How to Start a Knitting Blog in 7 Steps

Start a knitting, sewing, craft or crochet blog now by following the 7 simple steps listed below.

Starting a knitting, sewing, craft or crochet blog could be the best thing that you ever did.

Doing so could allow you to turn your passion and skill into a nice side income.

Who doesn’t want that?

Follow the simple steps below and find out how you can get your knitting website up and running in no time.

How to Start a Knitting Blog in 7 Steps

Explore more details on exactly how to do each step below.

If you aren’t ready to jump into the steps above just yet, first I’ll tell you why I am qualified to even tell you how to do it.

Why I’m Able to Help You Start Your Craft Blog

My family has enjoyed the odd bout of knitting for as long as I can remember, so I can really empathise with and appreciate others wanting to share their skills and designs.

And my in-laws, well I’ve never met any family more suited to crafting in my life.

Also, I have successfully sold blogs before.

The sale above wasn’t my biggest, but it is the most recent.

So, that is a quick summary of why I’m qualified to teach you how to build (and potentially even sell) your own blog.

Now, let’s move on to the planning of your blog (how exciting!).

Plan Your Knitting Blog

Before you start a knitting blog, you need to have a plan for it.

Your plan can be as general or detailed as you choose. The more details you include, the easier it will be to stick to your plan as you start and grow the blog, but you can change your plan as needed (being adaptable in blogging is key).

Consider how many posts you want to write and what knitting topics you want to cover.

You can also look into different ways to monetize your blog.

For example, if you plan on selling your own knitting patterns you’ll need to plan to create those.

You don’t need to start with everything though, and we’ll cover everything just mentioned throughout this post.

Picking a Niche

An important part of starting a knitting blog is to choose a niche. While knitting can be a niche, you can also be more specific. You may choose to focus on a certain type of knitter, such as new parents.

Or maybe you haven’t seen any knitting blogs that serve beginners. You could focus on that audience and provide easy tutorials.

Think about what you’re good at regarding knitting. If you’re a good teacher, the beginner niche can be good. And if you’re a new parent or have been, that could be a good fit. In either case, you should make sure you like the niche so that you’ll stick with it.

You can also look at the potential for profitability for your blog. Consider some of the following niche ideas:

Beginner tutorialsKnitting for new parents
Knitting on a budget
Knitting your own clothes
Starting a knitting business

Find Competitors & Examples

To help validate your knitting blog idea, you should research your competition. This will give you an idea of if there’s an audience for the niche you want to cover. You can also figure out what your competitors are doing to be successful and what you may want to avoid.

Do a Google search for “knitting blogs” and pay attention to what comes up. Look at the websites of the results themselves. However, you can also click on the results that list good knitting blogs.

Compile all of the blogs you find into a list. Use a tool such as Semrush to figure out which keywords the existing knitting blogs are ranking for. You can also use Semrush to learn what it thinks the current knitting blog’s competitors are.

Put those other blogs into Semrush to learn even more about your potential competition. As you look at the keywords knitting blogs rank for, write them down. That can help give you ideas for blog posts to write.

However, you may also notice a gap in the market. If all of the blogs are trying to rank for beginner tutorials, you might choose to focus on advanced knitting tips.

You can also use your competitors as examples for designing your own blog. Don’t copy any other blogs, but use their designs and color schemes to inspire what you create. Consider which blogs you like the best to help come up with your own.

If you can’t afford tools like Semrush, you can use free alternatives. Google Keyword Planner is an excellent option where you can search for keywords and research competitors. You can input a domain of an existing blog to see what keywords they’re using.

Another option is to use Google search itself. Google autocomplete can provide you with a lot of ideas of what people are searching for. You can check out the different search options to see which blogs are ranking at the top.

Then, you can add those blogs to your list to research with Semrush. You can also write down the autocomplete search terms in a list of keyword or topic ideas.

Starting a Knitting Blog in 7 Steps

After you do a bit of planning and research, you’re ready to start a knitting blog. Consider the following steps to make everything go smoothly.

1. Pick a Domain Name for Your Knitting Blog

One of the most important decisions you can make is choosing a domain name. The domain is what people will type in to find your blog. While you can change the name later, it’s good to have a name you like from the start.

First, you want to avoid really long domain names. Keep the name to about two or three words to help readers remember your blog. That way, you’ll be able to get returning visitors, and your readers can share the blog more easily with others.

You should also try to choose a simple name. Avoid words that are difficult to spell or that have multiple spellings. Like a shorter name, a simple one will help people navigate directly to your blog without having to click on a link.

