How to Start a WordPress Blog is not a walk in the park. Neither is it rocket science. You need to know exactly what you want and what your potential readers are looking for. But you don’t have to be terrified going about it. There are a few ways to ensure that your blogging journey sails on smoothly with only a few glitches that are manageable. This article will show you how to start a blog and show you the necessary tips that will enable you create your very own WordPress blog with ease. Here is how to start a blog for free and make money at the same time. The process is pretty simple actually and can be applied with both the young and the old in their writing career. When we are through, you will wonder what you were doing all that time. First, there are a few things you need as you start your WordPress blog. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
How do you start a WordPress blog?
Like I mentioned earlier starting a blog is not as hard as many people think. Three things are essential in starting a WordPress blog:
- A domain name idea – the name of your blog
- A web hosting account – this is where your website goes live on the internet
- And 30 minutes of your time
You probably think that it is impossible to create a blog in less than 30 minutes. But this is indeed possible if you follow these steps with the right attitude. I will walk you through all these steps using this tutorial which will cover:
- Registering a Domain Name for Free
- Choosing the Best Web Hosting
- Installing WordPress
- Changing Your Theme
- How to Write Your First Blog Post
- How to Customize WordPress with Plugins
- Adding a Contact Form
- Setting up Google Analytics Tracking
- How to Optimize Your Website for SEO
- How to start a blog and make money
Step 1 – Setting Up
Starting a free blog is easy since there is no money needed. Beginners usually make one great mistake when starting out. This is choosing the wrong blogging platform. Many users prefer woedpress.org as a self-hosted WordPress, simply because the platform is free to use, you can customize the site’s design, you can install plugins, and the best of them all make money on your website without any limitations. WordPress is free and what is the catch you may ask. The reason or being free is because you have to do the setup and host it yourself (you need a domain name and web hosting). To get to your website, people have to type your domain name on the address bar. You domain name is the address on the internet. For example, blogspot.com. The web hosting is your website’s house. This is where your website lives. A web hosting is necessary for every website. Typically, a domain name will cost $14.99 / year, and web hosting usually costs $7.99 / month. For newbies, this is quite a lot especially if you are just starting out.
See More:- 7 Tips for Choosing a Domain Name for Your Blog
- After finding a good web hosting, the first thing you will do is click on the green Get Started Now button to get started
- On the next screen, select the plan that you need (basic and plus are the most popular)
- Enter your domain for your website
- To complete the process, you will need to add your account info and finalize the package information
- On this screen, you will see optional extras that you can purchase. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you purchase these, but we generally don’t recommend purchasing them right away. You can always add them later on, if you decide that you need them.
- An email will be sent to you once you’ve completed, giving you the details on how to login to your web hosting control panel (cPanel). This is where you install WordPress and manage everything.
Step 2 – WordPress Installation
The cPanel has dozens of small icons for different services and features. This will overwhelm you so just ignore almost everything since you will never need to use them. On the website section scroll down and click on the WordPress icon. The WordPress icon directs you to a Quick Install screen for WordPress where you will click on the Get Started button. The next page will prompt you to choose your domain name. Select your domain name from the dropdown menu and click next. When done, you will need to enter your site’s name, username, and a password. Additionally, check all the checkboxes and then click Install. WordPress will be installed by the QuickInstall. You can check out the available WordPress themes while the install is going on. You will see a success notice in the top header bar once installation is finished. Clicking on the Installation Complete link will give you your WordPress login URL and password. That’s it! You’ve successfully created your own WordPress site. You can also learn how to start a blog on Instagram.
Step 3 – Choosing a WordPress Theme
This step involves the customization of your WordPress site. This is done by selecting a suitable theme that matches your blog. A theme controls the visual appearance of your WordPress blog. Site customization give you the power create your own look and feel. This is the most exciting part of creating your own WordPress blog. There are numerous free and paid pre-made WordPress themes that that can be installed. You can change your theme by going to your WordPress dashboard and clicking on Appearance » Themes. Clicking on the Add New button, gives you access to over 5600 free WordPress themes that are in the official WordPress.org directory. To see how the theme will look on your website, take your mouse over a specific theme to preview it. You may choose any theme that excites you, but what is important is simplicity of the design which should be neat and clear. This will give your users an easy time accessing your site. After making a decision, bring your mouse on the chosen theme and it will give you the install button. Click it and your theme will be installed. After installation, click the Activation button to activate the theme. Customization of the theme is done by selecting the Customize link under the Appearance menu. After you are through with the theme you are now ready to create your first blog post.
Step 4 – Creating a Blog Post
Click on the Posts » Add New menu in your WordPress dashboard, to create a new blog post. You will be provided with an editor area where you can write your post. Make sure you write about something that interest you like how to start a fashion blog. After writing, click on the Publish button to present your blog post to world to see. You will notice several other sections such as Categories and Tags, on the posts screen. These are used to organize your blog posts. As a writer, it is crucial to know the difference between categories and tags to avoid confusion when posting. A good example of a blog post is this one right here.
Step 5 – Customizations & Plugins
Now that you’ve gotten the hang of it, it’s time to push it a notch higher by adding other elements on your post such as contact forms, galleries, sliders, etc. Adding all these elements require plugins. WordPress plugins are apps that allow you to add new features to your website. WordPress plugin directory has 55,000+ plugins. Meaning, there is almost any plugin for whatever you want to achieve on your WordPress blog.
Step 6 – Monetizing Your Blog
And now, for the juicy part of running a blog of making money. There are many ways to successfully monetize your blog and earn a good income. Don’t mistake this for a “get rich quick” kind of scheme. Like any other investment, you need to put some work into it, to reap the fruits of your labor. There are no shortcuts. That said here are some of the ways to monetize your WordPress blog.
- Google AdSense
One of the many ways to monetize your blog is using Google AdSense. This is done by showing ads on your blog. This is the best way to monetize your WordPress blog. It is the largest advertising platform for bloggers and publishers. Google allows advertisers to bid for keywords matching your content, acting as a middleman between you and the advertiser. This gives you the best rates possible for the ads. - Affiliate Marketing
Perhaps the most commonly used method used to make money online, Affiliate marketing is a great marketing strategy among bloggers. It works by recommending products and services to your readers and when they make a purchase you get a referral commission. Not just that, it is important to recommend products and survives that you have already used and trust to gain your reader’s confidence. There are plenty of affiliate marketing plugins and tools for WordPress that can help you make more money when promoting affiliate products. - Online Store
Another great way to monetize your blog is by selling products directly from their blog. This could be physical products; digital downloads like ebooks, artwork, music, and more. Some bloggers even offer consulting services. I recommend using WooCommerce because it is the best eCommerce plugin for WordPress and also the commonly used eCommerce platforms in the world.
Final remarks
Finally as food for thought you need to realize that if you are blogging simply to make money, you won’t achieve much out of it. It should interesting, exciting, and passion driven. Do it to inform and improve your reader’s live. WordPress is a great platform to do all these and to make it even better it’s free and anybody can use it. As a beginner, make use of this great service to improve both your life and your readers’. You can also read other reviews on how to start a blog on Facebook.
Here are a few more topics that you shouldn’t miss:
4 Best Free WordPress Blog Themes for 2018
4 Best WordPress Rating Plugins
Choosing the Best Blogging Platform as a Beginner
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