5 Things Every Food Blog Should Have
Given a chance to go back and rewrite my blogging journey, I could have monetised my blog within two years. I was clueless about blogging and posted by instinct. It was in 2011 when I started, but only when I took part in a 30-day Challenge on Facebook in 2014. I started taking it seriously. Being a home chef, you feel like sharing your precious recipes, but there is a method to it like I learnt the hard way. Writing in the culinary sphere needs passion, finesse, and consistency. Your recipes have to be perfect with the right ingredients and measurements. Keep the explanation simple. Here are 5 Things Every Food Blog Should Have.
What Is a Food Blog?
A food blog is a “website”-(yes, start your own website. I wasted precious years on WordPress) that presents recipes and articles related to food. You could go solo or have a team. That’s up to you. Original recipes are the norm, especially healthy food. Kitchen hacks and tips included with the recipe would add more value to your recipe.
- Self-hosted Domain
If you are truly serious about blogging, then have your own website. Your blogs will show up faster on Google. Choose a good web host, then a good theme, plugins and fonts. WordPress WP Bakery builder is an easy card for recipes. Have an “About me” page to introduce yourself. Choose a smart and catchy title. Keep the blog user-friendly by keeping the theme simple and uncluttered, so that it is easy to navigate.
2. Well Written
Although, it is food and recipes, grammar and spelling matter. Use Grammarly to keep your text without errors. Keep short sentences and use lists or bullets. Write and describe the food in such a way that the reader can almost smell the steaming biryani. Add anecdotes of your food journey or grandma’s tips.
3. Recipe, Ingredients, Method
You can focus on the cuisine of your locality. Bring out rare and forgotten recipes or you can write about all cuisines in India, International or fusion curated by you. If you are sharing a recipe, be cognizant of the fact that your recipe is original, and indexed, index the ingredients properly, and the measurements are right. Explain the method step by step. If possible, the recipe card should be printable.
4. Picture Perfect
An integral part of a food blog is pictures of the food. Honestly, readers just scroll through the blog and pause on the pictures. Images should be clear, aesthetically styled, and well-lit. Images speak. They enhance your recipes and the better your pictures, the more traffic your food blog will have. You don’t need a fancy camera. A good android or iPhone is enough with the right technique. Enhance your recipes with the original pictures you have taken. For food photography, you will need assorted backdrops. You can have a small table that you can place near a window as we take the best pics in natural light. Download an app like Foodie that heightens food pictures. Click from an angle between 90 and 45 degrees. Invest in a tripod with a light ring.
Tripod with Ring Light
5. Optimise. SEO
See that the size of your pictures is uniform and be sure to optimise them ( means labelled and tagged) Learn SEO and keywords so that your site has greater visibility. SEO was like black magic for me, but if I could crack it, then anyone can. It only makes your blog findable. Yoast is a plug-in that helps you analyse the Readability and SEO of your blog. Write a Meta description and the excerpt. Give it a category, add the right tags and you are ready.
Along with these 5 Things Every Food Blog Should Have. it is essential to interact with fellow bloggers to keep in touch with growing trends. Join a popular blogging company like The Blogchatter. Be an active participant in blog hops and blog challenges. Promote your blog on all social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and, if you have videos then, YouTube.
My previous post on the Blogchatter Blog Hop is a Story-Twin Souls- Message in a Bottle and 4 things about today’s world that puzzle me, Let’s toss-read versus Write, Ten commandments of Kindness Learnt From My Dad
This post is a part of Blogchatter‘s weekly Blog Hop prompt.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Bohemian Bibliophile.
@wordsmithkaur
@wordsmithkaur
The way you compressed so much information concisely into this small post about tools of trade for any food blogger worth their salt , can only come with hands on experience. Kudos !
Nice that you have put it down in black and white. People should read this.
I will try to use this when I post a blog on food next!
I totally agree with all 5 things which you mentioned but SEO is something every niche blog should have and follow. Grammar, a self-hosted blog, and perfect pictures are never to miss in any blog.
Agree with the pointers you have shared. I prefer reading recipes which are detailed and have clear instructions and steps. Also ingredients should be in metric measurements instead of cups, ounces, pints etc!
What a superb post, Harjeet. Love the way you have listed out the 5 main things that a food blog should have, concisely and precisely. No doubt, SEO is a game changer for any blog. And, your food blog is my fav.
The biggest mistake I used to do is not to have a proper plugin for adding recipe and also no authentic pictures. Now I have learned better and going to change
I totally second your thought. All the five listed pointers are must and what attracts me the most in any food blogs are the authentic pics with step wise step procedure. Need to be clear and precise.
Coming from an established food blogger like you these are practical and achievable tips. Recipes should be well-written and easy to follow, along with great pictures of course.
