Steps to Starting a Successful Craft Blog

Have you ever dreamed of sharing your crafting passion with the world and building an audience in the process? Starting a craft blog is an excellent way to do just that.

A craft blog allows you to share more in-depth content than scrollable media like Tiktok, show up in search engines when other crafters are searching for your content, and build a long-term audience so you can build your own crafting community. You can even build a craft business out of your blog.

Building a successful blog also means you can recommend products or sell your own products and services. It’s’s a no brainer for crafters who want to turn their hobby into a business!

Here’s a step by step guide to help you start a successful craft blog and get it off on the right foot.

Step 1: Decide Your Blog’s Purpose

You probably already know which crafts excite you, which is exactly why you’re reading this. At this stage you just need to reflect on why you want to start a craft blog, and start brainstorming topics.

Maybe you simply want to share your work. Maybe you want to build a community. Maybe you want to turn your craft blog into a business and monetize it. All of those purposes are very valid, but each will influence your upcoming decisions – such as naming, topics, and platforms – very differently.

Step 2: Research Other Successful Craft Blogs

If you’re wanting to turn your craft blog into a business, rather than simply share your favorite work, you’ll definitely want to research competitors first.

You can find these competitors by doing some Google searches in your field, paying attention to who you come across on Facebook and Twitter (now known as X), or researching hashtags on Instagram.

Make a spreadsheet of other successful craft bloggers and note what they are doing well, what they could be doing better, and what topic angles they seem to cover. While you do this exercise, pay attention to how you can make your blog stand out.

If you have SEO experience, consider using keyword research tools and search analysis tools like SEMrush to see what kind of traffic these websites get and how competitive they are. If you want this craft blog to be more than a hobby, make sure you can find competitors with a reasonable DA in the craft field you want to cover before you commit to this blog.

Feeling stuck? Google Trends is a great tool to get more topic ideas for any diy blog.

Step 3: Brainstorm Topics & Blog Names

Now you know what purpose you want your blog to serve, and you’ve got a feel for the industry. It’s time to brainstorm different topics that you can write about related to your favorite crafts to get some initial blog post ideas, and start thinking of what to name your blog.

Brainstorm Topics

Craft topic ideas can be anything from recent handmade crafts you’ve done, craft tutorials, diy project tips, craft ideas, experienced tips covering a certain type of crafting, or answers to questions about crafting techniques. 

Craft blogging is very flexible and you can cover a huge range of topics. Create a list of blog ideas and different topics you can cover within the crafts you want to write about.

Begin searching these topics to research the craft blog niche.

Brainstorm a Memorable Craft Blog Name

Your craft blog’s name is its digital identity. It should be unique, memorable, and reflective of your chosen craft niche. Spend some time brainstorming names that resonate with you.

When thinking of a name, make sure you consider any future plans. Don’t limit yourself with a name that is too specific, but do make sure your name is clear and resonates with other crafters.

Before committing to a name, ensure the domain name (your blog’s web address) is available to match your chosen name.

It’s also a good idea to check platforms like Instagram and Twitter to ensure it’s available on social media.

Step 4: Select Your Blogging Platform

Now that you have a name, it’s time to decide what tech you’ll be using to blog with.  I recommend Squarespace or WordPress depending on your tech savviness.

These platforms are user friendly and have flexible template options to design your blog effortlessly, without having to be a full on web developer.

Selecting a blogging platform you actually enjoy using is key to sticking with it. 

WordPress is the most popular option, but it has a learning curve. Squarespace is an alternative platform I recommend for those who want to deal with less tech. Both options offer nearly endless design customization to help design your blog perfectly.

You can review my WordPress vs Squarespace blogging comparisonhere. 

Step 5: Set Up Your Hosting 

Now it’s time to actually host your craft blog somewhere.

If you’re using Squarespace, you can skip this step. If you’re using WordPress, you’ll need to sign up for a web hosting plan, which you’ll install WordPress on. 

There are tons of affordable hosting options out there. To avoid headaches, you’ll want a reliable, supportive host with excellent uptimes and business practices.

For people new to website management and blogging, I recommend Siteground. They’re a fantastic blog host and their high quality customer service will come in very handy with setting up your craft blog. If you’re a web developer or you’ve managed websites before, I recommend Cloudways.

Step 6: Design Your Blog

Your craft blog’s design is the first impression readers will have of your creativity. You’ll want to come up with a brand for your blog that keeps your personality and your target audience in mind. Then, you’ll apply those brand design factors to your website’s design.

Choose a clean, visually appealing theme that suits your craft style. Customize it to make your blog uniquely yours, and don’t forget to ensure it’s mobile-friendly for a seamless and engaging user experience.

If you’re using WordPress, my favorite WordPress theme for any blog is Kadence. Generatepress and Astra are my favorite runner-up themes. With the new block builder, themes are extremely flexible, so you don’t have to worry about finding the perfect theme with the perfect layouts like you did in the past. With WordPress nowadays, you can set up almost any layout you like.

Step 6: Create craft content!

Now comes the heart of your craft blog – your craft-lover blog content! This is the stage where you’ll engaging, high-quality blog posts that showcase your craft projects, offer step-by-step tutorials, and provide sources of inspiration.

High-quality photos are essential to capture the essence of your craft and to keep readers engaged and coming back for more.

Consistency in posting will be a major factor in your blog’s success. Consider planning post topics out ahead of time, and scheduling posts into the future so you can keep up with a consistent schedule. Consider blogging in sprints, which is something I teach in my blogging course. 

Step 7: Grow & Promote Your Craft Blog

Once you’ve got your blog live and a decent batch of craft posts published, it’s time to promote them. Don’t forget this step – it’s easy to start a blog about a natural passion like crafting, but here’s where you’ll need to put in work to get it some traction.

Two of the best ways to promote a craft blog are by using Pinterest and creating searchable content.

Promote Your Craft Blog On Pinterest

Crafting is a heavily visual niche, so make sure to focus on Pinterest as a social media platform for marketing your posts. 

You’ll want to set up a new profile just for your craft blog, and create some boards for each category with some starter pins re-pinned from others.

Then to promote your crafts blog, create 3-5 new pins for each blog post you publish, and pin consistently.

Research SEO

SEO is also a fantastic source of ongoing, evergreen traffic when growing your craft blog. By writing posts that cover topics people are already searching for, you can get in front of people who need the magic that you’re adding to the world (or should I say to the web.) 

Don’t forget to let me know how your craft blogging journey goes in the comments. Remember, success takes time. Stay consistent and don’t worry about being perfect to start – just get started.

Here’s to you becoming a successful craft blogger. I’m rooting for you!