The most important thing for any blog to be successful is to have traffic. The more traffic your blog has the more people you can help and the more money you can make! When you are a new blogger it is hard to build up your traffic organically. Most new bloggers rely solely on Pinterest as it is the best way to get traffic to your new blog.
Others use Facebook groups and social media to grow their blog traffic. Then, of course, there is also SEO and hoping that Google sends you some blog traffic love.Another option is to guest post on other blogs or be featured on their blogs.
Guest Posting/Featuring
Here is a list of places that you can add your blog on to get more traffic!
Another great resource to learn much more about growing your blog traffic is this ebook Boost Blog Traffic. I got this ebook when I purchased the Genius Bloggers Toolkit and it is packed full of resources to help grow your blog traffic! Including 100 Ways to Promote Your Blog Post Checklist!
Next is this course by Suzi that teaches you how to create the perfect blog post and submit a guest post to her blog.
Suzi walks you through how to create the perfect blog post and then she gives you the opportunity to take what you have learned in her course and submit a guest post to her blog!
The course Post by Number is only $9 so not only is it worth it for everything that you learn in the course but on top of that, you really can’t beat the guest post opportunity to get in front of Suzi’s large following!
Pinterest
You can’t talk about driving traffic to your blog without talking about Pinterest. It is the fastest way to get traffic to your new blog.
Here are some resources to help you grow your blog traffic with Pinterest!
Pinterest has definitely been my main source of traffic. I try and post on my social media accounts often so I do get some traffic from those and I am starting to see organic traffic as well. It takes time regardless of where you start but as a new blogger, I would focus on Pinterest and looking to guest post and collaborate with other bloggers!
Collaborating with other bloggers is a great way to connect and grow your blog. Plus, it is really fun to work with other bloggers! That is why I started my feature program. I want to help connect other bloggers so we can all help each other grow together!
Step by Step Guide to Writing Your First Blog Post
Writing your first blog post can be very intimidating. There are too many scary questions. What if no one reads it? What is no one likes it? How do I even write a blog post? We have all been there and I think all blogger would give the same advice. Just do it!
Even if it isn’t perfect. Even if no one does read it. Just do it! The only way to get better is to just give it a shot and learn from each blog post!
I do have some good news for you though, I am going to help you so you aren’t jumping in blind.
First, you aren’t always going to be able to write a perfect blog post in my opinion. Of course, there are going to be great ones and not so great ones but I don’t think any are perfect.
I say that because everyone is different. What one reader may find it as amazing advice and another won’t. But still, there is a guide to go by to get pretty darn close to perfect!
Step by Step Guide
There are certain checkpoints you want to cross off with each blog post to ensure that you are doing everything you can to make that the best blog post for your readers and for your blog.
For Your Readers
You want to create a blog post that is interesting and educational. Something that grabs your readers attention and takes them on a journey to the answer.
Some blog posts it will be easy to grab their attention and keep it throughout the post. Others that don’t have a personal attention-grabbing story behind it (like this one) may be harder to do that.
But my goal is just to help you solve the blog you are looking to solve! And for this post, it is writing your first blog post!
For You
Each post should also have the goal to do well with SEO and be easy to read. If your blog post checks off all the tips to do well with SEO then it will do better in the blogging world.
Google will share your post, Pinterest will share your post, and readers will share your post.
How to Use WordPress
(Already know how to use WordPress? Just skip on down to the good stuff!)
I like to share even the basics in my blog posts because it was hard for me to find these details when I first started blogging.
That is why I decided I wanted to teach others how to blog. So I could help them skip the trouble I had!
Once you log into your WordPress site on the left side you will see Posts and the Add New Post. Click on that and it will take you to the next screen.
Title and URL
Now on this screen is where you are going to write your first blog post. At the top, you will add your blog post title. It will automatically generate a URL for your blog post.
You have the option to edit it. If you want to edit it do that right away. After you share your blog post you won’t be able to edit it or then everywhere else you shared it won’t link back to this post anymore.
Publish Draft
On the right side, you can see there are options to edit when your blog post goes public. Right now as you write it, it will only be a draft. Make sure to save your blog post periodically as you write it.
WordPress will automatically save it for you but I have unfortunately lost a lot of work when I lost connection once and it didn’t save. Now regardless I will save the draft as I write my blog post.
Once you are completely done with the blog post you can publish it immediately or schedule it out.
