The internet is a vast place full of recipe blogs, how to articles, and food porn.

So how do you know which one is right for you?

We have all been there before – we want to start a blog but don’t know how (or where) to begin.

If this sounds like you, then we are here to help!

This post will go over how to start your own successful recipe blog in 9 easy steps.

Step One: Choose a Niche or Topic

The first step to starting your blog is choosing the niche or topic you want it to focus on.

Do you love baking? Or how about cooking dinner for your family every night? Whatever your interest, try and narrow it down into something specific.

For example – if we are talking about food, maybe pick recipes related to vegan dinners, brunch foods served at brunches, etc. Once you have decided what cuisine(s) and/or dishes will be included in your posts, begin thinking of how they can fit together under one umbrella that would make sense as a theme for all future content.

For example – ‘gluten-free comfort foods’ could work because it draws attention to how these foods are comforting while also being healthy and free from gluten..

There are many people out there looking for recipes to meet their particular dietary needs, and yours could be the one that helps them. However, once you have decided how your blog will generally focus, it is time to move onto how often new content should go up!

Step Two: Determine your target market

This goes back to choosing your niche. However, this time you want to think about your target market. Who do you believe is best suited for this blog? What age range would be most interested in what we have to offer? How else can I tailor my content so that it fits more of a certain group (ex: men vs. women, young adults vs. baby boomers)?

Step Three: Learn how to start a blog the right way

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Step Four: Choose which blogging platform

Next, we need to choose our blogging platform – this can either be WordPress or Tumblr depending entirely upon personal preference but remember there are pros/cons to each, which should factor into your decision-making process.

WordPress is a fantastic option for starting a recipe blog because it gives you the ability to monetize your site and grow an email list of subscribers, both of which are great ways to earn income.

Unfortunately, WordPress can be slightly more complicated than Tumblr and requires that users have some web design experience to optimize their site’s appearance/functionality fully.

Tumblr, on the other hand, is often praised as being one of the easiest blogging platforms out there, but this ease-of-use comes with a price: limited customization options mean you won’t get nearly as much insight into how people are interacting with how to start a recipe blog.

You will also need at least basic coding knowledge or hire someone who does if you want dynamic or interactive content on how to start a recipe blog.

Lastly, Tumblr is not integrated with the other platforms you likely already use for your business, like email marketing software and social media how to start a recipe blog, which means your reach is limited.

Blogger is also another option how to start a recipe blog, and the good news is that you can use it for free. However, if you’re looking for any sort of analytics about how people are engaging with your content on how to start a recipe blog, Blogger will not suffice.

You also won’t be able to create ads as easily (if at all) or add other forms of custom code beyond HTML on this platform which means no clickable links in your posts!

If that isn’t enough, Google has recently announced they will be removing their affiliate program from Blogger starting December 2018, so why bother investing time into something like how to start a recipe blog when there are better options out there?

Lastly, I don’t recommend using WordPress.com for your recipe blog. WordPress.org is vastly superior and cheaper than the .com version of WordPress (which costs $30/month).

This platform lets you install plugins like clickable links or affiliate marketing codes much more easily than Blogger, and since it’s open-source, there are lots of free options out there!

The downside to using this platform is that if someone hacks into your site, they can mess with any code on how to start a recipe blog, including inserting malicious stuff. So make sure you keep all of these things in mind when choosing what works best for you.

Step Five: Structure the blog

This comes down to how you want your blog structured and what format works best for the type of content. For example, some people prefer video recipes while others love sharing their own beautiful images, so they go with photography-based posts.

Some like writing out all of the steps in detail before adding any multimedia elements-whatever you decide to structure things, make sure it’s how you most enjoy working!

Step 6: Publish frequently

Once again, this comes down to what you prefer, but if managed well, then once a week can work pretty well once a week. If, however, publishing posts more frequently works best for you, then certainly do so as long as things don’t get too hectic and quality isn’t compromised in favor of quantity.

Step 7: Give a story

I know how hard it is to create content for a recipe blog. You have to buy ingredients, cook, and take beautiful pictures. And, you still have to wash a truckload of dishes.

But, to help your blog stand out, you can add a little storytime with your recipe. When you post a recipe, share what the inspiration was. What made you want to try it? Or, why do you love that particular ingredient so much?

Step 8: Get personal

You don’t have to be all business on your blog, and traditional recipes are totally fine. You can add in some of yourself by including stories about how cooking with the family has been passed down through generations or ways that food brings people together because either way, they make for great posts!

Also, if there’s something else in your life at the time, this is another topic readers may like reading about – after all, who doesn’t enjoy hearing about someone’s daily happenings sometimes?!

Stir up controversy (if appropriate). Look, there are many recipe blogs on the internet, and the competition is fierce. Set yourself apart so people will choose you over the millions of recipe blogs.

Step 9: Get social

Make sure that you’re active on social media when sharing your posts from other sources!

The power of Pinterest cannot be understated; if there is one thing I’m certain about in this world, then it’s that people love recipes.

So if you can share them through the most popular recipe pinning site – well, let me tell ya, those views are going to add up faster than an aging meatloaf placed in front of a hungry teenage boy at dinner time…or something like that (I didn’t eat much meatloaf growing up).

Once you have a solid base of followers interested in your recipes, it’s time to start conjuring up original content.

Instagram is also great for posting beautiful food photos. Instagram has a massive audience and is a great way not only to show off your food but engage with followers.

Step 10: Use what you have

When I had a food blog, I was constantly out, shooting new images on my Android phone for Instagram or Pinterest (I’ll also use the in-app camera). But if you’re more of a traditionalist, there’s nothing wrong with using DSLR cameras.

I have a DSLR to take photos of food. It’s great in low-light situations, which is always true when it comes to dining in. And the ‘bokeh‘ it creates is magnificent. Bokeh is the blurriness of the background, which makes your subject look even more important in a shot.

The problem with a big DSLR is that it can be cumbersome. The body is not heavy, but when you add a big lens, it can reach 2 kg. Heck, a 100-400 mm lens is already 3 kg. Try carrying a 2 liter of milk the whole day.

Nowadays, I don’t bring my DSLR with me But, my. But my phone takes decent images. And I can share it right away on my social media.

Step 11) Keep readers coming back

The key is making readers feel like they’re hanging out in your kitchen while cooking alongside you; make them comfortable enough so that they’ll come back again next week (and every week thereafter) because they know that there will always be something delicious coming down the pipeline. Something special, something that only they can get with your help.

I think the best way to do this is by focusing on one recipe per post– a single dish that you’re extremely proud of and want to share with everyone in detail so that it’s easy for them to make at home.

Of course, some posts are going to be about learning how to cook certain foods. In contrast, others will be more instructional (i.e., teaching readers how to make sushi rice correctly or the difference between baking powder & baking soda).

But always try keeping things simple enough where people could easily recreate what you’ve made after reading through your post just once without any additional effort. This will not only keep readers coming back, but it will likely lead to them sharing your content as well.

Conclusion

If you’ve been considering starting a recipe blog but don’t know where to start, I hope this article has helped.

The first step is deciding what your target market will be and how large it will be.

Broadening the niche can make sense to keep readers coming back for more recipes or information on that specific topic.

For example, there’s no need to limit yourself with “soup” as your only focus when “healthy soup recipes” would attract a broader audience interested in healthy food options.

Once you have determined your niche, then structure the website accordingly using one of these three styles (each style comes with its own pros and cons).

Now all that remains is frequently publishing, so visitors come back for more.

If you are a food blogger or want to start one, hopefully, this has helped you navigate the recipe blog world with ease!