Surely you are looking for an easy guide on how to start a blog?
In 20 minutes you will be guided step-by-step how to create a blog in 20 minutes with just the most basic computer skills.
Ready to start? Click here to skip to Step #1 of the free guide and start building your blog now!
You will have a stunning blog that is prepared to be shared with the world once you have finished this instruction.
This manual is specifically designed for novices. I’ll take you through every stage, making sure everything is crystal clear with lots of images and videos.
Please message me at any time if you need assistance or have any questions, and I will try my best to assist you.
I’m Nur Alam, and today I’ll teach you how to get started with blogging. Since 2018, I have been creating websites and blogs. I have started a number of my own blogs throughout that period, and I have assisted hundreds of others in doing the same.
I am aware that beginning a blog may seem daunting and overwhelming. With only the most basic computer abilities, you may learn how to become a blogger with our free tutorial to blogging for beginners. You may thus start your own blog in 20 minutes, regardless of your age.
I’m not embarrassed to say that I made a lot of blunders when I was initially learning how to create a blog. My almost ten years of expertise can help you avoid making the same mistakes when you start your own blog. I made this free tutorial so that even a total novice might quickly and simply learn how to blog.
So, how exactly does one begin a blog?
How to Start a Blog in 6 Steps
- Pick a blog name. Choose a descriptive name for your blog.
- Get your blog online. Register your blog and get hosting.
- Customize your blog. Choose a free blog design template and tweak it.
- Write & publish your first post. Share your thoughts with the world. The fun part!
- Promote your blog. Get more people to read your blog with the proper marketing.
- Make money blogging. Choose from several options to monetize your blog.
Should you start a blog?
The idea that you must be an excellent writer to succeed at establishing a blog is one of the common myths. It couldn’t be further from the reality. The majority of bloggers write in an extremely casual and conversational tone since people visit their blogs to gain a personal viewpoint on various topics.
Additionally, a lot of popular bloggers will write about a range of subjects on the same blog due to the format.
Furthermore, having a successful blog does not need you to be an authority on any of the subjects you write about. For example, readers to a culinary blog don’t want to read a textbook from a food scientist, they want to hear the experiences of someone who has really made some
To be successful as a blogger there is really just one requirement: a passion for your topic.
Blogging is really about sharing your expertise with the world. Starting a successful blog is considerably simpler when you write about topics you are passionate about. Your enthusiasm will come through and keep your readers intrigued as long as you write about topics you are truly passionate about.
So why would you go to the trouble of blogging? There are a few reasons:
- You may be heard and have a voice with a blog. If you want to, you can tell your tale to everyone on the planet. One of the most popular uses for blogs is as a journal, where the writer shares their everyday experiences to include friends, family, and other people in their life.
- Make money from home. Done well, blogging may be very profitable. Naturally, the world’s best bloggers make a lot of money, but if done right, even a part-time blogger may turn a healthy profit. The nicest thing about blogging is that it’s a passive income source since you can write material for a few hours each week and still make money long after you’ve stopped. Later in this article, I go into much more depth on how to blog for money.
- Recognition for yourself or your business. No, it is unlikely that paparazzi would follow you about as a result of your most recent post. However, a successful blog turns your vision into a reality and can help you become very well-known in your sector. Because of their blogs, many bloggers are regarded as experts, and some have even secured agreements for books and films.
- Locate a community. At its core, blogging is an interactive activity. You make a post and others remark on it. Making connections with others who share your interests can be accomplished in this way. Blogging allows you to teach these individuals based on your expertise, and it provides you the opportunity to learn from your followers as well.
Ready to begin? Click here to go to Step #1 of the guide
What is a blog anyway?
Briefly said, a blog is a kind of website that mostly consists of written content, commonly referred to as blog entries. We most frequently hear about news blogs or celebrity blogs in popular culture, but as this tutorial will show, you can launch a profitable blog on almost any subject.
In order to establish a direct connection with their readers, bloggers frequently write from a personal viewpoint. Additionally, the majority of blogs provide a “comments” section where readers can interact with the blogger. The relationship between the blogger and the reader is strengthened when you engage with your readers in the comments area.
