How to Start a Blog

Do you want to learn how to start a blog?

Hi there, my name is Anya. I’ve been blogging for more than eight years and I love every moment of it. Blogging helped me to find my first job and continues to be my lucrative side-gig.

In 2010 when I was learning how to create a blog, I spent a lot of time searching for helpful information online. I was only able to find it piece by piece on a variety of websites. To save you time, I’ve created this free step-by-step blog tutorial to teach beginners how to make a blog quickly and easily. It’s not as complicated as many people think!

How to Start a Blog in 8 Easy Steps

• Step #1: Select a perfect niche for your blog
• Step #2: Choose a blogging platform
• Step #3: Pick a domain name
• Step #4: Get a web hosting account
• Step #5: Starting a blog on WordPress
• Step #6: Select a theme and design your blog
• Step #7: Write content and promote your blog
• Step #8: Make money blogging

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Disclosure: If you purchase products through links on our site (e.g. Bluehost services), we may earn a commission. It comes at no extra cost for you but it helps us to create more useful content.

More than eight thousand people started their blogs using this free guide.

Before you start these steps below, let me cover some helpful facts and common questions people ask before they start blogging.

Step #1: Select a perfect niche for your blog

To start and run a successful blog, you have to select the right niche for your blog.

First, make sure to pick a niche that you are the most interested in – the one you are passionate about. That way you will follow your passion and enjoy your blogging journey.

Second, you must pick a niche that has enough audience interest.

Once you select a niche, I also suggest you validate it. Below is a 3-step formula to confirm your niche for success.

A 3-step blog success validation process:

1. Check niche size.
2. Explore competitors.
3. Analyze monetization potential.

This process will help you obtain a clear idea of the size, competition, and monetization potential for your proposed niche. If you are not sure how to select and validate a blog’s niche, read our detailed guide.

Step #2: Choose a blogging platform

At this stage, you’ll need to look at the best blogging platforms out there and determine the type of blog management software you are going to use. I recommend that you make your own blog using the self-hosted setup that I show in this guide.

When it comes to popular blogging sites, you have a few options. Below are usage statistics showing the distribution of blog technologies in the United States.

Hosted blog solutions

For many new bloggers, it’s tempting to use free hosted platforms such as Blogger.com or Tumblr.com.

It’s important to understand that “free” always comes with limitations. First, your blog name will be set as a subdomain (examples: yourblog.blogspot.com or yourblog.tumblr.com).

Second, you’ll be subject to their rules and restrictions. Free options come in handy if you want to test the platform. But, if you’re serious about blogging, you’ll have to start paying for full services and a custom domain name sooner or later.

Self-hosted blog solutions

You have several choices when it comes to self-hosted systems (also called a Content Management System or CMS). The most popular is the free and open-source system WordPress.org.

Self-hosted platforms allow you to set up and run your blog using your own domain and web hosting. You’re fully in charge of your blog and its contents. It will cost just a few dollars per month for the webspace (hosting account), and around ten dollars per year for a custom domain name. The actual blogging software is free.

If you plan to run ads, sell products, or services via your blog, then this is the best way to go. Many hosting providers can help you maintain an e-commerce blog.

How much does it cost to start a blog?

Below are the costs of a 1-year basic hosting plan with a custom domain name to install WordPress.org CMS. For hosting services I will show Bluehost company’s pricing plans. If you decide to use another service, prices will vary but it shouldn’t be more than $100 per year.

	WordPress.org + Bluehost
Blog hosting service	$4.95 per month (billed for 1 year) $2.75 per month (billed for 3 years)
Domain registration	First-year free (after $17.99 per year)
Custom email	Free Web-Based E-mails/ Forwarding
SSL Certificate	Free SSL certificates
Storage space*	50 GB
Bandwidth*	Unlimited
Total price	$59.40 (for a 1-year plan)

Step #3: Pick a domain name

Your domain name will be the name by which you will be known online, no matter what niche you choose. It’s your blog’s unique address on the Internet. Your domain will be yours as long as you continue paying the annual fee ($10 to $15 per year for a .com domain).

