How to Start a Blog in 6 Steps
1.
Pick a blog name. Choose
a descriptive name for your blog.
2.
Get your blog online. Register
your blog and get hosting.
3.
Customize your blog. Choose
a free blog design template and tweak it.
4.
Write & publish your
first post. Share your thoughts with the world. The fun part!
5.
Promote your blog. Get
more people to read your blog with the proper marketing.
6.
Make money blogging. Choose
from several options to monetize your blog.
What is a blog anyway?
In short, a blog is a type of website that
focuses mainly on written content, also known as blog posts. In
popular culture we most often hear about news blogs or celebrity blog sites,
but as you’ll see in this guide, you can start a successful blog on just about
any topic imaginable.
Bloggers often write from a personal perspective that allows
them to connect directly with their readers. In addition, most blogs also have
a “comments” section where visitors can correspond with the blogger.
Interacting with your visitors in the comments section helps to further the
connection between the blogger and the reader.
This direct connection to the reader is one of the main benefits
of starting a blog. This connection allows you to interact and share ideas with
other like-minded people. It also allows you to build trust with your readers.
Having the trust and loyalty of your readers also opens up the door to making
money from your blog, which is something I discuss later in this guide.
The good news is that the internet is exploding with growth
right now. More people than ever are online. This explosion in growth means
more potential readers for your blog. In short, if you are thinking about
starting a blog then there is no better time than right now.
Let’s start your
blog!
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.
If you’ve already got an idea for the name of your blog, you can
check to make sure that no one else has already registered it:
Find Best Domain For Your Website/Blog | domain check availability | domain
search for
Note:
You cannot use any spaces or punctuation other than dashes in a domain name.
If you find that the name you wanted is already taken there are
a few things you can do:
·
Try a different domain extension. If the .com version is already registered you may still be
able to get the .net or .org version of the name.
·
Add small words. Words
like “a”, “my”, “best”, or “the”. For example, this site is called
TheBlogStarter.com instead of BlogStarter.com.
·
Add dashes between words. For
example, scott-chow.com
How to Choose a Blog Topic & Name
If you don’t have an idea for a name already, the first step is
choosing your blog topic.
If you’re not sure what to blog about, there are a few ways to find a good blog topic:
·
Life experiences. Everyone
has lessons they have learned through life experience. Sharing this knowledge
can be incredibly helpful to others in similar situations.
For example, I recently helped a woman start her blog about being a fireman’s
wife. She has a lot of experience and knowledge to share with others about this
topic, and it has helped her connect with others in similar situations.
Think about the things you have experienced in life. This could be related to
your family (example: a blog about being a stay at home mom), work (a blog
about experiences dealing with clients), or other life experiences (a blog
about dealing with a troubling time such as a disease or divorce, or about a
happy time such as preparing for a wedding or a birth of a child).
·
A personal blog. A
personal blog is a blog all about you. This will include a variety of topics,
from things you do on a daily basis, to random thoughts and musings. This is a
great way to share your thoughts with the world without having to stick to just
one topic.
·
Hobbies & passions. Hobbies
or other interests you are passionate about are a great place to start.
Cooking, travel, fashion, sports, and cars are all classic examples. But even
blogs about more obscure hobbies can be successful, since the your audience is
literally anyone in the world with the internet.
Once you have a topic it’s time to choose your blog name, also
known as your domain name.
A good blog name should be
descriptive so that potential visitors can instantly tell what your
blog is about just from the name.
If you are blogging about one specific topic then you will
definitely want to include that in some way when you pick a domain name. Try
not to get hung-up on just one word though. For example, a cooking blog doesn’t
necessarily have to have the word “cooking” in it. The words “food”, “recipes”,
and “meals” would also let people know that your blog is about cooking.
If you are planning to create a personal blog where you discuss
a variety of topics then I recommend using your name, or some variation of it,
since your blog is all about you. For example, I own the blog scottchow.com.
You can also add your middle name or middle initial if you find your name is
already taken. Or you could use a variation like “Scott Chow Blog” or “Blogging
with Scott”.
Once you have some name ideas you will need to choose
a domain extension.
A .com domain extension is the most preferred, but .net or .org work as well.
