MAKING YOUR BLOG LOOK PROFESSIONAL ON A BUDGET

I'm no expert on this sort of thing and I certainly won't be doing any sort of 'Blogging Tips' related posts.. I have as much idea as anyone else and I'd much rather read the posts from those of us that have actually sussed it out! I'm still more the sort that fumbles around with my DSLR trying to remember what aperture means. With blogging, this is about the only thing I think I've grasped a bit.. How to be cheap and cheerful. Typical. Admittedly, I'm pretty tight with my money. This is my little hobby and while I can't afford to be spending a huge wedge of cash on it, I also don't want it to look like a kid's school project. These are just a few things I've picked up along the way to keep the costs low.

1. Learn a bit of HTML

Knowing the basics is always handy, even if it's just how to stick the odd widget in here and there. I doubt I'll ever be a HTML expert, but I now know the bits I need to to get by & that's certainly more than I used to know before blogging. If you find it confusing, Google, Google, Google. Just about every query I've had with HTML has been answered with a quick search online. 

2. Get a blog designer/blog template

These days, getting you blog to look cool really doesn't have to cost that much. There are loads of blog designers out there doing this kind of thing for under £50 (or less). I've used Pipdig a couple of times now and always love the result. It's around £30 for a template that's a huge step up from the standard default you start with. Plus, you don't have to worry that you're going to fudge it up doing it yourself (this is me..). If you're wanting to invest a little bit of money without having to live on tomato ketchup sarnies for the rest of the month then I'd definitely recommend getting a good value blog designer involved. 

3. Utilize free editing software

I don't use any paid editing software when it comes to blogging, mostly because I've managed quite happily with the free ones available online. My favourites are iPiccy and Fotor which pretty much do everything I need them to. iPiccy is the one I use for the basic picture editing (altering brightness, cropping, admittedly removing the odd god-awful spot that's about to take over my face - that sort of thing) and Fotor comes in handy for collages. Another one I've used a lot recently is Canva - a good option for banners & images with text. 

4. Make the most of your social channels

If you spend half your life looking at stuff like Madonna hitting the deck on Twitter (that would be me.. I'm terrible, poor Madge!) then you might as well make the most of social channels while you're at it. These days I just see the likes of Instagram, Twitter & FaceyB as a little extension of my blog.. I like to keep it all consistent, with new post updates & other stuff that's relevant. Having said that I also like to tweet about Gogglebox.. Ha. 

5. Work with what you've got

I'm talking parents, a creative other half, a sibling that's in the know with graphics or maybe even your cat who takes an excellent Instagram shot. Basically anyone who is on hand to give you a bit of help when you need it. I don't have a professional photographer friend or know a whizz kid with web design but I make the most of my friends & family when I can. Since I've started blogging my mum has learnt how to use a DSLR (just about..) and my dad has come up with various bits & bobs from antiques places for me to use in the background of shots. If they're willing to give you some help, make the most of it! 

Annnd that's how I've managed so far. I still get things wrong on my blog all the time (6am write ups = typos central), but these are the things that have helped out. 

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