How to Start a Blog

Learning how to start a blog was an excellent decision I made three years ago. So if you’re reading this right now, it’s probably because you want to create one too.

There are many reasons to start a blog. Perhaps you have a business and want to sell your products.  Maybe you are passionate about a hobby and want to share it with everyone.  Whatever the reason may be, blogging does not have to be complicated.

In fact, starting a blog is relatively easy, thanks to blogging platforms that don’t require you to be tech-savvy. Instead, it’s an excellent opportunity for sharing what you are passionate about to help others. So I’m here to help you learn the basics of how to start a blog in 6 easy steps.

How to Start a Blog

Step 1: Choose a Name and Niche For Your Blog

Picking a name and a topic of focus is probably the most fun and challenging part of starting a blog.  First, you need to know what you are passionate about because it will reflect in your writing.  Perhaps you’re not quite sure and want to narrow your niche. Then, you can brainstorm by looking at your social media accounts.

What are your pictures about? Do you share travel pictures?  Quotes? Exercise posts?  What about your hobbies?  What do you do on weekends?  Do you collect something? Do you spend a lot of your time counseling others?

Next, pick a name.  Your name will become your brand, so think of it as a business. You’ll want to choose a short and interesting name that will easily remember and match your brand.

Another critical factor is that all social media platforms have the same name available to match your blog.  Before gaining readers on our blog, I had three name changes before landing on Life Beyond Home.  Please don’t make my mistake because starting over isn’t fun.  Think carefully about your blog name.

Step 2: Set up Hosting

I use Bluehost for my website.  Through the Bluehost platform as a host.  Basically, getting hosted means renting a space on the internet for your blog using your preferred blog name.  It gives me an online address.

Prices vary, but with Bluehost, you get a great deal.  Prices start at an affordable rate of $3.95 per month and vary according to your blog needs.

Bluehost is an excellent choice for me because it has worked amazingly well.  They have great 24/7 customer service and even a 30-day money-back guarantee.  It was also very simple to start a blog through them.

To get started, simply click on the Bluehost image below and follow the instructions provided.

 

A. Get Started

The first thing you will do is click the “Get Started Now” button.

B. Choose your plan

The cheap version will work great when you begin.  As you grow, you can upgrade to plus or prime.

C. Pick a domain name

Enter the domain name you chose on step #1.  For example, mine is lifebeyondhome.com.  If the domain name you want is unavailable, you can check other names you brainstorm until one is available.

D. Enter Account Information & Pick a Package

When you get to this part, enter your information to create your account.  Then you will need to pick a package.  We do recommend domain privacy.

E. Package Information

Enter your billing information.

F.  Choose a Password & Login

First, you’ll need to create your Bluehost password.  Once you have done so, log in.

G. Pick a Temporary Theme

Once you log in and this page comes up, pick a temporary theme.  You can change this later, and I’ll explain it more in step #3.  Your website will look something like this:

H. Install WordPress

Once you have picked a theme, the following image will show up.  Click the ‘Start Building’ button to Install the WordPress program.

WordPress is the program you will use to create beautiful content for your site.  With it, you don’t need to learn any code.  Most bloggers use this platform as it makes blogging for beginners a whole lot easier! I use WordPress for my blog, and I love how it functions.

 

I. You are all set!  At this point, you may begin writing blog posts, and you can launch your site.  However, we recommend waiting until you play around with the platform a little more. After that, you can write posts, add pictures, add widgets, change the theme, install plugins, and much more.  To learn more, check out the next steps.

Bluehost Dashboard: Now that you installed WordPress, you can click ‘my site’ from the left panel to get to your site or, you can type your domain name and add ‘wp-admin’ at the end and type it in the URL search bar.  Example: www.yourblognamehere.com/wp-admin.  This will take you to a login page where you will type your new WordPress password and username.

Step 3: Pick a WordPress Theme

Get ready to have some fun and to get creative! First, your website needs a theme.  Themes give you the option to pick the aesthetic part of your blog and how it functions.  WordPress has many free themes to choose from initially, especially if you’re on a budget.  However, if you want a more professional look, we recommend purchasing a premium theme on Themeforest or other sites. I bought one with Meks.

Premium themes are worth the investment because they give you more options for designing your blog. For example, the premium theme I use allows me to create a landing page or have a magazine-style page.

If you go with Themeforest or Meks, you will download a .zip file that you will upload into WordPress. Then, go to “Appearance”>” Themes>Upload a New Theme.

