If you feel that now is the perfect time to create a fashion blog, you are thinking in the right direction. Fashion houses are looking to set themselves apart from their fierce competitors, and they spend big money while doing it. If you establish a successful bog in their niche, you can have your share of their marketing dollars. But how do you start a fashion blog and make it successful?
Becoming a successful blog’s webmaster is a three-phase process, the first being designing an elegant website. Secondly, you must work hard to make people and search engines love it. The third step is optional, and it involves monetizing your blog. This article explains how to make a fashion blog in three stages in the simplest way.
Strap in and get ready to learn!
Phase 1: How to Create a Fashion Blog
When starting a blog, the first step is defining what your niche is. The understanding will go a long way to determine your other choices, such as domain names and themes. To understand what you want your blog to deal in, try answering the following questions as accurately as possible:
- Why are you starting a fashion blog?
- What age and gender will your blog address?
- Where do you expect your prospective readers to be living?
Once you know what audience you are targeting, you can take the following steps to achieve your objective of an elegant, functional blog:
Choose a Platform
A prospective blogger has two options: create a blog for free or invest in a self-hosting platform. Platforms such as Blogger allow you to launch a blog without spending a dime. They provide you with free hosting and a subdomain. Here is what Blogger looks like:
But are they the best place to start a fashion blog?
They are probably not. Free platforms have minimal features, which in turn limit your possibilities of being successful. Additionally, they reserve the right to delete a post if it violates their policies. Thus, self-hosting services remain the best place to start a fashion blog when aiming to maintain control over your content and audience.
Buy a Domain Name
A domain is a name your users will type in a browser’s search bar to find your blog. You want the name to be short, memorable, and easy to pronounce. Remember, the domain name is not merely an address used by search engines. Your audience will associate any product or service from your blog with it.
There is no harm in asking an SEO specialist to find a great name for your site. However, modern tools such as blog name generators may be a cheaper option.
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Choose a Hosting Service
A host keeps all files relating to your website and avails them to your audience on demand. When creating a fashion, you can start with shared hosting, which should cost you approximately $2 – $10 per month. The more money you pay, the higher the number of features available to you.
There are hundreds of web hosts to pick from, and you should research well before settling on one. Be sure to check that the host supports WordPress.
Create a Blog
Armed with the right domain name and hosting, you can now answer how to make a fashion blog, also known as designing. Some hosting services use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a website for you. All you have to do is answer a couple of questions. Afterward, the host presents you with a customizable template.
But to maximize your flexibility and ability to make your site successful, use the WordPress content management system (CMS). It might scare you to imagine that you will be handling raw code. However, there are numerous website builders to help you customize your theme of choice without any programming.
WordPress has thousands of themes, which you may use as many times as you want. It is a good idea for beginners to select a free theme and customize its layout to make it unique. Indisputably, the theme you use must be responsive so that mobile, tablet, and desktop users can comfortably navigate your site. Here are just a few WordPress themes available:
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(Image Credit: Press Customizr Documentation)
It would help if you thought about your niche and target audience to ease the process of designing. For example, specific colors appeal more to men than to women. Thus, if your audience is predominantly male, your theme color may be a dark shade of blue.
Depending on the design you are implementing, it might take you anywhere from thirty minutes to a couple of days to have a blog ready. Many WordPress tutorials explain how to start a fashion blog without writing code, and you should use them. Again, hiring a professional developer is a good idea if your budget can allow it.
Add Content to the Blog
The design step wraps up the technical part of starting a fashion blog. But its final product is a collection of web pages that, unless filled with content, cannot make a successful site. Be very careful here, as your content is among the factors that can make or break a blog.
Any texts, photos, or video included in your blog must take you a step closer to increasing traffic. Since you are in fashion, high-quality photos should get a fair share of the layout. Further, all content should address your target audience.
Once you feel confident enough to show your blog to the world, you may go ahead and publish your brand new site. If you search for your site online and it does not show up, worry not. Propagation, the process by which your domain’s DNS gets updated across the internet, can take up to seventy-two hours.
By the end of the first phase, you should no longer be pondering how to start a fashion blog. Your site should be functional and ready to provide valuable information to visitors. But as much the step plays a significant part in creating a successful blog, only search engines and a few close friends will know about your site immediately after launching it. But how do you make the entire world know that there is a new blog to check out? Well, that is what phase two is all about.