The next set of drop-down menus is the format of your blog post, the categories you want this post in, tags you want to be added to this post and a feature image for this post.
Format
The format should stay the same. It is only changed if you want to create a video post or other options besides just a blog post so just leave that.
Categories
The categories tab is where you will check the categories you want this blog post to go in. If you have categories about healthy eating and parenting tips and your blog post pertains to both of those then you would check off both of those.
It is a way to organize your blog posts to make them easy to find for you and your readers.
Tags
The tags section is where you can add keywords you want to be associated with this blog post.
Again, if your blog post relates to healthy eating and parenting then you can use those keywords plus healthy recipes, parenting hacks, healthy food, etc.
Anything that you think people will search for regarding your post.
Feature Image
The feature image is the smaller thumbnail image that will pop up on the other pages of your blog.
When your readers click on the blog section of your blog (depending on exactly how you have it set up) then they will be taken to a page where it will display all of your recent blog posts with the feature images.
I use the Divi Theme and it has an option to remove this image from the blog post itself. If a reader clicks on the feature image and is taken to that blog post, I don’t want the feature image at the top of the blog post.
I already have a pin image at the top of my blog post so I don’t want the feature image there as well. So keep in mind you probably have that option with your theme as well.
A great resource to have to ensure that your blog post checks off all the SEO points is to install the Yoast SEO Plugin.
It will tell you if your blog post needs improvement with SEO and Readability. When both turn green then you are good to go!
Just click on the different sections and it will tell you where you need to improve to get the green lights.
The Blog Post Checklist
Now let’s move on to the good stuff, the blog post itself!
You now know how to write the blog post in WordPress but let’s talk about actually writing the blog post itself. What all makes a great blog post?
Great blog posts contain:
Keywords
Have great content
Follow a structure
Have inbound and outbound links
The best course (and at the best price) for mastering writing the perfect blog post is Suzi’s course Post by Number. It is currently only $9 and if you know anything about Suzi she only provides the absolute best.
The best part about this course (besides all of this for only $9) is that at the end of the course you get to submit a blog post to her blog!
It is worth $9 to get the exposure and traffic you will get from posting on her blog! It is geared towards moms so keep that in mind regarding the guest posting part.
But the course is packed full of useful information on writing the perfect blog post for any niche!
Keywords
Every post should have keywords to make it easy for readers to find your post when searching for relevant information.
If someone types into Google “how to bake a cake” and your blog post is about “how to bake a cake” then you should have those keywords in your blog post.
However, if you are just using any keywords that no one is searching for then you will have a hard time getting SEO love.
In Post by Number Suzi walks through how to find keywords and what makes them good keywords.
Here are some of the tools that I use to find keywords.
Each blog post should be knowledgeable and full of great content. You don’t want to have a short 500-word blog post that doesn’t give the reader much information and is just packed with keywords.
That won’t work.
You need to answer a problem or provide value to your reader on the subject. Give them useful and helpful information to help them solve their problem.
I have heard that highlighting or bolding your keywords throughout your content is also a great way to help your SEO. I just recently started trying it to see if it helps!
I actually like it so far because it has helped me make sure I am using keywords throughout my post as well as using the Yoast SEO Plugin.
Grammarly
Another great tool to use to make sure that your content is easy to read and make sense in the Grammarly extension. This tool is my best friend!
When I write I do it as if I’m talking to a friend. So when I do that it is too easy to have long sentences and misspelled words.
I talk a lot and so, therefore, I type a lot.
If I get to going too fast then I have many grammar errors. This extension underlines the errors in red for me. This saves me so much time.
I just start typing and Grammarly will tell me what to fix! Of course, I always go back and reread my posts too.
Yoast SEO also tells me when I have used the same word too much, when my sentences are too long, and when I have too much text and not enough headings.
Follow a Structure
Suzi goes more in-depth in this section but you should make sure that each blog post follows a structure.
No one wants to read a sea of text.
You need to make sure there are headings throughout your blog post. Only have a few sentences between breaking them up.
There should be images throughout your post to also help break up the text and even give examples on what you’re trying to teach your readers.
Like I said before, you should bold keywords or important information you want to grab your readers attention.
Each blog post should be at least 1,000 words and people love bullet points or a numbered list.
This really helps show them exactly what they are looking for. If they are in a hurry and scrolling through your post these bullet points will show them this information is important.