It is also important to note that for the purposes of a blog domain you cannot
have any spaces between words. So
“Blogging with Scott” becomes bloggingwithscott.com
Step 2: Get your blog online
Now that you’ve got a name picked out it’s time to get your blog
online. This might sound hard or technical, but the steps below will walk you
right through and make the process easy.
To get your blog up and running you need two things: blog
hosting (also known as web hosting) and blogging software. The good news is
that these typically come packaged together.
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.
You also need to have the software to build your blog. In this
guide I will be showing you how to build a blog using the WordPress blogging
software, because it is the most popular, customizable, and easiest to use.
The web host I recommend, and the one I show you how to use in
this guide, is BlueHost. I personally use BlueHost and I recommend them
for all new bloggers because:
·
They will register
your custom domain name for free, making sure no one else can
take it.
·
They have a 30 day
money back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any
reason.
·
They offer a free,
automatic installation of the WordPress blogging software (which I show you how
to use in this guide).
·
They offer reliable web hosting that has been
recommended by WordPress since 2005 and they currently host over 2 million
blogs and websites.
·
They have helpful 24/7
customer service via phone or web chat.
Use any BlueHost link on this site to get the special
discount price of $2.75 per month.
You Can Use Other Hosting
Like Godaddy, Hostinger, A2Hosting And More
1. get
the special $2.75 per month rate on BlueHost and then click “get started
now”
2. Select
your plan. I recommend that beginning bloggers get
the basic plan. Click “Select” to choose your plan.
3. Type
in your domain name in the left box and then click “next” to start the
registration process. If you already own a domain name and want to use it for
your blog, type your existing domain in the right box and then click “next”.
Only use the right box if you have previously paid to register a domain!
4.
Fill out your billing details on the registration page.
5.
You will also need to choose your hosting package and options.
·
Every BlueHost account
plan has everything you need to get your blog up and running, including a free
custom domain name, easy WordPress installation, web hosting, and custom email
addresses (e.g. [email protected]).
·
I uncheck the boxes next
to the package extras except for “Domain Privacy & Protection”.
While not strictly necessary, domain privacy keeps your personal information
(name, address, phone, email) hidden from the public database of registered
domain owners.
6.
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.
7. Install the WordPress blogging platform.
Now the system will install WordPress automatically. Once the
install is complete click the “Log into WordPress” button on the top right to
be logged-in to the administrator area of your blog.
Step 3: Customize your blog
How do I start a blog? You can watch me build and customize a
beautiful blog from scratch here:
The video above should answer a lot of questions you might have
about how to set up a blog and get it customized. Here is a step-by-step
break-down of some of things I show in the video.
Logging in
If you are not already logged-in from the previous step, go to Bluehost.com and
click “Login” on the top right to bring up the login screen. You can then
login using your domain name and the password you set in the previous
step. If you have misplaced your password you can reset it by clicking
the “Forgot Password” link.
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 your blog design
Once you login you will be in the WordPress dashboard. This is
where you can make any changes you want to your blog.
Everyone has a different idea of how they want their blog to
look. One of the great things about WordPress is that you can change your
entire layout and design with just a few clicks.
In WordPress, blog layouts are known as “Themes”. What is a blog
theme? Themes control the entire design of your WordPress blog. To change your
theme you are going to click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu.
You will see several free WordPress themes are already installed
on your blog: Twenty Seventeen, Twenty Sixteen, etc. These are well-designed,
clean-looking themes that can work for just about any type of blog. In fact,
many of the world’s top bloggers use one of these themes.
Unless you have a very specific design in mind for your blog, I
suggest you use one of these themes to start with.
For our example, let’s use the “Twenty Sixteen” WordPress theme. In order to
activate the theme on your blog, hover over the theme and click the “Activate”
button. That’s it! You have changed the entire design of your blog with just
one click!
If you don’t like any of the themes that are already installed
you can easily choose from thousands of other free WordPress themes. To install
a new WordPress theme, click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu and then
click “Add New Theme”.
This is the WordPress theme search
screen. There are thousands of themes to choose from. You can
change your entire design at anytime simply by activating a new WordPress
theme. To find a theme you like, I suggest you click on the “Popular” tab
and start browsing. When you find one that you like click the blue “Install”
button.
