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New to the Mom Bloggers Club community & new to blogging in general.

Hi everyone! I'm "brand new" to the Mom Bloggers Club community as I just set up an account today. Not only am I new to Mom Bloggers Club I am also new to the blogging community as well. I wanted to introduce myself and ask if any of you had tips on how I can succeed as a new blogger.

I'll give a short introduction of who I am. Short because well, as much as I love reading about myself, not everyone else does. ;-) My name is Alicia and I am 27 years old. I am a Georgia born and raised girl with two Georgia born and they will be raised peaches. My oldest is my daughter Haley and our newest addition is Dray who was born on October 9, 2015 weighing in at 7lbs 10oz and 19 3/4in long. I have worked in the animal industry my entire life beginning with short employment at a local big box pet supply retailer before moving onto assisting in animal rescue, I also have over 5 years experience at a veterinarian office, and currently have discovered the grooming field where I have been for the past 2 years. Needless to say, we're an animal loving family!

When I began blogging my primary reason was going to be to review products. I figured it would be easier for myself to manage the blog if it only focused on one topic versus a million different ones. Well, my brain doesn't work like that and I have found that sticking to one topic just isn't possible for me to comprehend or do. I would never have any content to add because while writing a review I'd be thinking about how awesome a blog post about how my daughter is just the best kid in the world.

We have a limited income so I am hosting my blog on Wix right now with a free template. When I first began I was so focused on the name and template of the blog that I was blind to the fact that I wasn't creating any content and even if my blog looked "awesome" that my readers wouldn't have any content to read. What's the point of visiting a blog if there isn't any available content? Ya, pretty useless. My layout on my Wix website still isn't up to par to me and I think I need to actually tone it down quite a bit. I also do still plan on eventually getting a domain name so I can host it and purchasing a template because I'm not really savvy with website building.

I am still having trouble thinking of content to write. I only receive so many products to review because I am new at that as well and our family doesn't get out much with a newborn at home. So, I feel like I'm lacking in content. When I do think of an idea though, if I am able to I stop what I am doing, sit at my computer, and write, even if I save it as a draft because I am unsure if I want to publish or not yet.

What do your blogs focus on and what tips do you have to being a successful blogger? Do you have advice on the best blogging templates and do you stick to one niche or several? Do you think one niche is smarter or is several a better way to go? Who do you recommend for the webhosting? Any advice would be helpful and I look forward to getting to know you all! :)

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Permalink Reply by MomsVitality on November 24, 2015 at 11:18am

http://momsvitality.cmHello all! I am also new to the blogging community. And looking for fellow mothers to connect with and help each other out!

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Permalink Reply by Nicole Sherwood on November 24, 2015 at 1:08pm

Hi fellow blogger and mama!

I would stick to one niche and find out what your really passionate about. When your passionate about something, your content will reflect that.

I do recommend Wordpress, it's easier for Google to index and 'find.' Plus, there's a ton of free themes that you can start with. I currently host with Host9, and it costs me only a few dollars a month. I wouldn't worry about hosting at the moment though. I purchased my domain through GoDaddy, and went through Ebates and used a promo code, my domain name cost me less that $10 for the year.

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Permalink Reply by MomsVitality on November 24, 2015 at 1:12pm

I got a domain through ehost only 2.95 a month...im happy i got 40 subscribers im working on more content my blog will be about me and my family and this that are healpful to us so since i love cooking that and parenting/pregnancy will be my main focuses

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Permalink Reply by MomsVitality on November 24, 2015 at 1:12pm

Do you post everyday or is that to much?

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Permalink Reply by Nicole Sherwood on November 24, 2015 at 1:44pm

Posting everyday is good. Once a day is better than once a week.

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Permalink Reply by MomsVitality on November 24, 2015 at 1:47pm

http://momsvitality.com/being-a-working-pregnant-mom/

ok thank you. Just posted a new post if you would like to check out feel free! Please leave a comment sharing your story

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Permalink Reply by McKenzie Austin on November 29, 2015 at 5:55pm

Hey Alicia!

I agree with previous posters; sticking to one niche initially is a great idea. This comes from personal experience. I enjoy cooking, crafting, and traveling, so I thought I could do segments on all three (and how they relate to being a mom) but I'm only able to create so much content… and I do not want to rush to create "quantity" content over "quality" content, so I have these subcategories of my blog sitting there, looking rather vacant… every once in a while I get a chance to submit something to the subcategories, so they're building up slowly, but from first glance, they look rather incomplete.

I would definitely recommend getting your own domain name when you have some disposable income. It looks much more professional and it speaks to companies you'd like to review products for that you're in it for the long haul. (They wouldn't want to send free merchandise and/or compensation to a reviewer who doesn't plan on being around for a while.)

Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging! I wish you the best of luck. I'm by no means a professional-- I've only been blogging for six months-- so take my opinions with a grain of salt. I do hope they can help you though.

Thanks and happy blogging!

-McK.

http://www.theerrantparent.com

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Permalink Reply by Alicia Hess on November 29, 2015 at 7:06pm

Thank you so much for you feedback! :D I really like your blog layout & thank you for the input as far as sticking with a niche goes. I have a neat idea for a "pet blog" and I have began setting up & have began a series of blog posts focusing on building a pet sitting business - just saved as draft - not publishing until I finish editing & finish the series... but that's the problem I'm having as far as subcategories though... because I could write about pet grooming, care, advice, DIY, etc. and write content for days but then I'm scared I might get caught up on one certain subcategory if that makes sense. :-)

- Alicia

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Permalink Reply by Marie Andrews on September 25, 2018 at 9:37am

Hello Alicia,

How is your website doing? It would be nice to hear about your progress.

There are five main steps you need to do in order to start a blog. If you follow this guide exactly, you’ll have your own blog set up in 30 minutes or less.

Choose a great blog platform
Choose a web host for your blog
How to Set up a blog on your own domain
Design your new blog
Useful resources for blogging

Check out my recent blog: societymom.com

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Moore on January 29, 2016 at 2:44pm

Helpful info here! Thanks for post and comments. Stephanie from www.OneMooreInTheOven.com

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Permalink Reply by Angel Strunk on March 25, 2017 at 3:03am

Hi! You would really benefit from the Next Level Blogging Facebook group! It's open to all bloggers, but a lot of new bloggers hang out here, too. You'll be able to share your posts and get traffic to your blog. Next Level Blogging is getting ready to launch a blogger community and courses as well, and you can grab an invite to the launch party at http://nextlevelblogging.com/launch-party. I hope to see you in the group!

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Permalink Reply by Marie Andrews on September 25, 2018 at 9:35am

Hello ladies,

There are five main steps you need to do in order to start a blog. If you follow this guide exactly, you’ll have your own blog set up in 30 minutes or less.