There are a lot of great reasons to start your blog as a teenager.
It’s an excellent way to share your thoughts and opinions with the world while getting valuable feedback from readers in return.
Blogging can also be a fantastic creative outlet that allows you to express yourself without any restrictions or limitations.
But how do you get started as a teeny boppy?
This article will take you through how to start a blog as a teenager, including how much it costs, blogging tips for teens, how long posts should be, how often you should post content, and more!
How to start a blog as a teenager
I was a teenager once, and the only money I had was $5 for my lunch.
So, if you were like me and want to start a blog, but don’t have the cash flow for it, then welcome. You’re in the right place!
However, if you’re lucky enough to have generous parents or have money to spare, head over to our free guide to starting a real business with blogging.
Decide on a blog name
I’ve started many websites in the past, and one thing that takes me forever to decide on is the name of the blog/business.
But, if you’re having a hard time coming up with one, here are some tips to keep in mind.
The most important thing is that it’s not taken, but also how you feel about the name. There’s nothing worse than spending hours on a meaningful and catchy name only to find out that it’s not available.
I suggest coming up with a handful of names then check if the domain name is still available.
You can do this by going to a domain registrar such as Bluehost or GoDaddy. Pick something short and catchy, so people know what your blog is about when they visit!
Decide on a topic for your blog content. What is your passion? What can’t you shut up about? It has to be broad enough so you won’t run out of topics to write about.
But narrow enough, so you’re not competing with companies that have thousands of money to spend on writers that churn out hundreds of contents a day.
Choose a blogging platform
Since we’re tight on budget, let’s pick blogging platforms that host for free. The following can help with that:
- Blogger
- WordPress.com
- Tumblr blog
Create your username and password for the blogging platform
Once you decided on which platform to use, I recommend WordPress.com. You can join and create your username. The username is how you’ll be recognized by other bloggers on the platform.
This is straightforward when you’re a teenager, as you probably have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. And the process is very much the same.
Write your first post
Next, go to your dashboard and click “create a new post” or start a blog post from scratch if it’s empty.
Write your blog post title in the box that says “post.” This is how people will know what you’re writing about.
Next, write your first sentence using a catchy headline to get readers’ attention and make them want to read more of it. For example:
This article will teach you how to start a blog as a teenager! So here’s how…
Add images to make your posts more interesting and visually appealing
You might want to add images to your posts to make them visually appealing. However, if you know SEO, website speed has become essential to rank on Google.
That’s why you may only see one or nothing in my blog posts.
However, if your website is about photography, art, design, food, or anything that has to be visually appealing, then try this plugin.
If you want to add images to your blog posts, use a plugin such as Smush to compress images without quality loss.
Smush image compression plugin (free) compresses the size of an image by 75% without resulting in any significant decrease in visual fidelity.
Now, if you have a photoshop or a quality image editor. I recommend compressing the original image to the lowest possible file size, but still pleasing to look at. Then upload it to your WordPress.com and add pictures to your blog post.
Lastly, click on “Publish” located at the bottom right corner of the screen, and voila! You have officially published your very own teen blogger-friendly website with WordPress hosting company!
Set up email notifications
Setting up notifications is not incredibly important if you are checking your blog daily. However, if you don’t have time to do that, notifications are a way to stay on top of what’s happening with your blog.
For WordPress to send you email alerts, first set up an account in Gmail or another compatible service provider.
Then connect it by clicking the “Connect” button in the lower right-hand corner of your dashboard and selecting how often you want to receive updates (hourly is probably too frequent). If you don’t want any emails at all, there is also a checkbox under that option called “Don’t Send Me Updates.”
What should a teenager blog about?
The number one rule of blogging is: no rules!
Of course, you should be aware that this doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to post anything for any reason.
Generally speaking, teenagers who want a successful blog will share their interests with the world to become an authority on those topics.
They’ll also find ways to create engaging posts by using good writing skills and adding visuals like videos or infographics.
A teenager might start a travel blog about living in another country. They write reviews about various locations visited lately, review books from different genres, interview people in the industry, or write how-to guides.
It’s always a good idea to read other blogs for inspiration and see how they’re able to engage their audience with interesting posts, so be sure to search around!
A teen blogger can do anything that interests them as long as it’s well researched and written with care.
Blogging is all about having fun while expressing your thoughts on topics you love (or just want others to know more about).
It might seem intimidating at first, but once you get started, there are endless ways of blogging out there – whatever piques your interest!