Once the theme is installed click “Activate” to activate the
theme on your blog. To see your new theme in action, go to your blog and take a
look!
Changing your theme is the simplest way to customize your
WordPress blog, but there are lots of other customizations you can do. Check
out my full
post on customizing your WordPress blog for an in-depth step-by-step guide. You can also watch the video above
to see me completely customize a WordPress blog from scratch.
Step 4: How to write a new blog post & publish it
Now that your blog is up and running it’s time to actually do
some blogging! Let’s create your first piece of content.
Go to the left menu and click on “Posts”.
You will see there is already a post there.
This is a default post on every new WordPress blog, and we don’t need it. To
delete it click “Trash” just under the post.
You are now on the post editor screen. Enter the title of your
post in the top box and then begin writing your post in the lower box.
If you would like to add a picture to your post, click on the
“Add Image” icon and click “Upload” to upload a picture from your computer. You
can make adjustments to the picture size on the next screen. When you are ready
click “Insert into post” to add the picture.
Once you have finished your post just click the “Publish” button
on the top right side of the screen to publish the new post.
Content That Should be on Your Blog
There are two main types of content your blog should provide:
static and dynamic content.
Static
Content: Your blog should contain a few necessary pages explicitly
designed to provide the visitor with the tools they need. The content on these
pages is static, meaning – the content doesn’t change, or at least not very
often. These are mainly top-level pages that can be accessed via a menu on your
blog.
These static content pages should be in place well before you
launch your blog to the world.
Important static pages to include:
·
About Me (Us) – This page
should include a biographical summary of the author(s) as well as a mission
statement. Think about the answers to these questions: How did
your passion for the subject matter develop? What do
you want to convey to the world? What is your ultimate goal?
·
Contact Me (Us) –
A contact page provides the visitor a place to reach the author which, in turn,
provides the visitor with the reassurance that you are a real and reachable
author. You can add your physical address, phone number, and custom email
address. Or you can utilize a simple contact form to keep your personal
identifying information private. You should put links to all of your social
media profiles here as well.
Aside from your blog, which is generally introduced on the
home/main page, these two all-important pages should be visible on your top
(header) menu and easy to access. You can take a look at the top of this
page to see how I have these pages included in the header menu. See
this detailed guide to customizing your blog menus if you need help.
Other static pages that are equally as important but less
commonly thought of are:
·
Disclaimer Page:
If you intend to monetize your blog, you must describe the ways you intend to
generate income. This is an absolute must-have page that should not be overlooked,
as per FTC guidelines. For example, if you are discussing and endorsing a
product, and stand to profit by linking to the product, this relationship must
be disclosed.
·
Privacy Policy: If you collect
data from your visitors in any way, you are required to add a privacy policy
page that tells visitors exactly how you are collecting data, how you are using
it, and if you are sharing that data. If you implement Google Adsense or a Google Analytics account on your blog, a
Privacy Policy must be used. This page is required by the CCPA (California
Consumer Privacy Act) and the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), and is
included by default on your WordPress blog.
·
Terms of Service:
If your blog is also running a store or selling services, it is a good idea to
have a Terms of Service page to lessen your potential liability.
These required static pages are typically linked to in the
footer menu of a blog. They should, at the very least, be visible and
accessible from the home page. Again, look at the bottom of this page to
see how this looks in practice.
There are other static pages you can choose to include depending
on what suits your blog and business. Common static page examples are an
advertising page to solicit paid advertisements, a donations page, a resource
page to direct visitors to your favorite links within your field, and a page
for submitting ideas and content.
Dynamic
Content: Your dynamic content is your blog and the most important
content you have to offer. This is where you, as the creator, will infuse the
blog with your brand of informative content that supplies your audience with
knowledgeable tips, facts, opinions, and stories. This is how you engage your
visitors and keep them coming back for more.
Your blog content should be regularly submitted at specific
intervals. Waiting months to create content will never build a following.
Posting content weekly and driving traffic to these posts will help build your
brand.
