Whether you are looking at how to start a blog or
want to share an easy guide with a friend, we have you covered.
2021 is coming to an
end and the demand to start your own blog is growing more than ever. Be it for
your business or a personal hobby like mine.
This tutorial will show you an easy step-by-step guide to
create your own blog in under 30 Minutes. This tutorial is
beginner-friendly.
All you need is basic
computer skills. No! you do not need to know to code.
After completing this
guide you will have a beautiful website/blog that is ready to share with the
world.
If you get stuck or have questions at any point, simply send
me a message or post a
comment below. I will do my best to help you.
How To Start A Blog In 5 Easy Steps
There
are five easy steps you
need to do in order to start a blog. If you follow this guide exactly, you will
have your own blog in under 30 minutes or less and ready to be shared with the
world.
- Choose a great blog name
- Get your blog online
- Customize your blog
- Write and Publish Your Blog Post
- Promoting and Monetizing your blog
I have made a simple image that you can refer to anytime. This
will be easy to share with others.
Disclosure:
The Blog is hosted
by Bluehost. For
$2.75 a month, Bluehost can help you set up and host your blog. Because The Blog is a Bluehost affiliate partner (i.e., we earn some revenue, at
no additional cost to you, when you purchase using our links), our readers can
use this
link to receive a 50% discount off the monthly
price and a free domain for the first year.
Step 1: Choose A Great Blog Name
The first thing I did when I was starting this blog was to go to
Bluehost and register the domain, which is free with hosting.
If you already have a domain name or have not yet decided what
to name your website, you can move on to the next step. Where I explain about
web hosting.
Now, if you already have the name of the blog in your mind, you
can check to make sure that no one else has already registered it:
Note:
You can only use Alphabets, Numbers, and dashes in the domain name.
What To Do If My Domain Name Is Already Taken?
If the domain name that you want is already taken, you can try
some of the following methods:
- Different domain extensions: Most commonly used extension is
“.com” but if that is already registered you can check “.net” or “.org”
versions. If you are targeting a specific country then you can get an
extension of that country. For example “.us” for the USA, “.sg” for Singapore,
and so on.
- Add Small Words:
This blog is called robiulislamrijon360.blogspot.com instead of Rijon. So
you can add your taste or maybe small words like “a”, “my”, “best” or “the”
and plenty more.
- Add Dashes or Numbers: I personally would not recommend using numbers as
it would be difficult to remember. You can add however dashes if you
prefer.
How To Choose Blog Name And Niche
To start a blog and make it big as a blogger, you need to select
the right niche and name.
To select the perfect niche for your blog, consider the
following:
- Make
sure to pick a niche that you are most interested in. This way you will
keep writing and you will not feel burdened.
- Make
sure that there is enough audience interest in the topic you are writing.
Once you have selected your niche, you can validate it by
following the 3-step process:
- Check
niche size
- Explore
competitors
- Analyze
monetization potential
Next,
select an awesome name for your blog.
The name of your blog is what readers will see first, so it
should ideally represent either the general topics you’ll be writing about—or
it could be your own name, that of your business, a clever combination of
words, or otherwise.
Your blog’s niche is the general topic area that you’ll be
focusing your content around. Examples include topics like travel, food,
fashion, lifestyle, technology, and otherwise. Incorporating a word or two that
clearly signals what your content is about, within the name of your blog will
be very helpful for your future blog readers.
Step 2: Get Your Blog Online – Web Hosting
To put your blog/website online, you will need a Web Hosting and
Blogging application.
Regarding the Blogging Application, we will use WordPress (Free
and open-source). I will explain it in-depth in the next section, for now, we
will see the hosting section.
A blog host is a company that stores all of the files for your
blog and delivers them to the user when they type in your blog name. You must
have a blog host in order to have a blog.
The combination of blogging platform & web hosting I
personally use (and that most other bloggers use) is a WordPress blog, hosted
by Bluehost.
This website and the one I recommend anyone to use is Bluehost. I have explained in another article, How To Select The Best Web Hosting Platform.
Bluehost is the one that fulfills all the criteria making it
the number 1 choice for most bloggers out there.
Let me show you a step-by-step guide on how to buy the domain
name and WordPress Hosting from them. To make learning better, I have put in
place some images.
1. Getting Over To Bluehost
Go
to the Bluehost website and then click the “Get Started Now” button.
2. Select Your Hosting Plan
On the new page, you will see an option to select the plans. You
can read the features that you will get in the different plans indicated and
select the one that best fits you.
If you are on a budget or just starting out, select the first
“Basic” package.
Have no worries as it comes with 30 days’ money-back and you can
easily upgrade to other options.
3. Select Domain Name
You
might have given a thought about the domain name as explained in Step 1: Choose a great blog
name.
If you have then you can enter it in this step. Bluehost will
show if it is available or not. You can play around from your list.
Don’t worry if you can’t find a good name or have not given a
thought. You can skip the step now and get the domain name later. Yes, it is
much flexible.
If you already have purchased a domain name, you can enter it
and proceed. Bluehost has made that easy for you.
4. Registering Your Account
This page might look overwhelming to you. Worry not, it is straightforward.
I will split it into 3 different parts and show it.
The
first one is to add your account information.
Second, select your hosting plan.
