To setup blog

Some good options are:. ThemeForest — a big directory of premium themes. If you want to skip the searching, we also put together a list of the most popular and best free WordPress themes. After installing your theme, make sure to click the Activate button to make it active on your site.

To further customize your theme, you can use something called the WordPress Customizer. This interface lets you make certain tweaks to your theme without needing to know code. Depending on the theme that you chose, you may have a different set of options in the left sidebar. But in general, you can:. For a more detailed guide, we have a full post on how to use the WordPress Customizer. While themes are mostly about appearances, plugins are more focused on helping you add functionality to your free WordPress blog.

When you first create a WordPress blog, you pretty much only have the ability to write blog posts and create pages. Keeping the similarities rolling, the best place to look for free plugins is at the official WordPress. While there are plenty of niche plugins that are only good for specific uses, there are some must-have WordPress plugins that all sites, including blogs, can benefit from.

Here are some of our suggestions:. We already wrote a detailed guide on how to install WordPress plugins. Ok, so you managed to create a WordPress blog, install your own theme, and add some functionality with plugins.

Well, the world is your oyster! You can read all of these blogging tips here. Or start the conversation in our Facebook group for WordPress professionals. Find answers, share tips, and get help from other WordPress experts. Looking for some free blog sites to help you start sharing your writing with the world? People love to share ideas, give shape to their thoughts, and maybe even reach a global audience.

How to put yourself on the path to achieve all of that? Yes, you will pay up front for the full length of your plan. So if you do a 12 month plan then you pay for 12 months up front. You can cancel at anytime and get a pro-rated refund for the unused months on your plan. Thank you for all of this information. I am confident that things will go smoothly with all the info that you provided.

I am so grateful for this enlightening information you have given to me here. I now know how to set up my own blog. But I have a question. Which method of payment does bluehost support when you are paying for the hosting service? And can you choose to pay monthly, or must it be paid yearly?

Thanks once again. Please i am expecting your reply. A one year package is the shortest option. BlueHost accepts credit cards or PayPal. Feel free to contact me if you have any trouble getting started! Hi, Scott! I think this just might be what I was looking for. No tweeting, no Facebook, none of that…. But, I know many people that do. I think they can help get my blog out into the public.

A couple of questions — will the basic set up allow for comments? I am excited and want to be sure I can control some things before I get rolling…. Yes, comments are turned-on by default.

You have full control over the comments on your blog. For example, you can have comments automatically approved, or you can choose to manually approve only those that you want. Of course, you can also turn-off comments completely if you prefer. Hi Scott, Thank you. This is very informative. Can you please help me with narrowing down a name and topics please? Sure, just send me a message through my contact page with more details on the topics you are interested in.

Scott thanks, the tutorial was most helpful. It took me a while but I got there in the end. Good stuff. I used the format you show as it seemed good for me. Thank you so much for this! Your guide is so thorough that I am working on getting my blog up and running! Quick question: How do you create an email with your domain name?

Thank you for your help! Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a custom email address for your blog. Thank you so much for this info. Do you have any recommendations on how to figure out my niche? The best niche for you is something you have an active interest in.

Travel, fashion, fitness, and food are all popular topics. Once you figure out what sounds most interesting to you, your job as a blogger is to provide your unique perspective and experience with that topic. For more detailed info check out this post on finding your niche. Your tutorial was so helpful and you are so easy to follow and you have a very good speaking voice.

Thank you so much for taking the time to have this website, you tube and making yourself available for questions. Hi Scott Thank you very much for taking the time to do this. A blog sounds perfect for your situation. People enjoy learning about things from someone who is actually doing it, not some armchair expert.

Yes, there are a lot of fitness blogs already, but that is only because there are also a ton of people who want to read great fitness and health content!

Should one create a website first? Then how do you connect the two? Thanks ahead. A blog is a type of website. You are correct, you can have a traditional website and then have a separate section of the site for a blog. If you are looking for a more traditional website you can follow my guide to starting a website here.

If you follow the tutorial on this page you will have a blog. No need to create a separate website first. I have had so much fun setting mine up and it might never have happened without your blog.

I particularly found the video very clear, concise and helpful. Sure, just send me a message through my contact page with some more details on what your blog will be about. Should I have signed up for WordPress. Yes, WordPress.

Just follow the steps in the tutorial on this page to create a WordPress. Your email address will not be published. Skip to content Updated January 2nd, Are you looking for an easy guide on how to start a blog? Click here to skip the intro and start building your blog now My name is Scott Chow, and I am going to show you how to start blogging today. So, just how do you start a blog?