How to write great blog content
Each post should be lengthy, informative, and engaging. It’s not
always easy to come up with new blog post ideas on a regular basis and you are
free to mix up the tone and even the subject matter to keep things lively and
interesting. It’s your space, after all. But there are a few elements that each
and every piece of content should endeavor to include.
Define the Content: Create
an alluring post title that stimulates curiosity and encourages clicks. Use the
first paragraph of your post to clearly define the topic of your article and
provide a possible hook to keep the reader reading.
The Longer the
Better – But Break It Up: The more information and
detail you include, the better. But visitors will begin to skim if the content
contains lengthy paragraphs a mile long, and will pop out faster than they came
in. Visitors enjoy tidbits. Keep your paragraphs short with spaces in between,
use lists and standout quotes, use images, and always include headings and
sub-headings so that visitors can find what they’re looking for.
Engage The Reader: At
the end of each post, a common tactic used to engage visitors is posing a
meaningful question to your audience and asking them to reply in the comments.
This simple measure can increase engagement tenfold.
Original Content: Your
content should always be original. Never plagiarize – you will eventually be
called out on it and could even face consequences. Your content should come
from your heart, your brain, your knowledge base, and your experience. You can
get topic ideas from others in your field, but make sure the content comes from
you.
Original Photos: While
it is easy to include stock images from free image sites, it is even better to
include your own photos and graphic work. Another idea is to take free images
and manipulate them with a free photo editor.
Edit Your
Work: Your blog content should be sufficiently edited. Nothing says
unprofessional like several typographical and grammatical errors. If you need a
few refresher courses in grammar, consider using a writing application.
Publishing 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!
Step 5: Promote your blog
Creating a well-designed blog and writing great content is just
the start. In order to get visitors to your blog you will need spend some time
promoting it, especially when you first start.
The strategies below will help get your blog in front of more
readers. You don’t need to use every strategy – try out a few and see what
works well for you.
Alert Your Inner Circle
The very first people who should become aware of your blog are
your inner circle. This includes family, friends, and colleagues within your
field. Encourage them to become followers, ask them to mention your new blog,
and – most importantly – thank them.
Use Social Media
While you don’t want to overdo it, you still want to create
accounts with the “biggies” like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and
Instagram. You should post a link to your newest content on your
accounts, but you can also post relevant news and links to other sources that
your readers may find interesting. Don’t forget to use hashtags and
engage with your followers!
One of my favorite ways to get visitors to my blog is to post
links on my social accounts, like Facebook and Twitter. This is great, because
not only do your friends see the link, but if your friends share the link with
their friends it automatically multiplies your visitors. If you have created
high-quality content on your blog then social media is a way for your blog to
go viral.
Comment on Other Blogs
Find other blogs in your community and engage with them. Using
the comment section, introduce yourself and leave engaging and constructive
comments. Many will allow you to leave a link to your blog. After creating
relationships with prominent bloggers in your community, you will find yourself
within their ranks quickly.
Engage with Your Visitors
When your readers leave comments on your posts, always engage
with them. Reply to their comments and questions, give them “likes” and
affirmations. When it is obvious that the author cares about his/her community
and readership, visitors are naturally encouraged to return.
Collaborate with other
bloggers
Become enmeshed in your blogging community by collaborating with
respected members of your field. Collaborating includes guest posting,
promoting each other’s blogs and products, and regularly interacting through
comments and social media.
Post Regularly
Post content regularly. Create an editorial calendar and stick
to it. A good blogger posts at least once per week to start. If you have long
lapses between posts, your followers will drop off and your growth will be
severely hampered. It’s not easy to post on a schedule, but it’s something you
absolutely must stick to.
Create an Email List
In addition to getting new visitors to your blog, you will also
want to make sure your current visitors are coming back. This is where email
marketing plays a big role. By collecting the email addresses of your visitors
(with their permission of course), you can then notify them when you post new
content on your blog. This keeps people coming back to your blog, which not
only gives you more readers over time, it also allows you to build a closer
relationship with your visitors.
Email marketing is too big a topic to cover well here, so I
created a separate guide
to email marketing for those who are interested (hint: every blogger who wants more
readers needs to read this guide).
Optimize your blog for
search engines
You want your blog to appear in search results as soon as
possible.