Users who know your domain (URL – uniform resource locator) can simply type it into their browser’s address bar. Others will be able to discover you through search engines such as Google and Bing, so you definitely need to find a unique name.

Your domain name may be the highly popular “dot com”, or it may be country or niche-specific. The general rule is to go for a “dot com” domain, but some of the other extensions can work. For example, “dot net” or “dot blog”.

If you can’t find the domain name you like, Bluehost will let you choose a Free Domain later. That will give you time to do some research and thinking.

Recommended tool:

In the end, it’s about being memorable, so if a different extension or country code helps you be memorable, then break the rules!

Step #4: Get a web hosting account

After choosing a domain name, selecting a reliable hosting service will be one of the most important decisions you make.

To a great extent, the functionality and performance of your site will depend on your blog hosting. The host makes sure your site is available 24/7 to potential readers and it’s where your contents and files are stored online.

Most hosting companies will also provide you a free domain for the first year when you buy their services.

The wrong web host can cause many problems with your blog. Just imagine choosing a mobile company that has no reception. Your web host is a major piece of the puzzle to creating a successful blog; therefore, you must choose a reliable provider.

Based on our research and information available on the official WordPress website, Bluehost is a top choice in the opinion of many blogging experts.

Step #5: Starting a blog on WordPress

This section provides detailed information to help you sign up for your web hosting account and set up a WordPress blog. As an example, I will show you how to make a blog with Bluehost. I have included screenshots of the pages that you need to go through.

1. Visit Bluehost homepage

Go to the Bluehost.com website. Then click the green “Get Started Now” button.

2. Select your hosting plan

You will start by picking a hosting plan. If this is your very first blog, you can go with the Basic plan. Later, you can easily upgrade to a Plus or Choice Plus plan once your blog starts growing. Explore what each plan offers, e.g. Choice Plus plan comes with Domain Privacy and some extras. If your budget allows, go with the recommended plan.

3. Set up your domain name

Your domain name will be your blog’s address, so you should take your time to come up with something unique and memorable. Just type in the desired name in this “new domain” box and Bluehost will show you whether it’s available or not. If not, it will provide you with a list of similar names to choose from.

Don’t worry if you can’t find a good name right away, you can skip this step and pick a domain name later.

If you have already purchased a domain name somewhere else, you can use that name. Just type it into the “Use a domain you own” box.

4. Register with Bluehost

After you choose your domain name, Bluehost will take you to the registration page where you can fill in your personal info manually, or you can Sign in with your Google account to make the process even easier!

Add your account information

Start by filling out your personal information.

Select your hosting package

At this point, it’s time to select an account plan from the available options. Bluehost offers 12, 24, and 36-month packages.

With a 12-month package, you will have to pay a lower amount up front, but with the other two packages, you will get a better deal if you are ready for a longer-term commitment.

Package extras

Review your package extras carefully. Not every extra is essential, and by unchecking the boxes of extras you don’t need, your total amount owing will decrease.

You can always add extras later if you find that you need them. I do suggest that you keep the Domain Privacy Protection box checked. This service will hide your personal contact information from the global database, which is publicly visible to anyone on the internet.

Payment information

Now, enter your payment information. Check the box that you have read and agree to the TOS (Terms of Service), and click on the green “Submit” button.

Bluehost will send you a confirmation email when the payment goes through. You will also receive an email to verify your email address to activate your domain name.

Next, you will set up the Bluehost account. You are one step closer to launching a blog!

5. Create your account

Let’s create your account with Bluehost.

• Step 1. Click the “Create your account” button.
• Step 2. Enter your password and complete the account set up.
• Step 3. Your account is ready to go. Click the “Go to login” button.
• Step 4. Fill in the fields “Email or Domain Name” and “Password”.

