How to Start a Food Blog: Step-by-Step Video Tutorial
How to Start a Food Blog: Step-by-Step Video Tutorial
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links or promo code, at no cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure here. Thanks!
Food blogging has become an insanely popular industry that's helped thousands of bloggers earn a passive income online. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to get your foot in the door and start your very own self-hosted food blog. I’ve packed this video with a ton of value, but here are the main topics we’re going to cover.
What You'll Learn
- How to set up your web hosting account using Bluehost web hosting.
- How to install WordPress.org blogging software.
- How to install your free WordPress Theme (KALE) **.
- How to set up your blog for success by installing plugins and creating a child theme.
- How to design your blog and create a truly unique experience for your users.
- How to use HTML to customize your blog’s overall look and feel.
- How to install an opt-in form and grow your audience with email marketing.
- How to create and display stylish recipes within your blog posts.
- How to implement multiple revenues streams.
- How to secure your blog and keep it safe from hackers.
** The KALE theme doesn't necessarily have to be used for a food blog.
Added Bonus: How to Monetize Your Blog
Plus, as an added bonus, you’ll also learn how to monetize your blog so that you can start earning a passive income with your digital platform. This is important because, like I previously mentioned, food blogging has become a billion dollar industry, and the sooner you get your foot in the door, the quicker you’ll be able to start generating revenue with your blog. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a sleek, innovative, and mobile responsive blog that will give you the opportunity to earn a passive income online.
Important Links For This Video
1. HTML Cheat Sheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19hQqjjZES_eUfHX2CSsbEM7mqOrjyypi3F2UXr4VyOQ/edit?usp=sharing
2. Access to Bluehost's Exclusive Offer for WordPress Bloggers (affiliate link)
https://www.bluehost.com/track/bennyc23?page=/wordpress
3. How to Transfer a Domain Step-by-Step Video
4. Download the KALE WordPress Theme for Free
https://wordpress.org/themes/kale/
Free Ebook
Finally, be sure to grab your FREE copy of “The Blog Starter Kit” and learn how to build, grow, and monetize your blog…the right way.
If you found this video helpful, I'd greatly appreciate it if you would subscribe to my YouTube channel and share this video with at least one friend. Also, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know how this video helped you out. Thanks again for watching!
Written by Ben Cummings
Founder of blogwithben.com
Ben is a Digital Marketing and CMS Specialist for Bridgepoint Education who holds an MBA with a specialization in Entrepreneurship. He enjoys teaching, blogging, startups, a hoppy IPA, and college basketball. Whenever he's not blogging, you can find him cruising around sunny San Diego with his amazing family.
Hi,
Generally I'm not familier with technology. I had follow ur steps from this tutorial and I selected different theme for my food blog.
under recipes I wanna add my recipe items but I couldn't find anything under categories in Menus. I hv already created new pages (About, Contact, Recipes) but still I'm not able to see anything.
Can u pls help me to sort it out.
Hi Brindha,
Even if you chose a different theme, you still should be able to select Categories for a menu item in the menu management section of your WordPress dashboard. Are you using WordPress for your blogging platform?
Hi Ben,
I already have a food blog with a theme that I am not happy with. How can I start again using the “Kale” theme and do everything according to your step by step guidelines and then after I have done it all, add the posts and pictures from my old theme. I hate the way I customized my old theme and I want to follow your guidelines using the theme you are using – Kale. Is it possible that I can keep my domain name, change my theme to “Kale” and it will be empty of my content? Where would my old content then be and how would I access it after I followed all your customization steps for “Kale”? Is this too impossible to follow? (sob)
Hi Joan,
You can absolutely start over with the Kale theme, but your content and domain will remain. Depending on your current theme, your blog content may look different, but you won't want to delete it or unpublish it because that will hurt any link equity you've built with those posts (SEO). I can take a closer look and help you out if you'd like. Please email me at [email protected]. Thanks and good luck!
I just saw your reply, so disregard my email from a few minutes ago.Would you take a look and make a few suggestions? Thank you so much.
My blog is “eatingtheclassics.com. My dashboard is eatingtheclassics.com/wp-admin. User name is [email protected]. Password is Joanibird5958!
Thank you so much. If you can give me a price for fixing it, I can make plans to save up. I am an 80 year old granny, so not too geeky, but not bad for a granny. lol
Joan Dahlen
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Hi Ben,
I took a break from blogging while trying to better my niche and I am now going to start a new food blog for folks with IBS. I will call it cooking for IBS or something like that. My reason for contacting you – I plan to use your food blog video and your suggested food blog theme to set up my new food blog. My question is whether or not you have the answer to how to create posts using WordPress's new formatting – Guttenburg. (My old blog is ruined because I cannot figure out how to use their new post creating format, and Ziplist went away, leaving all my recipes without a printed version at the bottom.) Why didn't they leave both of those alone? They worked perfectly. Now it is a nightmare.
If your old video for setting up a new blog has been updated for Guttenburg, let me know and also let me know what recipe maker you suggest that is user friendly. As an 80 year old granny, I can absorb only so much. lol
Hi Joan,
I totally understand your frustration with the changes, however sometimes things are out of our control and we have to adapt. Technology like to move fast on us! With that being said, I'm currently in the process of creating a new blogging tutorial for 2019 that includes the new Guttenburg editor, but in the meantime here is a video tutorial I created that specifically walks you through the new editor. https://youtu.be/SF3vWwInZQo
I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out anytime you have a question. You are an inspiration to me and I wish you the best of luck with your food blog!
Hi .,
Where are the show notes you mention in your start a food blog video? I am stuck trying to figure out how to get to github etc. I don't want to not have a child theme, but I can't go on until I can find the link to github Where is the cheat sheet and is that the same thing as the link to github?
Joan Dahlen
Hi Ben, your video is very helpful! At 1:00:27, I can't find the URL for the code from Github. Can you please help me with that? Thank you so so much.
Never mind, Ben! I found your newer video on YouTube. You are amazing. Thank you!
I'm glad you found the new video! Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
Hi! Ben I don't know how I can say ” Thank you ” to you. Thanks to your wonderful explanation, I succeeded to make my first website in my life. Umm Still, I need to learn many things to manage my website. I started! and it's a good sign! I look forward to seeing myself to be developed with the website. As you can notice, I am not a native speaker, so I was struggling to find some information to build my website on the internet. Now this is what it is! Step by step!
I really hope your business goes well!
Thank you so much
Thank YOU for watching and using my tutorial to start your site! I really appreciate it and I wish you the best of luck! You got this! 🙂