Inbound and Outbound Links
Lastly, you want to make sure that your blog posts contain inbound and outbound links. What that means is there are links in your blog post that link back to other blog posts on your blog and links that link out of your blog.
You may worry about outbound links sending your readers away. Well, if your content was good they will be back! Outbound links are great for SEO so make sure that you are linking helpful links for your readers.
When I come across a blog post that is full of great content I will bookmark it to come back later. I may click out and read the other post they suggested from another blogger but I don’t want to lose that post so I will save it to come back to.
Or that is exactly why you need to have beautiful pin images for each blog post. Then your reader can pin your blog post to come back to later!
Pinterest Perfect Images
If you are writing your first blog post then odds are you aren’t very familiar with creating Pinterest images either.
Each blog post should have a beautiful eye-catching image that makes your reader a) save it to Pinterest and b) entices others on Pinterest that see that pin to click through and read your blog post!
One of the programs I just recently started using it a huge time saver for creating images!
Don’t forget to sign up for Suzi’s course if you are interested in learning more about writing a perfect blog post and getting the opportunity to guest post on her blog!
Where You Should Purchase Your Domain Name for Your Blog
No matter what kind of site you want to create you are going to need a domain name. A domain name is the URL address of your site or blog. I am going to show you where to purchase your domain name for your blog or website.
For this, I am going to assume you are starting a blog. If you are a new blogger then don’t worry we have all been there. It may seem overwhelming learning all of this but really it’s pretty easy once you get the hang out it.
To start a blog it takes more than just a domain name. If you need help with all the ins and outs of starting a blog then I suggest my freebie the 30-Day Challenge to Start a Blog workbook.
For now, let’s walk through where to purchase your domain name for your blog.
Choose a Company
There is more than one place you can purchase your domain name through. And sometimes it is included in your hosting plan so make sure to check that before purchasing it.
I have used two different companies when purchasing a domain name. Like I said there are many more but I like to cover things I have personally used before.
1. NameCheap
NameCheap is just like its name. They offer cheaper domains than other companies. If you test it out by searching for available domains at both sites you may see that sometimes GoDaddy actually has a cheaper option. However, as you continue on with the checkout process they upsell you to death.
Some of it you may need so then your total goes up to what it would have been at NameCheap. A lot of it you don’t need and they just keep on trying to add more on.
I have purchased my last two domain names through NameCheap and it is a one and done deal. Just add it to the cart and purchase. No upsells or hassle at check out.
2. GoDaddy
That all said there are plenty of people who use GoDaddy. I’m sure the comfort of the name is part of it. When you see it advertised all over you feel more comfortable that you are purchasing something with a bigger well-known company.
Just be aware as I said they do try and tack on upsells at checkout.
Here is another option that came up while I was researching more places for you to purchase a domain name. There is a domain.com that you can purchase your domain name through too.
Again, each person is going to have their own opinions and things they like or dislike about a company so just review these options and maybe do a little more research of your own to choose one that fits you best!
Walk Through
Since I use NameCheap I am going to walk you through how to purchase your domain name through them! Again, you will want to double check that the hosting you have doesn’t already provide a free one for you.
I know when I signed up for SiteGround (the hosting company I use) they provided a free one for me. I don’t know for sure if that was a special they were running at the time or if they always do that.
First, go to NameCheap.com. It will look something similar to this screenshot below that I took today.
In the middle of the screen, you can see there is a search bar. Search for the domain name that you are wishing to purchase. In this example, I used “www.searchdomain.com”.
Not to my surprise that domain name was already taken. After a few different tries, I was able to find one that was available.
As you can see below “helpsearchdomain.com” is available.
If you need help coming up with a domain name for your blog then again I suggest that you download a free copy of my 30-Day Challenge to Start a Blog. There is a section in there that helps walk you through coming up with a domain name.
Once you have found an available domain name you like for your blog then you will see it shows you the total. Most domain names average between $2.99-$14.99 per year.
Usually, the more years that you purchase it the better the price. For instance, if you purchased it for two years versus only one year.
Those are all factors you will have to think about and decide what’s best for you.
Now hit add to cart and then view cart.
Also, you will see that below it is showing you a list of other domains that you might like to add to your cart. I like how it shows you the different options that are available and the prices.
Coupon Code
Once you are in your cart you will see there is an option to add a promo code. When I purchased my domain name I was able to find a 10% off coupon code at RetailMeNot.com.