You are all set. Next, you will start working on creating your blog.

6. Create your WordPress blog with Bluehost

After you log in to the account, Bluehost will offer a 4-step process to help you create a website (blog). I suggest you go with that process if this is your first time creating a blog.

You can also click the “Skip this step” button and create a blog on your own inside the Bluehost hosting account.

Four steps blog set up assistance process:

• Step 1. You will start the process by answering 3 questions: What kind of site? What type is it? And who is it for? In my example, I selected: Blog, Personal, Myself. You can select the same choices or pick what fits your individual case.

• Step 2. With this step, you can pick what else would you like to add on your site. Bluehost gives you a few options to choose from.

• Step 3. In this step, you need to answer a few questions such as the name of your blog, tagline, and how comfortable you are with creating websites. Note, you can always change this later.

• Step 4. Check out the chosen themes by Bluehost and see if you like any of them (if you don’t see a theme you like, skip this step). You can always change it and use a different one later. More information on this further on.

Once you complete these 4 steps you will be taken to your Bluehost account page. At this point, the WordPress software is installed and your blog structure is set up!

7. Launch your blog

Inside your Bluehost account, you will see options to further customize your blog based on Bluehost’s recommendations. These options are here for you to do some pre-launch customization to your blog.

After you click the “Launch My Site” button, your blog will go live!

If you open your blog inside a web browser don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t look quite right. It is just the first draft of your blog. Inside the WordPress dashboard, you will have to apply a few changes and add content to make it look polished and complete. I will show you how later!

You can access the WordPress dashboard from your Bluehost account by clicking the blue “WordPress” button in the top right corner of your screen.

Did you launch your blog yet? → Click Here to Get Started

Next, as promised, I’ll show you how to find the right theme for you, and how to customize your blog.

Step #6: Select a theme and design your blog

The first thing your blog needs is a face (design and layout).

Installing and setting up a new WordPress theme is exciting and fairly straightforward.

Inside the WordPress dashboard, under the “Appearance” tab, click “Themes”. You will be presented with some popular options. You can click on the WordPress.org Themes button and search for free themes. There are more than three thousand themes available on WordPress.org.

The look and feel of your new blog rely on the theme you choose. Your readers will first notice the overall appearance of your blog before they even take a look at the content. Select a theme that looks great, but also works for your specific content needs.

Here’s a quick guide for choosing your theme by searching within the WordPress dashboard:

• Read the description – Most themes come with a short description of features and functionality. Reading it can help you to figure out if the theme matches your needs.
• Preview the theme – Preview the theme (demo) to get an idea of the overall look, layout, and how customizable it is.
• Check the ratings – Star ratings will be visible in the preview and under theme details to give you a clear idea of how good the theme is.

If you can’t find a theme that you absolutely love, don’t worry. Settle on one that you like, and you can always change it in the future.

Once you install a theme, don’t be surprised if it still doesn’t look quite right. It is just a skeleton of your blog. To make it appealing, you’ll have to fill it in with content (text, photos, videos, etc.).

Should you choose a free or premium theme?

In my opinion, there are more than enough free WordPress themes to choose from for any blog topic.

If you don’t feel like searching through thousands of themes, you can easily start things off with either Twenty Twenty or Twenty Twelve themes. Both free themes are presented by WordPress.org and are popular with creators.

Remember, you can always pick a different theme later as you continue to customize your blog. All of the content pages and unique content that you create will be transferred automatically to a new theme layout.

If the current stash of free themes does not satisfy your particular desire, you can check the available premium themes. These themes are usually designed by third party companies and sold on different WordPress theme sites. The price range for single-use licenses ranges from $30 to $500, depending on which premium theme you choose.

Blog theme customization

Remember, your WordPress dashboard is the back end location where you will manage your new blog. It provides you with fast access to all of the tools you need to add content and fine-tune your blog functionality for the ultimate user experience. Your first step towards mastering WordPress is learning the dashboard.

