So, you’ve been wanting to start your own blog, but you’re completely clueless how to make one and most tutorials you find online are full of jargons that you don’t even understand.
Been there, done that. Trust me, it was quite frustrating.
I remember how scared I was when I was about to start my site.
All those blogging mumbo jumbo made my head spin.
I was overwhelmed by the intimidating details but I wanted to learn, so I didn’t give up until I got myself familiarized.
Luckily, I had a friend who convinced me to go for it, and assisted me with the setup.
Now it’s my turn to make it easy for you. I will teach you how to build your own self-hosted blog – in 3 easy steps.
In this post, we are going to create your blog with WordPress.org and Bluehost.
I’ll walk you through the whole process with some quick tips as well.
Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as think. In fact, you can build your own blog in a few minutes. If you need my help, you can always contact me at hi@brandglowup.com
Here’s a quick outline:
- Step #1: Register a domain name & blog host (10 mins)
- Step #2: Install WordPress (10 mins)
- Step #3: Install a theme (20 mins)
- Quick Tip #1: Creating an effective blog post
- Quick Tip #2: Promoting Your Blog
- Quick Tip #3: Making Money
How to Start a Blog in 3 Simple Steps
Step #1: Get a domain name & A Web Host
You need a host to register a domain name and to keep your blog up and running.
Your domain name will be your blog URL or link. For example, my domain is brandglowup.com. Your web hosting account will provide you space and a secure place to store your website files and so to make your blog accessible via the internet. In this case, we will be signing up with Bluehost.
Here’s How to Sign Up with Bluehost:
- Go to Bluehost.com and select a plan. You can start with the most basic one for now. You can always upgrade later.
- Enter your desired domain name, then click the “Next” button. Your domain should be short and easy to remember (2 words max if possible).
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Now fill up the form and select a package. I recommend you to get their Domain Whois Privacy for $9.95 per year to prevent your personal information from being displayed to the public.
- Now move to the next step: setting up your website (see step #2).
Step #2: Install WordPress
WordPress will be your blogging platform – a content management system (CMS) where you’re able to control your blog’s content such as adding a new post, editing existing pages, editing your layout, etc.
Here’s How to Set Up WordPress:
- Once you get your username and password, login to your Bluehost cPanel account.
- Click “Hosting” then and click on the “WordPress” logo within the Website Builders area.
- Click “Install” button.
- Select your domain name from the drop down menu then click “Check Domain” button.
- Read the terms and conditions then check “I have read the terms and conditions of the GPLv2” then click “Install Now” button.
- Now wait for the progress to finish, which should not take more than 5 minutes. Once done, click on the “View Processes link then click on the “View Credentials” link, which are located at the very top of your screen.
- And you’re done! You have your blog setup now. Easy, isn’t it?
- To access your WordPress panel, click the “Admin URL” provided by BlueHost.
- Enter your username and password then login.
- You should now see your WordPress dashboard! Play around to familiarize yourself. Do some tutorial research to get the hang of it.
Step #3: Install Your Theme
You can use a free premade theme, buy one, hire a web designer (you can also contact us for any web design help).
If you decided to install your own theme, click here for a tutorial.
But where do I get a them?!
- To use a free theme: Login to WordPress, go to Appearance > Themes > Install Themes and start your search. Or you can simply go to wordpress.org/themes.
- To buy a professionally-made theme: Check out Themeforest.net (price ranges from $30-$60).
- For women: Browse Women Themes Here
- To hire web designers: you may know someone who can do it for you or search on Google
You’ve officially built your own blog. Congrats darling!🤩
Now you can either move into the next steps below to learn further or explore and play around your blog.
PS: Just in case you need my help with installing your blog, you can always check out my services here or contact me directly at hi@brandglowup.com.
Now what?
The next following sections might get quite technical and overwhelming. Feel free to bookmark this post and read on another day. No worries! The more you learn, the more fun it will be.
Just like any challenges in life, you’ll always have to get through some things that you may not like in order to get to your destination (at least this is what I’ve gone through before I got to where I am today). Keep going hun. You’re halfway there 😉
Step #4: Start Blogging
You have your blog set up, now what? If you are planning to monetize your blog in the future, you don’t want to go writing and posting just anything under the sun. Here are some quick tips for blogging:
- Develop a writing style and voice that you can call your own. This means that you ought to write as if you’re talking to a friend. The words have to come out naturally.
- Make sure you are providing something new and useful to your target readers. Don’t just lift something from the web and rehash it. Why don’t you inject your own experiences or perhaps come up with a new twist to an old story?
- Use an eye-catching title that will make people want to click on a link and read the entire article.
- Accompany your article with a relevant image or video.
- Add a call to action message at the bottom so that your post can actually deliver the purpose which you had planned it for.
Master these simple tips and you’re bound to keep producing valuable blog posts and thus gaining loyal followers and readers in the process.
Here are some other useful articles that will help you get started:
- Getting Started With WordPress (by WordPress official)
- How to write your first post
- Types of Blog Posts You Can Write About
Step #5: Promote Your Blog
Once you’ve created some content (blog posts), the next thing you want to do is to let people know that your blog exist.
Tips To Promote Your Blog
- Add social sharing buttons to your blog posts. I am currently using SumoMe plugin for social sharing + image sharing.
- Use social media. Create social media pages and share relevant posts consistently. Invite people to like and follow you. Find fellow bloggers on social media. For example, you’re a food blogger, use the search bar then search for “food bloggers” or use hashtags such as #foodbloggers #foodblog #foodie. You may also ask your friends to like your page (that might be interested in your blog). Currently, the most popular social media are Facebook page, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram and Tik Tok.
- Join forums or groups on social media that are related to your blog’s niche and show off your expertise by helping others. Feel free to join our group here.
- Be friendly and comment on other blogs. Search for relevant blogs, read or skim their post and add a valuable comment.
- Get visitors from the search engines like Google search, Yahoo, Bing, etc. In the blogosphere, we call this strategy “SEO” (Search Engine Optimization) – this means you have to optimize your site to make it search friendly. Here’s a separate article that can help you get visitors from the search engines click here.
- For more tips on getting website visitors, read this.
To track how many people that visits your site, use Google Analytics.
Last Step, the interesting part: Make Money
Of course, you will also want to make money to cover your expenses and to keep you motivated as well. Read this article to learn how to make money through blogging.
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