One of the key advantages of beginning a blog is the direct connection to the reader. You may communicate and exchange ideas with those who share your interests thanks to this link. Additionally, it enables you to gain your readers’ confidence. Gaining your readers’ confidence and loyalty also makes it easier to monetise your blog, a topic I cover later in this article.
The good news is that the internet is now growing at an exponential rate. There are more individuals online than ever before. Your blog may get more viewers as a result of this growing boom. In summary, if you’re considering creating a blog, now is the best time to do so.
Let’s start your blog!
Step 1: Pick a blog name
If you already have a domain name in mind, you can use the domain checker tool below to make sure that no one else has already registered that name. If you are unsure of what to name your blog or what topic to blog about, go to the next section for helpful tips on how to choose a blog name. The first step is to choose a domain name for your blog, which is the web address for your blog, such as www.yesadvice.online
See if your blog name is available:
If your preferred domain name is available, then you can jump ahead to Step #2 to register your domain name
If you find that the name you wanted is already taken there are a few things you can do:
- Try a different domain extension. If the .com version is already registered you may still be able to get the .net or .org version of the name.
- Add small words. Words like “a”, “my”, “best”, or “the”. For example, this site is called TheBlogStarter.com instead of BlogStarter.com.
- Add dashes between words. For example, scott-chow.com
- Note: You cannot use any spaces or punctuation, other than dashes, in a domain name. Capitalization is ignored.
How to Choose a Blog Topic & Name
If you don’t have an idea for a name already, the first step is choosing your blog topic.
If you’re not sure what to blog about, there are a few ways to find a good blog topic:
- Life experiences. Think about the things you have experienced in life. These could be related to your family (e.g., a blog about being a stay-at-home mom), work (e.g., a blog about dealing with clients), or other life experiences. Everyone has lessons learnt from life experience, and sharing these lessons can be extremely helpful to others in similar situations.
- Consider the experiences you have had throughout your life. This could have to do with your family (for instance, a blog about being a stay-at-home mother), your job (a blog about dealing with clients), or other life events (a blog about a happy time like getting ready for a wedding or the birth of a child, or about a difficult time like a disease or divorce).
- A personal blog. A personal blog is one that focusses only on you. This will include a wide range of subjects, from routine activities to sporadic ideas and reflections. This is a fantastic method to express your ideas to the world without being limited to a single subject.
- Interests and passions. An excellent place to start is with hobbies or other interests you are enthusiastic about. Classic examples are cooking, travel, fashion, athletics, and automobiles. However, because you can reach a worldwide audience with your blog, even hobby blogs with smaller readership may succeed.
Once you have a topic it’s time to choose your blog name, also known as your domain name.
A good blog name should be descriptive so that potential visitors can instantly tell what your blog is about just from the name.
If you are blogging about one specific topic then you will definitely want to include that in some way when you pick a domain name. Try not to get hung-up on just one word though. For example, a cooking blog doesn’t necessarily have to have the word “cooking” in it. The words “food”, “recipes”, and “meals” would also let people know that your blog is about cooking.
If you are planning to create a personal blog where you discuss a variety of topics then I recommend using your name, or some variation of it, since your blog is all about you. For example, I own the blog scottchow.com. You can also add your middle name or middle initial if you find your name is already taken. Or you could use a variation like “Scott Chow Blog” or “Blogging with Scott”.
Once you have some name ideas you will need to choose a domain extension.
A .com domain extension is the most preferred, but .net, .org, .co, or other extension work just as well. It is also important to note that for the purposes of a blog domain you cannot have any spaces between words. So “Blogging with Scott” becomes bloggingwithscott.com
Step 2: Get your blog online
Now that you’ve got a name picked out it’s time to get your blog online.
This might sound hard or technical, so let’s go step-by-step to make the process easy.
To get your blog up and running you need three things:
- Domain registrationTo claim your domain name and use it for your blog you first need to register it.
- Blog hostingA blog host is a company that stores all of the files for your blog and delivers them to the visitor when they type in your blog name. You must have blog hosting in order to have a blog.
