How To Start A Food Blog

Each one of us has something to share, whether it is recipes, stories and life experiences, an interesting collection, a desire to teach and help others, etc. We all have a story to tell.

Helping others does not mean you should not earn anything in return. Nowadays, it is possible to make money in blogging if you are willing to put in time and effort. There are many professionals who left their careers and are now full-time bloggers.

When we decided to start this food blog, we had zero experience in setting up a website. We had no background in web design but we had one thing going for us, that we cannot wait forever and that we needed to take action right away. We were also determined that we wanted a professional-looking website in as little time as possible.

We want to help you get started and we want to share with you what we have learned so you can get your site up and running in no time. We will be posting more How-To’s about food blogging with tips on photography, recipe development, and recording videos.

Steps required to get your blog going:

  1. Choose a domain name & hosting
  2. Install WordPress
  3. Apply a theme

With these 3 easy steps, you can have your blog up and running in a matter of minutes.

Please note that if you sign-up for web hosting through the links we provided below, we will earn a commission without any extra cost to you. There are many web hosting companies but the reason we recommend JustHost is because we have had a good experience with the way Xawaash.com was, and continues to be, hosted.

Step 1: Choose a domain name & hosting

We chose the name Xawaash for our food blog since, to us, the aroma of these blended spices represents the essence of Somali cooking. What name best represents what you want to blog about? Be creative! Write a list of names since your first choice may not be available.

Next, head over to JustHost.com to see if your choice for domain name is available. JustHost offers a free domain name if you decide to host your website with them. Click on the link for Website Hosting as shown below:

Click to go to JustHost.com

Step 1: Choose a host & domain name

“Free” hosting services have restrictions. One issue you may encounter with these is the lack of control over your blog. For example, many of these providers do not allow the use of advertisements. No advertisements means no income from your blog.

After comparing a variety of services, we found JustHost to be an excellent option. You will keep full control of your blog and you will also be able to monetize your content with ads through easy-to-use services such as Google AdSense.

To register with JustHost, simply enter your information. The default option is suitable for most users. With one hosting account, you can host as many domains as you wish.

Step 1: JustHost Sign Up

Step 2: Installing WordPress

After registering with JustHost, the next step is installing WordPress to your site. WordPress is an easy to use and free blogging software that will help you create a professional looking blog. Simply follow the instructions below to install WordPress on your site. You can also watch this quick video for the steps:

Step 2: JustHost Home Page

  1. Login with the username and password that you created earlier
    Step 2-1: JustHost Login
  2. Click on the One-Click Installs under Mojo Marketplace and wait for it load
    Step 2-2.1: One-Click Installs
    Step 2-2.2: One-Click Loading
  3. Find and click WordPress under the Blogs section
    Step 2-3: WordPress One-Click
  4. Press the button to Install WordPress
    Step 2-4: Install WordPress
  5. Select your domain from the drop-down menu
    Step 2-5: Select Domain
  6. Open the Advanced Options
    Step 2-6: Open Advanced Options
  7. Important!: Set the Username and Password for your Blog’s admin account.
    Step 2-7: Set the Username & Password
  8. After reading the licenses and service agreements, check the box and press Install Now
    Step 2-8: Accept & Install

Step 3: Applying the themes of your choice

Your blog is now up and running! You can now start customizing the appearance by setting a theme.

You can find a list of themes at WordPress.org/themes. We used a premium theme called Headway Themes to create the look and feel of Xawaash.com. We found that it is easy to use and has powerful features.

Headway Themes — The Drag & Drop WordPress Theme

Headway Themes has been a great tool for us as bloggers who aren’t familiar with coding. The editor uses simple drag-and-drop for organizing the content, and allows you to easily customize the styling of any item you select. The theme offers support and updates as well as a 14-day money back satisfaction guarantee.

10 Responses to How To Start A Food Blog
  1. Umuhamim
    June 2, 2014 | 10:15 am

    Asselamu Aleykum
    It is really nice of you to post this steps. I always wonder how
    people create their blogs. Jezakumulah khayren.
    And by the way, Ramadan is approaching by Allah will, please post
    remedan recipes.

    Hawa

    • A&L
      June 2, 2014 | 7:09 pm

      Wa’alaikum Assalam.
      Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. God willing, we will be posting Ramadan recipes.

  2. Zuhaira
    June 7, 2014 | 12:08 pm

    Finally a food blog guide thanks but still young to create myself one

    • A&L
      June 9, 2014 | 12:52 am

      It is good to be ambitious. We wish you success.

  3. Naima
    June 9, 2014 | 9:31 am

    This is really nice of you, i’m not interested in creating my own blog but i’m sure there are many people who could use your help. You don’t see many people like you who are determined to help other without getting anything back. I honestly didn’t know people like you still existed. You guys are awesome!!! Thanks for everything!!!

    • A&L
      June 12, 2014 | 11:27 pm

      Thank you very much for your comment. You kind words are appreciated.

  4. Suad
    June 10, 2014 | 10:36 pm

    A/aleykum. I have always loved your blog. It’s my go to place every week. I have also tried a lot of your recipes and I just love the outcome. May Allah give you many success…ameen.

    Thank you so much for the steps in getting a blog. I have wanted to get one for a long to time now but was always afraid! and I think you may have given me the confidence in moving forward. I know there is a lot of commitment and with trying to manage a household with kids…it scares me that I will not give it a 100%. But at the end of the day I think I should proceed because I can’t keep thinking of the ‘what if’ if I don’t try. So thank you once again and keep up the great work.

    PS- what camera do you use? It has the best clarity and color when taking pics.

    • A&L
      June 13, 2014 | 1:27 am

      Thank you very much for your nice comment, and thank you for your confidence in our recipes.

      As long as you are blogging about something you enjoy, it won’t be difficult. Start at your own pace and you will get better at it with experience. Let us know if you need any help. The camera we use is a Nikon D7000 and we like it.

  5. Anisah
    June 14, 2014 | 9:29 am

    I love your blog SO much,always did. I may not leave a comment all the time,but I’m here almost every single day! :) And you have no idea how much I talk about this website to my my family and friends. The other day couple of my friends asked me: ‘Are you related to the people who own the blog or something??’
    I love how you make the recipes easy for everyone,including for young people like myself who’re too lazy to learn the cooking from Hooyo. I love how you shows all the steps in your videos! That’s just one of many things that I appreciate and love about this blog.

    Do you have your own restaurant? I always imagine how it would be amazing for the world to see the beauty of Somali food,not everybody knows this.

    Anyways. Once again,love this blog. May Allah bless you :)

    • A&L
      June 19, 2014 | 12:32 am

      We are delighted to know that you like the website. Thank you very, very much for your kind comment, and thank you for spreading the word for us.

      Currently we don’t own a restaurant, but we were contacted by some of our readers who told us they now feel confident to start a Somali restaurant.

      Thank you once again and God bless you.

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About (Annaga)
Qui Sommes Nous نبذة عنا

We are a husband and wife team and we live in Canada. In a world full of food complications, we make cooking very simple. Our recipe videos will make your cooking easy, relaxed and enjoyable. We bring you the foods we love from Somalia and from around the world.