One of the more popular online blogging ventures is that of a makeup blog. In fact, it is incredibly lucrative if you play your cards right while sharing off your passion for style. If you are interested in starting your own makeup blog, then the steps below will guide you right through the process.
What You Need
Before you start the actual website building process, you first need to get a few content-related items and other ideas in place. This will help you because you will have something to put on your new site immediately when it is live. Here are some suggestions for you.
Content
The first thing you need to have available for your new makeup review blog is content. When the new site is built and goes live, it is important to have some well-written content already available. You can also do tutorials, videos, review makeup, and even suggest certain brands. The point is to have something readily available to generate traffic right from the start.
Affiliates
This comes in right behind content. This will be especially important for makeup reviews. Oftentimes, companies will have affiliate links available. So when someone clicks on a link from your site to the product in question, you get a piece of the sale when it is purchased from your link. This is a great way to make money from your makeup blog. Get affiliates in place so you can use them right away.
Direction
Decide what the main direction you want your makeup beauty blog to take. Do you want to focus on tutorials? Maybe you would rather do videos? Or perhaps you want to do reviews only? Of course, you can do it all, but it is a good idea to have a direction in place so you know what your strength is from the start.
Steps For Building the Website
Now that you have some content related items in place, let’s take a look at what it will actually take to build the website. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to start a makeup blog. Follow these how they are laid out and you will have your site up and running in no time at all.
Get a Domain Name and Web Hosting
The first thing you want to do is to go purchase a domain name for your new website. There are a lot of different domain name registrars out there. Go with one that makes the process simple and is affordable.
Remember, since there are millions of sites online already, you may not be able to get the exact domain name you want. If you find the name you want is not available, go ahead and play around with the wording and structure of the domain.
If that doesn’t suit your needs, then get the domain name you want using a different domain name extension. There are so many available now that you should be able to find something suitable and something you like.
Once you have your domain name, it is time to go get web hosting. Find a web host who gives you all the tools you need to get your makeup blog online quickly and easily. GreenGeeks web hosting will provide you with all of those tools and much more. They will also make the process of getting your site up and running very easy.
Not to mention you can get your domain name from GreenGeeks as well, which helps you keep everything organized and in one location.
Use WordPress as Your CMS
At this point you have found the domain name you like and purchased web hosting. Now it is time to choose the CMS (Content Management System) that you are going to use to build your makeup blog on.
Honestly, there are several solid CMS platforms available for use. However, I recommend you go with WordPress as your choice. There are several reasons behind this.
WordPress is an open source CMS, which means thousands have contributed to it and a large amount of websites run on it. You will never have to go far to find resources and tutorials to help you with anything related to WordPress.
It is also very user friendly and easy to manage. Between all the available themes and plugins that WordPress offers, you should be able to accomplish almost anything, even without a developer.
Furthermore, WordPress is very secure. Sure, there are steps you can take to further lock up and secure your website, but the WordPress platform as a whole is secure and is built around solid code.
Finally, WordPress is easy to install and use. You can install the CMS using the one-click installation process that is available in the cPanel of your chosen web host, or you can install it manually. Either way, you will be up and running in no time and ready to start building your new makeup blog.
Choosing the Right Theme
WordPress has thousands of free themes available. They also have thousands more that you can pay for to use. That being said, let’s take a look at some themes that will work well for this specific niche. Here are some makeup blog theme suggestions for you to consider.
Beautiful Pro
The Beautiful Pro theme is perfect for beauty and makeup blogs. It provides bloggers with a clean, smooth, beautifully laid out theme that is easy to navigate and fun to look at. With several page layout styles and multiple widget areas, this theme will give you everything you need to get off the ground running.
Glam Pro
Glam Pro is another WordPress theme that is perfect to create a makeup blog around. It provides you with multiple layout styles and templates. It also gives you access to a full theme customizer that allows for about any custom colors and layouts imaginable. This is definitely a theme you want to checkout.
Kustrix
Kustrix is a fashion and beauty magazine-style theme that allows you to post reviews, videos, blogs, and anything else you want. The theme provides multiple pages and blog layout styles, and gives you everything you need to launch a beautiful makeup blog.
Style
The Style theme provides users the ability to create a storyline using a grid layout. Post videos, blogs, stories, interviews, and anything else you want. There are a ton of built-in shortcodes and widgets available. The theme also comes with a lot of space for ads, which will help you make money.