- Blogging softwareYou also need to have the software to build your blog. In this guide I will show you how to build a blog using the WordPress blogging software, because it is the most popular, customizable, and easiest to use.
The good news is that these all come packaged together from the blog host I recommend, and the one I show you how to use in this guide: BlueHost.
I personally use Hostinger and I recommend them for all new bloggers because:
- They will register your custom domain name for free, making sure no one else can take it.
- They offer an automatic free installation of the WordPress blogging software (which I show you how to use in this guide).
- They offer reliable web hosting that has been recommended by WordPress since long and they currently host over 2 million blogs and websites.
- They have helpful 24/7 customer service via phone or web chat.
- They have a 30 day money back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason.
You can use any Hostinger on this site to get the special Endless Sale price of $2.99 per month.
- Disclosure: Hostinger compensates The Blog Starter when you purchase through this link, which means my services are free of charge to you!
In fact, if you have any trouble at all setting up a blog with this tutorial, just contact me and I will do it for you (free!).
Let’s start your blog!
1. Click here by now to the get the special Endless Summer Sale price of $2.99 per month on Hostinger anytime and then click “get started now”.
2. Select your plan. I recommend that beginning bloggers get the Premium plan. Click “Choose Plan” to get the Starter plan.
- All of the BlueHost plans have everything you need to get your blog up and running, including a free custom domain name, easy WordPress installation, web hosting, and custom email addresses (yourname@yourdomain.com).
3. Type in your domain name in the box and then click “Search for Domain” to start the registration process.
- When you register a domain name your contact information gets put into a database of domain name owners. If you would rather keep your information private, be sure to check the box at the top right that says “Add Domain Privacy”.
- If you already own a domain name and want to use it for your blog, check the box on the bottom left
4. Now you will also choose your hosting package options.
- The discounted price is automatically applied when you click any BlueHost link on this page.
- Choose the 12 month package to get the lowest up front price, or the 36 month package to get the lowest price per month ($2.99)
- I recommend deleting the “Professional Email” free trial. You will still be able to create custom email addresses (yourname@yourblog.com) without this feature.
5. Fill out your billing details and create your account password on the registration page.
6. Login to the WordPress administrator dashboard
Once you complete the checkout you will be automatically logged-in to your Hostinger account. You will then need to login to WordPress. Click “Edit site” to be taken to the WordPress administrator dashboard.
On the following screen click “I’m following a tutorial, take me to the WP Admin Dashboard” to be logged-in.
Having trouble installing your blog? Get help here.
Step 3: Customize your blog
Logging in
If you are not already logged-in from the previous step, go to hostinger.com and click “Login” on the top right to bring up the login screen. You can then login using your domain name and the password you set in the previous step. If you have misplaced your password you can reset it by clicking the “Forgot Password” link.
Once you log-in you will be taken to your BlueHost Portal. From the portal you can click the blue “WordPress” button to be logged-in automatically to your WordPress blog.
Changing your blog design
You will be on the WordPress dashboard after logging in. Any modifications you wish to make to your blog may be made here.
Everybody has a distinct vision for the appearance of their blog. Changing your whole layout and design with a few clicks is one of WordPress’s many wonderful features.
Blog layouts in WordPress are referred to as “Themes.” What is a theme for a blog? Your WordPress blog’s whole look is controlled by themes. To modify your theme, select the “Appearance” option from the menu on the left.
As you can see, your blog already has a number of free WordPress themes installed, including Twenty Twenty-Four and Twenty Twenty-Five. These are attractive, well-designed themes that may be used for almost any kind of blog. Actually, a lot of the best bloggers in the world utilise one of these themes.
I advise you to start with one of these themes unless you have a very particular blog design in mind. Let’s use the “Twenty Twenty-Five” WordPress theme as an example. Hover your cursor over the theme and select “Activate” to turn it on for your blog. That’s it! With a single click, your blog’s complete layout has been altered!
If you don’t like any of the themes that are already installed you can easily choose from thousands of other free WordPress themes. To install a new WordPress theme, click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu and then click “Add New Theme”.
