Blogging FAQ!

Hi all!

Today I am going to be doing a blogging FAQ for anybody interested in starting a blog or just wanting to know more about the ins and outs of this particular creative outlet. I hope this is useful or inspiring for anybody on the precipice of launching their own website. Just a disclaimer, this is not sponsored by WordPress. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

1.) How did you come up with the name for your blog? 

I did a post about this very topic a few years ago which you can check out here. Peace Love Veggies still embodies who I am and what I love to write about but I plan to re-brand soon. If you are having difficulty coming up with a blog/website title, try to connect it to you and what you plan on sharing with your audience. For example, if you wish to review books and your name is Lisa, you could try: ‘Lisa’s Library?’ 

2.) How long have you been blogging? 

I started my blog in March 2015 – so a bit over 5 years! 

3.) What advice or tips do you have for someone wanting to start a blog? 

I say jump right in! Follow other bloggers, get ideas and inspiration from them, write about what you’re passionate about and just have fun. I blog purely for enjoyment. I don’t see this as a career option (although I wouldn’t be upset if it became one someday) but I do see it as a form of self-care and my favourite way to express creativity. I was hesitant to start my blog in 2015 out of fear that I wouldn’t be very good at it, but once I stopped focusing on making things perfect and just wrote from the heart, it became one of my favourite things to do. If you start to feel like it’s a chore to post, don’t push yourself. Be true to yourself and you’ll attract like-minded people who look forward to what you put up next! 

4.) How do you keep coming up with content? 

I have a couple of answers to this question: 1.) I haven’t limited my blog to just one subject, which gives me a lot more freedom and options to come up with new content. There is nothing wrong with just blogging about books for example, but if you’re struggling, try branching out into lifestyle, fashion, beauty, food and more. The options can be endless! 2.) I draw inspiration from current crazes and what is relevant to my life at the time. Now that I’ve had a child, I can post about parenting more. If there is something big happening in the world, I can blog about my opinion. There will always be something to write about! 

5.) Do you schedule content in advance? 

I do! Before having a child I didn’t because I had more time to write up blogs the night before, but now I schedule them sometimes weeks to a month in advance. I do all of my blogging whilst she naps and keep a spreadsheet on my laptop with potential future blog post ideas. There really is no right or wrong way, it just depends on your lifestyle and blogging schedule. If you’re somebody who blogs whenever they feel like it, planning isn’t super important. I’m somebody that posts every Monday, so I like to make sure I have something ready to go by Sunday evening. 

6.) How long do you plan to keep on blogging? 

I don’t really have an answer for that. I’m just going to keep blogging until I feel it’s time to move on – if I ever do! At this point in time, I would love to blog until I’m an old lady but we never know what life holds so I can’t make any promises. 

7.) What does your spouse/family/friends think about your blog? 

My husband is super supportive and a big helper when it comes to my blog. He looks over my drafts, takes photos when I need him to, gives me post ideas and reads over them as soon as they are published. I’m very grateful to have a partner who is so involved in my passions. My family and friends are also very encouraging. They tell me when a particular post inspired them and share my website with others. 

8.) Do you earn money from your blog? How do I earn money? 

I do earn money, but WordPress doesn’t allow its bloggers to receive any funds until you reach a certain monetary amount. It might vary from blogging platform to platform. I earn money from allowing WordPress to display advertisements on my blog. The more followers and views your posts get, the more money you will make. You can also sell products on your blog, get sponsors (if you become quite popular) or participate in affiliate marketing. 

9.) Is it expensive to launch a blog? 

That depends entirely on you. If you wish to own your own domain name, that costs money. If you want more creative license and blogging options, that costs money. I pay a yearly fee for the premium package, which gives me access to unlimited photo uploads, themes, widgets, plug-ins and more. I also own the website name peaceandloveandveggies.com so I pay a yearly fee for that too. Do your research and make decisions based on what you need in order to make your blog however you want it to be. 

10.) What are some blog features you recommend adding? 

