How To Start A Photography Blog In 2023: The Definitive Guide

Are you ready to conquer the world and start your photography blog?

There’s no better time than now.

In this post, you’ll learn how to start a photography blog, step by step.

You’ll also find tips for monetizing and promoting your blog. Plus additional resources to help you.

Ready to get started? Let’s jump right in:

Step 1: Narrow Your Photography Blog Niche

The niche you choose matters.

I know, I know, technically a photography Some consider the blog to be a niche. But it’s important to be even more specific: what kind of photography blog will you create?

For example, will you be doing nature photography, wedding photography, product photography, or something else? Or will you concentrate on teaching others how to take better photos? Or edit photos?

How about writing about photo equipment, like reviews? Or would you combine equipment reviews with educational content like tutorials?

This is also worth thinking about in terms of a revenue strategy. Even if you are a hobby blogger, you should consider how you will be able to make money from your photography blog in the future.

You never know when you might want to turn your photography hobby blog into a business.

For example, you might want to build a personal brand so you can promote your photography business offline or sell photos online (for example, stock photos), or you might monetize an educational photography blog with ads, affiliate links, courses, etc.

Step 2: Choose a blogging platform

If you want to start a professional photography blog that has the potential to make money, I highly recommend use self-hosted WordPress to build your blog.

It’s the same blogging platform I’ve used to build all of my websites and blogs, even those I’ve created for clients. And WordPress powers over 33% of the web.

There are a few more reasons, too:

• Ownership: Unlike other blogging platforms hosted, you have full ownership of your blog and content.
• Freedom – You have the freedom to monetize as you wish. Some other platforms will restrict what you can do.
• Community: The community behind WordPress.org is huge. In fact, the software is completely open source and developed by a large team of volunteers.
• Functionality: Thanks to the wide availability of themes and plugins, you can do much more itself. -WordPress hosted than any other platform.

But, we don’t recommend using WordPress.com…

Okay, here’s the confusing part. There are two versions of WordPress.

The self-hosted version (WordPress.org): This software is completely open source and we recommend using it.

However, there is a commercial version (WordPress .com): It’s a good free platform for hobbyist bloggers, but it’s extremely limiting.

The main reason is that you don’t technically own your blog. They have the right to close your blog without notice. And they restrict how you can monetize etc.

The bottom line? Use self-hosted WordPress if you’re serious about creating your photography blog.

Step 3: Choose a blog name and register your domain name

Next The next step is to choose your blog name and register your domain.

Your domain name serves as your blog’s permanent address on the web and is a central part of your brand.

What makes a good domain name?

Usually the best domain names will have some sort of relevance to the topic they cover. This can be a photograph or something more specific.

You’ll need it to be identifiable and easy to remember as well. The flashier, the better.

However, be sure to:

• Avoid hyphens and numbers – these only cause confusion and make your domain Hardest name to remember.
• Get the .com if possible – Other domain extensions are more popular than ever, but a .com is always the best to get. If people forget your domain extension but remember your brand name, they will usually try first.
• Make your domain name as broad as possible: If you If you are targeting a very specific niche, such as wedding photography or Photoshop tutorials, try not to use these words in your domain name. You’re better off using a broader phrase in your domain like “photography” or “visual”; this will give your brand more room to grow should you decide to change the thematic focus of your blog at some point in the future.
• Avoid any trademarked names in your domain name – This most likely won’t happen to you. But it is worth mentioning. Do not use a trademark in your blog’s domain name. For example, if I used “WordPress” in a domain name, they could legally force me to transfer ownership to them.
• Avoid registering your domain with your hosting company – For security reasons, it’s best to keep your domain and hosting separate.

A list of domain ideas coming soon

If you’re not sure what to call your blog, I recommend checking out this article on domain name ideas for inspiration.

Here’s some blog naming formulas you can use:

• Niche + niche – E.g. “Island of photography”
• Niche + authorized word – Eg. “Visual teacher”
• Transformation + niche – Eg. “Learn photography today”
• Inspirational word + niche – Eg. The Happy Photographer”
• Portmanteau (combines parts of two words) – Eg. “PhotoGrappy” (Photography + Happy)

These are just examples and you can flip them as needed.

My typical approach is to start with how I plan to help people, then I will write two lists of words. A list of words related to the niche, then another list of other words that I can combine with it; this could include words related to the transformation people will get, etc.

Once you have the list, you can combine all these words together and see what they look like.