WordPress has unlimited customization options so it’s impossible to cover everything in one guide. Instead, I’ll cover the first most important changes you should apply to your blog. For this example, I’ll be using the Twenty Twenty theme.

Make your blog’s logo

Inside your Bluehost account, you can find the “Make your logo” tool. If you didn’t do it yet while launching your blog, now is the time to get it done.

Once you click the checkbox, you will be taken to an AI-powered logo maker. It’s an easy to use tool that you can use to create a beautiful logo for your blog in seconds. Start by entering your blog name and slogan (if you have one), the tool will automatically generate different types of logos.

Select one logo you like the most, click on it, and further customize it according to your taste.

When you are done with your logo design, click the Download button and a new page will show up with your logo files ready to be saved to your computer.

Customize your blog

Now, let me show you where you can do general customizations of your blog. That includes: uploading the logo you just created (or will create in the future), editing blog title and tagline, changing blog colors, uploading the background image, and making homepage settings changes.

As I’ve mentioned, I’ll be showing you how to apply these changes to the Twenty Twenty theme. If you picked a different theme the process could be slightly different. However, in most cases, all themes have similar customization options.

To start customizing your blog, go to the WordPress dashboard. Locate the Appearance tab on the left-hand side and choose the Customize option.

Each WordPress theme will customize a little differently. In my case, I’ll show you the customize options for the Twenty Twenty theme.

On the left-hand side, you will see the following Customizing menu options:

• Site identity – Upload your logo, change site title and tagline, and upload site icon.
• Colors – Change your blog’s background color, header and footer colors, and customize primary color.
• Theme options – Select if you want to show a search icon in the header of your blog and show an author bio for your posts.
• Cover template – Make additional changes to the page template such as the overlay background color, overlay text color, and overlay opacity.
• Background image – Upload any custom background image you want to use for your blog.
• Menus – Customize your blog’s menu, social media menu links, and change locations where they are displayed.
• Widgets – Customize your footer content, add a blog description and how to find you if you have a physical location.
• Homepage settings – Choose what’s displayed on the homepage of your blog. It can be your latest posts (classic blog), or a static page.
• Additional CSS – Add your own CSS code to customize the appearance and layout of your blog (advanced option).

You can also check how your blog looks on different devices by using the menu at the bottom with three icons: desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Note: Many themes (e.g. the Twenty Twenty theme) come with the new Gutenberg editor that revolutionized the way users build pages and write posts inside WordPress.

Gutenberg is a visual editor that works on a blocks principle. So, when you decide to add a new paragraph, heading, image, video, or anything else, there is a block you can quickly add to your new page or post. This way, it is much easier to create new content for beginners, whether you’re building a landing page or writing a new article. Blocks can be rearranged into a layout you like, and they’re here to make your life easier.

Add plugins to your blog

Plugins are bundled pieces of code that affect the way your blog looks and functions. They can add new functionality to your blog, extend your theme’s capabilities, and customize your blog as a whole or in part.

While the majority of plugins are free, there are many that are offered for a fee, based on their unique functionality. At the moment, WordPress.org has more than 57,000 different plugins in the repository.

By default, when you set up your blog, Bluehost will automatically add some plugins they think are important for any blog. You can review blog plugins on your WordPress dashboard and add new ones by clicking the Plugins tab on the left-hand side.

Here you can install new plugins, deactivate, delete, and update them.

Below, I’ll show you some suggested plugins that you should be using.

List of recommended plugins for bloggers

To save you time, I’ve selected some important plugins (free) for your immediate blogging needs:

• MonsterInsights – Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, to monitor and analyze your website traffic.
• Yoast SEO – A comprehensive SEO plugin for your blog, to optimize your content for search engines.
• WP Super Cache – Helps with the load time of your WordPress blog and delivers content to your readers faster.
• Akismet – Protects your comments and contact form from spam and prevents your site from publishing malicious content.
• Contact Form 7 – A contact form with flexible email options. It supports CAPTCHA and Akismet spam filtering.
• Disqus – An alternative to the basic WordPress comment system with advanced administrative and comment capabilities.
• YARPP – Creates a related posts list at the end of each of your posts automatically to encourage people to continue browsing your site.

