Beginners Guide to Starting a Blog
Starting a new Blog can be daunting, especially if you don’t know where to start and have no technological knowledge on web-building. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there and like anything in life you’ve got to start somewhere! This quick and easy guide will help you set up your website step by step, allowing you to launch your site quickly and stress free!
So let’s get started!
There are many great blogging platforms to choose from but my favourite is WordPress simply for the functionality that WordPress allows. WordPress is a great platform for hosting your website and blog, there are plenty of free solutions out there but having a professional looking website that is easy to navigate and attracts thousands of readers per month is what you should really aim for if you want to generate customer leads or monetise your blog.
When I got started with my first website I wanted the functionality of being able to build a great site that allowed my readers to access our educational resources. WordPress.org allows you to choose how your website looks by choosing a Theme, and Plugins allow you to create the website that you desire by being able to customize it.
Now you might wonder what the difference is between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. To be able to design your Website and have the use of Plugins you need to opt for WordPress.org.
WordPress is free to use, all you have to do is setup the webhosting yourself. This is where this handy guide comes in!
Where will your website live?
Firstly you’ll need to think of a name for your website or blog. Ideally you want something that your readers will recognise you by and that is easy to type in.
Choosing your domain name is what will drive people to your website, so choosing a domain name and web hosting provider is vital as Web hosting is where your website lives.
A domain name typically costs $14.99 / year, and web hosting normally costs $7.99 / month.
That’s a lot for beginners who are just starting out.
Thankfully, Bluehost, an official WordPress recommended hosting provider, offers users a free domain name and over 60% off on web hosting, plus setting up is quick and easy.
Bluehost is one of the top web hosting companies in 2018 and you can start your own blog with them for as low as $2.75 a month. Also, if you sign up using my link, then you will get your domain for free if you purchase a 12 month or longer hosting plan (a $15 value). I highly recommend signing up for the 12 month hosting plan through Bluehost. It’s affordable and you can save a lot of money by signing up for at least 12 months. If you want a better deal, the best value would be purchasing a 36 month plan, as your monthly rate is much lower over the long run.
If you are interested in ever making money off your blog, freelancing or turning it into a business, then paying for your hosting, such as through Bluehost, is a MUST. It’s extremely cheap as well to go through Bluehost AND you get a free domain. You can run any of your own advertisements, affiliate links, direct advertising, etc. with a blog ran on Bluehost. Making money on Blogger or any other free blogging platform is very difficult, and in many cases never happens. Most advertisers and companies tend to run away from Blogger websites because they don’t view them as professional as self-hosted WordPress blogs, so that’s another big reason to use Bluehost.
There are many reasons for why you may want to choose Bluehost for your WordPress blog, if you are new to website building and Bluehost offer technical support 24/7 to help you when you have a query – and this will save you alot of time and effort in the long run:
- It’s easy to use. Yes, ANYONE can create a WordPress blog easily with my tutorial below. Bluehost makes it very easy to create a WordPress blog.
- Bluehost web hosting offers technical support.
- Bluehost is extremely affordable and they offer cheap web hosting. You can have a blog of your own and the only real expense you need to pay is the cheap blog hosting which starts at just $2.75 per month.
- You get a FREE blog domain.
- WordPress through Bluehost is FREE.
- Bluehost offers a guarantee in case you determine that it is not for you. If you sign up for Bluehost, but you are confused for any reason (such as how to set it up, picking a plan, pricing, etc.), you can always drop us an email and we can help you out.
- You will be self-hosted. If you want to monetize your blog, then you will want to be self-hosted.
- You will appear much more professional to readers, companies, and so on if you are self-hosted on Bluehost than being on Blogspot.
Select your Plan and register your Domain Name
First thing you have to do is head on over to Bluehost by clicking on this link , and then click on “Get Started Now”. Then you select your plan. BlueHost only offers annual plans when you originally sign up, but you will save by paying for the year up front. You’ll also get your domain name registered for free for a year by signing up with one of their plans.
1. Register your domain name.
You can click here to purchase a domain name and create a blog, then continue to follow the easy steps below.
The very first thing you will need to do when starting a WordPress blog on Bluehost is to think about what you want your domain name to be. This can be tough, and I would give some serious thought to this. Ideally you want something that is easy to remember and makes you stand out as a brand.
It might take some effort to find the perfect name for your blog, but it’s worth the thought and effort, especially as
When naming your blog, you may want to take these tips into consideration.
- Choose a .com over others. They’re easier to remember.
- Aim for 2-3 words. Unfortunately, most, if not all single word domains are taken.
- Try to use a keyword that represents what your blog is about. This helps people quickly identify your blog’s niche and helps search engines distinguish what your blog is about.
- Avoid using numbers and hyphens. They are difficult to remember.
- Go for something memorable or catchy.
- For personal brands, use your name or a variation of it.
Over the years I’ve had several websites for my various projects and business endeavours, so coming up with something unique was really hard and Xploraverse is a mashup of two of my first loves – exploring and observing the Universe (I’m an astrophysicist turned entrepreneur ) so you want something that is creative and unique when shaping your brand.
You can get your domain directly through Bluehost and make the whole process very easy. If you do this, you can get a FREE domain for the first year as long as you buy 12 months worth of Bluehost web hosting. This makes it well worth it to sign up for at least 12 months of hosting as you will be saving a good amount of money this way. You also get a cheaper monthly price when you buy at least 12 months of hosting, so the free domain just makes it even better. If you want an even better deal, the best value would be purchasing a 36 month plan, as your monthly rate is much lower over the long run. If you decide to get the free domain, just continue to the next step as you can buy your hosting and get the free domain all in one step.
Step 2: Name your blog and get web hosting
When you are ready to create your blog, follow the steps below to buy hosting for your blog.
- Go to Bluehost and click the “Get Started Now” button.
- Click on the package you are interested in.
- Enter your domain name you registered with earlier, or sign up for a new domain name here
- Enter your personal and payment information.
- Next you will be asked to enter a password. Make sure it’s secure as this information is very important.
Step 3. Install WordPress – your blogging software
You’re almost there!
This part isn’t hard at all. Bluehost makes it very easy to create a WordPress blog and it is FREE.
- After you create your password, Bluehost guides you through exactly what you need to do in order to start a blog.
- First, Bluehost will ask you to pick a theme. You can just pick a random one here or find one that you actually like. You can change it later so it’s not a big deal or just scroll to the bottom and skip this step. Remember, there are many free ones too!
- Click on “Start Building”
- On the next screen, you can choose “Business” or “Personal” – it’s up to you. Or, you can click the “I don’t need help.”
And there you have it! You now have a WordPress blog. You will have to work on the design and producing high-quality content, of course. Good luck!
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