Do you have a gift for the culinary arts - otherwise known as you can cook and bake, then you might want to share your talents with others in the online world? If so, you might be wondering how to start a food blog on your own and it can seem daunting and overwhelming at first, the most important thing you must do if you feel the urge and need to begin your food blog is to just embrace the Nike concept and Just Do It! The longer you put your dreams on hold, the more time passes you by, and the less likely any particular dreams you have for yourself will come true. Most people regret the things they did not do as opposed to the things that they did do, so take this advise in stride and go ahead and start your journey sharing delicious recipes for the foods you love and others will love as well. I have compiled a few tips on how you can start a food blog and hopefully the following information and tips can help you to get started on your food blogging creative journey.

1. Decide upon a name

After you've decided on the type of name you want for your blog, you can then register your domain name. I know that some people are going to say that you can easily start a free blog with WordPress or blogger, however I believe that it is essential and very important to have total control over your blog and eventually your brand. You can register your domain name through Namecheap, or any hosting provider of your choice or with WordPress. If you choose to self-host your blog, then a few steps for installation are necessary.

2. Install WordPress

The fastest way to install a blog on WordPress is through the QuickInstall feature ( any decent hosting provider should have this feature in the cPanel section of your hosting account). You can even install your blog via a smart phone if you want, it is that quick and easy to do! I did a post on this over at ThemeTemplateReviews, just search for the '5 Easy Steps To Install a Self Hosted WordPress Site/Blog Quickly and Easily!'

3. Work on the design

If your blog is brand new, chances are you do not have any content, but you can start on the design work regardless. All you have to do is log into the control panel over at your wp-admin After you have successfully logged into the dashboard, click on the 'Appearance' option on the left hand side, then select the theme of your choice, if you do not have one yet, you can search for a free theme to start with (you do not need to know HTML or a single line of code to work successfully in WordPress). Install the theme to your website and customize it as you see fit.

4. Start up the content!

It helps to have a good quality camera because regardless of how well written and consistent your content is, your blog will really not succeed if you do not have great quality food photos. Food photography is one of the major keys to success when you start a food blog. Create posts that are easy to follow, engaging, are well organized and easily understood by your readers. Remember to always proofread all your posts before you click the 'publish' button.

5. Get the necessary plugins

This is an area where WordPress really wows. All the free plugins available enable anybody to add any feature/functionality they want to their website. I am not going to go into great detail as to all the plugins that are available, but there are a few essential must have WordPress plugins that you may want to install for your website to function at the optimal level.

6. Promote your blog!

It is very important to promote your website if you expect to have any significant readership, a following or traffic coming your way for that matter. You can get the word out by joining forums and actively participating and engaging with other popular and upcoming food bloggers, guest post or do a recipe swap with other bloggers, host a contest and most importantly join social media sites such as Pinterest, Google plus, Facebook and Twitter in order to participate in driving traffic and generating interest to your yummy creations.

If you have any questions on starting a WordPress food blog or any blog for that matter, please post them below and I will try to answer them. Good luck.