Congratulations, you just learned how to customize your blog and make design changes!

The next step is to learn how to write content for your blog.

Step #7: Write content and promote your blog

So far, you’ve established a domain name, chosen your blog hosting site, set up the blog theme, and you are ready to go. Your framework is complete.

Now comes the moment of truth. You must learn how to write blog content. In the blogging world, any useful information that you share with readers is called “content.” Your content must be something valuable that people will want to interact with and come back for more.

Wondering how you can create quality content? It’s simple.

Here is a simple 3-step approach to making great content of any type:

• Point – State your main idea and the point you are covering.
• Prove – Give an example of the idea you are covering.
• Perform – Give a simple way to execute the idea.

There are two blocks you need to worry about, pre-launch and post-launch contents:

Pre-launch content

Before you start writing your day-to-day blog posts, you will want to make sure that static pages (such as About us, Contact, etc.) and other parts of your blog (Sidebar, Footer, etc.) are filled with suitable information. Let’s explore each of those content areas:

• Homepage – This depends on what type of blog layout you choose. As I described above, when customizing your blog you can choose to display the homepage of your blog as a static page. In that case, you will have to prepare content for it.
• About us – The most traditional page on any blog is the About Us page. This page tells new visitors to your blog what it is all about, who you are and why you run a blog about your niche topic.
• Contact – This page allows visitors to your blog to communicate with you. It can be a straightforward page with your email address plus your social network links, or you can use a simple contact form that visitors can use to communicate with you.

Post-launch content

• Posts – A blog post is an entry (article) that you write on a blog. It can include content in the form of text, photos, infographics, or videos.
• Pages – A blog page provides static content or information to the readers. Standard pages that bloggers use include: Products, Services, and Resources. A blog page also can be a cornerstone (or evergreen) content with information that continues to be relevant to its readers. For example, this guide you are reading right now.

Note: When you publish any blog post or page, you will need to add SEO (Search Engine Optimization) meta tags on them. These are SEO title and SEO description tags of each page (not seen on the actual page, but you need to have it ready). This will help search engines to identify what the content is about and include it into search engine results.

Content is not limited to written material. Other types of material are easily overlooked! It is often best to utilize numerous forms of content and give your audience more than one way to obtain knowledge from your blog.

To produce quality content, you will have to use originality and imagination. You will also learn that some content performs better than others on your blog. You should start creating content that you feel comfortable with, that is right for your readers, and for your blog.

Start promoting your blog

You can write the most compelling copy in the world and design a blog interface that would sell people their own shoes. However, if no one sees the blog, all your work is in vain. Marketing and promotion happen every time you engage with your current and future readers. The success of your blog promotion will depend on your ability to engage in your chosen niche.

Let’s look more closely at the variety of promoting and marketing activities you can take to become an authority online and a successful blogger:

Let your friends know about your blog
Inform everyone you know about your new endeavor. You should include your blog name and URL in your email signature, list it on all of your social media profiles, and use every opportunity to get the word out about your new undertaking.

Submit your blog to search engine
Having your blog indexed on search engines is a quick and useful task. To submit your blog URL to Google, sign in to your Google Account and go to the Submit URL option in Webmaster Tools.

Submit your blog to bookmarking sites
Bookmarking sites can offer your content to a lot of potential viewers who are searching for content within your niche. You should do this every time you publish a new blog post to spread the word. Some popular social bookmarking sites are Scoop.it, Reddit, etc.

Be active in your niche
Get active on relevant blogs, forums, and social pages. Blogger communities are a good way to connect with other bloggers within your niche. You can engage, build friendships, and help each other in spreading content. Commenting on other relevant blogs is a great way to build relationships with top bloggers within your niche.

