I have built websites off and on since 1999. Many people have asked me through the years how to start a blog. Luckily, the process is nowhere NEAR as difficult as it used to be, an ABSOLUTELY possible for ANYONE to do with NO programming skills necessary!
You can start a blog as easily as thinking of a topic you’d like to cover (your niche), thinking of a domain name (your www address), finding a host, and setting it all up! If you aren’t a techy person, it takes a little bit of time and effort learning the ins and outs of using WordPress, but it CAN be done…even by someone who’s not tech savvy!
WHERE TO START
STEP ONE: Before you really begin, spend some time brainstorming. Think of a topic (niche) for your blog. What are some things that you love to talk about? How do you make your money? Do you have any hobbies, volunteer projects, etc.? These will be the things that are easiest for you to talk about when you start your blog. Do you love to rescue animals? Maybe you could start a blog about animal rescue? Do you play an instrument? Maybe your blog could be about vintage instruments? Whatever your passion, it’s easiest to start there.
STEP TWO: Once you decide on your niche, you can begin working on a name for your blog. Websites like Bust A Name can help with this process, and also allows you to check if your name is available (don’t purchase it yet…that’s included in the next step). If the one you want isn’t available, always try to think of alternate spellings like “rescueanimalz.com” instead of “rescueanimals.com.” The domain name isn’t as important as the content you put on your site. I just wouldn’t go too crazy with this though. You want a memorable name, but nothing crazy that’s super difficult to spell.
You can also use this handy dandy tool from Bluehost to check for domain name availability right here on Home is Where We Take It!
It’s also helpful to present a united front on your social media accounts. Use a website like namechk.com to see if there are matching social media names for your domain.
STEP THREE: Now that you know what your niche is and what your name will be, you can go on over to BLUEHOST to purchase your hosting. One of the nice things about Bluehost is that you will get your domain name for FREE!!! Who doesn’t love that? You do have to pay for your hosting, but it is incredibly cheap as opposed to other hosting programs and has a phone number that you can call for help if you need it. You get the best price ($3.95/month) if you pay for 3 years in advance.
STEP FOUR: Bluehost walks you through the steps of setting up WordPress, and can even help you pick a theme (that’s what controls how your website looks). If you have trouble with setup, they offer services to get you up and running.
STEP FIVE: Choose a theme. A WordPress theme controls the look and feel of the whole website. ThemeForest has some great themes. I used the Avada theme to start this blog.
STEP SIX: START BLOGGING!
Of course, this is an EXTREMELY simplified version of all the steps. If you’d like a more in-depth, step-by-step tutorial, CREATE AND GO has a FANTASTIC course called BUILD AND LAUNCH YOUR BLOG. They cover everything from understanding Bluehost and how to use the dashboard panel there to understanding WordPress (menus, sidebars, etc.), what to write about, basic monetization skills, email marketing strategies, social media setup, and affiliate sells! If it wasn’t for CREATE AND GO, you wouldn’t be reading my blog today! I’ve learned A TON from them!
Create and Go also has a course to help you get traffic to your website called PINTEREST TRAFFIC AVALANCHE. Once your site is built, you’ll need this course to begin getting people to it!
If you’re interested in not just starting a blog, but ROCKING a whole new career path, check out my PRO BLOGGER BUNDLE REVIEW!
That’s it! This was a 30,000-foot overview, but the basic steps boil down to these few steps.
Please feel free to comment, ask questions, or whatever in the comments! See ya next time!
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