James Metcalfe
The blogging world has room for almost every single niche you can possibly think of, with the wonderful world of food and drinks no exception to this fact. In fact, it is quickly becoming one of the most competitive and saturated markets out there in the online world.
Whilst this might unsettle some of the budding bloggers out in the audience, these 9 expert-picked tips are enough to help out any new writer, no matter the level of popularity or exposure.
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#1 Use Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a really underrated tool for driving visitors to your site. I've posted city guides on there and seen upwards of a 700% increase in traffic. Even if your blog doesn't focus on restaurants or specific places to check out, you can introduce yourself as a new food blogger and share one of your favorite pieces of content from your site. People are generally supportive of other people from their neighborhood and they'll be glad to check your site out.
Contributor: Joey Held from phatphoodies.com
#2 Attend Events
Go out and attend events. Chances are your city has a local organization that will schedule happy hours, restaurant tours, and other similar events. Additionally, sites like Meetup are a great way to see what's going on and meet like-minded people. At the very least, you can find a new spot to check out!
Contributor: Joey Held from phatphoodies.com
#3 Research, Then Build
Do you keyword research before you build the site. The categories and site architecture that you decide to use can be driven by the data behind the search volume of keywords in your niche. Build a site and then looking at keyword data isn't the right way to go - research first, then build.
Contributor: Scott Fish from RunningSucks.org
#4 Practice Your Photography
Practice your photography, diligently. Get a DSLR. Learn to use it in manual. I would recommend not starting a blog until you have a firm command of the photography. It is much harder to make food look appetizing than you think.
Contributor: Kerrie D from plantandvine.com
#5 Be Prepared For The Work
Food blogging is a ton of work - you have to find the recipes, buy the groceries, cook the recipes, take the photos, edit the photos, write the content, edit the content, schedule social media, monitor social engagement, and find time to improve your SEO and build out additional types of content. It is a ton of work so be prepared.
Contributor: Kerrie D from plantandvine.com
#6 Niching
Focus on a niche and focus on SEO (Search engine optimization). Niching down means you'll be able to have a better-engaged audience and working on SEO on day one will help you rank for your posts down the line.
Contributor: Carmy from carmyy.com
#7 Partnerships And Community
Put together strategic partnerships with other bloggers where you can post content on their site in exchange for links and visibility. This is a critical step, if you don't have link being built up, your site can have amazing content, but no one will see it!
Contributor: Scott Fish from RunningSucks.org
#8 The Long Haul
Food blogging is incredibly competitive and it's important that new bloggers keep two things in mind before diving into a brand new food blog: You need to cultivate a passion for the subject, and be prepared to persevere for the long haul.
Success will NOT happen overnight and those two things are necessary to keep a newbie motivated.
Contributor: Karen Tedesco from familystylefood.com
#9 Catchy Names
Come up with a name for your blog that’s catchy and original, and register your domain. At the same time, narrow down the focus of your blog and craft a name around that (vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, keto, desserts, etc.) For brand consistency, make sure your pick is also available on all social media channels.
Contributor: Karen Tedesco from familystylefood.com
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