Start a food blog today -food Blogging basics and tools to get you started today 

Hi, my name is Ivelina 

-Creator and founder of “Mother Nature Loves”  you Brand. Over the last 6 years, I have set up over 400 blogs in different niches online.
Since May 2012 (since I went vegan) my main focus has been to develop and expand this blog. While I was doing that I also discovered, that there is a demand for information on how to set up a food blog and this inspired me to share the behind the scenes blogging basics and tools, that I use.

This information is an open invitation also to you ask me any questions, that you might have on setting up your food blog. The outcome from sharing this information is to help you set up your food blog and provide you with the tools and the basics, that you need in order to build a successful online presence and attract fans and followers. 

I have put some thoughts into what makes a difference when you are blogging about food and sharing images, information and helping others.
1. Blog name and domain name –selecting a domain name for your blog is a very vital part of your marketing as it will represent your identity and style. Choosing a domain for your blog can take from a few hours to a few days. I have made a short video, where I share 3 easy tips to help you choose the right domain for your blog. You can watch it here.

So think about your blog name, what you want to do with it and where you want to go with it. There are many ways to search for available domains. I personally use godaddy.com

2. Choose a blogging platform. There is plenty of free blogging platforms out there and you are spoiled for choice. Using a free platform has its benefits, but it is also sometimes harder to customize, impossible to integrate with payment systems and also you become dependable and you in less control.

I personally use WordPress.org

3. Hosting your blog: Hosting for Free or Self-Hosting?

Free hosting is available on WordPress.com (different from WordPress.org), which means that your blog  on their server.

Your blog URL will be FoodBlog.Wordpress.com

This is the route is good for those of you who just want a simple place to share content without having to worry about servers and customization
Upgraded hosting and other features are also available on WordPress.com for additional fees.

You will need to spend some money
Self Hosting- (WordPress.org) is the most customizable and allows you total control
You can upload custom themes
Ability to upload plugins
You have complete control to change the code on your blog
This route is for those hoping to expand on their blog and make it very specific to their needs. This is what I do for my sites.

4. Choose a reliable host for your blog. There are many web host providers and what you need to look for are a great support and reliable service. I use Hostmonster 

5. Choose a Theme or cool design for your blog –When it comes to themes for your blog you are spoiled for choice. I have tried 100 s of different themes and then I came across Socrates. It has become the solid foundation for many of my blogs and this one has been thriving ever since I started using it, which was over 2 years ago. To be honest, for some time I tried different themes, but I always ended up going back to Socrates. Its highly customizable and the search engines love it. You can try it for free here.

6. Statistics and Analytics: as you build your traffic you might want a more advanced way to analyze your blog stats to understand more about where your traffic is coming from and what your readers are reading most.

Google Analytics is a great tool and it’s free- you can add a Google toolbar for your back office when you can see your traffic every time you are logged in in your back office.

This is a service offered by Google that allows you to see detailed specifics about visits to your site. Google analytics let you measure basic information about your visitors and where they’re coming from.

7. Setting up social media & where to share your recipes.  Start being a part of the online food community by connecting with everyone.  Also, there are many great community sites that you can submit your recipes too.

1.Facebook

2.Twitter

3. Pinterest

4.Instagram

5.Yummly

6.All dishes

7. Feastie

8.Blog Loving

9.Triberr

10.Healthy Aperture

11.Taste Spotting

12.Food Gawker