I would recommend adding a Follow Button on your page so people can easily click and subscribe to your website. I would also add widgets that connect to your other social media accounts. Make good use of all the free features offered and customize your blog to match what you want to offer to the world. There are some great themes, colours, patterns, headings and menu options available. You can even add polls, surveys, and quizzes to involve your audience more. Crowd Signal is fantastic for this! 

11.) What is your favourite thing about blogging? 

The best thing about blogging is the comments I receive from others telling me that they enjoyed what I wrote or that it inspired them. The connections I have formed with people all over the world is really humbling and gratifying. I recently did my very first collaboration post with a blogger from England (check it out here) and I’m set to do another one this month with a girl from Los Angeles! Community is so important when it comes to blogging. Read, comment, like and subscribe to others. 

12.) What are your favourite posts to write? 

I always find it so ironic that my absolute favourite posts to write are the ones that are viewed the least. I love experimental blogging, like my taste-test posts or ones that require me to investigate certain trends/products to review. It makes the experience a lot more fun and exciting. I also love writing about things dear to the heart like my family and personal experiences.

13.) Do you take all the images on your posts? 

I or my husband take 99% of the posts. The other 1% comes from Book Depository images and fan artists from Instagram that I personally contact for permission. I always credit them as well. Be really careful about the images you upload. Unless you took them or have pre-approval, you could potentially get in copyright trouble. 

14.) What are some fun blogging challenges I can take part in? 

Blogging challenges are the best! You can do Blogmas (I did it for the first time last year), Blogtober (which is Fall/Halloween related – that’s why I haven’t done it because I live in Australia), 30 Day Blogging Challenges (I have done a personal one and one related to Disney in the past) and Monthly Blogging Photo Challenges (I may do one next year). You can make up your own too – there are no rules! I highly recommend trying at least one. It’s a lot of fun. 

15.) What don’t you like about blogging? 

The only thing I don’t like about blogging is the nasty comments I sometimes receive from keyboard warriors. Luckily I don’t get many, but every now and then somebody will send me something a bit rude. I have a setting that allows me to approve comments before they are put up and if someone is downright mean, I delete them. 

16.) How often should I post? 

That is completely up to you! I like to blog once a week (sometimes two) and at least once a year, I like to partake in a blogging challenge which requires more daily uploads. You just post however many times you want to. It’s all about enjoyment and fun. 

17.) What’s the ideal post length? 

Once again, this is up to you. If you are worried your posts are too long, you can always break them up with photographs and headings. One word of advice I will impart, is not to add too many tags to your posts. Apparently the more you add, the harder they are to find in the Reader. I typically include 10 and try to keep them super relevant to the post itself. 

18.) What is SEO? How does it work? 

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It’s all about how you drive traffic to your website and gain more attention. If you use relevant tags/keywords/phrases, your page will become more attractive and visible to search engines. For example, if you write a post titled: ‘The 5 Best Vegan Foods From ALDI In Australia’ (this is an actual post I’m planning to publish) and use a description like: ‘vegan food at ALDI in Australia’, users are more likely to find it if they search for something similar in Google. I hope this makes sense. SEO can be a bit tricky to navigate and I’m certainly not an expert.

19.) What inspired you to begin blogging? 

This wasn’t so much a what, but a whom. In 2015, I met my dear friend Mabel Kwong who was a successful blogger. She was the first blogger I had ever met who inspired me to start my own blog. I had had two previous blogs beforehand that went nowhere because I wasn’t passionate about them, but this time around I had a lot to say and felt ready. I’ve always loved writing and this felt like the perfect way to express myself creatively. I’ll always be grateful to Mabel for her influence. Please check out her incredible website!

20.) What themes and widgets do you use? 

My theme is called Dicot and I’m obsessed with it. I don’t see myself changing it anytime soon. I love how it features the blog cover image next to the title heading. The widgets I use are: Recent Posts, Archives, Facebook Page Plugin, Twitter Timeline, Instagram, Goodreads and Blog Subscriptions. There are so many available and lots of great plugins you can add as well.

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know if you have any other questions that I missed. I hope this inspires you…

Peace & Love xoxo