You’ll want a theme that is easy to navigate. Consider having a sidebar, an “about me” section, and a responsive theme.  A responsive theme means your blog will look great on all types of devices; tablet, phone, and desktop.  Having a responsive theme is important because more than half of the people reading your blog will be on a smartphone.

Step 4: Install Plugins

Plugins will make your blogging journey so much easier! Trust me.  If you’re like me and don’t know coding to create sites, installing plugins is the way to go.  Plugins allow you to get creative and install features that you wouldn’t be able to do yourself.  For example, having Instagram Feeds and sharing buttons can be installed through a plugin.

I have installed some plugins on my website that have helped me transform my page into a more functioning one.

These are just a few of the types of plugins you’ll want:

–Email List– You will eventually want to collect emails to send readers your post. I use Mail Chimp and Sumo to help me with this.

–Share Buttons: Readers can share your content through their favorite social media with the click of a button.

–Contact 7 Form– Readers can email you via your site (goes to your email through the website).

–Add Space for Monetizing– You can also monetize your blog by placing an ad on the sidebar, using affiliate links, writing sponsored posts, and many other ways.  You can start with placing an ad on your sidebar since the start of your blog, and as you grow, you can begin monetizing in other ways.

–Instagram Feed– Readers can see your Instagram on your site and easily press a follow button.

–Akismet– You will need this plugin to protect you from spam.

–Yoast SEO -This is an optimization tool to help you write great blog posts that rank higher on Google.  The higher you rank on Google, the faster your readers will find your posts.

–Google Analytics– This is what I use to find out the number of visitors the blog gets, how long they explore the site, what countries they visit from, what times they read our blog, and so much more.

These are just a few of the ones we use, but you’ll need to be careful because adding too many plugins can slow down your website.  So, ironically, you’ll need to install a plugin that helps with website speed.

Step 5: Social Media

The best way to start getting blog traffic is to create social media pages for your blog where you’ll direct your readers to your site.  Create a Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube with matching usernames.  You don’t need to be active on all of them. Instead, you can focus on two or three platforms to promote your blog.

Keep track of where most of your traffic comes from (using the Google Analytics plugin) and focus mainly on that platform to gain traffic. For example, most readers come from Pinterest and Facebook on my blog, so I focus most on those two platforms for traffic.  However, I also love Instagram and spend a lot of time sharing pictures of my travels.

Step 6: Start Creating Great Content

That’s it! It’s time to start writing! Yay! Don’t worry about being perfect at the beginning.  Just try your best.  Over time, you will learn how to get better, finding your style and voice.  I am still in the process myself, and I work every day toward improving. So, what makes great content worthy of being read by thousands of readers across the globe?

-Write Often-Practice makes perfect! Plus, the more you blog, the more articles will be floating on the web for users to read.

-Blog Post Layout- Use headings, subheadings, spaces, photos, and break content in short paragraphs so visitors to your site can easily read it.

-Be Original-  Be yourself on your blog.  Create new ideas.  Take certain types of pictures.  With a blogging world saturated with similar content, you’ll have to be creative to stand out.

-Help Your Readers and Create a Community-People come to your blog to learn something from you. So make sure you write to help or inspire them. For example, I write about solo travel on my blog to help readers travel alone. On Instagram, I post pictures and captions that will inspire females to travel solo.  And don’t forget to engage with your readers by responding to their messages.  After all, they took time out of their precious day to leave some love on your blog.

-Don’t be hard on yourself- Success doesn’t always come quickly.  While a new blog may gain thousands of readers quickly, or an Instagram page gain thousands of followers in no time, it’s easy to compare yourself.  Try not to! Instead, focus on getting better each day.  Look at what the most successful bloggers in your niche are doing, learn from them, and find your own style.

-Take a Break-Once you start blogging, you’ll realize the countless hours you will spend dedicated to your blog and social media platforms. You’ll spend a lot of time researching, writing, editing posts, editing pictures, engaging with people on social media, reading about how to create a successful blog, and more. Don’t forget to take breaks and to walk away from your computer to do something else.  Having a clear and rested mind will help you come back to your writing and create better content.  Balance is key!

And don’t forget, learning is a never-ending process in this blogging world.  Like I mentioned before, I am still learning and improving myself here at Life Beyond Home. Just be passionate and authentic about what you write, and you will slowly but surely start to see traffic for your blog.  Remember, practice makes perfect!

There you go! I hope you learned how to start a blog with these 6 steps!  All you need to do now is to have fun and start writing!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links meaning we may be compensated for recommending services mentioned throughout our post at no cost to you.  However, the services we recommend are ones we use and honestly recommend to those who want to learn how to start a blog.

How to start a blog

How to start a blog