Learn how to create a blog in about 20 minutes following these steps: How to Start a Blog in 6 Steps Pick a blog name. Choose a descriptive name for your blog. Get your blog online. Register your blog and get hosting. Customize your blog. Choose a free blog design template and tweak it. Share your thoughts with the world. The fun part! Promote your blog.

Get more people to read your blog with the proper marketing. Make money blogging. Choose from several options to monetize your blog. Should you start a blog? So why would you go to the trouble of blogging? There are a few reasons: Share your story. A blog allows you to have a voice and be heard. You can share your story with the entire world if you so choose. One of the most common ways blogs are used are as a diary where the blogger writes about their daily experiences so that friends, family, and others can all be a part of their lives.

Make money from home. Blogging can be quite lucrative if done correctly. The top bloggers in the world obviously earn quite a bit, but even a part-time blogger can expect to make a nice profit if things are done correctly. The best part about it is that blogging is a form of passive income, since you can spend just a few hours a week writing a piece of content and then continue to profit from it long after the the writing is finished.

I go into much more detail on how to blog for money later in this guide. Recognition for yourself or your business. But a successful blog makes your idea into a reality, and can gain you a ton of recognition in your respective field. Many bloggers are known as experts just because of their blogs, and some have even gotten book and movie deals based on their blogs. Find a community. Blogging at its heart is interactive. You write a post and people comment on it. This is a good way to connect with people who are interested in the same things as you are.

Blogging allows you to teach these people based on your experience, and it gives you the opportunity to learn from your readers as well. Click here to go to Step 1 of the guide What is a blog anyway? Step 1: Pick a blog name If you are not sure what to name your blog, or what topic to blog about, skip to the next section.

It is your passion, your creativity, your knowledge and expertise, and what you bring to the community that makes a blog successful. Use a thesaurus if need be! Now list nouns and adjectives that apply to you as the creator. There are several ways a blogger can earn money: Advertisements : As your blog gains traction and brings in a healthy amount of daily visitors, advertisers may pay good money for a well-placed ad on your blog.

Contextual Ads: With Google Adsense a small piece of code can be placed on your blog that dynamically shows ads related to your content. When one of your readers clicks on an ad the advertiser pays Google, and Google sends you a percentage. Affiliate Programs: Affiliate ads are a very popular way to monetize a blog.

These ads lead visitors to a product or service on another website. If a sale resulting from a click on your blog is made, you get a commission, and some commissions can be very high. Affiliate programs can be found on individual stores, or on large-scale platforms such as Amazon. Sponsored Posts: Advertisers can pay a smaller fee to sponsor individual posts rather than advertising on the entire blog. This is a great method for making money on fledgling blogs. CPC ads are generally highly targeted and rotational.

Ads appear on specific blog posts and are related to the content of that post. The number of clicks you generate, which trends upward as your traffic increases, will ultimately determine the amount you are paid. That ad space could appear all over the website, within a section, or just a few pages.

The money comes directly from the advertiser. Commission : Ads from an affiliate network use affiliate links. If a purchase is made by a visitor who originated from your blog, you receive a commission.

And there are many reasons why: Easy to Use : WordPress is remarkably easy to use. Theme customizers help to easily design your blog, change colors, and add images. Once your design is complete, all you need to do is write your content. The internal blog editor records your posts and displays them for you. Blog Anywhere : As long as you have Internet access, you can edit your WordPress blog and write new posts. WordPress provides you with an administrative backend where you may log in and work on your blog from anywhere in the world using a PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone.

This translates to more readers for your blog. Free Themes : The WordPress CMS is connected to a repository where thousands of free themes blog layouts are available to browse and upload. Directly from the backend of your blog you can browse a multitude of themes with varying styles and functionality. These free WordPress themes can be installed with one click, and then easily customized by a total beginner. Here are the most common reasons why a blog fails: Giving Up Too Fast — The most common reason why a blog fails is simply that the content creator gives up before his or her blog even has a chance to become recognized.

Before you begin a blog, you should realize that most blogs take months and even years to gain traction. Continue to focus on creating quality content and getting your name out there via social media and networking. People looking for information on your topic usually want a steady stream of new information to keep them interested. When a blog fails to deliver fresh and updated content people get bored and look elsewhere.