Be active on social networks
Your business is unique, and you should make use of the social media avenues that best fit your own niche and style. Choose the one (or ones) that best fit your needs and become an expert at leveraging them to help reach your goals. Some of the most popular social networks that bloggers use on a daily basis are Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Guest blogging
Take the relationship a step further and offer to write a guest post for another website. Just be sure your work goes on reputable sites and that the content is directly related to your niche. Guest blogging is an excellent way to build an online presence.

Start building your mailing list
Once your blog gains new fans and readers, it’s a good idea to collect the email addresses of those who want to be notified of new articles and offers. As people come to know and trust you, they will respond better to your promotional efforts.

Advertising on the web (paid traffic)
Appropriate and well-informed use of paid media can help you to gain exposure and attention before your organic (naturally derived) traffic takes hold. Paid traffic avenues include Google AdWords, and Facebook.

Remember that you can always find other ways to promote your new blog. Rely on the blogging fundamentals: a clear and well-functioning blog, focused and helpful information, engaging conversation, and practical advice. Your authority will come from helping and giving advice to other people, your fans, or readers.

Step #8: Make money blogging

Monetization is the process of translating your blog activity into earnings. You should keep in mind that blogging isn’t just about making money. Blogging is about creating useful content that will attract readers and make them come back for more.

After producing great content for some time and by engaging with your niche market, you will become a recognized expert who will be able to build a significant list of followers and visitors to your blog. In the meantime, you could consider adding content that will generate income.

Blog monetization channels

Our 2020 study of the blogging industry shows that 59.81% of bloggers make money through blogging. But, how can you monetize a blog? There are several options from which to choose:

Running ads on your blog
There are seamless possibilities for you to run ads on your blog. Regardless of your niche, you can opt for ads that are specific to what you are writing about or ads that simply better serve your advertiser’s purposes. Google Adsense is one of the most popular choices for ads.

Enrolling in affiliate programs
Affiliate programs are ways of teaming up with retailers to promote their products and benefit from successfully carrying out sales through a commission.

Some things that you need to consider when enrolling in affiliate programs:

• The number of affiliate sales will strongly rely on the number of visitors you have.
• You need to be credible enough for your visitors to click on your links.
• You may want to consider placing a notice on your Terms of Use page that you do use affiliate links.

There are a few popular online platforms that offer affiliate programs that you can enroll in such as Amazon Associates, ShareASale, etc.

Selling your products and services
If you are more on the creative and entrepreneurial side, you may want to consider using your blog as a venue for selling your own products and services. This is an option especially when your blog gains in readership, authority, and popularity.

There are plugins that you can easily integrate into your blog and start using to sell, such as the WooCommerce plugin. It comes with product pages, cart, checkout, secure payments, etc.

Writing and selling an Ebook
Another great opportunity to make money is to gather existing content from your own blog and offer it as a downloadable ebook. Your ebook can be sold independently if your blog has a commercial platform (such as Bigcommerce), or it can be sold elsewhere. A great publishing opportunity is offered by Amazon and their KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) program.

Sponsored posts
Advertisers are always looking for exposure and are willing to pay you for placing a sponsored post on your blog. Those posts usually promote advertiser products or services and are a good way to earn some additional income from your blog. In the future, if you’re able to build a popular blog and become an authority in your niche, the advertisers could approach you to publish their posts.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to monetize a blog.

Consider the possibilities, and then choose the method or methods that best suit you and your audience. As a minimum, you should – from the very start – begin compiling an email list of your readers through subscriptions. Then, when you are ready to recommend products, you will have ready access to those who want to hear what you have to say.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve learned how to start a blog. You have your own domain name, hosting space and your blog is set up. Next, you will need to get familiar with the WordPress dashboard, make desired changes, start content creation, and promotion to become a successful blogger. Check out all my Resources and learn how to blog successfully.