This is the search screen for WordPress themes. Thousands of themes are available for selection. Just activating a new WordPress theme will allow you to alter your complete look at any moment. I advise you to go on the “Popular” option and begin exploring in order to pick a theme you like. You may click the blue “Install” button after hovering over the one you choose.
Click “Activate” to make the theme active on your blog after it has been installed. Visit your blog and have a look at how your new theme works!
Changing your theme is the simplest way to customize your WordPress blog, but there are lots of other customizations you can do. Check out my full post on customizing your WordPress blog for an in-depth step-by-step guide. You can also watch the video above to see me completely customize a WordPress blog from scratch.
Step 4: How to write a new blog post & publish it
Now that your blog is up and running it’s time to actually do some blogging! Let’s create your first piece of content.
Go to the left menu and click on “Posts”.
You will see there is already a post there. This is a default post on every new WordPress blog, and we don’t need it. To delete it click “Trash” just under the post.
To begin writing a new post, click the “Add New Post” link.
You are now on the post editor screen. Enter the title of your post in the top box and then begin writing your post in the lower box.
If you would like to add a picture to your post, click on the + icon and click “Image”. Then click “Upload” to select a picture from your computer.
Once you have finished your post just click the “Publish” button on the top right side of the screen to publish the new post.
Content That Should be on Your Blog
Static and dynamic content are the two primary categories of material that your blog should offer.
Static Content: A few essential pages that are specifically created to give the reader the resources they require should be included in your blog. These pages’ content is static, which means it doesn’t change—at least not frequently. These are mostly top-level pages that are accessible through your blog’s navigation.
You should have these static content pages set up long before you make your blog public.
Important static pages to include:
- About Me (Us) – This page should include a biographical summary of the author(s) as well as a mission statement. Think about the answers to these questions: How did your passion for the subject matter develop? What do you want to convey to the world? What is your ultimate goal?
- Contact Me (Us) – A contact page provides the visitor a place to reach the author which, in turn, provides the visitor with the reassurance that you are a real and reachable author. You can add your physical address, phone number, and custom email address. Or you can utilize a simple contact form to keep your personal identifying information private. You should put links to all of your social media profiles here as well.
In addition to your blog, which is often launched on the home or main page, these two crucial sites must to be easily accessible and displayed on your top (header) menu. To see how I’ve included these sites into the header menu, look at the top of this page. If you need assistance, refer to our comprehensive instruction on personalising your blog menus.
Other static pages that are equally as important but less commonly thought of are:
- Disclaimer Page: If you intend to monetize your blog, you must describe the ways you intend to generate income. This is an absolute must-have page that should not be overlooked, as per FTC guidelines. For example, if you are discussing and endorsing a product, and stand to profit by linking to the product, this relationship must be disclosed.
- Privacy Policy: If you collect data from your visitors in any way, you are required to add a privacy policy page that tells visitors exactly how you are collecting data, how you are using it, and if you are sharing that data. If you implement Google Adsense or a Google Analytics account on your blog, a Privacy Policy must be used. This page is required by the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) and the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), and is included by default on your WordPress blog.
- Terms of Service: If your blog is also running a store or selling services, it is a good idea to have a Terms of Service page to lessen your potential liability.
Usually, a blog’s footer menu links to these necessary static pages. If nothing else, they ought to be visible and reachable from the main site. Once more, examine how this appears in practice at the bottom of this page.
Depending on what works best for your blog and company, you can integrate more static pages. A resource page that points visitors to your preferred links in your industry, an advertising page that solicits paid adverts, a contributions page, and a page for ideas and content submission are all examples of static pages.
Dynamic Content: Your dynamic content is your blog and the most important content you have to offer. This is where you, as the creator, will infuse the blog with your brand of informative content that supplies your audience with knowledgeable tips, facts, opinions, and stories. This is how you engage your visitors and keep them coming back for more.
Your blog content should be regularly submitted at specific intervals. Waiting months to create content will never build a following. Posting content weekly and driving traffic to these posts will help build your brand.
