blogs.
Must-Have Plugins
While putting your blog together, you may find that you’re looking for something a little bit extra… This is where plugins come in!
Plugins are a little bits of pre-built code that expand the functionality of your blog. When you use plugins, you can continue to customize your blog to fit your unique needs.
Believe me, there’s a plugin for everything!
To use WordPress plugins, simply head to your WordPress dashboard, click “plugins” on the sidebar and then hit “add new”. You’ll be able to search for specific plugins as well as browse the entire gallery to find what you’re looking for.
For lifestyle bloggers, these are the plugins we recommend installing:
- Yoast SEO: This plugin helps you with all things on-site SEO from creating meta titles and descriptions to giving optimization suggestions for content. It’s a total lifesaver in the SEO department and a must-have for lifestyle bloggers!
- W3 Total Cache: To speed up your website and decrease load time, W3 Total Cache is the best plugin out there. Using this helps in the SEO department, too.
- Google Analytics: Every blogger needs Google Analytics to track their blog’s key data. Google Analytics is super useful for checking out your blog’s growth and traffic, as well as audience and article-specific data.
- WP Recipe Maker: If you’re a lifestyle blogger focusing on food, this plugin allows you to create recipe cards for your blog!
- Simple Share Buttons Adder: To allow people to share bits and pieces from your content, use this plugin to create social media icons for readers to utilize.
- Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed: Looking for a way to integrate your Instagram feed into your blog? This plugin allows you to display your feed from multiple Instagram accounts to increase engagement and make your blog look sharp.
Customize Your Lifestyle Blog
Once you’ve gotten all the technicalities sorted out, it’s time to start actually customizing your blog to make it your own!
Besides adding all the necessary elements like a homepage, “About” page, and contact info, there are plenty of design aspects to think about.
Do you want your blog to have a sidebar? What kind of menu do you want? Will you have a footer? These are some of the things to consider during the customization process.
When customizing your lifestyle blog, you also get to think about some fun things like what color scheme you want to use, how much white space you want on the page, and what font you’ll use.
You should also think about uploading a logo and any other custom elements you’d like included on your blog.
You may find that customizing your blog is an ongoing process that’s not finished after a couple of sessions. The important part is to get your blog to a place where you can start posting content, and then begin tweaking the other design elements further down the road.
For a complete breakdown of blog design and the blog elements you should include, give this article a read.
Step #5: Start Blogging!
Now that you’ve gotten your blog set up, it’s time to start blogging!
While it’s tempting to focus all of your energy on making your blog look perfect, there are more important things to consider when starting a blog… like your content.
Above all else, content truly is king when it comes to blogging. Nothing matters more than publishing articles that provide value to your readers and working towards getting your content ranking on search engines.
If you can craft content that readers deem valuable, you’ll see your audience return time and time again for more of your advice.
On top of writing valuable content, you should also focus on learning the basics of SEO and how to optimize your blog content to perform well on Google. Doing this will lead to increased blog traffic and more conversions down the road.
One way to improve your SEO right off the bat is doing your keyword research when creating new content. This allows you to see what people are searching for online, and when you integrate these keywords into your content, Google is more likely to rank your articles higher.
Keysearch is a super affordable keyword research tool that has both yearly AND monthly plans. If you would like to try it, use the coupon code “FASTLANE” for a discount!
If you’re stumped when it comes to creating blog content, we have heaps of resources that we’ve put together to simplify the process.
Check out these articles to learn our tips and tricks for writing content your readers will love:
- How to Write a Blog Post that People Will Keep Reading
- How to Write an Effective Blog Post Outline
- How to Write Catchy Headlines
- How to Write a Killer Blog Bio
- How to Get People to Read Your Blog
Make Money With Your Lifestyle Blog
Now the million-dollar question: “How do I actually make money with a lifestyle blog?”
Well, there are lots of different ways to monetize your lifestyle blog, it just depends on the route you wish to take.
You can focus on affiliate marketing, create your own digital products, have display ads on your site, or offer freelance services… the possibilities are endless!
No matter which route you choose to make money with your lifestyle blog, it’s super important to remember that blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. It will take time to build out your blog, develop trust with your readers, and then start to make some real money.
But let me tell you this, if you follow the steps above and focus on your content right out of the gate, you’ll be ready to monetize your blog before you know it.
For more on how to grow your lifestyle blog into a full-blown business, be sure to check out our free training where we walk you through the necessary steps to take!
Starting a lifestyle blog is much easier than you think. It just takes a few hours of dedication to get it up and running, and then the drive to create content your readers will adore.
At a glance, this process looks overwhelming but if you break it down and stick to these 5 bite-sized steps, you’ll have your own lifestyle blog live on the internet before you know it!
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