To look for a coupon code, go to retailmenot.com and search for NameCheap.
I love using RetailMeNot.com for all sorts of things. I usually use it for a coupon when we decide to order pizza but I have even got $40 off of SeaWorld tickets before!
Over on the left side of the screen at RetailMeNot, you will see the option to search the coupons by type. I like to do the codes. If I have a coupon code then I can see if it works on top of a sale that is already running. Sometimes it works!
After you enter the coupon code (if you were able to find one) then you continue with your checkout process. If you don’t have an account already with NameCheap then it will ask you to create one here. If you do then go ahead and sign in.
Now you are ready to purchase your domain name. Select your payment method and continue on with the checkout process.
It will then take you to your NameCheap account where you will be able to see your new domain name for your blog! Congrats!
You have now taken the first (or second if you purchased hosting already) set to setting up your blog! It is a scary and exciting feeling!
Next would be to go ahead and purchase your hosting which averages about $3-$5 a month. You do have to purchase the full year but I can think of many other less important things that I waste $3-$5 a month on so to me it is worth it!
After you have your domain name and your hosting you will then need to connect them. I feel kind of silly saying that I didn’t know you had to do this but if you are like me then you didn’t know either. That is why I created this blog. To help people that are like me and need a literal walk through!
When you first decide to start a blog there are really only three things new bloggers should focus on and master. I’m sure you are so excited and you want to master it all right away but trust me on this. You only need to focus on these three things.
I heard multiple other bloggers say “new blogger should focus on this” but I was too ambitious and I thought I can handle it all. I’m not like other people. Well, guess what, if I would have taken their advice I would be a lot further along than I am!
I took courses and read ebooks and again I heard this over an over. “Don’t try and tackle everything at once”, “new bloggers need to focus on…” but I thought “how hard could it be?”
It turns out, harder than you might originally think. It takes a lot of time and commitment to master just one of the many pieces to blogging. So again, if I would have just stuck to the three main ones then I would have been able to move forward and master the rest one at a time.
The Three Things to Master
Don’t worry too much about all your social media accounts right now. If you master these three things and are ready to move on right away then you are rocking it and keep going.
But if you can’t seem to master these then don’t move on until you have!
1. Write One Blog Post a Week
New bloggers should focus on writing one new blog post a week.
If you can make it a full month or two and you have consistently produced one blog post a week then you are probably good to move on.
But for some, this is actually harder than it sounds. Learning how to properly write a blog post can be difficult. You need to have keywords, the right structure, it has to be interesting, and your readers need to learn from it.
You can’t just write a post about what you did over the weekend. Sorry, but no one but family and close friends cares. You aren’t sharing tips or giving advice so no one is going to read it.
If you whip out four great blog posts in the first week then make sure you schedule them out to publish once a week for that first month.
Then every other blog post you write can either continue to be scheduled to be published once a week or you can fill in your schedule with two blog posts publishing a week.
I just don’t want you to write four blog posts and publish them all at once and then think man I’m a rock star. Then the next thing you know the month has gone by and you didn’t write anymore and now you’re behind. (Been there, done that.)
Google
Google will like that you produced a bunch of content but then it will notice that it was a one and done time of thing.
That can hurt you and if you would have just scheduled them out then you would have shown Google you are reliable to produce valuable content once a week.
Google is more likely to share your blog when you show you consistently produce valuable content.
Your Schedule
Plus, then that just takes the load off of you to have to write more blog posts right away. If your blog is brand new then yes you will want to get 5-10 blog posts on there right away but again it is better to have a consistent schedule.
Put a few posts on there and then each one after that schedule them to post once a week.
This just takes the pressure off too if you are always ahead and have a schedule going in case things pop up because let’s face it life gets crazy sometimes!
Especially as a new blogger, you will appreciate the routine of always having a blog post scheduled to publish once a week as you are learning everything.
New bloggers should focus on pinning to Pinterest.
Pinterest is a bloggers best friend. Sometimes you two will be besties and Pinterest will send you a bunch of free traffic and then sometimes you may be in a fight and Pinterest won’t “talk” to you.
Either way, you are still best friends and if you are fighting there is always a way to make up!
So how do you become best friends with Pinterest so they send you traffic and how do you make sure you don’t ever get in a fight?
Number One
The best way to become besties with Pinterest is to give “her” a lot of attention. Pinterest likes creators that are active in their Pinterest accounts.
