The Registered Dietitian’s Road to Blogging
Are you ready to start blogging? It could be fun, exciting, and a good source of extra income.
In the beginning, blogging can be confusing. It’s even hard to choose the platform for your blog, and getting everything ready for your first post is not a joke! BUT it’s not as difficult as you might imagine; in fact, it’s actually pretty simple when you have the right resources.
This article is not meant to give you a step-by-step guide on how to set up and run a blog. Rather, it will advise you on where to start and where to go to find detailed instructions to get your blog up and running in a time frame that works for you.
Step One: Determine the Purpose of Your Blog
Do you want a website to give your business an online presence? Or do you want a blog that drives traffic to your site so you can monetize in different ways (such as displaying ads, selling products or services, sponsored posts, and more)?
Most platforms can work well if you want just a website for your business, and SEO is much simpler this way. But if you want to blog, then it’s a good idea to use a platform that allows you to be versatile and to use SEO more effectively.
Many experts recommend using WordPress if you want to monetize your blog. It definitely has a learning curve, so beginners might find it a little tricky at first. But it’s become much more user-friendly in the last few years. Also, there are resources to help you get set up and started on this platform.
Step Two: Build Your Website
Setting up your blog might be intimidating for some people, but there is a lot of help out there. Some amazing Registered Dietitians have taken the time to build very detailed tutorials about building a blog from scratch.
To give you an idea, the steps involved in building a blog are:
- Buy a domain name
- Choose a web host
- Choose a content management system
- Choose a theme
- Write your first blog post
If all of this sounds foreign to you, don’t be intimidated! Most of these steps are relatively simple with the right help. If you want an overview of what each of these steps means, read 6 simple steps to start a website for dietitians by Katie Dodd. She also has a tutorial to help you build your website included in her Blogging Accelerator course.
Now, if you’re ready to take action, then check out The Unconventional RD “How to Start a Website Tutorial.”
This fantastic and free tutorial helps you set up your website from scratch using WordPress. Ericka Julson, the Unconventional RD, does a great job explaining every single step you need to follow to set up a blog using WordPress.
Step Three: Learn About SEO
Blogging is not dead, but it has changed. As a new blogger, you need to know what to expect. Blogging now is all about the reader’s needs and wants. We choose our niche, but we create blog posts about topics people are searching for on Google and other search engines.
Using tools such as KeySearch or Semrush, we can figure out how many people are searching for a topic (keyword volume) and evaluate our competition. In other words, we can know how many people are looking for the keywords we have in mind. That will give us an idea of the chances of being featured on the first page of a Google search (let’s be honest, that’s where the magic happens).
This is SEO or search engine optimization.
The other aspect of SEO is to understand user intent or what people want to read about when searching online. Let’s say someone is searching for omega 3; what you need to understand is whether they want to buy omega 3 or just learn more about it. So your blog post should satisfy their needs.
There are a few ways to learn about SEO. You could do it for free, hire someone, or take a course. In my experience, taking a course is helpful and a faster way to learn about it.
Best Courses to Blog Like a Pro
*Please note I have included affiliate links. If you purchase a course using my affiliate link, it will not cost you any extra money, but I will get a commission. Keep in mind, though, that earning money does not influence my opinion in any way.
The Blogging Accelerator Program
Katie Dodd’s program* takes you on an accelerated journey to build your blog and teaches you about SEO. She is very inclusive in her course, and it’s very helpful. If you follow her course, you can build your blog in approximately two months or less.
In my opinion, this course is very comprehensive, and Katie is so lovable and successful that you feel encouraged to give your 100%. Once you complete her course, she offers a master class to help you continue the journey.
Also, Katie’s private Facebook group associated with the course is very supportive and helpful. I love my community!
Let’s also mention that she was able to monetize her blog in only 18 months after attracting 50,000 readers to her blog every month. I lost track after she reached and exceeded 100,000 monthly visits.
She also monetizes her blog by selling digital content and teaching others about blogging. Check out her income report if you are wondering how much money you can make with blogging.
What you will learn in Katie’s Blogging Accelerator Program (BAP)* :
- Mini-course about how to set up your company and your goals
- Tutorial about how to start your own blog
- Complete guide how to use SEO when writing blog posts
- Templates and checklists to help you every step of the way
- Live group calls
- Access to her exclusive Facebook group
- Nutrition blog directory
The course is on the expensive side but worth it.
Katie’s superpower is her organizational skills — she makes checklists for her checklists. Honestly, the checklists and the templates are very helpful. I have been blogging for a year, and I still have her templates bookmarked!
Here is a link to review the course*. I’m glad I’m part of Katie’s world.
The Complete Content Creation Bootcamp
A great course to help you use SEO to create content is The Complete Content Creation Bootcamp* by Chrissy Carroll. Chrissy is a seasoned, full-time blogger and a Registered Dietitian. I love the way she makes it easy to create content Google loves. For me, this course helped me put together everything I know about SEO. I feel that something clicked after taking her course.
In my opinion, the course is phenomenal, but it’s not comprehensive. It’s great value for the money you pay, but this course is not designed to help you set up your blog or any technical aspects about the tools you need to measure SEO (such as Google Analytics).
Now, there are plenty of YouTube videos to help you with that, or you can combine them with the other two courses we cover in this blog post.
What you will learn in Chrissy’s Complete Content Creation Bootcamp*:
- The types of content to post to make the most money from your blog
- To master KeySearch to find the best keywords to use for your site
- Learning how to evaluate user intent to see if a keyword is a good fit for your site
- How to build backlinks to help you rank on Google faster
- Productivity hacks
This course is laser-focused on understanding how to use SEO to create content.
Chrissy’s great asset is the experience she has blogging. She knows her stuff, and when you take her course or ask questions, her answers are solid and very helpful. I love her open (and free) Facebook group.
SEO Made Simple
A terrific course if you need help understanding SEO and setting up all the technical details related to SEO is Erica Julson’s SEO Made Simple course.* Just like she does in her How to Set Up a Website Tutorial, Erica provides valuable and easy-to-follow advice on how to set yourself up for success.
What you learn in Ericka’s SEO Made Simple*
- Introduction to SEO
- How to set up the tools to measure SEO results (such as Google Analytics and Google search console)
- How to set up keyword search and use it
- How to write blog posts and recipes
- Most of the tools you need to optimize your website, including plug-ins for the different types of nutrition blog posts
- How to conduct a site audit
- Monthly office hours
Erica’s makes technical stuff so easy. So if you want to experience her teaching style, her free tutorial is the way to go.
Key Takeaways
Blogging can be fun, exciting, and a great way to share your wisdom with the world. Plus, it can be a good source of income.
There can be a steep learning curve when you start out but it is completely doable. Expect blogging to take some time before seeing results, though, because it’s a long-term project. But it can be fun, and it can really pay off.
If you’ve been dreaming about starting your own blog, don’t wait any longer — do it today.