So you want to start a blog?
Great Idea!
Starting a blog can be very beneficial.
Whether you want to make money online, build a job portfolio, showcase your talents, express yourself, etc., a blog is a great way to do so.
So if you are looking for a simple guide on how to start a blog, look no further.
This step-by-step guide will teach how to create a blog without coding in less than 20 minutes with only the most fundamental computer skills.
After following this guide, you will have a lovely and beautiful blog that you can share with the rest of the world.
This guide is designed just for beginners.
I’ll take you through each step, with plenty of photographs and videos to help you understand everything.
So without wasting any time, let’s get started with the article!
How To Start A Blog?
Starting a blog is very easy and cheap.
You can either watch the video above or read the following steps below to start a blog:
1. Choose Your Domain Name And Get Your Blog Hosting.
The first thing you need to do when starting a blog is to get a domain name and blog hosting.
Bluehost is a great web hosting platform and is recommended by WordPress.
It is one of the biggest and most reliable web hosting companies in the world and is used by millions of bloggers when they make a blog.
It only costs $2.95 per month, and this cost covers helping you set up and also host your blog.
The domain is free for 1 year with Bluehost blog hosting.
So, if you buy Bluehost blog hosting for only $2.95/month, you will get a domain name that is free for 1 year.
No need to buy a domain name separately with Bluehost.
This is great for people who are beginners in blogging as it offers low startup costs.
With most other hosting platforms, you will have to buy hosting and domain separately to start a blog.
Also, blog hosting by other hosting platforms is expensive and their hosting is not that great when compared to Bluehost.
Bluehost is cheap, offers live support, and is great for new bloggers who want to start a blog.
My blog is also hosted on Bluehost.
Here is why I recommend Bluehost:
- I Use Bluehost.
- Outstanding Customer Service.
- Great Pricing. Only $2.95/month.
- Free Domain for 1 year.
- 30-Day-Money-Back Guarantee.
- Reliable hosting.
- Millions of bloggers use Bluehost for blogging.
Step 1- Go To Bluehost And Click On The Get Started Button.
Step 2- Next, select your hosting plan.
Step 3- Once you choose your hosting plan you’ll need to create or enter your domain name.
The domain name you choose is very important in order to start a blog because it will be the lead title when you make your blog, and will become your URL – your web address.
You should think about what name links to the niche of your blog, do you want to use your own name or your business name?
If you do not know what to name your blog then look at Wordoid, this naming tool will help you with ideas for your domain name.
Remember, that Bluehost gives you a free domain, so do not buy a domain name.
Step 4- Submit details to create your blogging account.
Step 5- Create your password to finish your blog hosting setup.
Congratulations, you completed your blog hosting setup and you’ve nearly become a blogger!
2. Start your blog by installing WordPress.
The next thing you need to do to start a blog is to install WordPress, which is totally free.
It is very easy to install WordPress, and Bluehost does all the installation work for you.
Do the following steps to install WordPress:
Step 1- Go to the Bluehost login page and log in to your account.
Anytime you want to access the backend of Bluehost and your WordPress blog, you will do so by going to the Bluehost login portal.
To get here, simply go to the Bluehost Website and click on the login button at the top of the screen and that will bring you to the login portal.
After clicking on the Login button, you will be brought to the Bluehost login portal:
Now enter your email or domain name as the user name and enter the password you created when you signed up on Bluehost and click the login button.
Step 2- Answer Bluehost questions or skip these steps.
Next, you will be presented with a couple of quick onboarding steps in order to start a blog.
You can also skip these steps if you want.
The first step is that Bluehost will ask a couple of quick questions to get a better idea of what type of site you are creating.
So the first question is what type of site you are creating.
Select blog from the first dropdown.
Next question, what type is it.
So select the topic that your blog is all about like lifestyle, photography, technology, apps, etc.
Next question, who you are creating a site for?
So if you are creating a site for yourself, select myself.
If you are creating a site for a client, select a client.
If you are creating a site for a company, select a company I work for.
If you are creating a site for someone, select someone else.
After completing these questions, click the continue button.
After clicking on the continue button, Bluehost will ask a few more questions.
Bluehost will ask you to create your site title and tagline.
Your site title and tagline are used in a few different places on your blog.
One is in the tab of the browser and this helps the reader distinguish which tab is what and it creates a good user experience as well.
Also, it’s used in the search engine snippets for your search results.