If possible, buy a domain that ends with .com. It’s by far the most common top-level domain (TLD), and many people assume websites end with it if they don’t know otherwise. That means people will be more likely to head to the right website.

Be sure to avoid including any existing brand names in your domain. Maybe you love shopping at Michaels, but you don’t want to get into any legal trouble with the store. Instead, look for more general words or use a brand that you own and have the rights to.

You can also look for domain names with knitting or knitting-related keywords, such as yarn, purl, or stitch. If you want the option to expand your blog to include crochet or sewing, look for more general keywords.

Here are a few more tips:

Look at the blog names that catch your eye
Avoid including your name if you may want to sell the blog
Pick something, even if it’s not perfect

2. Select Your Knitting Blog Hosting

Now, you need to choose which host to use for your new knitting blog. You may come across free and paid hosting options. While free hosts seem nice, they often have a lot of limitations, and you may not be able to monetize your blog.

Paid hosting offers more control, so you can start and grow your blog as you wish. And you don’t have to shell out hundreds of dollars for a website host. Some hosts offer affordable plans, especially if you commit for a year or longer.

Be sure to look for a host that offers good customer service. If anything ever goes wrong with your website, you’ll want to be able to contact someone for help.

You might also want to look at the web host’s uptime. The closer the uptime is to 100%, the better your experience will be and that of your visitors. If a website host’s uptime is less than 99%, that means your site will be inaccessible one percent of the time, which adds up.

And while you may just need a basic hosting plan now, consider if you can upgrade. As your blog gets more traffic, you will usually need to move to a different hosting plan. If you can do that while staying with the same host, that will be much easier than switching hosts.

You should also look for a website host that offers a one-click WordPress install. Most hosts let you use WordPress, but installing it yourself can be complicated. With a one-click installation, you don’t have to download the software and upload it to the right place.

Finally, consider what security features the host offers. Some provide a free secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate. Others may offer automatic backups or other features to help protect your site.

3. Install WordPress

WordPress is one of the best platforms to use for your knitting blog. It’s easy to customize to meet your needs, so you can run a simple blog or an entire blogging business. The software is also free, and you can do a lot without paying extra.

However, you can pay for plugins or extensions to get even more features. You’ll find plugins for search engine optimization (SEO), social sharing, and other things. That way, you can make it easier to help get traffic to your blog.

As mentioned, some hosts, such as Bluerock provided by Bluehost, offer a 1-click installation of WordPress. This makes it quick and easy to get WordPress on your site.

If you don’t go with a host that offers easy installation, you would have to go to WordPress.org and download the software yourself. Then, you would need to upload the files to the host you select to set everything up.

4. Find a Knitting Blog Theme

Next, you’ll need to log into your WordPress dashboard and search for a theme. The theme is the design or template of your blog. You can find free and paid themes, so you can choose the template you like the best.

Under the Appearance menu, you’ll find a page where you can search for themes. You can start by looking at popular themes or the latest themes that developers have shared. Another great option is to filter your search by features, one of which is to find blog themes.

If you’ve heard of some good themes, you can also search for them by name. When you find a theme you like, you can do a preview of it. Install a theme to do a live preview where you’ll be able to customize the theme to see how your blog could look.

As you look at themes, consider how much they’ll cost. If you go with a premium theme, you may only have to pay once. However, I’d recommend choosing a free theme as you start, especially if you’ve never had a blog before.

You can always change your theme later, so you can invest in a premium theme if you choose. But a free theme is usually enough to get you started.

5. Personalize Your Knitting Blog

After you select a theme, you can use the Customize page to edit the design. There, you’ll be able to edit your site identity to add your blog name and a tagline.

You can also edit the colors of the background, text, and links. Add menus to help readers navigate around the blog. If you choose a theme with a sidebar, you can also edit the widgets that appear on the side.

The page allows you to choose a specific home page and blog page. Depending on the theme you select, you may have more settings to change at this point.

Editing the design is relatively easy, and you don’t need to know how to code. You can make small or large changes, so your blog may not look like other knitting blogs out there. That may help you stand out and get returning readers.

6. Carry Out Keyword Research

At this point, you’ll want to dig out the list of knitting blogs you made when you planned your blog. Go back to Semrush and find the Organic Research tool. You can enter your domain and click on Competitors.

The tool will give you a list of even more competitors that you can look at. You can see which competitors rank for the most keywords. Semrush can also show you what keywords your competition is buying ad space for.

Review the keywords your competitors are ranking for. Then, look at the keywords that offer a low amount of competition. This will help you come up with ideas for your first few posts to write.