When to publish a blog post?
The one thing every blog needs, though, is an established routine where updates happen regularly because readers will follow the thread expecting regular content from periods.
Do your readers a favor and try to publish posts on the same day each week. This will help build up an expectation in how often they can expect new content, which means you’ll get more feedback, followers and ultimately make more money!
For example, if you blog once every three days, at least one of those posts should be published on Tuesday because that’s when people are most likely to check their blogs for updates.
How long should posts be?
The blog post content should be at least 500 words.
Aim for a word count of 1000-1500 words, but don’t worry if you can’t achieve that.
Just make sure to include enough detail in your posts, so they’re not short and boring!
We recommend using bullet points where possible to make it easier for readers to skim the text rather than scan through entire paragraphs just trying to find how something relates back to them.
It also makes it much quicker and easy on the eyes when reading long articles online.
Tips for teenage bloggers
Today, starting a business doesn’t take much capital. Even a 12 y.o. can start a business on the internet.
Teenagers should leverage the internet to make money either as an influencer, a business person (they call them entrepreneurs nowadays), or just someone who wants to share their passion with the world.
Here are some tips for teenager bloggers:
- Keep a publishing schedule and make it a habit-forming so that you’re in control of your own work time rather than feeling like you have no free time at all by not having any regular schedule
- This will also help you get serious about your blogging career, which is necessary to make money.
- Find an audience for your blog that will care about what you’re writing, share it with them, and how they can help promote the content. The more people who find out about your blog – via word of mouth or other means (such as social media) – the greater chances of potential advertisers seeing it too.
- Collaborate/Network – If someone has an interest in a niche that is different than yours. Still, they have followers/subscribers on their own channel because enough people like their posts. This could be an excellent opportunity to collaborate with them or even advertise on each other’s channels.
- Be patient – Look, you’re young. I wish I started as young as you. Even if the first blog doesn’t work out, you have time. Look at Colonel Sanders. He founded KFC at the age of 65.
Costs to starting a blogging business
You don’t need much money to start a blog. All you need is money for monthly hosting upkeep and a yearly domain fee. For example, Bluehost’s monthly fee is only $2.95 a month.
Bluehost can also get you a free domain by joining with them. Click here to learn more about Bluehost’s FREE Domain bundle.
As you can see, it’s peanuts to start a blog. But, not for a teenager. It’s not only money that you need. You also have to allocate time to research, write and promote your content.
In the end, how long it takes to start a blog as a teen depends on how much time you can spare. A lot of teens have blogs because they enjoy writing and want an outlet for their creativity. You might find that doing something like this will make your life more enjoyable too!
Click on our free guide if you want a complete breakdown of costs to start a blogging business.
Can a teenager start a blog?
Heck yeah!
I’m not a perfect example because I started late.
But, the following began their blog in their teens.
- Fran Acciardo – Fran, the true teenage lifestyle blogger. Fran’s blog is all about college life and her experience as a young adult in this day and age with focus on music, travel style among other things! Check out her instagram too- it’s really cool!
- By Sophia Lee – Sophia Lee started her blog in high school as an outlet to help other teens find their way through life. She is the millennial Martha Stewart and I can see why! Sophia has some resources for people looking into blogging themselves, so definitely check out her website if you want more information on dorm living or healthy recipes.
- Teens Got Cents – Eva, the founder of Teens Got Cents, started her blog when she was only 16 years old! She realized that money is such an important topic in life yet teens are never properly introduced to it. That’s why she started Teens Got Cents…to guide teenagers on everything related to money saving and shopping. Her resources are simply amazing which makes this one of the best blogs for teenagers who want help starting their lives off right!
Can a teenager start a blog?
The question you should be asking is… Why can’t you?
Conclusion
To help you start blogging as a teenager, here are some tips for establishing your blog presence. First, decide on a name that is memorable and reflects the content of your posts.
Next, choose a blogging platform to suit your needs- whether it’s WordPress or Blogger, or another platform.
Once you know what type of blog you want to create, sign up for a free account with one of these platforms using your desired username and password.
Finally, write at least five articles so readers can see the variety in topics covered by your blog before adding images to make them more visually appealing (and engaging), and set up email notifications, so you don’t miss any comments or new followers!
As a dedicated SEO professional, I help businesses improve their online visibility and attract more customers through search engine optimization. Whether you’re a small local business or a large corporation, I can help improve your search rankings, drive more traffic to your website, and ultimately grow your business.
Christian Tanobey