Go to Bluehost and search for your URL to purchase. If you set up hosting with them too, the cost of the URL is included! Start and grow your food blog with Food Blogger Pro (these guys know their stuff- you will learn a LOT) Set up your blog with a ready-made theme template: try Studiopress or The Thesis Theme for WordPress or Elegant Themes. How to Start a Food Blog (3 easy steps): by Pinch of Yum How to Start a Food Blog by From and Away Food Blogging 101: How to Start a Food Blog by Eat the Love Food Blogging- Advice from David Lebovitz 5 Things I Would Tell You if You Told Me You Wanted to Start a Food Blog by The Little Kitchen Why You Should Never Start a Food Blog (had to include this one…) by I Am Baker
Book Recommendation: Food Blogging for Dummies Blogging Basics for Beginners- step-by-step how to set up a WordPress blog by Work Your Way
RSS Feed Subscribers: For now, you’ve gotta go with FeedBlitz (I don’t know of another) Email Subscriber Services & Newsletters: I just switched to Mad Mimi (love so far…), but others have recommended Mail Chimp too. Recipe Attribution by Food Blog Alliance How to Share Another Blogger’s Recipes Correctly by The Spunky Spatula How to Code a Button or “Grab My Button” Button in HTML by An Edible Mosaic To Captcha or Not to Captcha by Tips for Food Bloggers Food Blog Code of Ethics 5 Useful WordPress Plug-ins Every Blogger Needs: By Table for Two
How to Create an Automatic Recipe Index for WordPress Blogs by Chocolate Moosey Social Media Cheat Sheet (Lingo, How to, etc) by Marketing Tech Blog Setting Up Google Alerts and/or Mentions for your blog 58 Ways to Get Noticed as a New Blogger by BlogWorld Useful Tips for New, Aspiring and Emerging Food Bloggers by The Hungry Australian Tips for New Bloggers by Savory Simple Tips for New Bloggers by Fannetastic Food The Little I Know About Food Blogging by The Novice Chef Blog Food Blogging Guide by Just a Taste 16 Top Tips from Blogging Experts for Beginners by Buffer Social Media for Newbie Bloggers Part One and Part Two by The Healthy Maven
Keywords & Titles, Links, Recipe Formatting & Rich Snippets, Tips/Tools/Plugins & Resources by Bake Your Day How to Find the Best Recipe Keywords to Maximize SEO by The Wicked Noodle A Complete Guide to WordPress SEO by Onextrapixel What is NoFollow? by Small Business Trends How to Add a No Follow Tag by For Dummies
Tracking Stats with Google Analytics by Food Blog Alliance 20 Must-Know Tips and Tricks to Master Google Analytics Data by HongKiat How to See Who Visits Your Blog (Statcounter) by Kevin and Amanda 30 Ways to Promote Your Blog by Marketing Tech Blog 10 Food Blog Posts That Will Get You Traffic by The Amateur Gourmet Converting Blog Visitors Into Subscribers (video) – Community Education Series 4 Reasons to Start Building Your Email Subscriber List by The Healthy Maven 12 Things to Do After You Write a Blog Post by PR Daily Switching from Blogger to WordPress by Creating Really Awesome Free Things Use StumbleUpon 10 Tips for Growing Your Blog by Katy Widrick 10 Simple Ways for Building Traffic to Your Blog by Tips for Food Bloggers Tutorial: Photo Sharing Sites by Hungry Couple How to Be a Better Food Blogger (video) by Chef Dennis
Recommended Books: Will Write for Food, The Recipe Writer’s Handbook andThe New Food Lover’s Companion Will Write for Food – many, many fabulous posts on food writing by Dianne Jacob How to Be a Better Food Writer by David Leite How to Liven Up Your Food Writing (with David Leite)- video by Chef Dennis Better Blog Writing- how to keep readers coming back for more (an e-Book by Sarah Caron) The Recipe Writers Cheat Sheet by Just Cook NYC 20 Quick Tips on Writing Great Blog Posts by ProBlogger How to Pitch Story Ideas to National Lifestyle Magazines by Chatty Guest Pitching Errors: How Not to Pitch by The Open Notebook
Writing Your Own Cookbook by David Lebovitz How to Write a Cookbook (video w/ Allyson Kramer) by Chef Dennis How to Get a Cookbook Published (video with Greg Henry) by Bakespace The Making of the Toronto Star Cookbook (great read- lots of inside info) by TheStar.com 5 Tips for When a Literary Agent Calls– by Dianne Jacob A Book Proposal You’ll Be Proud to Present by Dianne Jacob How to Find a Literary Agent by Nathan Bransford
My Fitness Pal SELF Nutrition Data Spark People Recipe Calculator Weight Watchers Points Calculator
After having MANY problems with some of the big name companies, I opted for using a smaller company called YellowFiber Networks (great, quick, responsive service, they know WordPress- and they keep my site up and running with few, if any, problems!) Other recommended hosting companies from blog friends: Liquid Web and BlueHost
My designer for all of my blogs: Purr Design (highly recommend). Other recommended companies from blog friends: OMSH, Savvy Blog Services, Kohler Created, Hibiscus Creative, MediaGrin, Pretty Lethal Designs, Swank Design, and Fine Lime Designs.
