Where Should You Invest Your Cash When You Start Blogging?*

*This is a collaborative post*

The lifestyle of a blogger can seem very appealing when you’re first thinking of getting started. The allure of working when you feel like it, writing about what interests you most, and the freedom of blogging from anywhere in the world is certainly appealing. Of course, anyone who has done their research has probably discovered that there may be a few start-up costs involved. If you’re one of the few that believe it’s possible to be a blogger with zero cash up front, you might be in for a shock.

Don’t get me wrong. It is completely possible to blog without spending any money. That is, of

course, if you already have a reliable computer, a high-speed internet connection, a spare room for work, and you're OK not having your own domain. If you want your website to be professional, functional, and attractive, you need to start investing a little bit of money. So what do you need?

Thanks to Pexels for the pic

The more you do yourself, the cheaper it will be. Unless you are a professional graphic designer, though, it’s probably best you commission a logo in the very least. You’ll still need a good quality laptop that is reliable. Most of your work will be online, but chances are you’ll want to do a bit of copy editing, budgeting, correspondence drafts and photo editing offline. You’ll need software rather than apps, so a laptop is essential. Don’t panic though. You can buy perfectly good refurbished computers to save a lot of money. You can visit the site of a reputable dealer to see what fits your budget.

Your domain is also your brand name. It is unique to you, and you’ll undoubtedly design your logo around the name. Registering a domain name is not free, and you will be charged annually to keep it active and in your name. You’ll also benefit from using hosting services from a good company. This will ensure your website isn’t prone to hacking and remains active at all times. This again will cost you a few pounds per month. You might choose to go for the cheapest, then shop around when your contract is up. Loyalty isn’t often rewarded! A simple internet search for web hosting will show you which deals are best.

You can then use WordPress for free. This will provide you with hundreds of website templates to choose from without the need for coding. The only thing you really need now is somewhere quiet to work. You may have thought you could work from anywhere at any time you want. Yeah, you can, but if you want professional copy free from errors, you need to be able to focus. Once your blogging life becomes a full-time career, you’ll be keen to separate work from home and leisure life anyway. Make sure you can shut the door on it when your working day is done.

Yes, becoming a blogger is pretty easy. Yes, you can start for free with services like Blogger. If you’re really serious about it though, put a few pounds into reliable equipment and systems and working practices you can trust. Don’t let your readers down!

*This post has been contributed by Sam Jones

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Ways To Increase Your Side Hustle*

If you’d have told me two years ago that by 2017 I’d be generating income from my little internet space then I’d have laughed at you.

Sure I knew it was doable, after all I’d read several posts from fellow bloggers who were making a decent amount of money every month, but I just didn’t believe that this could ever be me.

For starters I had no idea how a blogger even made money. I’d hear about all these affiliate links programmes and it would just go straight over my head. Sponsored posts seemed a good way forward but I had no clue where to start. But start I did and I’m going to show you how you can do the same.

If I’m honest, my first pay check actually came from two separate companies who had indeed approached me. (You can imagine my delight when I opened my inbox that morning right?) But this got me thinking. I’d created two sponsored posts which were received well, maybe just maybe I could pitch to do more.

My first plan of action was to find out where I could actually find more blog opportunities. Other bloggers had advised that I scroll through these three hashtags on Twitter, #PRRequest #BloggersWanted and #BloggersRequired. I also joined the Facebook groups, Official UK Bloggers and UK Blogger Opportunities. But although I got some response from brands this way, I still wanted to find more potential work. This is when I discovered Bidvine.

If you haven’t heard of this website then I would highly recommend you check it out. Bidvine is just one of the ways in which you can increase your side hustle. In short, it’s essentially a go-between. Bidvine connects customers with the services that they need. For me this means making myself available as a content writer for potential customers/clients and their websites.

Maybe the same could be said for you or perhaps your niche is more social media marketing or web design? The fantastic thing about Bidvine is that once you’re signed up as a provider, potential customers will reach out to you. It's completely free to join and you would only pay a small fee when you wanted to be considered for a project by a client.

It’s a relatively simple website to work around. A Bidvine customer will complete a bid request which involves answering a few questions. This is just to ensure that the most suitable candidate is matched for the job. For example, if it was one of my potential clients, they would answer to say whether they’re after general article writing or blog writing. 

Of course there’s also plenty of other services you can register yourself for if writing isn’t your thing. Here's how it works for professionals.

I read somewhere that a fellow blogger had recently made thousands of pounds from blogging and her side hustle in March alone. If that isn’t an incentive then I don’t know what is! 



