Food Blogging 101: How To Start A Food Blog

In this day and age, it's a common thing for almost everyone to have a blog. There are various topics you can focus on, but food proves to be one of the most engaging and easiest among the lot. Honestly, if you think food blogging is effortless, you probably just might be doing it wrong, or not enough. Fear not! At some point, we've all been there. Here are some tips to help you get on your way to starting your very own food blog, that will leave a lasting impression in everyone. That's the dream.

Domain Name and Hosting. Think unique, think catchy, think playful! You wouldn't want to name your food blog with something boring. You will need a title that sticks and lingers to the deepest recesses of your reader's subconscious. Make a list of your top picks and from there, you can weed it out until you have the final blog name.
Take for example, my blog. I called it Pig Out Sessions, for such obvious reasons. 1, it's a common term people use when eating. 2, it's simple, no-frills and I must say, direct to the point. 3, it was available when I upgraded to .com. Harharhar! I kid about the last part, it was probably just sheer luck that I was able to secure this domain name.
Once you've completed the tricky part, you have the option to host it and put it under a custom URL, sans the platform name of where you're hosting your blog. Nothing speaks professional than blogname.com *sparkle sparkle* rather than blogname.blogspot.com, am I right? I'm a lazy ass and use Google's partner hosting services, but you can buy your domain name in several trusted websites such as Go Daddy, Blue Host or several others. You can stick with the trusty ".com", but you can also play around and use .net, .me and other extension suffix. Keep in mind that domain names usually only last for 1 year and needs to be renewed on an annual basis, so make sure you have the capacity to maintain it throughout the years.

Blog Layout and Template. You can either search online for free themes. This is a little harder than it seems, because you have to do a bit of tweaking on the html code part if ever there are issues in the design like broken links, missing images and distortions in the layout. If you are not a tech savvy kind of person, then this can get a little frustrating for you. Some websites that give free blog templates are Designs Crazed, Hongkiat and Sora Templates to name a few.
You can go the extra mile and pay your own customized blog template. But, before you hire a web designer, make sure you have a clear idea in your mind about what you want. That way, you and your web designer can transfer all your ideas into a concrete plan. You can go creative with your design, but remember to keep it polished and professional looking. It can be easy to go overboard, you can ask a friend's honest opinion just to keep everything grounded as much as possible. There are a lot of trusted websites offering this service, are are a few of which I know of: Fancy Girl Designs, and Designer Blogs.

Camera and Food Styling. Photos are the heart of food blogs. I fully admit of staying on a food blog particularly due to the gorgeous, enticing and enthralling food photos. To give you a general idea of what I mean, head on over to Eat the Love, Pepper and 101 Cookbooks. Your photos can make or break you, and though a high-end DSLR is not really a prerequisite, your photos need to be as crisp, as mouth-watering, and as professional as it can get.
You can also check out my related post on Food Photography Tips and Tricks to learn a few tricks you may have not been utilizing yet. I don't know if it's just me, but everytime that I come across a blog with poorly composed photos, I close the web browser tab faster than I can devour sushi. Your pictures matter, whether you like it or not. It's a representation of what you can offer to your audience, and if they don't like what they see, then you're a lost cause.

Cohesive, Fluid and Captivating Writing Style. Another integral part of a food blog is it's soul, or the words you will write. I've often seen blogs that continuously provide one sentence descriptions of their food. "It's yummy!" But what makes it so? Dig in deeper and share with your readers your whole experience. Write as if your readers will also be able to touch, smell, feel and taste every single food. It also helps to inject a little humor to lighten things up. Lure them in and keep their interests piqued. That's the only way to make them keep coming back for more.
Just make sure to update on a regular basis, whatever interval is the most convenient for you. Nothing bums me out more than when no new posts are found when I visit my favorite food blogs. Case in point, Jin Loves to Eat, please write soon! Well, that is all for now. I'll brainstorm again and write another installment under my Food Blogging 101 series. I hope I've been helpful to you, now go start that food blog you've been holding off! See you on my next pig out sessions!

Your pig out buddy, Madz