This blog post is all about blogging essentials for new bloggers. When it comes to blogging successfully, it is important to have certain items in place to make the whole process fun. When I started blogging in 2012, I had most of these blogging essentials in place already because I was kind of into technology and gadgets, and I spent many hours online. So it was easy to get cracking on making these items do the work to grow Fashion and Style Police.
Here are some of the blogging essentials you will need if you are thinking of setting up a blog –
A Reliable Laptop
Now this goes without saying, but I will say it anyway. You need a laptop to blog. Desktop won’t work long term as the whole idea of blogging is to be able to blog from anywhere. Tablets and phones are great blogging essentials as well, but to write comfortably, you will need an actual laptop eventually. I use MacBook Pro and it is the best laptop I have ever used. It changed my blogging life completely and I am glad I finally got rid of my old and tired HP laptop. That laptop was so old and unreliable. For you to blog conveniently you need a good laptop.
A Good Camera
If you are going to blogging about personal topics like fashion and style, products reviews and travel, you will need a good camera. A point and shoot camera is ok to start with. I started with those and they did the work for many years. As long as the quality is ok and you know how to use it, there’s no need to invest in an expensive camera when you are just starting out.
Beautiful Journals/Notebooks
I have various journals for many blogging relating jobs. I like to write a to do list for each day and I also love jotting blog ideas before I forget them. Sometimes I do these jobs on my iPhone but my good old journals always come in handy. Good to have a few ready for when you plan to start blogging regularly. They come in very handy. Plus I find beautiful journals/notebooks very inspiring. They put me in the writing mood.
Plagiarism and SEO Tools
Beginner bloggers should set up an account on Copyscape to check articles are unique. This is very important especially when you start accepting guest posts. The last thing you want is to be penalised for having duplicate content on your blog. There are other plagiarism checking tools like Duplichecker, but Copyscape is the one I recommend because I use it quite regularly. It is not a free service but it is worth every penny in my eyes.
For SEO tools, I use the free Yoast plugin and it helps me optimised my posts as much as I can. When it comes to growing your new blog, SEO is the most important bit. The faster your blog posts rank, the faster your blog grows.
Social Media Accounts
It amazes me how many bloggers refuse to have a presence on certain social media platforms. This could be for various reasons but it is not the smart way to go. You should have an account on all social media platforms. Every platform is a social media essential even though you don’t use it. You never know what would happen a few years down the line, so it makes sense to set up an account with your blog name on all social media platforms.
Do you blog? What are your blogging essentials? Please sound off in the comments section below. You can also get in touch to find out about my blog coaching service.