That doesn’t mean that you have to be on Pinterest all day every day but it does mean that you can’t just set up your account and fill it with your own content and then leave it.
You have to be actively pinning your content and other creators content. There are different opinions on this part but some say you should make sure that you are active on both the desktop site and the mobile site as well.
What I do is when I have a minute in the day instead of checking Facebook or my email, I will pin a few pins on Pinterest from my phone. Then other times when I am working I will do the same from my desktop.
Number Two
Don’t ignore your new best friend. That is the best way to get into a “fight” with your new bestie. Similar to number one, Pinterest likes attention but to avoid a fight where you will have to earn her trust back, don’t ignore Pinterest.
I have done this before and I went into Pinterest’s “dog house” and I had to earn the trust back.
It is a fun analogy to think of it as a friendship but in all honesty that is what it is. Pinterest is there to give it’s users the best possible content. So if you as a creator, create great content, then Pinterest is going to share it with its users. Just like all friends do!
Pinterest Users
When you go onto Pinterest as a user you are looking for the best cake recipes, the best DIY projects, or the best workouts. You don’t want to have to sort through all of the unrelated or spammy sites that can pop up like when you Google something.
You are looking for the answer right away.
Pinterest is always there for you as a user because they make sure they provide the best content and images right away.
Content Creators
So if you start adding content to Pinterest and start building that relationship with them then you stop and ignore Pinterest. Then they are going to think you are not a reliable source.
Pinterest isn’t going to share your content when users are looking for the best content.
The only way to get out of the dog house is to prove yourself. Consistently add good quality content and images and build that trust back up so Pinterest will start sharing your content with its users again.
When I was still a new blogger, I didn’t know what to do and I learned the hard way. My traffic started declining because I wasn’t creating new content to add to Pinterest.
I was too focused on other things and not these 3 important things I am sharing with you now.
It cost me and I don’t want that to happen to you! That is why I am sharing this advice I received from a veteran blogger that I wish I would have listened to and focused on these only.
Google, Pinterest, and Social Media are all completely different. They can all be used to drive traffic to your blog but they are each used in different ways.
Google takes a long time to drive traffic to your blog. You have to build your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) before Google will start sending you traffic.
Social Media takes a long time to build an audience that will drive traffic to your blog.
Some mistake Pinterest for a social media platform but there is nothing social about it. You don’t go onto Pinterest to chat with other members. You go on there for inspiration and for answers to a problem.
Pinterest is more like a search engine. Bloggers and website owners create an image that will attract the attention of Pinterest users and then they attach their URL to that image.
Made By Bloggers
If you go onto Pinterest to find the best cake recipes you are going to see awesome images. Those are most likely were created by bloggers to entice you to click on their image and go to their blog post.
Once on their blog post, they will show you how to make the best cake just like you searched for.
All of those pins you see when you type in “best cake recipes” are from bloggers or website owners that created those images as advertisements of their blog posts or websites.
Pinterest is going to show the best images and the best content first when someone searches for something.
If you keyword your pin correctly and have a beautiful image then your pin will do well and drive traffic to your blog!
3. Grow Your Email List
New bloggers should focus on growing their email list.
The third important thing you must do as a new blogger is to build your email list.
You have worked hard on your blog and driving traffic to your blog so you want to make sure you keep those people and get them to come back.
Now it’s impossible to keep them all but it is still important to try and keep some of them as returning readers. The best way to ensure that they come back and continue to read your new blog posts is to get them on your email list.
Then you can email them with new updates about your blog and they can return and check them out!
The Power of The Email List
I knew I needed to do this from the beginning but it still wasn’t clear to me exactly why it was so important.
Then as I learned more I realized the power of the email list.
It’s like building your tribe or building your followers on social media. The ones that follow you look forward to what you have to say next and are much more likely to make a purchase from you versus someone that just came across your blog.
Your goal with your audience is to build trust with them and show them you are there to help and solve their problem.
When you solve a problem for them for free then they will trust you when you try and sell them a product that will also solve their problem.
Help Them Don’t Sell To Them
We can all spot the ones trying to only sell to you from a mile away. When they provide no value but only want to sell to you then you don’t trust them and you don’t trust that the product they are selling is good for you either.
However, when you have a good relationship with someone because you have provided all kinds of valuable information to them for free. They won’t second guess that a product is valuable when you mention it that could help them.
They trust your advice and your intentions.
