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Do you want to be a blogger, but you don’t know the first thing about how to start a blog?
I can totally relate…I started blogging in 2013 as a way to work through some of my mental health issues like anxiety and depression. At first, my blog was a hobby. I knew about WordPress, but I had no idea how to start a serious blog. I wrote in my spare time (which wasn’t very much or very often) and got zero traffic.
A few years later, I started writing more and started getting serious about blogging. Finally, I transformed my blog into a business. You can learn more about how to start a business here.
Little did I know that blogging would turn into a full-time gig. I’ve always been passionate about writing, mental health, and helping people. Blogging changed my life by allowing me to do what I love. Nothing beats passion with purpose. Now I get to share my experiences with people going through a similar journey. I want to share the blog love by showing others how to start a blog!
I’ll admit there’s been a lot of trial and error. I’ve spent countless hours Googling how to do things, made a lot of mistakes, and I’m still learning some of the more technical stuff. Starting a blog isn’t complicated, but it does take time and a lot of patience.
To help you on your blogging journey, I’d like to share some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned about how to start a blog. These steps will help you set up your blog if you’re new to blogging. If you’ve already set up your blog, check out these tips on how to promote your blog on social media. To learn how to turn your blog into a business, check out my tips for business growth.
How to Start Your Blog in 5 Easy Steps
You can start a blog in just a few easy steps. With a little bit of planning, you can be up in running in just a few minutes. That is, of course, you’re a recovering perfectionist like me. I spent countless hours picking out a name for a blog and changed it several times before I ended up ditching the domains and using my name instead.
Here’s a quick outline of your blog setup:
See below for detailed information on how to complete each step.
1. Pick Your Domain
When I first started blogging, I hadn’t settled on a domain name. I changed the name of my blog half a dozen times over the past few years. Finally, I ended up using my own name and creating a personal brand.
Hopefully, it doesn’t take you a year to pick a blog name as it took me! However, you should spend some time carefully selecting your blog’s name and domain name. Pick a name that makes sense for your blog and is easy to pronounce. After all, if you’re promoting your blog properly, your blog’s name will be all over the internet and social media. If you need some help picking a blog name, this blog name generator can help you come up with a catchy blog name.
If you change your mind later, it’s okay to change your blog’s name after-the-fact. However, it’s easier to start off with the name you’re going to stick with. This will prevent having to migrate your site, changing your domain name, or creating redirect links. I’ve gone through the renaming process way too many times and it can be tedious. While changing the name and domain name of your blog isn’t impossible, it’s time-consuming.
2. Choose Your Platform
I’ve tried other platforms like Kajabi, Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix, however, WordPress has always been my platform of choice because it’s comprehensive and has unparalleled plugins and features. However, there’s a difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
WordPress.com
I first started blogging on WordPress.com. It’s a great platform if you’re blogging as a hobby. You don’t have to worry about hosting and other bloggers can discover your content via Reader. The discoverability on Reader can make it easy to grow your following.
One drawback of WordPress.com is that you can’t monetize on it. This is fine if you’re just blogging for fun, but if you want to make money blogging, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan or self-host on WordPress.org.
Overall, WordPress.com can be worth the peace of mind of not having to deal with any of the technical aspects of self-hosting.
WordPress.org
I switched to WordPress.org when I got serious about blogging. It took some work moving from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, and I had to get web hosting, which I’ll explain how to do below. However, using WordPress.org has allowed me to monetize our blog, which means I can make money via ads, affiliate marketing, partnerships, and more. I also like using WordPress.org because it integrates seamlessly with my web host, BlueHost.
If you started your blog on WordPress.com and are thinking about switching to WordPress.org, the good news is that you can still great all of the great features you’re used to with the JetPack plugin.
3. Get Web Hosting
NOTE: If you’re planning on blogging on WordPress.com instead of self-hosting on WordPress.org, skip this step and go to #4.
I know “web hosting” sounds super technical and complicated, but I promise it’s not as scary as it sounds. “Web hosting” simply means your site is being stored on a server. Think of web hosting like your own little piece of the internet. WordPress is your framework (like a house), but you need a plot of land on which to build your house. That’s where web hosting comes in handy.
Ironically, I almost decided not to self-host my blog because I thought it’d be super complicated and expensive. However, I found a really easy and affordable web host called BlueHost. As of this writing, monthly rates start at $3.95, and they offer discounts for paying annually and/or several years in advance. I personally received a deep discount for paying for 3 years of web hosting in advance.
BlueHost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 support. Luckily, I’ve rarely had to reach out to the support team—once for a very minor caching issue that was mostly me being impatient to see my new site show up in Google Search, and a couple of times because I forgot my password. They’ve always been helpful and pleasant to talk to, plus their chat feature made it very easy to get a hold of them.
Setting Up Web Hosting
While you don’t have to obtain web hosting with BlueHost, I do highly recommend their services. With just a few clicks, your new blog can be up and running on the internet.
- Go to BlueHost
- Click “Get Started Now”
- Select your plan (“Basic” is fine to start)
- Register your domain
- Enter your personal information
- Submit your payment info
- Create your password
- Login to your new account
4. Pick Your Theme
Once you’ve registered your domain and selected a hosting package, it’s time to select and install a WordPress theme. There are literally thousands of themes to choose from. I suggest picking a blog theme that represents your style. You can always change it later if you change your mind. I’ve personally changed my blog theme several times over the years.
5. Build Your Blog
Once you’ve selected your theme, it’s time to start building your blog. Click “Start Building” and follow the prompts to set up your website on the WordPress platform. In order to launch your site, you’ll be asked to select between a business or a personal website, as well as enter your site title and site description. Once you launch your blog, you can start posting.
I recommend starting out with 5-10 posts right away so that visitors don’t show up to an empty blog, or a blog with only “my first post.” But if you only have one post, then start with that, It’s the first step and it’s better than nothing.
“Every journey begins with a single step.”
– Maya Angelou
Conclusion
Congratulations on launching your blog! You’ve just taken a HUGE step in putting your name and your work out there. It takes a lot of guts to lay out your heart and soul on the internet. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back for being so brave.
You can also learn how to use social media and promote your blog.
Need more help? Apply for private coaching here.
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