How I made 40k my First Year of Blogging by Chelsea Lords Blogging as a Business: Where to Find Opportunities by Katy Widrick Monetizing Your Blog: An Introduction by Tips for Food Bloggers How We Make a Full-Time Income Blogging by Pro Blog School Advertising 101 for Bloggers by Design Sponge The Blueprint for a Profitable Blog by Pro Blog School Ad Management Network: Passion Fruit Ads by Katy Widrick Ad Management Network: Google Double Click for Publishers Why Link Exchanges are a Terrible Idea by Food Blog Alliance Food Blog Money-Making Experiment (totally interesting) by Pinch of Yum Trademarking your Brand Business Card Tips for Bloggers by Crazy for Crust Tax Tips for Bloggers by Saving for Someday More Tax Tips for Bloggers by Anali’s First Amendment Exploring the Law- What Bloggers Should Know (Video) by Casey Benedict How to Make Money With Your Food Blog by From Away How to Make Money Working with Blog Networks by Diethood
The Importance of Blog Backups by The Blog Maven Carbonite (I used to use Carbonite before I got a MAC. This company does not back up external hard drives) CrashPlan (This is what I use to back up all of the content on my MAC. I love Crashplan because it backs up external hard drives too…and the cost is reasonable. I bought a plan for all of the computers in my house, and it was about $150 for a year with unlimited computers). My hosting company auto backs-up my blog content daily. Sucuri: I don’t use this one, but a lot of people have recommended it for malware detection, cleanup and protection. Last Pass: Remembers ALL of your passwords for you, so you don’t have to. I have this, and it has been a lifesaver.
PicMonkey: crazy-awesome photo editing (this is a must-have)
PicMonkey Tutorials: Inserting Text on Photos, Collages, Overlays, Graphics by In Katrina’s Kitchen More, great PicMonkey Tutorials by Something Swanky Ribbet Photoshop Posts/Tutorials by The Pioneer Woman How to Edit Photos in Photoshop by Diethood Photoshop Cafe Photoshop Actions for Food and Portrait Photography (video) Tutorial: Adobe Lightroom 4 by No Recipes Why Lightroom May Be the Only Photo Editor You Need by Kevin and Amanda
Recommendations:
What I use: Canon 7D camera, but I’ve gotten some good shots with this cheaper Canon EOS Rebel too. My favorite lenses: most used: 18-55mm and for wide angle/macro- the major splurge: 24-70mm Love my camera bag + laptop backpack: Case Logic Great food photography book from Matt Armendariz: Focus on Food Photography for Bloggers Another great food photography & styling book from Helene Dujardin: Plate to Pixel These light boxes are a huge help: Lowel EGO Lights (a set of two works well for low light) And I love this set of reflective disks too: 5-in1 Disk Set
Links:
Tasty Food Photography by Pinch of Yum (highly recommend) Quick Guide to Understanding Your Digital DSLR Camera by Kevin and Amanda Lots of Food Photography Tutorials/Posts by White on Rice Couple 10 Important Things I’ve Learned About Food Photography by The Pioneer Woman Easy Tips for Photographing Food by Dear Lillie How to Customize White Balance by Chocolate Moosey 100 Helpful Photography Tutorials for Beginners and Professionals by Photo Tuts The Basics of Shooting on Manual by Buns in My Oven All About Aperture by Buns in My Oven Rules and Tips on Restaurant Photography by Gourmande in the Kitchen How to Arrange a Moody Shot by Gourmande in the Kitchen Trend: Dark Food Photography by Spatula Magazine How to Brighten a Dark Subject on a Light Background by Kevin and Amanda How to Take Tack-Sharp Action Photos by Kevin and Amanda What Lens Should I Use? by Kevin and Amanda How to Take Action Shots in Food Photography by Chocolate Moosey Finding the Right Light by Kevin and Amanda Tutorial: Focal Length 50mm vs. 85mm by Chasing Delicious How to Take Photos with a Bright, Light Seamless Background by Veggie Belly Very extensive list of links to Food Photography Tutorials by Jenn Cuisine
How to Make Your Own Backdrop Boards for Food Photography & Styling by RecipeGirl DIY Distressed Wood Photo Backdrop by Love and Olive Oil Finding Props for Food Photography (with Naomi Robinson) by Gourmande in the Kitchen Create Your Own Vintage Cutting Board by Alexey and Julia
Wood Vinyl Backdrops on Etsy: Swanky Prints More photography backdrops: Ink & Elm
