STEP 1
Decide what you are going to blog about
The first thing you need to do is pick a blog topic. Is there anything you enjoy or are really passionate about? If there is, then start a blog about it. When I started my first blog, I was really interested in smartphones and new tech gadgets, so I picked that topic. It makes no sense to launch a blog about something you have no interest in, while it’s much easier to write articles and posts about topics that you’re passionate about.
It’s even better when you have been interested in a specific field or an industry for a long time, because you are already an expert. However, if you don’t have any idea which topic or niche you want to write about, think about your hobbies or just start blogging about your daily activities, memorable moments or simply about everything.
P.S. If you already know your blog niche or topic, you can skip this step and move onto Step 2.
Click here to read more about blog topics and blog post ideas...
STEP 2
Decide which blogging platform to use, free or self-hosted?
First of all, most of the blogs on the internet are made using the WordPress blogging platform. In fact, WordPress has been downloaded over 72 million times and is used by many popular blogs and websites.
Here’s why I think using self-hosted WordPress is the best way to start your blog:
You can choose from many different layouts and free themes
You can easily write blog posts and add pictures/images to your blog
You are able to categorise your blog posts and create a custom menu
People can comment and share your blog
etc…
Free is not FREE…
Yes, you can create a free blog on a blogger.com or tumblr.com, but they are not actually free. And let me tell you why…
You are not able to get your OWN domain – Instead, you will get a sub-domain. My blog (startbloggingonline.com) has its own domain, but if I had decided to start a free blog on blogger.com (for example), then it would look like startbloggingonline.blogger.com – a bit clumsy, isn’t it?
They are lacking of different themes/layouts and plugins – In other words, your blog will look really blank and boring. If you want additional themes or plugins to customise your blog, you have to pay… a lot.
You have NO control over your blog – Your blog is hosted on another site, thus you are not the “owner” of this property. If moderators decide that your blog does not fit with their policies (which can happen quite often), they can actually delete your blog without any warnings. In short, all your hard work and time spent on the blog will be vanished within seconds.
However, if you are on a budget and don’t plan to blog more than few months then definitely start with a free blog. A self-hosted blog on your own domain (yourblog.com) is by far the better option. It gives you full control over your blog and you’ll look more professional. It’s also a great choice for people who want to blog long-term, share their knowledge, become a blogger and earn some money from it.
What is the cost of starting a self-hosted blog on your own domain?
Not much. You will need a domain name that will cost approximately $10 a year and a hosting (service that connects your blog to the internet) is around $3 – $8 a month (less than a movie ticket). To sum this up, it’ll be around $30 – $60 a year. The good thing about self-hosted blog is that you don’t have to be committed. If you feel that blogging is actually not your cup of tea, you can cancel anytime and many services have 30 days money back guaranteed as well.
P.S.: At this point you don’t have to set up, install or buy anything. Everything associated with blog set up is covered in step 3.
STEP 3
Choose your domain name & web hosting. Set up your WordPress blog.
If you decided to go with a self-hosted blog on your own domain, smart choice. Finding a great domain name can take a while, but it’s worth it. I suggest you pick something brandable and easy to remember. Let’s say you are planning to start a fashion blog. www.fashionblog2013.org or www.all-about-latest-fashion-trends.com is not a great idea. But why?
People simply cannot remember long domains and when they want to return to your blog they are likely to forget your domain name. It’s much better to choose something memorable, such as www.fashionologie.com, www.vivalafashion.com or something similar. As an alternative, you can just use your name, for example: www.MikeWallagher.com
In short, your domain name should be:
Catchy
Easy to remember
Unique
Where can I get a domain name and blog hosting?
I’m using www.iPage.com web hosting and domain name registrar for all of my blogs.
Their service is quite cheap compared with others and they are well-known for their great customer support via email and phone (24/7). iPage is also perfect for beginners too, as they have a “1-Click-Blog-Installation” feature that is focused on WordPress blogs and websites. You simply click few buttons and your self-hosted blog on your own domain is ready. They currently throw in a domain name for free, so it’s worth checking them out.
