How to Start a Fashion Blog in 8 Simple Steps

1 Find your niche

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Fashion is so broad and there are many elements of interest; from sustainable shopping and vintage styling to fashion trends that are ever-changing. In order to create content to target a certain audience, you need to figure out what your ‘niche’ is, and what you can do to stand out.

With so many fashion blogs out there, this might seem daunting – but there are a few simple steps that can really help:

• Figure out your passion and what you’re most interested in.
• Explore other fashion blogs and see what they’re doing online.
• Research competitors and find what you can offer that’s unique.
• Carry out keyword research to see what others are searching for using free online tools, such as Google Trends, Google Adwords, and Ubersuggests.

2 Create a brand

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To become recognizable to readers, you’ll need to create a strong brand identity – especially in a space that’s as popular as fashion. When you start to create your brand, think about your core values, your target audience, and how you want your readers to see you. Know who you’re writing for, and what they like and want.

The following tips will help you get started:

• Pick your name and logo – make sure they’re easy to recognize and remember.
• Consider your tone of voice – this will need to be consistent and appeal to your target fashion audience.
• Think about how you want readers to remember your brand.

3 Buy a Domain Name

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Once you’ve discovered your brand identity, it’s time to select your domain name. 

A domain name is an address that’s unique to a specific website, that you type into a browser when you want to access said site. It’s important to get your domain name right at the start as it’ll affect your website traffic, so opt for something memorable and catchy, and that’s relevant to your fashion niche.

You can buy names from Domain.com and NameCheap, where you’ll be asked to pay an annual fee to register your domain. Domain names cost around $10 to $15 per year.

4 Sign up to a Blogging Platform

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Now it’s time to sign up to a blogging platform, where you’ll manage, create, and edit all of your content, with templates to customize your fashion blog and make it your own. There are so many user-friendly platforms available that you won’t even need to know how to code!

Here are the three website builders we’d recommend for starting a fashion blog:

Squarespace

Prices start at $12 per month, and it comes with gorgeous templates that are ideal for fashion blogging, as well as effective SEO tools to help surface your fashion blog with relevant readers.

Wix

Often used for blogging and online portfolios, costs around $14 per month, and it’s an intuitive site builder that’s full of user-friendly features and sleek themes to get your fashion blog off the ground.

Weebly

One of the most easy-to-use website builders available, start at around $6 per month.

Once you’ve selected your website builder, you’ll be asked to choose your monthly price plan, enter your personal details and domain name before you can start customizing your blog. Then it’s time to have some fun!

5 Choose and Customize a Theme

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Now’s your chance to choose a theme and get creative. Fashion is even more about imagery and aesthetics than most other blogs, so selecting the right look and style is key. Try to find something unique that will showcase images well, as well as being user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Once you’ve chosen a theme, you can start to build out your fashion blog with images, content, menus, and navigation bars. This may vary depending on which builder you’re working with, but our three favorites all offer drag-and-drop customization, allowing you to design pages easily and move content around.

Here’s a little info on how customization works on our favorite website builders:

Wix has numerous themes that are easy to customize, and you can drag-and-drop your content anywhere. This functionality gives you a lot of creative freedom, which is ideal in the world of fashion blogging.

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Example of a Wix theme

Example of a Wix theme

Weebly has a cool selection of sleek, uncomplicated themes that respond well on mobile, although the drag-and-drop customization is slightly more limited.

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Example of Weebly theme

Example of Weebly theme

For more info about the best fashion website templates on the market, check out our dedicated guide – we’ve put together our top 10 to inspire you to set up your online fashion blog, today.

6 Install Apps

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So, how can you add more functionality to your blog? Luckily, website builders now allow you to install apps – such as social share icons and email marketing tools – which will make your fashion blog even more useful and engaging.

Here are some of the apps in each builder that you might find useful:

• Squarespace offers extensions such as Art of Where and Unsplash, as well as a number of sharing apps.
• The Wix App Market also has hundreds of apps to choose from, such as the Pinterest Pin It button app and product review apps such as Editorify.
• Weebly also offers a wide selection of apps from traffic-boosting apps to Weebly’s in-house selection, including FAQs sections and payment buttons if you’re looking to monetize your blog.

7 Plan and Create Your Fashion Blog’s Content

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Once you have a functioning theme in place, you can start creating pages. We’d recommend adding your static content first; a homepage, an ‘About me’ page, and a ‘Contact me’ page with details about yourself. The homepage creates the first impression for visitors entering your blog, so it needs to capture their interest immediately.

It’s also important to have a consistent frequency for posting your fashion articles. Larger websites post new content every day, but if you can start with a few posts a week and gradually increase them, you’ll certainly be on the right track. Try tools like Google Sheets or Coschedule to create an overview of your content schedule, and receive automated reminders of when to post.

Looking for topics to blog about? Start with some keyword research on Google Trends or Google Adwords, to see what other fashion bloggers are writing about at the moment.

8 Promote Your Fashion Blog

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So, what’s the final step? Marketing your blog properly is vital for success, and putting effort into the key strategies involved will help you stand out in a sea of fashion bloggers.

We’ve rounded up several of our top digital marketing tips to help you focus on growth:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): Once you start adding content, you’ll need to make sure that users can find your website. Focusing on SEO helps you do just that, boosting your rankings in Google’s search results. Start with some keyword research to get you going, but many website builders also offer built-in SEO tools, which are definitely worth trying out.
• Social media marketing: Over 52% of online brands are discovered via social media, so it’s vital to start building your presence across multiple social channels, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Fashion blogs, with their focus on imagery and product, are also ideal candidates for social media marketing. So add social share buttons to your blog, then start posting and sharing!
• Email marketing: Try using an email opt-in tool to capture email addresses from your readers, and initiate regular contact. If you plan to monetize your fashion blog and sell products to readers, this will help you in the long run.

9 How to Start a Fashion Blog: Summary

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Fashion blogging is more popular than ever, and can be a reflection of your creativity and personal style – not to mention an inspiring, fulfilling, and even lucrative venture! With our help and a little commitment, you’ll be well on the way to starting a successful fashion blog.

Here’s a quick look at those 8 key steps on how to start a fashion blog: 

1. Find your niche
2. Create a brand
3. Buy a domain name
4. Sign up to a blogging platform
5. Choose and customize a theme
6. Install apps
7. Plan and create your fashion blog’s content
8. Promote your fashion blog

Good luck!