Absolutely love this list that will help a budding blogger build a good blog. Thanks for sharing this to help fellow bloggers aunty.
Clarity and right measurements is the key behind great recipes. You have touched some of the most important points for food bloggers. I am always inclined to the tempting pictures of dish.
And I thought losing my mother with an infant in my lap was the greatest tragedy. Only when we hear about stories like yours we realize how little we’ve faced and how grateful we should be. You truly define courage and resilience. I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child. But you need to be strong for your grandchildren. They need you, and your daughter will always need you. The “I need my mom right now” has no age limit, so the best thing you can do for your child is to be healthy and live long for them.
Thank you so much for baring your heart and sharing your journey with us.
Ur 5 pointers are something very useful for many Bloggers out there. I would say it was generous of you to put it all down here. People learn from your stories and your struggles.
I totally agree, Harjeet. With so many blogs out there, you need to be serious if you want to stand out. Monetization will happen. Very clearly explained and very valid points. I an your fan…you know that, already, don’t you? 🙂
I really like point no 1. I have a blog on WordPress and though the CMS is good, the rankings are not. I will also transition to my own site shortly.
Very well written post Jeet. I have learned through my blogging journey SEO and picture perfect is so important. Your pointers are basic but really important that every blog should have, such as meta description, SEO, pictures. Love it and learn something new.
This list is really comprehensive Harjeet. They are helpful to all bloggers actually. Even I am thinking of shifting my domain from WordPress. I may get in touch with you for help… hope it’s ok.
Extremely helpful and clear tips for food bloggers to enhance their posts and reach. Yep, as I reader I agree with all the point youve mentioned and I definitely like to see beautiful pictures and detailed recipes.
First of all blogging is an art and when the blogging is on Food/recipes then it turns our to be a creative art form. Being passionate about what we do is very important and one thing that is very specific for a food blogger to consider is creative with taking the click of the final dish. In simple Hindi ” Jo dikhta ha wohi bikta ha”. If your final dish capture is cool half the job is done… rest parameters are common for all bloggers. I appreciate the way you presented this amazing content which will help many.
I agree with your points. If one is looking to monetize, it is also important to write consistently on a topic. That helps build target audience and easier to show up in searches as well. Also ample photos that describe steps of the recipie or a video will be even better.
I completely agree with your suggestion that interaction with fellow bloggers is essential for the growth and success of any food blog. Blogging is not just about creating content but also building a community and fostering relationships with other bloggers in your niche.
Yes, you are so right that Joining a popular blogging company like The Blogchatter can be a great way to connect with other bloggers and participate in various blogging challenges and events. This not only helps you stay up-to-date with the latest trends but also provides an opportunity to showcase your work to a wider audience.
A very useful post. Good photos are of course very important. I prefer adding a video since it is often easier to follow. A self-hosted blog and a recipe card are a must too.
Harjeetji I totally agree with you. I started out with WordPress for free and after 3 years I got the courage to start my own website and now I regret it. I am still getting a hang at making my page and theme and plugins optimal but I am happy I did it.
The most perfect post of how to host a food blog. Harjeet ji you have made easily readable list of information in a way that it helps every blogger.
Good and simple advice. I think anyone who is into recipe blogging can benefit from this post
Your tips are absolutely on point. Recipe blogs do need a recipe card to stand out and get the rich text indexed at Google.
Self hosted domain goes without saying. Pictures are an integral part. Because how else can you get assured whether the blogger has actually prepared that recipe! Coming to the SEO part, that’s indispensable but tricky. I still haven’t learnt it.
I’m looking into adding easy healthy recipes on my blog as an initiative on helping moms promote Self-Care through a healthy diet for themselves and their families without consuming much time and effort. This article would surely be helpful.
Domain, Hosting, innovative ideas are must and also good phone to capture pictures. These days recipe blogs are on cloud as people love to try them at home. So some basic infrastructure are important to start the blog.
Food blogging is a great way to share your culinary expertise with the world. Make sure you have the following items on your blog:
1. A great food photography style.
2. A well-written and interesting food blog
Great tips – not just for food blogs, but for all blogs.
Loved this article! The tips you provided are so practical and insightful. I especially appreciated the emphasis on quality photography – it really does make a difference in attracting readers. Thanks for sharing your expertise, Wordsmith Kaur!
What a fantastic read! I completely agree that engaging visuals and genuine storytelling are essential for a food blog. Your points are spot on, especially about having a clear niche. Looking forward to reading more of your insights!
Great tips, Wordsmith Kaur! I especially loved the emphasis on high-quality photos. They really do make or break a food blog. Can’t wait to see how I can implement these suggestions in my own blog!