I usually suggest people to get a domain and hosting from the same place, in that way you’ll save some money and time. In the past few years while I have been creating and managing blogs, I have discovered that there are very few reliable hosting companies.
To be more clear, I’ve used several hosting companies in the past. Just to mention some of them: Bluehost, HostGator, Dreamhost etc. BUT… I wasn’t really satisfied with them. Their customer support wasn’t really professional and it took a lot of time to get in touch. Quite often my blog’s speed (page loading time) was ridiculously slow. The reason was quite simple (they aren’t that bad, actually): THEY WERE OVERSELLING their services. They focused on getting more and more new clients rather than improving their services, support and valuing their current customers.
Of course, you can use any other hosting company and I have included a tutorial on how to install your blog manually as well. If you decide to go with a different hosting company then make sure they offer unlimited bandwidth and unlimited disk space. That will help you to avoid problems later on.
You have two options to install your blog to your own domain:
A) With “One-Click-Installation” using iPage (You’ll get a domain from there as well).
B) Manually.
The One-Click-Installation is better for beginners or those who are trying to set up their first blog. If you are internet/computer savvy then have a look at the manual tutorial. Either way, you’ll get your blog online very quickly.
A) How to Set Up WordPress Blog Using iPage Hosting (TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS)
Click to continue reading... (expands)
B) How to Set Up a WordPress Blog Manually to Any Host (ADVANCED)
Click to continue reading... (expands)
…and once you have completed the installation:
Writing your first blog post, choosing a new them and promoting your blog
Click to continue reading... (expands)
P.S. Two things:
1) If you found this tutorial helpful, feel free to share it below. It really means a lot to me!
2) If you started a blog, you might want to join to my blogging course. Simply click on the “FREE updates” at the top of my page and you’re almost in.
Decide what you are going to blog about
The first thing you need to do is pick a blog topic. Is there anything you enjoy or are really passionate about? If there is, then start a blog about it. When I started my first blog, I was really interested in smartphones and new tech gadgets, so I picked that topic. It makes no sense to launch a blog about something you have no interest in, while it’s much easier to write articles and posts about topics that you’re passionate about.
It’s even better when you have been interested in a specific field or an industry for a long time, because you are already an expert. However, if you don’t have any idea which topic or niche you want to write about, think about your hobbies or just start blogging about your daily activities, memorable moments or simply about everything.
P.S. If you already know your blog niche or topic, you can skip this step and move onto Step 2.
Click here to read more about blog topics and blog post ideas...
STEP 2
Decide which blogging platform to use, free or self-hosted?
First of all, most of the blogs on the internet are made using the WordPress blogging platform. In fact, WordPress has been downloaded over 72 million times and is used by many popular blogs and websites.
Here’s why I think using self-hosted WordPress is the best way to start your blog:
You can choose from many different layouts and free themes
You can easily write blog posts and add pictures/images to your blog
You are able to categorise your blog posts and create a custom menu
People can comment and share your blog
etc…
Free is not FREE…
Yes, you can create a free blog on a blogger.com or tumblr.com, but they are not actually free. And let me tell you why…
You are not able to get your OWN domain – Instead, you will get a sub-domain. My blog (startbloggingonline.com) has its own domain, but if I had decided to start a free blog on blogger.com (for example), then it would look like startbloggingonline.blogger.com – a bit clumsy, isn’t it?
They are lacking of different themes/layouts and plugins – In other words, your blog will look really blank and boring. If you want additional themes or plugins to customise your blog, you have to pay… a lot.
You have NO control over your blog – Your blog is hosted on another site, thus you are not the “owner” of this property. If moderators decide that your blog does not fit with their policies (which can happen quite often), they can actually delete your blog without any warnings. In short, all your hard work and time spent on the blog will be vanished within seconds.