Bluehost has got the
plan and options for all your need. Select the option that matches your need.
Third, enter payment information
5. Create Account
You will then need to create your BlueHost account and password.
Once you do that you will be taken to an
installation helper. Since you are following this tutorial you can just click
“Skip this step” on the next few pages to be taken directly to the dashboard.
6. Install WordPress Blogging Platform
As you have bought the WordPress hosting from Bluehost, so your
blogging platform will be installed automatically. All you need to do is log in
and start customizing.
Step 3: Customize Your Blog
I hope
you are already logged in from the previous step. If not you can visit Bluehost.com and click “Login”.
Once you log in you will be taken to your BlueHost Portal. From
the portal, you can click the blue “WordPress” button to be logged in
automatically to your WordPress blog.
Changing WordPress Theme – Blog Design
Once you log in you will be in the WordPress dashboard. This is
where you can make any changes you want to your blog.
Every blogger has their own concept of design. The look and feel
must match the taste.
WordPress has what they call “Themes”. The theme will control
the entire design of your blog. To see what theme you currently have and to
change it. Click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu and select “Themes”.
If you are happy with this blog, you are good to go. Else you
can click on “WordPress.org Themes” on top
of the page.
Alternatively to
install a new WordPress theme, click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu
and then click “Add New Theme”.
You can search or go through the whole list of themes. There are
themes for season and reason.
After you find the theme of your choice, just click “Install”.
You are done, you just changed your design. We will see creating
posts and Pages in Step 4.
Adding Plugins
Just like themes, plugins are an essential part of WordPress.
Plugins are additional tools that you can add to your WordPress
blog from third-party developers. There are hundreds of free plugins available
that can do just about anything on your blog.
There are plugins for creating contact forms, adding social
media buttons, or enhancing your site’s visibility to search engines.
I would suggest you have Plugins for the following features:
- Contact
Form
- Social
Media Sharing
- Search Engine Optimization
(SEO)
Step 4: Write And Publish Your Blog Post
Now that your blog is up and running with your own custom design
it’s time to write something.
Now the actual blogging part comes. This will be the task you do
daily or periodically. Let me show you how to create content.
1. Writing Blog Post
On the left menu click on “Posts”. You will see already Hello
World! post there.
To begin writing a new post, click the “Add New” button.
You will have a post editor screen. Enter the
title of your post in the top box and then begin writing your post in the lower
box.
You can explore other features that the editor provides. Once
you have finished your post just click the “Publish” button on the top right
side of the screen to publish the new post.
Well done! Your first post is live.
2. Creating Pages
You will need pages for your blog. Just like the articles you
write for the blog, there will be a requirement for some constant page. I will discuss
pages and content writing tips below.
First, let us see how we can create new pages.
Creating a Page is similar to that creating post mentioned
above. On the left-hand side of the menu, click “Pages”, then select the “Add
New” button.
After that, the editor screen will open. The editor screen is
the same as that for the post.
So write your page information and click publish. You are done,
you just created a new page.
3. Publish Your Blog
Even after you have written a post your blog may still be showing
a placeholder page.
When you are ready to make your blog public for the first time,
just click the “BlueHost” menu at the top left of the menu in your WordPress
dashboard then click the blue “Launch” button to remove the placeholder page
and launch your blog.
Congratulations! You now know how to start your own blog and
publish content!
4. Tips On Writing Compelling Content
With the above steps, you already have a live blog on the
internet and are ready to be shared with the world.
You have come so far, I would like to provide some handy tips to
make your writing compelling.
You need to ensure you have some of the static pages in your
blog, apart from dynamic blog articles. These statics pages will ensure easier
navigation and understand for your readers.
Important static pages to include:
- Home
- About
Me (Us)
- Contact
Me (US)
Other static pages that are equally as important but less
commonly thought of are:
- Disclaimer
Page
- Privacy
Policy
- Terms
of Service
How
to write great blog content
While
writing blog content, keep the following points in mind. This will ensure you
have great content for readers and also for Search Engine Optimization.
- Content
Length
- Images
- Originality
- Keyword
Optimization
- User
engagement
Step 5: Promoting And Monetizing Your Blog
Congratulations!!! You have already completed launching your own
blog.
This step is completely optional but equally important.
Creating a well-designed blog and writing great content is just
the start. In order to get visitors to your blog, you will need to spend some
time promoting it, especially when you first start.
Here are some points to consider:
- Share
with your friends and families
- Use
Social Media to Promote
- Comment
on Other blogs
- Engage
with your visitors
- Collaborate
with other bloggers
- Post
regularly
- Optimization
for Search Engine
Once you have put in the effort of creating great blog content
and promoting your blog, making money from your blog is actually the easy part.
One day you will reach this section and it is best if you have
some plans from now. Let me show you some ways you can monetize your blog:
- Advertising
space
- Affiliate
products
- Products
and Services
- Digital
Downloads
- Sell
Memberships
- Sell
Online Courses
Need More Help To Start A Blog?
I have provided this step-by-step guide on how to start a blog
and update this article, whenever there are major changes in the steps provided
above.
I hope
to have answered all your questions. If you still have some doubts regarding
this or are stuck somewhere, you can Contact Me. I will ensure that I
respond to all your email or comments.