Use VIRALTAG for scheduling your pins- it’s a lifesaver!! Best Pinterest Plugins for WordPress by The Blog Maven How to Verify Your Blog or Website on Pinterest by The Blog Maven How to Add a Pin-It Button to Your Posts by Kevin and Amanda How to Feature Your Most Pinterest-Worthy Posts in Your Sidebar by The Blog Maven Everything You Need to Know About the New Pinterest by Mashable How to Go Viral on Pinterest by Unskinny Boppy The Perfect Pin by Family Fresh Cooking How to Label Your Pictures for Pinterest by I Am Baker How to Add a Pinterest “Mouse-Over” Button to Your Images by Kevin and Amanda 6 Ways to Increase User Engagement on Pinterest by Pro Food Blogger 12 Things to Avoid When Pinning by Taste and Tell Avoiding Copyright Pitfalls on Pinterest by Saving for Someday
What it is, Why You Should Use It, Etiquette Tips, and Maximizing Blog Traffic by Chocolate Moosey 10 Tips and Tricks for a Powerful Twitter Search by Mashable Adding Twitter Followers by the Thousands by Dianne Jacob FriendorFollow.com (see who you’re following- and who is not following you back) Hootsuite (Twitter account management) Manage Flitter (Twitter account management) UnTweeps.com (unfollow users with inactive accounts)
Getting the Most out of Your Facebook Fan Page by Food Bloggers of Canada 10 Facebook Tips for Power Users by Mashable What Every Facebook User Needs to Know by I Am Baker When is the Best Time to Post on Facebook? by Viralnomics The Wave System- How to Get Your Facebook Posts Seen by More People by ProBlogger Sharing by Chocolate, Chocolate and More Facebook can Be a Blogger’s Best Friend by Chocolate, Chocolate and More
The Food Blogger’s Guide to Google + by Eat the Love The Food Blogger’s Guide to Understanding Google + by Chef Dennis Food Bloggers Guide to Google + (Video) by Chef Dennis How to be a Good Plusser (Video) by Chef Dennis The Bloggers Guide to Google + Part 1 by Chef Dennis The Bloggers Guide to Google + Part 2 by Chef Dennis Great posts: How to effectively use Google +: by Gareth Mark Claim Google Authorship for Your WordPress Website by CopyBlogger
Food Videography– the basics (with Russell van Kraayenberg) by Gourmande in the Kitchen How to Make a Video With Your iPhone by White on Rice Couple Music for videos: FreePlay Music, Music Bakery and Audio Micro Upload videos to: YouTube, Vimeo, and BlipTV
Q&A w/ RecipeGirl on Working with Brands by Dianne Jacob Working with Brands- Community Education Series– Q&A w/ food bloggers (video) by Chef Dennis I Can’t Pay My Mortgage with Free Applesauce- a conversation about blogging and PR by Kiersten Frase How to Work with Brands (for food bloggers) by Country Cleaver Spokesperson Work: What it Is and How to Get It by Dianne Jacob Negotiation: Getting What You Want (video) by Margaret Neale Bloggers and Brands: 10 Tips for Working Together by Food Bloggers of Canada The Pitch (the Ugly Truth About Pitches and PR) by I Am Baker Making a Media Kit that Rocks by The Blog Maven How to Work with Brands as a Blogger by Fannetastic Foods Making a Blogger Media Kit by Katy Widrick FTC Regulations: How to Comply with Disclosing Products Provided for Review by Beauty & Fashion Tech
How to See if Your Photos are Being Used on Another Site by Kevin and Amanda Plagspotter is an online duplicate content checking and monitoring tool. How to Deal With Copyright Theft by Food Blog Alliance DMCA Complaint form for Blogs that Use Google AdSense Pinterest Copyright Complaint Form Facebook Copyright Infringement Procedure Copyright Infringement Form for Blogspot Blogs Copyright Infringement Form for WordPress Blogs Ebay’s Copyright Infringement Reporting Process Instructions for reporting Trademark/Copyright Infringement on a Go Daddy- Hosted Blog Asking Google to Remove Copyrighted Content The Definitive Guide to Recipes and Copyrighting (What’s right and what’s wrong) by Ancestral Chef What to Do When Your Content is Lifted by Food Blog Alliance What to Do When Another Blogger Steals Your Photos by The Blog Maven How to File a DMCA Takedown Notice by Saving for Someday Cease and Desist Letter Tips by Public Domain Sherpa About Blogging, Fair Use, Stealing and Copyright by Cookistry
This has not been updated.
Food Blogger Pro (these guys know their stuff- highly recommend) 4 Steps to Better Blogging Time Management by Blogging with Amy National (USA) Food Holidays by Foodimentary What Produce is in Season (by state) Blog Tutor (tech support & consulting) Food Blog Search Pro Food Blogger Blogging Your Passion Food Blog Alliance (helpful blogging-related posts) ProBlogger (helpful blogging-related posts) Association of Food Bloggers (helpful blogging-related posts)
Have I forgotten a fabulous resource that you’re aware of? Please share in the comments below…