However, if you are on a budget and don’t plan to blog more than few months then definitely start with a free blog. A self-hosted blog on your own domain (yourblog.com) is by far the better option. It gives you full control over your blog and you’ll look more professional. It’s also a great choice for people who want to blog long-term, share their knowledge, become a blogger and earn some money from it.
What is the cost of starting a self-hosted blog on your own domain?
Not much. You will need a domain name that will cost approximately $10 a year and a hosting (service that connects your blog to the internet) is around $3 – $8 a month (less than a movie ticket). To sum this up, it’ll be around $30 – $60 a year. The good thing about self-hosted blog is that you don’t have to be committed. If you feel that blogging is actually not your cup of tea, you can cancel anytime and many services have 30 days money back guaranteed as well.
P.S.: At this point you don’t have to set up, install or buy anything. Everything associated with blog set up is covered in step 3.
STEP 3
Choose your domain name & web hosting. Set up your WordPress blog.
If you decided to go with a self-hosted blog on your own domain, smart choice. Finding a great domain name can take a while, but it’s worth it. I suggest you pick something brandable and easy to remember. Let’s say you are planning to start a fashion blog. www.fashionblog2013.org or www.all-about-latest-fashion-trends.com is not a great idea. But why?
People simply cannot remember long domains and when they want to return to your blog they are likely to forget your domain name. It’s much better to choose something memorable, such as www.fashionologie.com, www.vivalafashion.com or something similar. As an alternative, you can just use your name, for example: www.MikeWallagher.com
In short, your domain name should be:
Catchy
Easy to remember
Unique
Where can I get a domain name and blog hosting?
I’m using www.iPage.com web hosting and domain name registrar for all of my blogs.
Their service is quite cheap compared with others and they are well-known for their great customer support via email and phone (24/7). iPage is also perfect for beginners too, as they have a “1-Click-Blog-Installation” feature that is focused on WordPress blogs and websites. You simply click few buttons and your self-hosted blog on your own domain is ready. They currently throw in a domain name for free, so it’s worth checking them out.
I usually suggest people to get a domain and hosting from the same place, in that way you’ll save some money and time. In the past few years while I have been creating and managing blogs, I have discovered that there are very few reliable hosting companies.
To be more clear, I’ve used several hosting companies in the past. Just to mention some of them: Bluehost, HostGator, Dreamhost etc. BUT… I wasn’t really satisfied with them. Their customer support wasn’t really professional and it took a lot of time to get in touch. Quite often my blog’s speed (page loading time) was ridiculously slow. The reason was quite simple (they aren’t that bad, actually): THEY WERE OVERSELLING their services. They focused on getting more and more new clients rather than improving their services, support and valuing their current customers.
Of course, you can use any other hosting company and I have included a tutorial on how to install your blog manually as well. If you decide to go with a different hosting company then make sure they offer unlimited bandwidth and unlimited disk space. That will help you to avoid problems later on.
You have two options to install your blog to your own domain:
A) With “One-Click-Installation” using iPage (You’ll get a domain from there as well).
B) Manually.
The One-Click-Installation is better for beginners or those who are trying to set up their first blog. If you are internet/computer savvy then have a look at the manual tutorial. Either way, you’ll get your blog online very quickly.
A) How to Set Up WordPress Blog Using iPage Hosting (TUTORIAL FOR BEGINNERS)
Click to continue reading... (expands)
B) How to Set Up a WordPress Blog Manually to Any Host (ADVANCED)
Click to continue reading... (expands)
…and once you have completed the installation:
Writing your first blog post, choosing a new them and promoting your blog
Click to continue reading... (expands)
P.S. Two things:
1) If you found this tutorial helpful, feel free to share it below. It really means a lot to me!
2) If you started a blog, you might want to join to my blogging course. Simply click on the “FREE updates” at the top of my page and you’re almost in.
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