*This post may contain collaborative or affiliate content

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How To Fall Back In Love With Blogging

If you're reading this then you're either a) one of my loyal lovelies (thank you) or b) you've grown tired of the blogging game and are looking for some motivation on how to get your mojo back. 

Blogging isn't always fun but it should be. If you're feeling like you have to force content, if it's become a chore or even if you're feeling disheartened because your views aren't all you want them to be, you need to take it back to basics. Ask yourself this, 

'Why did I start blogging in the first place?'

Was it for fun? A hobby? Was it with the aim to launch a brand or a business? A new career? Is it your own writing platform? Whatever the reason I'll bet when you initially started out that you were buzzing from it all the time. I know I was. Truth be told - please don't hate me - I still am. I simply love my little internet space. I love creating content and playing around with different ideas. I'm literally in my element. These days I probably spend as much time working on GGD as I do my day job and even though I'm tired, it honestly doesn't ever feel like work. Have you ever heard of that expression? 

'Find your passion and you'll never have to work a day in your life.' 

This is so true of blogging for me. If I got to do this full time I'd be one happy girly and yet it wasn't always like this you know? I wasn't always so euphoric. So what's my secret?

Put simply, I quit trying to be something I wasn't. I decided to blog for me and me alone, even if no-one else ever read a post again. 

I am having a whale of a time creating my kind of content. People say writers should write the book they want to read. Well I'm writing the kind of blog posts that I would choose to read myself. 

I've also stopped obsessing over numbers and now just allow myself to be pleasantly surprised if they happen to jump up one day. The odd tweet and comments here and there also mean so much. Hearing how a post has inspired someone or the emails thanking me for such a lovely, positive, happy internet space give me so much satisfaction.

Why not try one of these five ideas and see if they work for you?

1. Quit Comparing Your Blog To Others

You will never feel good enough trust me. It's human nature. This does not mean your blog isn't great! Keep at it.

2. Stop Obsessing Over Numbers

Seriously. It's not healthy. Track them if needs be for your media kit but just try and let go a little. 

3. Take A Break

Hands up if you are so obsessed that blogging and numbers are all you talk about every minute of every day to any and everyone! (Guilty as charged.) 

It's not healthy for blogging to be your only thing, your only outlet. I do love it yes but I also now make sure I have time away from it too. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that! Sundays are my 'official' day off from any blog related work. I make sure that by Saturday evening I've scheduled all my tweets so that I can enjoy having an actual life for one day of the week. It honestly makes me appreciate blogging all the more. Why not try having some time away if you feel like you need it?

4. Take It Back To Basics

Are you writing content purely for your own pleasure? Or are you guilty of trying to be too much like the blogger next door because hell, it's working great for them, they have 100k followers and you want to be just like that! Right? No no and no. You'll drive yourself crazy for starters. And where's the enjoyment in trying to be like someone else? Always write for yourself first and foremost. If you choose to write things that you're passionate about, it will not only show in the content but I guarantee you'll have much more fun putting a post together too. 

5. Try New Things

I've only just started working on collaborations lately and I can't believe it took me nearly two years to bite the bullet as it's actually so much fun!! It's given me a confidence boost and now I feel like anything is possible for GGD. The only limit is myself. Why not try reaching out to a brand or blogging agency yourself? Having deadlines and goals to work towards can actually be really motivating. 

Whatever you try, I hope if you're struggling with your blog that you get your mojo back soon. Remember that blogging should always be fun! If it's not then perhaps you need to look at why.

Sending you all lots of love...

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Why Blogging Is Easier Than You Think*

*This is a collaborative post*

You are obviously a fan of blogs, or else you wouldn’t be reading this one right now. But have you ever thought about running your own? The great thing about the internet is that it is egalitarian. Anyone with a computer and a Wi-Fi connection can join in the fun. You do not need to have any previous writing experience or any formal academic training at all. As long as you want to write and you want to share your knowledge and passion with the world, you are just about as ready as you’ll ever need to be.

Starting something new is always difficult and making the decision to put yourself out there and hope that people enjoy it is a big one. You might also be worried about the technical side of running a website. Do you need to know about coding? How do you ensure that your website remains safe? Does it cost money to run a blog? These are all good questions. Luckily, the answers all point in the same direction. Blogging is a lot easier than you may think it is and here is why:

First, in terms of the technical side, it is happily quite easy. All of the infrastructure for a website has already been developed for you. The only thing left to do is to take advantage of it. Something like PAC Web Hosting is a great place to start. It costs less than a cup of coffee each month, and most people drink more than one cup a day so it is almost nothing when you look at it like that. Also, you can get started right away with all the technical support that you could ever need. In return, you get a place to be yourself and express who you are.