This is important when it comes to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for higher search results in search engines.
So Bluehost is conveniently taken care of the step by making it a part of the onboarding process.
You used to have to change the title and tagline in the backend of WordPress but now where it says what you want to name your site, go ahead and enter the name of your blog.
Then directly below that add a catchy tagline.
Next, you’ll be asked if you want the ability to sell anything.
So if you plan on having an online store integrated within your blog, go ahead and flip this switch but if you don’t want to integrate an online store within your blog, then leave it as it is.
Then, mark how comfortable you are with creating websites.
At last, click on the continue to theme selection button.
After clicking on the continue to theme selection button, Bluehost will ask you to pick a theme for your blog.
You can either pick a theme that Bluehost offers you or you can skip this step and move to the next step of finding a perfect theme for your blog and installing it on WordPress.
After these steps, Bluehost will start installing WordPress on your blog.
Congratulations! You completed the second step of installing WordPress to your blog.
Now you are about to start a blog.
3. Pick a perfect theme for your blog.
Selecting a good-looking theme is an important step to start a blog.
The theme of your blog is responsible for the look, design, and feel of your blog.
A theme inside WordPress is essentially a set of code that has a design for your website.
Now there are 2 types of themes:
1. Free theme.
2. Paid theme.
Both themes have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Let’s talk about the free theme.
The advantage of a free theme is that it’s free, and you don’t have to pay anything.
WordPress has thousands of free themes in its library.
You can browse through the WordPress library of free themes, choose a theme that you like, install it in your blog, and the whole blog converts to a new look and feel.
However, the disadvantage of a free theme is that there is not much functionality built into the theme itself.
So you end up with these inferior-looking themes or they look like a template or they are just very poorly done, but you are getting it for free, so it just depends on what you are looking for.
Now let’s talk about paid theme.
The advantage of paid theme is that it offers a lot of functionality and customization when compared to a free theme.
The design of the paid theme is also much better than a free theme.
The only disadvantage of the paid theme is that you have to buy it.
Now let’s understand how you can install a perfect theme for your blog.
Let’s start with installing a free theme!
1. Free Theme Installation.
Do the following steps to install a free theme:
Step 1: Go to the WordPress dashboard and click on Appearance on the left side and then click on themes.
Step 2: Click on add new button at the top.
Step 3: Choose a theme from the WordPress library and click on it.
Step 4: Click on the install button on the top left corner of the theme.
Step 5: Click on activate button on the top left corner of the theme.
Congratulations! You just installed a free theme in your blog.
2. Paid Theme Installation.
There are a lot of paid themes for WordPress.
You can go to sites like ThemeForest and buy a theme from there.
Now let’s discuss the steps you need to do to install a paid theme.
Step 1- Buy a theme.
Here I have selected the newspaper theme.
You can choose any theme you want.
ThemeForest has more than 50,000 WordPress themes.
Step 2- Download the theme.
Now it’s time to download the theme.
Click on your user name at the top right corner of the screen and then click downloads.
Now click on download and then click on Installable WordPress File Only.
You can also download all files and documentation if you want.
Now your theme will be downloaded to your computer.
Step3- Install the theme.
To install a theme, go to the appearance on the left and click on themes.
Now click on add new button at the top.
Click on the upload theme button at the top.
Click on choose file button.
Now select the theme file that you downloaded on your computer and click open.
Click on the install now button to start installing your theme.
When your theme is installed, click on activate button.
Congratulations! You just installed a paid theme on your blog.
4. Add important plugins to your blog.
The next step is to install two key plugins to your blog.
These plugins are:
1. Classic Editor.
2. Rank Math.
Classic Editor helps you to easily write content for your blog.
Rank Math helps you to do search engine optimization (SEO) for higher ranking in search engines like Google, Bing, etc, and track stats.
Plugins are great because they increase the functionality of the blog.
There is an infinite number of plugins available in WordPress but these 2 plugins must be installed in your blog.
Step 1: Go to ‘Plugins’ and click ‘Add New’.
Go to your WordPress dashboard, then go to ‘Plugins’ on the left side and then click ‘Add New’.
Step 2: Install Classic Editor Plugin.
Search for Classic Editor and click on the install button.
Step 3: Activate Classic Editor Plugin.
Click on activate button to activate the classic editor plugin.
Step 4: Install Rank Math Plugin.
Search for Rank Math and click on the install button.