So, if you keep building that trust with your readers and grow your email list then when you are ready to launch a product you can announce it to your list. They are much more likely to purchase it!
Those are the 3 most important things you should focus on as a new blogger. I can’t express this enough. If you do these three things first and then work on the back office stuff you will be fine!
If you get caught up in learning everything there is to know about blogging and you don’t do these three things then you will regret it. Trust me on this one. I know from experience!
It is too easy to get caught up in making your blog look all fancy and learning everything there is to know about blogging. Which obviously you will need to know but don’t lose focus on these three things.
It does you no good to have a pretty blog with no traffic.
One Blog Post a Week
Add Content to Pinterest
Grow Email List
Repeat!
Freebie For You
If you are like me and you need a reminder of the basics then you will love this free printable I made for you!
It is to help keep you focused on what is important and to not get lost in the whirlwind that comes with learning everything about blogging.
These 3 basic steps are what you need to focus on!
I hope you found this advice helpful and you are able to keep your blinders on long enough to master these three things for new bloggers to focus on!
It is very hard to not get shiny object syndrome and chase after every new thing you come across. Which again, you can still learn and grow your knowledge but don’t forget to focus on these first!
Happy blogging!
Vanessa
P.S. Do you want to be featured on Mom Blog From Home? Learn more here!
One of the reasons I wanted my blog to be about helping new bloggers was because I understand how hard the simplest thing was for me at the beginning. As I learned something new it was like a light bulb came on and I was like “Oooh, that’s how you do that!”
Yet, those simple things were the hardest answer to find when I was learning how to start a blog. Everyone would share the basic fundamentals of how to actually set up a blog with hosting and domain names but no one was showing you how to do the little tricks like how to add your profile picture to the sidebar!
So, I decided early on that is what I wanted to blog about. The problem, of course, was that I still had to learn everything to be able to have a blog to then share with others. For me, it has been a slow process. I love learning all these things but I felt I had to know everything before I started sharing anything.
Lesson Learned
I later discovered that was the wrong way about doing it. A piece of advice for you is to not wait like I did. That is part of blogging, you are always going to be learning so don’t wait until you know everything to start!
If I would have been sharing as I went then I would have a lot more done!
For now, let’s tackle this sidebar picture so hopefully, you can have an “Oooh, that’s how you do that” moment too!
I am going to show you how to edit a picture, how to add it to your sidebar on your blog, and how to link it to your About Me page. This way when a reader clicks on your picture it will take them to your About Me page for them to learn more about you!
How to Edit Your Profile Picture
I don’t want to just assume that you have a beautiful picture ready to go. Let’s assume that you need to create one first before adding it to your blog.
If you do have a picture ready to go then feel free to skip all of this and go down to the part where I walk you through how to add your profile picture to your sidebar!
If you are like me then you don’t have an expensive camera or have the time or money to pay someone to take this perfect picture for you and that’s okay! All you need is good lighting and we can make it work!
Here is my profile picture:
It was taken at my front door with my husband’s iPhone. I knew that I needed good lighting and that was the best spot. He had just gotten the new iPhone 8 and it takes amazing pictures so that part helped our process but I will show you how you can still make any picture have a blurred background.
In this picture, I am standing just inside our house and he is standing outside.
This gave the lighting from the sun without it being directly in my eyes like this picture below. This is a picture taken in front of our front door.
The sun was too bright and it made me squint too much and I didn’t like the background at all.
I opened the front door and left it open and then took a couple steps inside still facing the same way and he took a picture from there and it looked like this.
As you can see the phone did blur the background and the lighting from the sun was perfect without blinding me. My eyes are open and brighter and it just looks much better and professional.
A Good Profile Picture
All you need is a good clear headshot to have a good profile picture. But make sure that it doesn’t look like this…
Not a horrible picture but this was taken in our backyard and again the sun was too bright and it made me squint and so my eyes are dark and it’s just not as good as the picture above it. Test it out and try different angles and even different times of the day that would work better.
I have noticed that it is much easier to just use natural sunlight than trying to recreate it with lights. If you can do that then power to ya! I don’t know much about photography so I just stick with sunlight!
Now, once you have a picture taken that is bright, clear, and shows your face well I will show you how to edit it and how to make it a circle if you are wanting your profile picture in your sidebar to look like that.
Edit Your Picture
Now that you have your picture taken you are ready to edit it. If you look at my original picture and then at my actual profile picture you can tell I did some editing.