Next, and this bit is the easiest of all, you need to fill up your brand new blog with the things that you love. You can become part of a niche community (and there are a lot of them out there). Writing articles is just like talking with your friends. Imagine that you are out and you strike upon a topic that you are really interested in. Do you find that you are stuck for words? Perhaps you can’t quite find the right angle? Of course not! Talking about something you’re passionate about is the easiest thing ever, and a lot of fun besides. When running a blog, the little extras are not too difficult either: finding gorgeous photos and informative links. If you are a pro at surfing the web, making the jump to contributing to it is not difficult at all.

Finally, writing and publishing your own blog is easy because once you start, you’ll find out how much fun it is and it will not feel like work at all. You will be hooked and won’t want to do anything else. Your friends will end up having to read your blog to find out how you’re doing. Besides, running a blog is a great way to meet new people: the internet is so big that finding like minded-people is easier than in real life sometimes.

So what are you waiting for?



Photo via Pexels

*This post has been contributed by Sam Jones

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6 Things I Did To Improve My Blog

It's almost been two years since I started GirlGoneDreamer and it's safe to say I've learned a lot since then. What was good enough back then just doesn't cut it for me now. Blogging is no longer just a hobby. I'm building a brand, pushing forwards every single day to create the life I have always dreamed of. As such by Christmas 2016, I felt that my blog needed to up it's game. Here are six things I did to improve GGD.

1. New Layout/Template

A new layout can make all the difference. It can bring life back into your blog if you're bored with how it looks. And the more user friendly it is, the more it will encourage your readers to return.
When I chose my original template I wasn't thinking about how user friendly it would be. It was more about how pretty it looked and to be fair it was perfect for me at the time. I'd dabbled with various templates but none were really cutting it. Then Fiona from WishesHopesDreams kindly uploaded my latest template (designed by KayLuxeDesign.)
I love it because it's much more user friendly for starters. And I love the 'You Might Also Like' feature at the end of every post. (Apologies if you're reading this on a mobile phone rather than a computer as you won't be able to see what I'm on about. I do plan to add this feature to the mobile view in the very near future.)

2. New Logo

Along with a new layout I felt as if I needed a new logo to represent GirlGoneDreamer. Some might say it's too 'young' but I really love it. I've always been young at heart anyway and the unicorn represents the dreamer side of me. It couldn't be more perfect. Anyone after a new header should check out Dorkface. It was indeed Dorkface creator Jemma who created mine.

3. Posting Quality Content And Doing So More Frequently

When I made the decision to take my blog up a notch I realised that I also needed to up my own game. Posting sporadically wasn't going to cut it. Ever since New Year I've tried to post content three times a week. The most important thing for me is the quality. I won't publish anything that I haven't put 110% into or I feel is sub standard. And I've definitely found my numbers have grown since posting on a more frequent basis.

4. Finding My Niche

People go on about finding a niche don't they? I honestly didn't have one up until - ooh I don't know, maybe yesterday? Don't get me wrong, I thought I did but after posting several book reviews, mini hauls and various other 'unsatisfactory' posts I just wasn't feeling it.
Then it occurred to me that this was all supposed to be fun, and I was trying too hard to be like other bloggers. So much so that I wasn't even enjoying the content I was creating. This was the moment I decided that no matter what, I would always write posts for my enjoyment first and foremost. And hey presto. Three months in I think I might actually have found my niche. My advice to you all is to write for yourself, because if you do, your personality will ultimately shine through. Stick with it because over time maybe your niche will also reveal itself.

5. Working On My Social Media Growth

Okay so item number five isn't about improving my blog as such but it still counts. Writing quality content on it's own just isn't enough. You can't expect the readers to flock to you of their own accord so self promotion is hugely important. Now more than ever I know this to be true. I've spent a lot of time networking, scheduling, sharing content written by others. It does pay off if you work at it. My 1k growth in just one month alone is proof of that. If you want your blog to go places you need to up your social media strategy.

6. Going Mobile Responsive

One of my blogging pet hates is clicking a blog link to find it's not mobile responsive. I will always leave said blog in a nano second. If you haven't already gone mobile responsive then pleeeeease go do it now. People do not want to try read a blog in 'website view' on a teeny tiny phone screen. Trust me when I say it's losing you readers. And if you're not sure how to do this, then ask Fiona from WishesHopesDreams. She's a dab hand when it comes to all of this tech stuff! Who do you think helped me with all mine? :)


Finally, if you missed my blog post on 'Learning From Others' then do go take a look. Anyone who thinks DA stands for District Attorney definitely needs to read it.  ;)


How have you improved your blog? Do you have any tips to share?


Until next time...



Justine xxx




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