To get For some more creative ideas, try using Word Mixer. It will combine words for you, so you can generate contractions (for example, portmanteau) or anagrams.

Finding available domains

Now just head over to Namecheap.com and use availability of your domain checker to search domains.

You can search domain names individually or you can select Beast Mode and that will allow you to search as many as you need to.

Next, make a list of all the domain names that are available to create a short list.

Registering Your Domain

Once you’ve decided which domain to choose for your blog, photograph, you must register it.

This will mean you will own the property and can connect it to your hosting later.

Follow these steps to register your domain name:

• Go to Namecheap.com.
• Enter the domain name you wish to purchase:

• Click Add to Cart to add domain to your shopping cart:

• Click Checkout to access your shopping cart.
• Click on Auto Renew next to your domain (this will prevent you from losing your domain. You can always disable it from your account later).
• Click Confirm Order to complete your purchase.

Step 4: Sign up for WordPress hosting and connect your domain

While your domain is the permanent address of your website, your web host is what really boosts your website.

Why DreamHost is Best for New Photography Blogs

DreamHost offers quality hosting at an affordable price. Solid performance and excellent support are also included.

This means that if you decide blogging isn’t for you, it won’t have cost you much.

Not only that, but it’s the hosting provider recommended by big names like WordPress.org, CNET and many more.

How to buy hosting at DreamHost

First, click here to go to the DreamHost website.

• Choose your DreamHost plan and click Sign Up Now. Starter is more affordable, but Unlimited offers the best value.

• Select I already have a domain.

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Enter your domain name on the next screen. This is the domain name you purchased from Namecheap earlier. Click the button labeled Assign.

On the last screen, you will:

• Add your billing information
• Check the box Pre-install WordPress
• Select your payment method

Done! You now have your own hosting account for your photography blog.

Connect your domain and hosting

Before you can log into WordPress, we need to connect your domain name to your hosting web.

Here are the final steps:

1. Read this quick guide to find your DreamHost nameservers.
2. Go to your Namecheap account .com .
3. Read this guide to using custom DNS on Namecheap.

Once these few steps are complete, the connection process will begin (known as DNS). Sounds technical, but it’s all very simple.

The process can sometimes take up to 24 hours to complete, but usually much sooner. You will then be able to log in to WordPress.

Step 5: Login to WordPress (pre-installed with DreamHost)

Now it’s time to log in. in your WordPress dashboard. WordPress will be pre-installed if you selected that option when signing up.

By now, you will have received an email from DreamHost with your login credentials, etc.

You need to log in to your account at DreamHost.com, then on your account home page, you’ll have the option to log in to WordPress:

Simply click Open WordPress Editor and your blog will open. and log in.

How to find your way around the WordPress dashboard

Your WordPress dashboard is the heart of your blog – it’s your blog’s dashboard.

You can access your dashboard by visiting yourdomainname.com/wp-admin. Just take your domain name and add /wp-admin to the end. Then use the credentials configured with DreamHost.

You can use them to:

• Change the appearance of your blog by installing a theme and customizing it.
• Install plugins to expand functionality.
• Moderate and respond to blog comments.
• Write and publish blog posts and pages.

And many more important stuff.

Once inside your WordPress dashboard, you’ll see a layout much like this:

Let’s quickly go over the important areas:

• Posts (A) – Manage and write blog posts.
• Pages (B) – Create the necessary pages, such as a blog page. information, contact page, etc.
• Appearance (C): install a theme and customize the appearance of your blog from this area.
• Plugins (D) – Install plugins to extend functionality.

Next, dig deeper Let’s go a little deeper into some of these areas.

Step 6: Choose a WordPress Theme

Every WordPress blog needs a theme. Each version of WordPress has a default theme attached to it that will already be installed.

The default theme changes from time to time. You could stick with that, but it wouldn’t look very unique.

You might want to pick a new theme from one of these articles:

• WordPress Themes for Bloggers and Writers
• Photography WordPress Themes
• Free WordPress Themes

A good free option is the Kadence theme. It is lightweight so it will load fast and is highly customizable.

Install your WordPress theme

The process is easy:

• Go to Appearance → Themes in your WordPress dashboard.
• Click the Add New button.

• You can search for free themes using the search function. Then click Install.
• If you have a premium theme, you will need to click Upload Theme to upload a ZIP file of the theme,</li

Regardless of whether you upload a theme or find and install it from the theme menu, you will need to click the Activate button before the new theme is active on your site.