Google: Sign
up for a Google Webmaster account and open the Search Console.
To add your blog, click “Add Property” and follow the steps to add your blog.
Bing: Sign
up for a Bing Webmaster account and add your blog.
Submitting your blog is the first step in process known as
search engine optimization (SEO).
Keep in mind that with a brand new blog your traffic will be
minimal to start with. However, this will change over time as long as you
continue to add informative and relevant content on a regular basis.
To optimize this process, each page of your blog should include
these fundamental elements:
1.
Header Tags: Section
headings and subheadings should be wrapped in header tags. To do this,
click on the left item of the block you are writing in and change it to
“Heading”. You can then choose from H1, H2, H3, etc.
2. Categorization: Your content should be clearly categorized into
specific and relevant categories. In the post editor screen, click on
“Document” on the right menu, and then go down to “Categories” and “Add New
Category”.
3.
Permalinks: Each blog post “slug” is the end portion of the URL. You
want to make sure each post has a defined slug and doesn’t end with an article
number. You can easily change this in your WordPress dashboard by going to
“Settings” -> “Permalinks”. Select the “Post Name” option and click “Save
Changes”
There are many more factors relating to consider, such as
installing something like the Yoast WordPress plugin,
but these are the big ones that will help improve your search rankings sooner
rather than later.
For more tips on promoting your blog make sure to check
out my in-depth guide to blog promotion.
Step 6: Make money from your blog
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.
Blogs have the potential to be extremely lucrative, but don’t
assume that you’re going to start making money in the first week, or even in
the first month. It could take six months to a year to start seeing a steady
stream of income. Blogging takes work and dedication, but once you develop a
large enough audience, there are several methods you can employ to monetize
your blog.
Sell advertising space
Once you have a popular blog, advertisers will be hounding you
for the opportunity to advertise. The best way to take advantage of this
situation is to use Google Adsense. Google finds the advertisers for you and
all you have to do is place the Google Adsense code on your blog to start
running ads. Google Adsense takes all of the hard work out of the process and
just cuts you a check.
I go into the full details of how to
set up Google Adsense for your WordPress blog here.
Sell affiliate products
An affiliate program is a commission-based way to advertise.
When one of your readers clicks on a link on your blog, they get sent to an
advertiser’s site and you earn a commission if they purchase. Affiliate links
are a nice way to earn income through the use of product reviews. However, you
must remember to disclose that you are an affiliate for the product.
Sell Products and Services
Selling your own products and services directly on your blog is
a great way to increase your income. As your blog grows and you begin to see a
wide audience, your products and services will begin to sell themselves.
Use the sidebar of your blog to increase the visibility of what
you sell using visual images and a link to your storefront page.
Sell digital downloads
Ebooks, video tutorials, and e-courses are the most commonly
consumed digital materials sold by bloggers. With little to no overhead and no
shipping costs, you can keep the price low and inviting.
If you are extremely knowledgeable in your field, an ebook can
practically write itself. Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!
Sell memberships
Another way to monetize is by creating membership options on
your blog. This allows you to offer members more exclusive content only
available with a paid membership. For example, you could offer unlimited
downloads of digital goods, free consultations, a private network or forum
where community members can mix and mingle, and private content available to
members only.
There are many ways a blog can capitalize on popularity and
traffic. Choosing the way you monetize from your blog depends on your goals and
the purpose of your blog. Those who are selling services, physical goods, and
digital goods, for example, may not want to participate in affiliate programs
where traffic could be lost to another site.
For more information see my full guide to making money blogging here
I hope this guide has answered any questions you had on how to
start your blog, but if any of the steps were unclear to you, you can find
a more detailed version of each step by using the menu at
the top right of this page (or at the bottom of this page if you’re on a
smartphone).
More specific tutorials can be found on my blog page.
Here are some of the most popular tutorials from my blog:
·
How to add custom logos or
images
·
How to see how many people are
visiting your blog
·
How to move from WordPress.com
to WordPress.org
·
How to make a website with
WordPress
·
How to automatically share
your new content on Facebook and Twitter
·
How to choose the best website
builder
·
How to link to other sites
from your blog
·
How to change text size and
color
· How to make your blog private
j
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