If I Started A Blog Today…

If you’ve been blogging for more than a year, you probably have a list of things you’d do differently if you were starting today. Some of that is just hindsight. But a lot of it is that this industry has changed so much, even in the last few years, that the advice that worked when you started doesn’t always hold up anymore.

I’ve been a food blogger for over a decade, and now I spend my days designing websites and brands for food bloggers, so I get a front row seat to what’s actually working right now, not just what used to work. So today I’m walking through nine things I’d do differently if I were starting a food blog from scratch, including a few mistakes you can skip entirely and a few strategies I’m still working to build into my own blogs.

1. Start on self-hosted WordPress

This might sound like a given, but you’d be surprised how many bloggers I talk to are on WordPress.com or another hosted platform without realizing there’s a real difference. Self-hosted WordPress gives you full control, room to grow, and it’s simply the better long-term foundation. If you’re just starting out, save yourself the switch later and start here.

2. Build your audience with strategic opt-ins

Traffic matters, but an email list is what you actually own. The bloggers who grow their lists fastest are the ones who get crystal clear on who they’re talking to and build opt-ins that solve a specific problem for that person. This one takes more intention than it sounds like, and it’s still something I’m working to do better myself.

3. Email your list consistently

Sending consistently is one of the simplest, most controllable ways to drive traffic to your site. When I started emailing three times a week instead of sporadically, I saw open rates and click rates climb, and now I’m regularly seeing 800 to 1,200 clicks per email. That’s traffic that doesn’t depend on an algorithm or a search update. It depends on you hitting send.

4. Focus on video

You won’t get better at video by avoiding it. Mastery comes from repetition, not from waiting until you feel ready. If I were starting today, I’d lean into short form video early and focus on volume over polish, knowing the skill catches up over time.

5. Find real ways to connect with your audience

It’s easy to focus on growing traffic and lose the connection with the people actually reading your content. You can’t have a 1:1 relationship with everyone who visits your site, but you can get specific about their pain points and speak directly to them. And it’s worth remembering, you are probably not your ideal reader. Understanding that shift changes how you write, what you create, and who you’re really serving.

6. Create a system for maintaining your content

This is a big one. It’s tempting to publish a post and never look at it again, but content needs upkeep to keep performing. If I could go back, I’d build a recurring system for reviewing and updating posts from the very beginning, whether that’s 50 posts in or 500. It’s so much easier to build that habit early than to face it later with a thousand posts to catch up on.

7. Hire out writing sooner

Once I finally hired out writing, my content output multiplied, and honestly, my writers did a better job than I was doing solo. If it’s financially possible, hiring out writing early frees you up to think more strategically about your business instead of staying heads down in every single post.

8. Build multiple streams of revenue from the start

It’s easy to dismiss a small revenue stream because it feels too small to matter. But those smaller streams, whether it’s affiliate income, a digital product, or sponsored content, can scale over time. Starting to diversify early means you’re not scrambling to build multiple income sources all at once down the road.

9. Build authority through a podcast or YouTube channel

A podcast or YouTube channel does something writing alone can’t. It puts your voice, your face, and your personality in front of your audience, and it sets you apart from bloggers who aren’t willing to put in that extra effort. I’ve only recorded a couple of guest podcast episodes so far, and it’s already helped me get so much clearer on my audience, my messaging, and where I want to take my blogs next.

Where to start

You don’t need to tackle all nine at once. Pick the one or two that resonate the most and start there. Progress beats perfection, and it’s never too late to pivot your blog toward something more sustainable.

If your website or brand feels like it’s holding your blog back rather than helping it grow, that’s exactly what we help food bloggers fix at Grace + Vine Studios. [Check out our services here] to see how we can help.

Which of these would you do differently? I’d love to hear where you’re at in your blogging journey, drop a comment or reply to this post and let me know. both content creation and revenue generation.