Allure
Allure is a blog-style theme that can take your makeup blog to the next level. It is fully responsive and mobile ready. It also comes complete with several layouts and page options. With easy WooCommerce and Instagram integration available, you have the ability to create a stylish and memorable makeup blog.
Picking the Right Plugins
WordPress websites should all have certain plugins that make the website run smoothly. Things like a solid SEO plugin, as well as compression and optimization image tools should be considered. That being said, here are some niche-specific plugins you may want to consider for your makeup blog.
Pinterest Pin It Button
It is no secret that something like Pinterest will be huge for a makeup blog. This is where the Pin It plugin serves you. This plugin gives users the ability to easily pin images from your website to boards across Pinterest. Not only that, but it also gives you the ability to pin pages and posts to Pinterest for easy sharing.
Affiliates
The Affiliates plugin is a must-have if you are running affiliate links or full affiliate programs from your makeup blog. Share and track links on any page of your website. View stats, history, and tons of other data right from the comfort of your WordPress admin dashboard.
Smash Balloon Instagram Feed
Just like Pinterest, Instagram is another social media destination that makeup bloggers want to take advantage of. The Smash Balloon Instagram Feed plugin gives users the ability to connect full Instagram profiles to their websites. There are multiple layout options and styles, and you can get people to follow your account right from your website.
Video Lessons Manager
The Video Lessons Manager plugin allows you to easily manage all types of video lessons for your website. In this case, you could create makeup videos and manage the entire library of them how you see fit using a simple plugin. Mark favorites, allow comments, and so much more. This is one to definitely look at.
Better Click to Tweet
Better Click to Tweet allows you to create Tweetable content for your website users within the posts. The content that you create can be easily tweeted right then and there directly from your website. No longer does someone have to tweet an entire post or page link. They can Tweet certain snippets of content and links lead directly to your site.
Sharing Your Website
At this point, you have the steps above laid out and you should be well on your way to having your makeup blog online. You may be wondering how you can share it once it is live. Here are some suggestions that may help you get your new site out to the masses.
The first place you want to start is Facebook. They are the biggest social media site and everyone is on there. Go ahead and build a Facebook business page for your new makeup blog and start posting on it and sharing. You can also share links back to your content on your personal page. This is a fantastic way to introduce your new blog to everyone.
Guest Blogging
One of the best ways to get your name out there is to start guest blogging on other sites that are related to yours. Go online and search for sites that share the same type of passion you do. See if there are opportunities to guest post for them. In exchange, you will get a link back to your makeup blog, as well as a profile box with info about you. Do this enough and word will start to spread.
Forums
There is no shortage of online forums and other message boards available for you to interact with others. Use these as a tool for spreading the word about your new makeup blog. You can post links, have discussions, and interact with people you think who may be interested in checking out your new site.
Marketing Emails
If you have an email list, now is the time to use it. At the very least, have a set of emails that you can use to tell people about your new makeup blog. Create an email marketing campaign and send out email blasts about everything. Get people’s attention and start generating some traffic to the site.
Run Social Media Ads
This should be an option even if you have a very small budget. You can run certain ads on some of the more popular social media sites and really garner attention. You can use the content that you have, or simply use the main homepage link your website. Either way, running social media ads is a great way to get eyes on your new site.
How You Can Use Your Makeup Blog
Chances are that you have a good idea in place regarding how you may want to use the new makeup blog you have built. However, if you are struggling for some ideas, here are some things to think about for using your new site.
Video Tutorials
One of the most popular ways to do makeup tutorials is by using video and allowing your readers to see you perform the actions on camera. You can create a full blog dedicated to video tutorials. This is what we call a vlog (video blog). This is a great way to gain traction as well, as people love video.
Makeup Reviews
Another fantastic way to get a lot of traffic fast is to do makeup reviews. Not only are reviews helpful for your readers, but they are a fantastic way to make money because usually you can set an affiliate link to the product in question. This way, when someone buys the product using your link, you make money.
Selling Products
Selling makeup on your site is a great way to make money as well. You can use something like WooCommerce and sell products on your site. Oftentimes, you will still use affiliate and referral links, but you can actually embed the product info on your own site and sell directly from your own domain.
Conclusion
If you have ever wanted to start your own makeup blog, you now have all the info necessary to do so. Follow the steps exactly how they are laid out above and you should have a makeup blog online and live in no time at all.
Having your own site is a great way to make some extra side income by doing something you already have an interest in. it is also a great way to connect with others across the web and let people know your interests.
Good luck and enjoy your new makeup blog!