How to write great blog content
Each post should be lengthy, informative, and engaging. It’s not always easy to come up with new blog post ideas on a regular basis and you are free to mix up the tone and even the subject matter to keep things lively and interesting. It’s your space, after all. But there are a few elements that each and every piece of content should endeavor to include.
Define the Content: Create an alluring post title that stimulates curiosity and encourages clicks. Use the first paragraph of your post to clearly define the topic of your article and provide a possible hook to keep the reader reading.
The Longer the Better – But Break It Up: The more information and detail you include, the better. But visitors will begin to skim if the content contains lengthy paragraphs a mile long, and will pop out faster than they came in. Visitors enjoy tidbits. Keep your paragraphs short with spaces in between, use lists and standout quotes, use images, and always include headings and sub-headings so that visitors can find what they’re looking for.
Engage The Reader: At the end of each post, a common tactic used to engage visitors is posing a meaningful question to your audience and asking them to reply in the comments. This simple measure can increase engagement tenfold.
Original Content: Your content should always be original. Never plagiarize – you will eventually be called out on it and could even face consequences. Your content should come from your heart, your brain, your knowledge base, and your experience. You can get topic ideas from others in your field, but make sure the content comes from you.
Original Photos: While it is easy to include stock images from free image sites, it is even better to include your own photos and graphic work. Another idea is to take free images and manipulate them with a free photo editor.
Edit Your Work: Your blog content should be sufficiently edited. Nothing says unprofessional like several typographical and grammatical errors. If you need a few refresher courses in grammar, consider using a writing application.
Publishing Your Blog
Even after you have written a post your blog may still be showing a placeholder page.
When you are ready to make your blog public for the first time, just click “Home” at the top left of the menu in your WordPress dashboard, and then click “Launch with confidence”. Click the blue “Launch your site” button to remove the placeholder page and launch your blog.
Congratulations! You now know how to start your own blog and publish content!
Step 5: Promote your blog
Creating a well-designed blog and writing great content is just the start. In order to get visitors to your blog you will need spend some time promoting it, especially when you first start.
The strategies below will help get your blog in front of more readers. You don’t need to use every strategy – try out a few and see what works well for you.
Alert Your Inner Circle
The very first people who should become aware of your blog are your inner circle. This includes family, friends, and colleagues within your field. Encourage them to become followers, ask them to mention your new blog, and – most importantly – thank them.
Use Social Media
While you don’t want to overdo it, you still want to create accounts with the “biggies” like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. You should post a link to your newest content on your accounts, but you can also post relevant news and links to other sources that your readers may find interesting. Don’t forget to use hashtags and engage with your followers!
One of my favorite ways to get visitors to my blog is to post links on my social accounts, like Facebook and Twitter. This is great, because not only do your friends see the link, but if your friends share the link with their friends it automatically multiplies your visitors. If you have created high-quality content on your blog then social media is a way for your blog to go viral.
Comment on Other Blogs
Find other blogs in your community and engage with them. Using the comment section, introduce yourself and leave engaging and constructive comments. Many will allow you to leave a link to your blog. After creating relationships with prominent bloggers in your community, you will find yourself within their ranks quickly.
Engage with Your Visitors
When your readers leave comments on your posts, always engage with them. Reply to their comments and questions, give them “likes” and affirmations. When it is obvious that the author cares about his/her community and readership, visitors are naturally encouraged to return.
Collaborate with other bloggers
Become enmeshed in your blogging community by collaborating with respected members of your field. Collaborating includes guest posting, promoting each other’s blogs and products, and regularly interacting through comments and social media.
Post Regularly
Post content regularly. Create an editorial calendar and stick to it. A good blogger posts at least once per week to start. If you have long lapses between posts, your followers will drop off and your growth will be severely hampered. It’s not easy to post on a schedule, but it’s something you absolutely must stick to.
Create an Email List
In addition to getting new visitors to your blog, you will also want to make sure your current visitors are coming back. This is where email marketing plays a big role. By collecting the email addresses of your visitors (with their permission of course), you can then notify them when you post new content on your blog. This keeps people coming back to your blog, which not only gives you more readers over time, it also allows you to build a closer relationship with your visitors.