Step 5: Activate Rank Math Plugin.
Click on activate button to activate the Rank Math plugin.
Now let’s talk about the next part of content creation.
5. Write Content On Your Blog.
Congratulations! You just started a blog, and now it’s time for you to start blogging and write compelling content that your readers will love.
Every blog needs great content, when you start a blog be sure to include the following:
- Content: Create great pages: About us, Blogs, Contact Info, etc. These pages will form the headers of your blog.
- Logo: You can use programs like Photoshop and Canva to create a simple and effective logo.
- Photos: Using photos of yourself is a great way to bring authenticity to your blog. If you douse your own photo make sure it is clear, in good lighting, and faces forward or sideward.
- Comments: If you want to enable comments sections then remember this is a great way to get a feel for what your audience is thinking. Comments and replies are also a great engagement tool. I usually disable the comment section in my blog.
- Social: Start using the other social media platforms, this will enable you to advertise your blog and drive traffic to your blog.
- Images: Use great quality stock photos from free websites such as Unsplash and Paul Jarvis.Shutterstock and iStock are also great and charge fees for images.
- Publish: Make sure you publish blog posts regularly and consistently. This will help you build an audience.
Congratulations! You are now officially a blogger and I hope you will have a lot of fun expressing yourself on your new blog.
How to Blog: 20 Blogging Tips to Improve Your Writing.
Here are some tips to help you start a blog and improve your writing:
1. Find Your Niche.
If you are thinking to start a blog, the first thing You need to do is to find your niche, this will help you create relevant content.
Find your niche by thinking about what you feel passionate about.
You want to find a topic that you are knowledgeable about and would enjoy writing about.
For example, if you’re interested in cooking then how-to recipes might be the perfect type of blog for you!
If your niche is more broad like fashion or lifestyle blogging, it can still help pinpoint what topics people will expect from your content.
For example, if you have a fashion blog then people would expect to see how-to articles on how to wear certain outfits or how to style different pieces.
Similarly, for those who like blogging about health and fitness topics, it’s important to stay consistent with that type of content.
This will help your audience know what they can typically find from your blog.
Find your niche by figuring out how you can make a difference and how to use blogging as an outlet for creativity!
Therefore, before you start a blog, decide on a niche first.
2. Define Your Ideal Readers.
Think about your audience, who are you trying to attract?
If you create a cooking blog then your ideal readers will be people who are interested in cooking.
If you have a style blog then your ideal readers will be people who are interested in fashion.
Consider how well you can connect with your audience and what type of content they would like to read about (ex: how-to articles, reviews).
It’s important to identify and connect with your audience as blogging is for a specific group of people.
Defining what type of readers are likely to read your blog will help you create content that is relevant to them.
So define your readers before you start a blog.
3. Add Value.
If you want readers to return to your blog and your audience to build you must add value to their lives.
Any content you post should add value to the reader, teach them something, and answer questions.
A good way to add value is by providing how-to articles.
For example, if you have how-to articles about cooking then a reader who follows along with your posts would appreciate it as they might not know how to cook themselves.
This helps give them something valuable that they are interested in without throwing out random thoughts.
Adding value is important for how your content will be shared and what readers are likely to come back for more!
When you provide content that adds value, it’s likely the reader will appreciate it and want to share the article with their friends or other blogs.
They are likely to come back for more how-to articles as they are getting something out of it.
Adding value is the key to start a blog!
4. Be Original.
Your views, writing, perspective, and creativity are what will make your blog original.
Do not just copy other blogs, be original.
This will help you stand out and create your own unique voice.
You want to provide quality content that is original, as long as your writing is good then readers will appreciate it.
Originality also depends upon how much time you put in for blogging because if you are writing original content then it’s more time-consuming.
However, if you copy other blogs, your blog becomes less valuable as multiple copies of the same article on different websites.
Be original!
5. Be Interesting.
Make your content interesting, so that your readers come back for content and enjoy what they see on your blog.
Your readership will grow as your content becomes more interesting.
It’s important to have a variety of interesting articles in order for people to find something they are interested in reading about.
If your blog is boring then it won’t be worth the time or effort that goes into blogging!
Be interesting!
6. Be Yourself.
If you want to create an authentic blog then be yourself.
You have your own ideas and creativity so use them to create interesting content.
Be original and be yourself!
Blogging is about being yourself and using your own creativity to make the content on your blog.
It’s how you will stand out from the rest.