Customizing Your Theme

Now, it’s time to customize your blog.

Most themes will support what is known as the WordPress customizer. This is what will allow you to make changes to the appearance of your theme.

You can access the Customizer by going to Appearance → Personalize .

Simply scroll through the menu options. You’ll see any changes you make in a live preview on the right side of your screen.

Once you’re done, you’ll need to click Publish for those changes to appear on your blog.

Now, there are two specific areas that you should pay special attention to:

• Widgets – Use these to add functionality to your bar sidebar and other widget areas. For example, you can add your latest blog posts or links to social profiles. Different themes may have slightly different widget areas, such as footer widgets.
• Menus – This is how you’ll set up your site’s navigation menu. This is critical to making sure people can find their way around your blog.

Step 7: Install Important Plugins

Plugins control how your WordPress blog works.

There are many free plugins available on WordPress.org. Or you can search from your WordPress dashboard.

First, let’s take a quick look at how to install plugins. Then we’ll look at some essential plugins and additional recommendations for your photography blog.

How to Install WordPress Plugins

First, you’ll need to head over to Plugins → Add New .

From here, you can use the search box to find free plugins to install. Once you’ve found one you want to install. Click the Install button. Click the button again to activate it.

You can also perform a manual installation of the plugin. This is ideal if you download plugins directly from WordPress.org or if you have a premium plugin.

To install a plugin manually, click the Upload Plugin button at the top of the plugin. the screen. Then, install the plugin .ZIP file.

Essential WordPress Plugins

Hosting resources are finite, so it’s important to limit the number of plugins you install on your blog of photography (or any other type of blog).

However, there are some types of plugins you should consider installing. In fact, I would consider all of these to be essential.

And just to be clear: while I make specific plugin recommendations below, what’s essential is the task the plugin performs, not the specific plugin.

Consider installing:

• Caching plugin – will help speed up your website. Some hosts have their own, but DreamHost doesn’t. WP Fastest Cache is a good free plugin to try.
• Security Plugin – Hackers are always trying to do their thing. Usually through brute force attacks. While WordPress security is a great topic in its own right, there are some free plugins that come in handy. Specifically, the Sucuri Security Scanner and Login No Captcha reCAPTCHA.
• Backup Plugin – Most web hosts do their own backups, but it’s essential make additional backup copies that you have control over. UpdraftPlus is a solid free option.
• SEO Plugin – If you want to rank better in Google, you’ll need an SEO plugin. We use SEO Press. It has a good balance of features and simplicity. While there is a premium version, the free version will work just fine.

Additional Recommendations

At this stage, there are some additional plugins and tools you may want to consider.

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• Analytics platforms : You will need to monitor where your traffic is coming from and what content they are reviewing. This is crucial if you want to increase your blog traffic. I recommend Clicky for new bloggers because it’s easy to use and has a solid free plan. They have a WordPress plugin that you can use to easily add your analytics code.
• Social Sharing Plugins – Want to add social sharing buttons? There are many options. We use Social Snap and they have a free version.
• Contact Form Plugins – If you want to make it easy for people to contact you without your email address being visible, you will need a contact form. Kali Forms has a great free plugin.
• Subscription Form Plugins – If you want to build your email list, you’ll need a way to display subscription forms in Your Content. However, some email providers, like ConvertKit, have this functionality built in (it’s just not as customizable).
• Landing Page Plugins – If you want to create conversion-focused pages, such as sales pages or landing pages, you’ll need one of these plugins.

Step 8: Set Up an Image Gallery to Showcase Your Photography Work

Depending on the type of photography blog you’re creating, this may not be necessary, so consider this step as optional.

However, if you want to get clients, an image gallery is essential.

There you go, WordPress includes a basic functionality that allows the creation of a somewhat limited image gallery .

This can be a viable option, but if you want to protect your photos from unsavory characters and get more granular control over how your photos are displayed, an image gallery plugin is the way to go.

Now, there are a ton of WordPress image gallery plugins on the market, but my favorite or it’s Modula.

Here are a few reasons why:

• Automatically watermark your images on upload or protect them from being stolen.
• Right-click protection prevents people from saving your images.
• Password protection allows you to upload photos for a specific client.
• SpeedUp feature optimizes your images and serves them from a content delivery network for much faster load times.