If you try to tackle highly competitive keywords, your blog probably won’t rank in search results. But by targeting keywords with less competition, you have a better chance of getting to the first spot.

To help find more keywords to cover, use the keyword magic tool in Semrush. You’ll be able to see what other topics people are searching for when it comes to knitting. That will help you generate ideas for your first few blog posts.

You might even find ideas that you would have never thought of yourself. Keep a running list of post ideas for when you’re ready to sit down and write blog articles. That way, you won’t have to stare at a blank screen.

7. Publish Your First Knitting Blog Post

Assuming you did good keyword research, you should have a few ideas of keywords with very little competition. Choose a keyword from that list and use it to come up with a blog post topic.

You can get creative with the title, so it doesn’t have to just contain the keyword. Search for the topic on Google, and look at the “People also ask” section to get ideas of questions people have.

That way, you can answer all of the questions about a certain topic. When you do that, you may have a better chance of getting your first post to show up in search results.

To help make writing the post easier, you should use an outline. You can list out all of the topics you want to cover under the main keyword. Include all of the questions you found on Google either naturally in the article or as part of a list of frequently asked questions.

Then, you’ll need to sit down and write the post. The WordPress block editor makes it easy to add bullet lists, headings, and other features to help break up the text. You can also break up the text by adding images or videos to help readers understand the topic.

Read through the post to search for spelling or grammatical errors. You can also use a tool such as Grammarly to help catch problems in your writing. When you finish your draft, you can publish it immediately or schedule it to go live at a specific time.

Here are a few quick steps to follow to publish a blog post:

Choose a good topic
Create an outline
Write the post
Add images and other media
Select a category or tag
Hit “Publish”

Marketing Your Knitting Blog

Knowing how to start a knitting blog is great. However, you have to promote your blog to get traffic. At first, no one will know your blog exists if you don’t say anything.

Even with the right keyword strategies, it can still take three to six months for your new blog to start showing up in search results. So if you want to get readers before that, it’s up to you to tell others about your blog.

Marketing is also important after your blog starts to show up in search results. People might not search for the keywords that your blog ranks for. Or they may not know why they should click on your link versus another blog.

Here are a few blog marketing tips to follow:

Create blog graphics to share on Pinterest
Tell your friends and family about your blog
Join knitting-related Facebook groups that allow blog promos
Make YouTube videos (when relevant) and include your blog in the description

SEO for Your Knitting Blog

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of growing your blog. SEO involves using keywords strategically in your posts to increase the chances of ranking in search results.

As we’ve discussed, you need to choose keywords without a ton of competition. The bigger, more established knitting blogs will usually rank higher for those. However, you can look for less competitive keywords to start.

Once you choose a keyword for a post, you’ll need to use it in a few specific places. Make sure to include the keyword in your post title as well as the introduction and conclusion. You can also use the keyword in one or more headings.

If you add any images to the post, include the keyword in the alt text. That can help the image show up in an image search, which may help you get more traffic.

After you’ve written a few posts, include links to your existing posts in your new content. This can show search engines that your content is all related. You should also include links to reputable websites in the knitting world. If you have time, you may also want to pitch a guest post in exchange for a link from a bigger knitting blog.

Consider installing a plugin such as Yoast SEO to help optimize your site. The plugin is free, and it uses green, orange, and red lights to help you use SEO. It will tell you what you can improve to increase the chances of ranking in search results.

In the past, you could use your main keyword and include it as much as you wanted in your blog posts. However, search engines recognize that practice as keyword stuffing. It’s better to write your posts in a way that naturally includes the keyword.

You may also need to experiment with your strategies to see what works. Then, you can figure out how to make new and existing posts more SEO-friendly.

Here are a few more SEO tips for your knitting blog:

Focus on one keyword per post
Use the keyword naturally
Link to relevant posts

Social Media Marketing for Your Knitting Blog

To help start and grow your blog, you should also use social media. For one, social media helps you build a connection with your readers. People may not always comment on your blog posts, but they could comment on your social posts.

Marketing will also help you get your blog posts in front of more people. By using things like hashtags, you can get your posts to show up for people who don’t already follow you. Then, you can use your social following to drive blog traffic.

As you start using social media marketing, be sure to post frequently. Share a link whenever you post something new on your blog. But you can also create exclusive content for your social media presence to keep people engaged on the days you don’t publish on your blog.

Use your social media to connect with others in the knitting world. Of course, this can include other knitting or craft bloggers. However, you may also connect with knitting shops or yarn or knitting supply brands.

Building these connections can open the door for collaborations or sponsorships. You can also connect with your readers and figure out what topics they want to see from you. Then, you may not have to come up with new post ideas all by yourself.

