Everything you need to know, from picking a domain name and web hosting to installing wordpress and themes, in order to start your very own food blog!

You love to eat.  You love to cook.  Family and friends rave about your recipes.  Co-workers envy the amazing restaurants you find (and you secretly love that they envy your dining habits).

Oh, and you spend a large majority of your free time searching for new kitchen inspiration on Pinterest.

Yea, you need to start a food blog.

That's how Shared Appetite was born.  A co-worker of mine said, Chris, you're always eating at all these amazing places and cooking up this great food... you NEED to start a food blog!!! 

Huh???  Food blog?  I honestly didn't even know what that was.  But OK, I'll do it.  Why not.

And let me tell you, second to asking my wife to marry me and trap her into a life-time commitment :), it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Food blogging is fun, rewarding, and a great way to digitally preserve all your favorite recipes and eating adventures!  And hey, us food bloggers are a pretty cool bunch of people.  I promise.  We are a community, and you will be surprised how quickly you connect and make new friends that you've actually never met in person!

Okay, so at this point it's not like you actually need me to convince you... but you should totally start a food blog!  And here's how...

{Disclaimer: some of the links below are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them.  It does not cost you one penny extra, but it will help me out a bunch.  I highly recommend the products listed below because they are helpful and are companies that I trust, not because of the commission that I may earn from you using these products.}

Domain Name and Hosting.

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Whaddya want to call it?

Your blog.  What's the name of your blog going to be?!

I know what you're thinking.  Man, I wish Shared Appetite was available.  Sorry, some incredibly handsome dude snatched that up already.

But thinking of your domain name is step #1 to creating your food blog.  And it's actually a lot of fun.

Think long and hard.  Brainstorm like crazy.  Run it past friends and family.  Sleep on it.  It's something that will become part of your virtual identity.  It needs to feel right.

Once you have a few winners, head over to bluehost to see if they are available.  Bluehost is a really, really fantastic company with and amazing track record, super low prices, and phenomenal customer service.  It's the hosting service that the majority of food bloggers use.

So if you are brand new to food blogging, you'll want to fill out the new domain section.  And make sure .com is checked (unless you want a different extension for some reason).

Now listen, don't be totally bummed if your dream name is already taken.  It happens.  When my wife Asheley started her blog, her initial URL dreams were quickly crushed.  It took a pint of Ben & Jerry's and a good night's sleep to get her back on track after that devastating blow 😉

After you have your domain name set and fill out the boring basics, it's time to get hosting.

Think of hosting like finding your first apartment.  You found the right place and moved in (your URL/domain name), and now need to start paying rent (hosting your new kick-butt blog).

Good news is that renting out internet space is a whole lot cheaper than real estate in NY.  Bluehost has one of the best deals around and is one of the most reliable and most used hosting services by bloggers.  And as a hosting signing bonus, they'll give you your domain name for free.  #woot

Figure out what term you're going to commit to... the 36 month plan will be the cheapest per month.  All those boxes circled in red are optional.  I personally don't use any of that.  The Domain Whois Privacy basically will protect your personal information from being displayed to the public.

And now it's time to pay up.  And don't even think about pulling the where did I leave my wallet... can you spot me?  trick.  I'm hip to your game.

And boom, just like that, you're on your way to being a real-deal food blogger.  Accept no imitations.

 

Get WordPress Up and Running.

WordPress is the software that you are going to need to run your blog.  It's incredibly user-friendly and is what I and virtually every other food blogger utilizes to manage their blog.

So, let's walk you through this, okay?

At this point you should have received an email from bluehost with your login info.  Once you enter your credentials, you'll reach the control panel for your bluehost account.

Just follow the red arrows in the images below:

Your domain will appear automatically in this box.  Click on check domain.

At this point, you'll want to click on show advanced options.  Create a user name and password to login to your blog.  Save this login information in a secure place!

Are you excited?!  Like, if you're not ridiculously excited at this point, there's a problem.  You have a blog!   Jump for joy.  No, seriously, I want you to stand up and jump for joy.

 

Now it's Time to Decorate.

What do you want your blog to look like?  Going for barnhouse chic?  Or modern cozy?  How about bright and airy?  So many options, so little time!

Just remember, the #1 thing you want for your site is for it to be easy to navigate for your readers.

When you hear bloggers talking about themes, they are referring to the design template they use to decorate their site.

WordPress has a ton of free themes if you want to start pretty basic.  If you're going to go this route, just make sure you read the reviews since there is a bunch of low-quality filler out there.  Go with themes that have a 4 or 5 star review rating.

But really, can we be honest?  You want an awesome blog, right?  Like, you're not just dipping your pinky toe in the water.  You want to do this food blogging thing, and you want to do it right.  Of course you do.  I knew I liked you.
The Foodie Pro Theme

So I would highly, highly recommend joining us cool kids that use the Genesis Framework.

The Genesis Framework is what is currently running on Shared Appetite.  You'll need to purchase the framework along with a theme.  Head on over to StudioPress to take a look through all the available theme designs.  I use the Foodie Pro Theme (it includes the Genesis framework + the theme in the price) and absolutely love it!

The Brunch Pro Theme

The Brunch Pro Theme from Genesis also looks really sharp for food bloggers!

Once you pick your theme you can consult the respective company in regards to set up instructions or assistance.

 

Well, That Was Fun!

You've done it!  Congrats 🙂

Now go log in to your blog's dashboard and start blogging!

You'll just need to type in:

http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin.php

For example, mine is: https://sharedappetite.com/wp-admin.php

Let me be the first to say... welcome to the wonderful world of food blogging!  I hope you'll stay in touch and we can become blogging buds!

 

What next?