How to Start a Blog

Starting a blog might seem like a heavy task. Especially for those who are not aware of the technical aspects. Learn how to set up blog using WordPress.

A lot of people who are not tech savvy find it very intimidating to handle the technical part of starting a blog.

It doesn’t have to be that way. All you need to do is follow the process below and you should be on your way to setting up a personally branded blog with your own domain name.

The primary steps to starting your own blog is listed below.

  1. Choose a domain name
  2. Find a web host
  3. Select the right platform to build your blog
  4. Set up your blog

What is a domain name?

A domain is your unique address on the internet. For example, yahoo.com or Google.com is a unique domain name. Just because you buy a domain does not mean that your website is live.

Some hosting companies give you a free domain, along with hosting.

There are several hosting companies out there, bluehost is one of the most popular. Another popular host is SiteGround. Both bluehost and siteground give you a Free domain along with hosting.

Hosting

Hosting is a specific place on the internet where your files are stored. When someone enters your domain name or url in a browser, your computer is routed to a specific location on the internet where your files are stored, and retrieves it. Imagine going to a book store, and asking for a book, the operator looks into the computer and figures out the location where the book is placed. When you type your website address on your browser, that’s the exact same thing that happens.

Some of the things you need to look for in a host are:

Good customer service. Ideally 24×7 Service.

In case, there are any issues with your website, they must be able to fix it quickly.

Security

You want your host to have good internal security so that your site doesn’t get hacked very easily.

Easy to use control panel

You want a dashboard that is easy to use.

One click wordpress hosting

Bluehost and Siteground let you install wordpress with one click. Although, this is not a deal breaker, it’s something that’s nice to have.

Uptime and reliable hosting

You want a host whose servers are up all the time, at least 99.99%. The internet is one huge library with information stored on a server. If this server is down, people won’t be able to access your blog. So choose a host that has close to 100% uptime.

Setting up your hosting account

Go to the bluehost homepage and click on sign up now.

Bluehost

Then choose a domain name.

If you already own a domain name, enter it here. You will have to later set-up your DNS entries to point to Bluehost.

With Bluehost, you get a domain free of cost, with your new hosting account.

After entering your domain info, you’ll need to enter your personal information.

You then choose the hosting package of your choice. Initially, you may want to go with a basic shared hosting package.

If you choose a long term plan, it works out cheaper. Bluehost has 12, 24, and 36 month plans.

If you are setting up a blog for the first time, I suggest that you go for the 12 month plan.

Once you’ve chosen your hosting package, and entered your personal information, you can completed your purchase by clicking on the next button.

You’ll then create a password for your hosting account.

Installing WordPress

With Bluehost and several other hosts, installing wordpress can be as simple as a click.

Go to your Cpanel, scroll down to the MOJO Marketplace, and choose the ‘One-Clicks’ button, which will take you to the Scripts and Platforms. Here, you will find the blog section at the very top, you just need to click on the wordpress icon.

An installation window will open. Click on the start button.

Step 1: Choose the domain where you want to install wordpress. You will get a prompt asking if you want to overwrite any files. If it is a brand new installation, you don’t have to worry much. If you have a website already installed, you might want to take a backup before you overwrite any files. If it’s a new site, there’s nothing much you need to worry about.

Step 2: Advanced Options

In this section, there is an option to set-up your username and password. Check the option “Automatically create a new database for this installation”.

Step 3: Read the terms and conditions. Check the box “I have read the terms and conditions”, then click Install Now.

Wait for a while, and you will see that wordpress is being installed.

You will get a copy of your username and admin login by email.

Use the login, and the password you entered during the installation process to login to your wordpress account.

After logging in, you can create pages, posts and even change the appearance of your blog with premium themes.

Next Steps

Install the most essential WordPress plugins for your blog

Configure the Essential WordPress settings for your blog

Choosing a WordPress Theme to Create a Professional Design for your blog

Further Reading

Building Traffic

How I got 3143 page views in my first month of blogging?

8 Experts share their #1 strategy to increase blog traffic

Making Money

How to make money blogging?

Content Creation

How to write a blog post people read and share?

Need someone to help you with your installation?

Check out our blog installation service here



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13 Comments

  1. This is really interesting! I wish there were articles like this back when I first started blogging (back in 2003!). I love WordPress too, it’s the best!

  2. What a great beginners guide. I started my blog only a month ago and although I’m a fast learning I definitely learned some things the hard way after selecting the wrong hosting service originally and deciding to switch . This was very informative.

  3. What a fantastic article! I really could of used something like this when I first started my blog! Unfortunately I wasn’t that lucky!

  4. I just started my first ever blog and the information in this article is very helpful. Will definitely check on those products as I want to expand my blog or use another platform.Thanks for sharing.

  5. Great information and details.. I mean I know how much effort I had to put in this while starting my blog.. Still a long way to go.. Thanks for sharing ?

  6. I am a new blogger and i feel confused very often.I will read it again so automatically will come by solutions.Thank you for sharing.

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