Follow these tips to help with social media marketing:

Start with just one platform
Post consistently
Be genuine
Include a link to your blog wherever you can
Use a business or creator account to access analytics

Content Marketing for Your Knitting Blog

Another thing you can do to help start and grow your blog is content marketing. Now, blogging is itself a form of content marketing. However, you can use other forms, from social media to videos to podcasts.

Infographics, emails, and user-generated content (UGC) are also forms of content marketing. You can use content marketing to get more attention on your blog and get more clicks and views.

For example, if you write a knitting tutorial, turn it into a video to share on YouTube. You can mention in the video that you have a knitting blog. Include a link to the corresponding post in your video description.

You can also pitch yourself to podcast hosts in the knitting or crafting space. They may ask you to come on as a guest, and you can talk about your knitting as well as your blog. Videos and podcasts are great because not everyone thinks of looking for a blog, but they can learn about you.

Once you gain a bit of a loyal audience, you can encourage people to share photos. You may tell followers to tag you in their pictures of them following your tutorial. Then, you can reshare the content to help get more readers. UGC also helps act as social proof, which can help people trust your blog.

Consider a few other content marketing ideas, such as:

Create knitting-related infographics
Share memes about knitting
Use influencer marketing

Email Marketing for Your Knitting Blog

Email marketing is another vital part of your knitting blog business. Even if you have an active blog and social media accounts, you have to deal with algorithms. However, emails will land in the inboxes of your subscribers no matter what.

That means you can make sure your loyal fans learn about all of your new posts. You won’t have to worry about the Instagram or Pinterest algorithm going through a massive change. Your blog may retain plenty of traffic from your email subscribers.

To start email marketing, you’ll need to choose an email marketing service. You should also set up an email address using your blog domain, which most hosts can help with.

A good email marketing service will also ask for a physical address. If you aren’t comfortable sharing your home address, you can buy a P.O. box. You can also look into other third-party address services because you legally have to give a physical address.

If you’re struggling to get subscribers, offer something free in exchange for someone’s email. Maybe you offer a free knitting pattern or a checklist for beginner knitters.

Then, you can send out a newsletter to your subscribers. You can share links to your recent blog posts and any other content you’ve created. Emails don’t have to go out all of the time, but you can use them to stay up to date with your audience.

Here are a few more email marketing tips:

Offer some exclusive content to keep subscribers
Start with a free email marketing service
Create an email schedule so that you don’t miss one

Paid Advertising for Your Knitting Blog

After you’ve had your knitting blog for a while, you may want to start paying for ads. You should wait to do this to make sure you’ll stick with the blog. It also helps if you can start making a bit of money from your blog.

However, you don’t need to have a profitable blog to pay for ads. Paid ads may help you get more traffic from search engines or social media. For example, paid search results show up before the top organic results.

So you could start to rank higher than your bigger competitors. That may help you get more clicks to your blog, especially if you pay for ads for the right keywords.

You can also use ads on social media platforms, like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. If you set up an ad, you can target the audience based on your ideal reader. When done right, you may be able to get a lot of traffic from your ads.

If you’ve never run ads before, consider hiring an ad specialist or taking a course on the subject. Then, you can learn how ads work on various platforms. You’ll also be able to figure out a good budget to set for your ads and how long to run a campaign.

Here are some more tips for paid advertising:

Start with a short campaign and a small budget
Review your analytics before paying more
Experiment with different keywords or targeting methods

Monetizing Your Knitting Blog

You may start a knitting blog for fun, but it never hurts to make some money from it. Monetizing your blog means you set it up in a way to earn money. Some of the most popular monetization methods include display ads, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products or services.

When deciding how to monetize your blog, think about your other obligations. If you have a full-time job, you might not want to offer custom knitting commissions. Ads and affiliate marketing are more passive, so they might be better.

However, if you want to turn your knitting blog into a full business, you may offer services. Or you might choose to create a course or a paid tutorial to sell. You can also create a subscription service where members get a new knitting pattern each month.

No matter how you monetize your blog, consider that it probably won’t make much money for a while. Services will provide the quickest return in terms of money. However, they’ll also involve a lot of work.

If you prefer to use affiliate links or ads, you can make money without having to work as much. But you may need a lot of traffic before you start bringing in a significant amount of money.

Here’s a list of some knitting blog monetization options:

Display ads
Affiliate marketing
Sell knitting patterns
Sell courses
Publish a knitting eBook
Sell physical knitted goods
Offer knitting commissions
Record knitting workshops
Provide private knitting lessons
Subscriptions
Sponsored blog posts