Did you know??? Listicles get 2x more shares than other blog post formats. 51% of companies say updating old content has proven the most efficient tactic implemented. (HubSpot)
Phase 2: How to Market a Fashion Blog
Promoting your site is probably the most crucial step when creating a successful fashion blog. But how does one get from one to a thousand visitors a month in the shortest time possible? Here is a list of actions you can take in no particular order to make your blog popular.
Upload Fresh Content Regularly
When SEOs say content is king, they are not exaggerating. A blog filled with quality content can increase your traffic by a whopping 434%. This statistic is a result of the fact that more than 70% of internet users read blogs.
But writing useful articles is not enough per se. It would help if you created a regular posting schedule. When starting, upload content at least once a week. But if you have enough time on your hands, do not turn down the opportunity to post every day. However, be sure to never to publish an article just for the sake of posting. Take your time to think about what you are writing and why your audience would resonate with it.
In addition to posting informative articles regularly to create traction, here are extra tips when uploading content to your fashion blog:
Create catchy headlines: Let your articles grab the reader’s attention right from the start. Thus, use titles that include a “how to…” or one that gives insight, such as “X ways to…” You may also provide a title that makes your audience curious. How does “I wore this dress to the prom, and you can’t believe what someone told me” sound? The image below shows another example:
Aim for high readability: You do not want to publish posts that only a college-level visitor can read. Ideally, an eighth-grader should go through your articles without difficulties. However, readability is one of the areas where you avoid aiming too high. Web visitors may feel too-easy-to-read content contains no valuable information.
Go deep: It may be tempting to publish shallow, 500-word articles daily. But if you want to stand out, upload 2500-3000 word pieces that explain the topic at hand in great detail. In this manner, you establish yourself as an expert in your field and set up your posts to include more links and keywords.
Remember the images: More than anything, fashion blogs are about photos. Include attractive, high-quality pictures alongside your posts. You may have to buy the pictures you want or hire a professional photographer to take some for you. If you decide to handle the photo-shoot, take photos late in the afternoon when the sun’s light is most subtle.
We hope that you found this article useful.
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Optimize Your Website
If your interest in creating a fashion blog has been in existence for some time, you know a thing or two about search engine optimization (SEO). It is the process of making search engines love, rank, and understand your blog. Specifically, you need to:
Make your website faster: If your fashion blog is WordPress-powered, there are numerous plugins at your disposal to increase your site’s speed. Alternative platforms may require you to hire a developer. Be sure to test your website speed frequently using tools such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights, for instance:
(Image Credit: Search Engine Land)
Use keywords: There is a lot of information revolving around how to choose and use keywords. Thus, you must consult widely before delving in into them. Generally, you need to use about three long-tail keywords for a 1000-word article.
Implement on-page optimization: Actionable tips here include adding Meta titles and descriptions and shortening your URLs. While at it, remember to optimize your images by adding a title and alt attribute. It would also be a good idea to structure your content using HTML headers.
Use internal and external links: Using links internally and externally has numerous benefits. Increasing backlinks may take more time to master. Thus, seek an SEO specialist’s services to realize the full range of merits that links deliver. Again, CMSs like WordPress have plugins to help you with implementing various SEO strategies.
Use Social Media
Social media sites provide an effortless way of communicating with your audience. When it comes to fashion blogs, go with visual websites. Thus, Instagram and Pinterest should be your playground. But there is no reason to avoid Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
Talk to Your Visitors
Add a comments section where you can have a conversation with your audience. Be sure to moderate it and reply to most, if not all, of the comments present.
Use Google Analytics
There is a pool of tools out there that analyze the traffic of your fashion blog. However, Google Analytics reigns supreme as it is powerful and free. Be sure to add it to your site to track where your visitors originate from and how they interact with your site. The platform may also suggest additional ways to market a blog, such as paid search and email marketing. Here is an example of Google Analytics:
(Image Credit: Neil Patel)
When in the final tracks in phase two, you should no longer be asking yourself, “how can I start a fashion blog?” The right question should be, “how can I make money from my fashion blog?” Luckily, that is what phase three is all about.