Email marketing is too big a topic to cover well here, so I created a separate guide to email marketing for those who are interested (hint: every blogger who wants more readers needs to read this guide).
Optimize your blog for search engines
You want your blog to appear in search results as soon as possible.
Google: Sign up for a Google Webmaster account and open the Search Console. To add your blog, click “Add Property” and follow the steps to add your blog.
Bing: Sign up for a Bing Webmaster account and add your blog.
Submitting your blog is the first step in process known as search engine optimization (SEO).
Keep in mind that with a brand new blog your traffic will be minimal to start with. However, this will change over time as long as you continue to add informative and relevant content on a regular basis.
To optimize this process, each page of your blog should include these fundamental elements:
- Header Tags: Section headings and subheadings should be wrapped in header tags. To do this, click on the left item of the block you are writing in and change it to “Heading”. You can then choose from H1, H2, H3, etc.
- Categorization: Your content should be clearly categorized into specific and relevant categories. In the post editor screen, click on “Document” on the right menu, and then go down to “Categories” and “Add New Category”.
- Permalinks: Each blog post “slug” is the end portion of the URL. You want to make sure each post has a defined slug and doesn’t end with an article number. You can easily change this in your WordPress dashboard by going to “Settings” -> “Permalinks”. Select the “Post Name” option and click “Save Changes”
There are many more factors relating to consider, such as installing something like the Yoast WordPress plugin, but these are the big ones that will help improve your search rankings sooner rather than later.
For more tips on promoting your blog make sure to check out my in-depth guide to blog promotion.
Step 6: Make money from your blog
Once you have put in the effort of creating great blog content and promoting your blog, making money from your blog is actually the easy part.
Blogs have the potential to be extremely lucrative, but don’t assume that you’re going to start making money in the first week, or even in the first month. It could take six months to a year to start seeing a steady stream of income. Blogging takes work and dedication, but once you develop a large enough audience, there are several methods you can employ to monetize your blog.
Sell advertising space
Once you have a popular blog, advertisers will be hounding you for the opportunity to advertise. The best way to take advantage of this situation is to use Google Adsense. Google finds the advertisers for you and all you have to do is place the Google Adsense code on your blog to start running ads. Google Adsense takes all of the hard work out of the process and just cuts you a check.
I go into the full details of how to set up Google Adsense for your WordPress blog here.
Sell affiliate products
An affiliate program is a commission-based way to advertise. When one of your readers clicks on a link on your blog, they get sent to an advertiser’s site and you earn a commission if they purchase. Affiliate links are a nice way to earn income through the use of product reviews. However, you must remember to disclose that you are an affiliate for the product.
Sell Products and Services
Selling your own products and services directly on your blog is a great way to increase your income. As your blog grows and you begin to see a wide audience, your products and services will begin to sell themselves.
Use the sidebar of your blog to increase the visibility of what you sell using visual images and a link to your storefront page.
Sell digital downloads
Ebooks, video tutorials, and e-courses are the most commonly consumed digital materials sold by bloggers. With little to no overhead and no shipping costs, you can keep the price low and inviting.
If you are extremely knowledgeable in your field, an ebook can practically write itself. Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!
Sell memberships
Another way to monetize is by creating membership options on your blog. This allows you to offer members more exclusive content only available with a paid membership. For example, you could offer unlimited downloads of digital goods, free consultations, a private network or forum where community members can mix and mingle, and private content available to members only.
There are many ways a blog can capitalize on popularity and traffic. Choosing the way you monetize from your blog depends on your goals and the purpose of your blog. Those who are selling services, physical goods, and digital goods, for example, may not want to participate in affiliate programs where traffic could be lost to another site.
For more information see my full guide to making money blogging here
Need more help?
I hope this guide has answered any questions you had on how to start your blog, but if any of the steps were unclear to you, you can find a more detailed version of each step by using the menu at the top right of this page (or at the bottom of this page if you’re on a smartphone).
Blogging FAQ
Still have some unanswered questions about blogging? Below are the most common questions I get about starting a new blog. If you can’t find an answer to your question here, feel free to send me an email via my contact page, or leave a comment below.
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