Not only did I crop it down and make it a circle but I smoothed out my skin and brightened things up a bit because why not right?!
There are several different programs out there that you can use to edit your picture but my absolute favorite is PicMoney!
Many bloggers use PicMonkey so I am sure you have heard of it before but just in case you haven’t let me tell you real quick why it rocks and is perfect for bloggers!
PicMonkey
It is user-friendly. I think I have made it clear that I am not a tech guru so anything that is user-friendly and super easy to use is my best friend. Everything on PicMonkey is pretty self-explanatory and it isn’t a complexed overwhelming software like photoshop (so I have heard) and that alone makes it worth using!
You can save your creations within PicMonkey’s hub. This is a fairly new feature and it has been a life saver for me with making images for my blog. I have created several images that I later wanted to edit a few things on or repurpose them and with the PicMonkey hub you can click edit photo and start right where you left off on that image you created months ago!
Very inexpensive! PicMoney does have a free trial of 7 days and then after that (at this moment) it is $7.99 a month. Completely worth the 8 bucks for something that I use almost daily!
PicMonkey has an app that you can use while on the go to edit a quick picture for Pinterest or Instagram.
They offer Templates of different images you can use for your blog, website, social media, and pins on Pinterest.
PicMonkey has Layouts to show you what size images are on different platforms. For example, if you want to make a Facebook cover for your Group they have it premeasured so you know it will fit perfectly before you even start working on it. No more uploading and adjusting it 5 times.
Now let’s move on to editing your picture inside PicMonkey.
Step One – Upload Picture
When you first log into PicMonkey your screen will look something like this. Not exactly like this if you are new to PicMonkey and don’t have any images created on there yet but you get the point.
As you can see there is my Hub that has all of my images saved so I can go in and edit those images or edit a copy of them and keep the original the same. You can also see the templates they have created for you to use or for inspiration.
Then lastly you can see the layouts that have the measurements already created for you. This makes it very easy to just click on the layout you are needing and go on to creating without worry if it is going to fit or not.
Edit New Image
We are going to click on the edit new image box at the top left to start editing your picture.
Blank Canvas
Next, click on blank canvas so we can enter in the measurements we are wanting. You can choose one of the layouts if you want to it really doesn’t matter too much.
I just created mine using 600×600 pixels and instead of scrolling through all of the blanket layouts I just did it this way to get to the size I wanted.
Custom Size
At the top of this screen, there is an option to create a custom size blank canvas. There isn’t a specific size that you have to have for your profile picture and I will show you later on why that is. I just picked an easy size of 600×600 to make it nice and square.
Add An Image
Then click on “add an image” and add your picture you just took for your profile picture.
The reason I do it this way instead of just uploading the picture from the beginning is so that I have the option to edit the image further with a different box that pops up. If you start with editing an image instead of editing a blank canvas that you add an image too then you don’t get the option to edit it further with the Graphics box that pops up.
Below on the right, you can see the Graphics box pops up but if you just upload the picture instead of adding it to a blank layout then it doesn’t. You can make edits and changes with this Graphics box to your image in addition to the ones I am going to show you below.
Step Two – Adjust Picture
I am going to first make my picture bigger and make it fit the layout I picked. This makes my image bigger and cuts out some of that additional background I had in the original picture.
I do this by clicking on the corners and dragging them to fill the white background. Now my image is fit to the layout we chose and it removed the extra background I don’t need in the picture and it focuses on me.
Especially since in the background of this picture it is my hallway. Don’t worry too much about cutting all of the background out as we will be trimming more of that out when we put the circle frame around it later on.
Step Three – Edit Background
Now that the image is fitted to the layout I am going to go into the effects area on the left side of the screen. From there you can scroll down until you reach the Area tab and you can see there are two different options for blurring out the background and making you the focal point of the picture.
Again in my example, my husband’s phone has already done most of that but this is where you will blur out the background of your profile picture.
Side note: If you have an iPhone 8 or higher you can use the portrait feature in your camera and it will blur the background for you. We now both have the iPhone XR and the camera is amazing!
Here you can see how to blur the background of your profile picture and make you stand out in the picture.
You don’t have to do much of it but just toy around with these options until you feel your picture is perfect and make sure to select apply before moving on.
Step Four – Facelift
This is where I decided to give myself a little facelift because again…why not?! If you go to the Touch-Up area you will see a whole list of options! You can airbrush your skin, whiten your teeth, remove wrinkles, give yourself a tan, and more!