Poor Content — Some bloggers think they can beat the system with auto-generated content or with duplicate content that is reworded. Readers know fluff when they read it. They know when an article has absolutely no value or when it is simply clickbait. A blog with poor content will never be successful. Too Many Ads — Blogs with dozens of ads obscuring most of the content will deter visitors from returning.

They come for information. Hi Jackie, Yes, I would suggest only using images with a Creative Commons license to avoid any copyright issues. Hi Susan, The process I show in the tutorial on this page will help you start a blog that is self-hosted with BlueHost. Hi Ashley, You will want to make sure you include a Privacy Policy page on your blog. Glad you found it helpful. Feel free to contact me if you have any trouble. Hi Scott, I just barely created my blog and I would like to make it organize by categories.

Thank you so much for your insightful post. Hi Ginny, When you are in the post editor screen of the WordPress dashboard you will see an option on the right-hand side to choose a category for the post you are writing. Let me know if you have any trouble finding it. Hi Mike, The simplest way would be to change their names and remove any other personally identifiable information.

Awesome Shauna! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Thank you very much Am starting my blog and what I read was helpful thank you. Hi Yves, Domain registration applies worldwide. I am setting up a blog right now and chose the plan with the lowest up-front cost. Hi Douglas, You will have the option to renew before it expires. Hi Paula, You can create multiple users for your blog. Hi Scott, can you use the wordpress from your laptop, tablet and phone to write on-the-go?

Hi William, A blog sounds the perfect medium for what you want to do. Let me know if you have any trouble getting started. I would be happy to assist. Hi Jeff, You can set it up either way. Yes, the steps for how to start a blog are the same for phone, tablet, or computer. Hi Scott, Very informative post. Thank you in advance. Hi Rocky, When first starting out I suggest posting once or twice a week.

Great synopsis of a really BIG subject Scott! Good info for those looking to start blogging. Hi Gale, Yes, the easiest way to do this is to categorize each post. Hi Cheryl, You can do it either way. Hi Jeff, Yes, you will pay up front for the full length of your plan. Hi Victor, A one year package is the shortest option. Hi Bruce, Yes, comments are turned-on by default. Very informative and easy to follow!

I read to the end and then watched video. Hi Valerie, Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a custom email address for your blog. Thanks for the tutorial. Can you do this whole process for a blog with your smartphone? Hi Fay, Yes, you can do the whole process with your smartphone. Hi April, The best niche for you is something you have an active interest in.

Hi Christiana, A blog sounds perfect for your situation. Best of luck, and let me know if you need any help along the way. Hi Susan, A blog is a type of website. Thank you very much for this amazing guide. Sorry, I have not been able to come back to appreciate your good work. Hi Jessica, I am a writer freelance of print production, which as we all know, is going the way of the dinosaurs.

While your tutorial was helpful, I am a dinosaur. Please send me one link I will pay a fee, if reasonable, but I only want to pay one fee…and this tutorial leads me I am sure, incorrectly , to believe I must pay this and that for a domain , host, etc.

I know exactly what content I want to do. Please send me one link. I am starting my blog, and this has been totally helpful. Sure, there is nothing bad about having a nice design. As the majority of them are not full time bloggers, every hour more spent on the designing of the blog means one hour less for creating the content.

And, using the chess terminology, if the content is king and quality backlinks queen , the blog design is only bishop. Because even an ugly blog with great content can be successful. But nice blog without good content will never attract new visitors. Working my way through your article links. Then Ill sign up to your blog. Hey Jess, Thanks for this post. Its really helpful and makes me wanna start blogging.

In fact, I will be starting it soon though its a bit late since is near lol. But thanks for you post. Its superly encourage me to start soon. Thanks so much for this article and all of the links! This year I started my Instagram page and just this week joined Twitter and Facebook as a means of hopefully expanding once the blog is underway.

My first dilemma however, is the name! Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Great idea! Blogging has quickly become one of the most popular ways of communicating and spreading information and news. You become a better person and a better writer. The best reason? You can make money doing it! One very last thing before we get started: Creating your own blog can take a little while, probably up to 30 minutes.

How to Start a Blog in 5 Steps: There are five main steps you need to do in order to start a blog. Choose a great blog platform Choose a web host for your blog How to Set up a blog on your own domain Design your new blog Useful resources for blogging. Thanks for the information, very clear and simple. I will try to use it. Appreciate your imputs. Thank you, Ireen. Hello Jessica, Thank you very much for this amazing guide. I wish I have a better way to forward my testimonial so as to motivate someone else.