So, you want to start a blog, huh? How exciting! Blogging can be really rewarding in a lot of ways (including financial, but that might take awhile). If you want to do a straightforward blog, like the (literally) millions of blogs out there – that’s totally cool. You can follow the first few steps I have listed below and be on your way 🙂 But, I’d encourage you to consider a different format from the get-go… a catalog blog or database blog.
What is a Catalog Blog?
A catalog blog, or database blog adds a different dimension to your blog and makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for. This blog has a database of all the parks in San Diego that is searchable by location, category or amenity. A database (or catalog) is helpful for visitors who are looking for a park, but don’t know which park they’re looking for…
I often visit parks and blog about them, but unless somebody is searching for that park by name, they won’t find my blog post. The way most people find this blog is by searching for “parks with basketball courts” or “parks with barbecues”… Having a catalog creates the opportunity to drive more traffic to my site by capturing more key words.
Here’s an example:
Civita Park is a great park in San Diego. Many people search for it by name and visit my site… but, I also get traffic from people searching for the following keywords that lead them to Civita Park: splash pads in San Diego, parks with basketball courts, parks with barbecues, park weddings in San Diego…
Think about how often you’re searching something, but can’t search for it specifically (“wine happy hours,” “kid-friendly restaurants” or “chicken casserole recipes”)… you’re searching for something that will lead you to what you really want… that’s what a catalog blog does!
How to Start Your Database Blog
Pick your niche
Pick your domain name and sign up for hosting
Build your website
- Build your database
Step 1 - Pick Your Niche
What do you want to write about? It should absolutely be something you’re excited about because you’re going to spend quite a bit of time writing on your niche. There are arguments that you should not get super specific here and arguments that you should… have you heard “the riches are in the niches”??
You do not need to have a logo, but I found that having one got me excited about my business and made me feel official. There are graphic designers for hire on Fiverr who can create a logo for your blog for as little as $5. You can always change it down the road, so a logo or header image from a designer on Fiverr is a small investment.
Because of social media and search engine traffic, your domain name isn’t super important, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself here. You want something that captures what you’re doing, but doesn’t limit you. Tip: if I were to do my blog all over again, I might not put “San Diego” in my URL… it’s too limiting.
I use A2 Hosting for hosting and I think they’re great! You can get started for as little as $2.99 month. Click here to sign up with my referral link: http://www.a2hosting.com/refer/361541
Step 3 - Build Your Website
Building your webpage in WordPress can be super easy, or you can get really fancy with it. Either way, the first step is to pick a WordPress theme for your site.
There are free themes in WordPress… to use these, just browse the themes and pick one that you like. After you install it, you can customize colors and add your logo to make it yours! There are a couple of reasons why you might not go this route though:
- The free themes can be pretty plain, and
- Some people think having a free WordPress theme is the sign of an amateur (not me! my theme is free… it’s called “Astra” – just FYI)
Envato Elements
Another option is to get a theme from Envato themes. Some of these themes are COOL and can really elevate the look of your site. And some are almost plug-and-play… you install the theme and you have a professional-looking site in just minutes. Just search for a keyword like “recipes” or “travel” and browse the beautiful themes. Check out the demo sites to really get a feel for the theme.
If you find a theme you like on Envato, you can subscribe for only $16.50/month (students save 30%!) and get unlimited downloads (including your theme and stock images for your site!). I’ve had an Envato subscription at different times recently… it’s so nice when I have one! I only cancel when I don’t have time to focus on blogging (you can cancel at any time, so it’s nice to start/stop as my life allows!).
Learning a New Skill
I want to be up front here though… unless you have experience building webpages, you’ll probably be working with customer support and watching some YouTube tutorials on how to build your site. I’m not even going to attempt to walk you through it because there are so many resources that can take you step-by-step (plus, it all depends on the theme you pick). Stick with it and give yourself some grace… you’re learning a new skill! And, after your site is up and running YOU will know the ins and outs.
Step 4 - Build Your Database
Unless your WordPress template comes with a theme, the database part of your blog is a plugin that you have to install.
I use the Ultimate Product Catalog for my park database. I’ve tried a few different ones, but I think this one is the best!
What I like about it is I can add as many categories and fields as I want! And I think it looks nice and is easy for visitors to use. Also, their support is SUPER good… when I was building my database, I had a ton of questions and they were always super helpful.