Don’t worry about how other bloggers are doing it and don’t copy them, just do what you think is best.
Use your ideas and creativity in order to create something that is more exciting or different than what others are doing already.
7. Be Honest.
Be honest with your audience and always share honest opinions with them.
This will help create an authentic relationship with readers and build trust.
Being honest is critical if you want your blog content to be trustworthy.
Don’t censor your opinions or try to remain unbiased in order to please everyone.
Be honest and always make sure that you’re being truthful with readers.
Most people will appreciate how refreshingly honest you are!
8. Be Transparent.
If you want to build reader loyalty and trust then be transparent with them.
Don’t try and fool your readers.
Transparency is how readers know they can trust you and it will help them to read your content more.
It’s not always easy being transparent but the outcome of doing so will be worth it in the end.
Be transparent with what you write, what you want from your blog, etc.
It’s how readers know you are okay with them and want to build a relationship.
Transparency builds credibility and trust between reader and blogger which will lead to more engagement as well as bring more traffic to your site.
9. Invest Time.
Once you start a blog, you will need to invest time in it.
You will need to put in the time if you want to be successful with blogging.
Spend time on creating quality content, optimizing your blog for SEO, etc.
It takes work and patience, but if you are patient and consistently put in the time, it will eventually pay off.
You can’t expect anything good to happen overnight.
You must invest your effort for a long-term payoff.
This is how it goes in life and blogging.
It is not enough to just blog every now and then or post a few times per week – you have to be consistent with your posts.
10. Have A Vision.
It’s important to have a long-term vision in blogging.
You need a goal that will keep your blogging momentum going as well as allow for growth and improvement over time.
Without a goal, how can you measure the success of your blog?
Blogging is like any other pursuit… without goals and direction, it’s easy to get lost.
With blogging, you may have an objective set for where you want to be in five years or so.
It’s important to have some sort of plan when it comes to blogging.
A set of goals and objectives that you can work towards.
Don’t just blog because it’s easy to do or feels good – have a vision, willpower, and drive behind your blogging activities.
This way, you’ll be able to measure how much better your posts are getting as the weeks go by too!
11. Use Social Media.
It is not enough to blog alone and expect people to find your content.
You need social media!
Social Media helps you reach new readers, promote your posts, and build an audience of followers who are interested in what you do – it’s how blogging gets successful.
Add a Facebook page or Twitter account for your blog so that you can reach out to new audiences.
It’s how many bloggers are able to get more readers and how blogging becomes successful.
Be sure to use social media for your blog posts and you will see how much easier it is to build an audience!
12. Research.
Before you write content, research the topic you are writing about.
Make it relevant and check out what other people are saying about this topic.
It’s how you can make sure your content is relevant to the topic.
Don’t write about something you know nothing about.
Research is how people will take your blog more seriously and how they feel like it’s credible.
Plus, it just feels better when you know that what you are blogging about has been researched!
So make sure to research before you write content!
13. Add Photos.
Photos are a powerful way of grabbing people’s attention online.
Photos are how you can use visuals to get people engaged in your posts too!
They have the ability to make your blog posts more interesting which leads to better engagement, more shares, and more traffic.
That’s the reason why so many blogs have photos on their blog – it draws attention to the content being written which leads to better engagement rates.
Don’t just rely on words; add some visuals to make your content more engaging!
14. Keep It Simple.
Try not to turn everything into a complicated process, difficult words, and long paragraphs of text that are hard to read.
Don’t complicate how you write – keep it simple!
Be short, to the point, and be direct with your message on a blog post so that people can understand what is being said in the article without any difficulty or confusion.
Keep things simple when blogging because complicated writing just makes people leave due to how much work it is to read!
15. When to Post.
Think about the best time to post content on your blog.
You can post content on a weekly basis like posting two or three times a week.
Or, if you are posting five blog posts in one day, how do those stack up for your readers?
Make sure that the timing of your content is not too overwhelming and make it more manageable so people can read everything without feeling overwhelmed with all the text on their screen!
Conclusion.
We hope the tips above are useful when you think about how to start a blog.
When you start a blog you can use it to express yourself, earn income, and build a loyal audience.
Starting a blog can be hard work, but if you invest the time and effort it can also be rewarding.
Hosting platforms like Bluehost make it easy to make a blog and help you along the way to make use of them.
So don’t wait.
Go ahead and start a blog right now.
Good luck!