Phase 3: How to Monetize a Fashion Blog
For most bloggers, figuring out how to start a successful fashion blog means making money from a site. And no matter how popular a blog is, it cannot generate cash unless you take the necessary steps to turn it into a business.
Due to the fashion industry’s nature, bloggers in this niche area are in a unique position to make money. What’s more, most of the dollar-making methods are free of charge. Now that you know the solution to “how can I start a fashion blog,” you take a moment to explore how fashion bloggers get paid.
Start with Display Ads
Advertisers are always looking for popular blogs to air their merchandise. Once your site gains enough traction, they should have no problem placing ads on it – and paying you while doing it. To start with display ads, you can check out Google AdSense. The image below shows a display ad placed on a fashion blog:
Display ads pay bloggers in two significant ways. Firstly, you might get money every time a visitor clicks on ads placed on your blog. Also, cash may trickle in when a visitor sees your site’s ads. Be sure to explore various ways to include display ads in your content and start earning.
Get into Affiliate Marketing
Did you know you can get money from a fashion blog by recommending other people’s products? Well, the brand may not pay you directly. But if your post convinces someone to buy the item reviewed, some commission may come your way.
Amazon Affiliates is the largest affiliate partner out there. As you might be thinking, the competition here is fierce. Thus, your writing must be top-notch. You may also venture out and sign up for other affiliate programs such as ShareASale.
Become an Influencer
Once you establish yourself as an expert in your niche, making money from a fashion blog becomes significantly easy. For starters, you can be a guest speaker at the launch of a product. You might also start selling sponsored content, where you review and endorse products you love for a fee.
Besides creating a revenue stream, influencing gives you a chance to promote your blog. The benefits you can prune off networking are immeasurable. To fully exploit influencing, be as knowledgeable about your field as one can be.
Start Selling
You may start listing products on your site once the traffic is high enough. But do not focus on selling clothing alone. An E-book or a fashion magazine can suffice as well. If you were using WordPress, all you have to do is install WooCommerce. Other platforms may require you to upgrade to a new plan. To add the WooCommerce plugins go to the plugins tab on WordPress, for example:
(Image Credit: Shop Plugins)
It is also possible to offer freelancing services on your blog. Here, other, probably new, and struggling fashion blogs will hire you to develop content for them. If you feel confident enough, a consultancy business may not be taking it too far. Prospective clients will be seeking your advice on what to wear on different occasions.
Take Advantage of Paid Membership
If the content you provide is valuable enough, visitors may have no problem paying for it. You can upload quality content to keep attracting new users but publish premium works for paid members. You may also include perks such as private forums to make the paid version as attractive as possible.
Depending on how creative you are, you might find tons of ways to make money from a blog. You can even sell your blog for a profit, design a new one, and use your skills to grow it. By the end of phase three, you should rank among the successful fashion bloggers.
Diib®: Start Your Fashion Blog Today!
Rather than sit and wonder how to begin a successful fashion blog, start learning and put your skills to work. The thought of creating a blog may intimidate you, but after the first step, other requirements should seem to be falling into place. For instance, partnering with Diib Digital can offer comprehensive statistics and demographics on your readers and their habits. This can help you choose the right topics and best times to post. Here are some of the features that set us apart from the crowd:
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FAQ’s
The #1 way that fashion bloggers get paid is through affiliate links. Sites like RewardStyle and ShopStyle use affiliate links to take the reader directly to the products the blogger may be wearing or purchasing in photos or posts. Then, the blogger gets paid a portion of sales or clicks.
In order to have a good chance of making consistent money, you’ll need to have more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.
There are a few vital things necessary to start your own blog:
- Choose your name and blog hosting platform.
- Start your blog by adding WordPress.
- Pick a simple theme to make your blog your own.
- Add a couple of plugins that will make your blogging easier.
- Write high quality, fun content your readers will love.
Ebay, Instagram, Personal blogs, Luxury fashion brokers. These are all ways the bloggers can sell their clothes.
There are so many ways to promote your blog. Here are our favorite:
- Share your content in various places and formats
- Include your blog link in your social media profiles
- Share the blog post on social media just after publishing.
- Share your posts more than once.