If you simply want a more customizable image gallery solution for your photography blog, I highly recommend trying the version free version of Modula available on WordPress.org.

If you want the advanced features I mentioned, you will need the premium version of the plugin which is quite affordable.

For a guide on how to install the plugin (and for more), check out our Modula review.

Step 9: Publish Your First Blog Post and Relevant Pages befores

Now, it’s time for the fun part of starting your photography blog: posting content.

In WordPress, you can post content in two ways:

• Pages – This is where you will add your static content. Usually your about page, contact page and legal pages.
• Posts: This is where you’ll add your blog posts, articles, or news.

Add a new page in WordPress

First, we’ll go to Pages → Add New. Next, we’ll look at the Gutenberg editor that comes with WordPress.

Gutenberg is a block editor. The idea is that you add blocks for each thing you want to add. So, for example, if you want to add an image, you need to add an image block.

If you want to add text or a header, you just need to add a relevant block.When you hover over the block, a bar will appear with some additional options. You can also save blocks to reuse later.

You can add a new block by clicking the blue + button at the top. Or, when you press return to go to a new line, a black + button will appear on the side of the editor.

There are Gutenberg block plugins that offer additional plugins block types, but you should be fine with the blocks that come with WordPress for now.

On the right side of the editor, you will see your page options such as permalink, featured image, etc. When selecting a block, additional options will appear there.

And, if you have an SEO plugin or some sort of social sharing plugin, you’ll see additional options here or below the editor.

When you’re ready to add your content to your page, you just need to:

• Add a page title
• Add your content
• Save your page
• Customize your permalink (this is the URL of the page/post. For example, domain.com/about/)

You can then see a preview of your page, or go ahead and hit the publish button at the top right.

And that’s it!

Adding a new post in WordPress

This The process is similar to adding a page, but instead you’d go to Posts → Add New.

The editor for your posts works much like the editor for pages. Just with some additional options on the right side.

So, follow the same steps as before. Add your title, content, save your progress, customize your permalink, etc.

You can also add a featured image, add some categories, etc. Then you can post or schedule your post for posting. at a later date.

If you’re having trouble coming up with blog post ideas, we’ve got a list of 60 blog post ideas to get you started.

Note: You can display your blog posts on your home page or by creating a new page called Blog and setting it as your Posts Page. You can find these settings by going to Settings → Reading.

Step 10 – Monetize Your Blog

Now that you’ve started your photography blog, you should you want to monetize it so you can earn some money for your efforts.

This is a great topic on its own, so I’ll give you some quick tips to get you started.

There are some common ways to monetize a blog:

• Services
• Physical products
• Digital products
• Ebooks
• Courses
• Image ads
• Affiliate Programs

I can’t tell you exactly what are the best ways to monetize your photography blog. Ultimately, it depends on the type of blog you want to start.

If you’re going down the educational path, though, courses and eBooks are a great option. There are many course platforms you can use for this.

Affiliate program promotion would also be suitable for this type of blog. And they would be the go-to monetization strategy if you were reviewing camera equipment.

Check out our article on affiliate networks and platforms to find some programs to promote.

Once your traffic increases, display ads will be a viable option for you. In which case, check out these ad networks. For new blogs, I recommend Media.net, as they don’t require you to have a lot of traffic to sign up.

Another option is to take online training classes and webinars. Alternatively, you could offer advice/consultancy to brands.

There are many options. Hopefully this is enough to help you start monetizing your photography blog right away.

Step 11: Promote Your Blog

Building an audience is one of the most challenging aspects of getting started. a blog.

The exact tactics you’d use depend on the type of content you’re posting and your end goals.

Ultimately, the general rule of thumb is to figure out exactly who your audience is. that is, figure out ways to get your content in front of those people.

For certain types of photography blogs, like those that cover gear or teach photography techniques, SEO will be a big help. Check out our beginner’s guide to SEO for more information.

Building an email list and developing your presence on social media like Instagram will also be important.

For a full rundown how to promote your blog, we have a complete guide dedicated to the subject. Click here for our beginner’s guide to blogging.

Summarizing

Congratulations on starting your photography blog. Now it is ready to be loosed on the world. The next step is to create your content.

Just remember that the content you create needs to be designed, not only with your audience in mind, but also with your revenue strategy. Think of your content as the top of a funnel that leads people to the products you’ll sell or the products you’ll promote.

Be sure to check out my article on photography blogging tips every photographer should know.

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