I do not suggest getting too crazy here. You want to make sure the person in the picture and the person that your readers will see in your videos match. As fun as it gets sometimes to add a bunch of filter’s to our pictures, it will become pretty noticeable quickly. What I am saying is that if I can smooth out a few scars and eye wrinkles real quick then I’m going to! Haha!
Once you have finished editing your image then all you have to do is hit Export at the top middle of your screen and save it to your computer! Done!
Step Five – Circle Frame
The last step is for those that want their image to be a circle. PicMonkey can help do that as well!
I wasn’t able to get this part to work without uploading the image again and editing just the image. Like I said before we started with a blank layout and then added the image to be able to get the Graphics box to pop up. Which gives you more editing options.
For the example I showed above, we didn’t use the Graphics box but I just wanted to show you how to get it to pop up. I’m not sure why it works this way but it does.
So to make your picture into a circle, click on the create new at the top left.
Now from here, you will click to upload an image from your computer and you will upload the picture we just edited for your profile picture.
Frames
Over on the left side, you will click on Frames and then click the shape you want. In this case, we will click the first one that is a circle.
As you can see the background color is transparent. You want it to be transparent so you can place this image anywhere and it will be a circle image instead of your circle image on top of a red rectangle if that makes sense.
It makes the grey and white squares in the background disappear and it just shows the background color as whatever color that’s already on the page you are adding it to.
For example, if your website has a yellow background the grey and white squares pictured above will be yellow. So it will only show your circle image.
Adding Your Picture to Your Sidebar
Now here is the fun part of getting this beautiful profile picture you worked so hard on into your sidebar menu!
Upload Your Picture
Start by uploading your picture to your WordPress site. If you’re not sure how to do that follow these steps.
On the left side click on media and add new.
Then click add new or upload and find your picture on your computer to upload.
Now that it is uploaded onto your WordPress site click on it to expand all of its details. You are going to need your picture‘s URL as you see it below in my example. Copy that URL and paste it in a Word Doc or in your notes app. Somewhere where you can get to it again to paste it with a special code I am going to give you for your sidebar menu.
About Me Information
Next, go to your About Me page and copy your permalink or URL for that page on your blog. Paste it where you put your image URL.
Go back to the left side and now click on Appearance and Widgets. In this section is where your sidebar information will be. If you don’t have a sidebar yet then this is where you can add all the contents to your sidebar. If you do have one then you are familiar with this and it will be super easy!
Sidebar
You can drag any of the widgets on the left side of this screen and add them to your sidebar or your Header or Footer areas. As you see I have several widgets I have added to my sidebar but for this, you will need to add a text widget to your sidebar.
You can title it “About Me” or “Person Behind It All” or whatever you want to put.
Then I want you to click on the Text Tab. You can see there is a Visual Tab and a Text Tab. Click on Text.
Here is where you are going to add the special code with your two URL’s you have copied.
Special Code
The code you need is <a href=”https://www.momblogfromhome.com/about-me/” target=”_blank” rel=”"noopener””><img style=”border: none; max-width: 100%;” src=”https://www.momblogfromhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Head-shot-for-blog-mom-blog-from-home.png ” /></a>
You will need to replace the first URL highlighted in pink with your About Me URL that you copied eariler.
Then replace the second URL highlighted in orange with your profile picture URL that you copied earlier as well.
Now take the whole code with the new URLs in it and copy and paste that into the Text Tab side of the Text box in your widget for your sidebar. Then click the Visual Tab and it should show your profile picture that you created!
From here you can adjust it and make it smaller if you would like. This is why I said the size wasn’t too important at the beginning because you have the option to adjust it right here.
You can now add a short introduction under your image telling your readers a little bit about you. Then if they want to learn more they can click on your profile picture that will take them to your About Me page for them to learn more!
Done!
That wasn’t so bad, was it?! I hope I didn’t lose you anywhere!
Now to test it out go to your live view of your blog and check it out! And like I said before you can add more to your sidebar with different widgets like social media buttons and more!
I hope you enjoyed this simple tip on how to add your profile picture to your sidebar and how to link it to your About Me page!
Let me know if you have any questions or need any other help with setting up your blog!
Vanessa
Need More Help?
If you need more help making beautiful images for your blog and Pinterest then check out my Free Pinterest Image Course!
Sign Up Here!
