Would you like to start a blog and make money online? Then keep reading; this post is all about helping beginners launch their blogs in a few easy steps!
One of the biggest hurdles for me, on my blogging journey, was deciding which blogging platform to use. I knew I had to purchase a domain name and web hosting, but how to bring them together and make them work simultaneously was a mystery to me. Being new to blogging, I knew I wanted something easy yet something that looked professional. However, the simple solutions in 2009 that were already assembled looked clunky and amateurish.
I decided to hire a web designer to help me set up my blog.
I had never worked with a web designer before and knew nothing about how the process was supposed to work. I paid for all of the services upfront, which, sadly for me, was a costly mistake ($600, which did not include my hosting fees or domain costs).
After months of waiting for her to complete the work, she stopped communicating with me. I was left with an incomplete blog, and I had to hire a web programmer to fix and complete the work that she had left undone (another $150).
From start to finish, it took four months to set up my blog and cost $750 plus hosting and domain costs. A process that was only supposed to take 6-8 weeks. Starting a blog doesn’t have to be slow, expensive, or a pain in the neck.
If you’re ready to start a blog from scratch and make money from home, here is your step-by-step guide to begin.
How to Start a Blog Using WordPress
The initial steps of signing up for Bluehost and installing WordPress should only take 10-20 minutes. However, the design process will take longer. You’ll need to choose fonts and color schemes and set up categories, menus, your logo, and plugins.
Be patient, have fun, and remember progress over perfection. You can always switch up your design elements later on in the process. I’ve been blogging since 2009, and I’ve changed up my logo, theme, and site design many times over the years.
What is WordPress?
There are four main components to a blog, your domain name, hosting company, content management system (CMS), and blogging theme.
WordPress is a content management system, and it’s the industry standard for starting a blog. This is where you will create and store all of your content; think of WordPress as a house and word-processing tool for your blog posts.
Your domain name is the web address of your house (website), and your hosting provider is a service that enables your website to be accessible via the web. How your website looks online is based on the theme that you’re using.
To start a blog, you’ll need to combine all of these elements, and we’ll discuss the details in depth below.
Step 1: Choose Your Blog Niche
Before choosing a domain name and theme, you need to figure out what topics your blog will cover. What are you going to write about regularly? You may already have an idea in mind, but if not, I suggest doing some intense brainstorming. Write a list of your passions, hobbies, and dreams, and a second list with your skills, experiences, and areas of expertise. Then start thinking about possible blog topics and post ideas. If you’re coming up short on article ideas, it’s probably not the best topic for a niche. You should choose a topic that you can talk about non-stop.
You’ll want to take a good amount of time with this step, as your niche is the basis for everything else you’ll do with your blog.
Here are some popular and profitable blog niches to consider:
- Arts and Crafts
- Beauty
- Business
- Career
- Christian
- Cooking
- Fashion
- Finance
- Home Decor
- Homeschooling
- Lifestyle
- Parenting
- Politics
- Travel
If you need more help picking a niche, check out this post for some helpful tips.
Step 2: Set Up Your Hosting Account
When I set up my hosting account, there were so many steps involved. I had to decide between a Linux or Windows account, then there was the separate c-panel and FTP; I was totally lost. Save yourself a headache and use Bluehost.
They have made the process so simple anyone can do it; no tech experience is needed. Besides being simple, Bluehost offers 24-7 support via phone, email, and chat, which you’ll want should you ever encounter a problem. They’re also affordable ($2.95 to $13.95 a month, plus a free domain name), which is a huge plus if you launch your blog on a shoestring budget.
For step one, all you have to do is go to Bluehost.com and click on the yellow “Get Started” button.
Step 3: Select a Hosting Plan
With Bluehost, there are three hosting options to choose from:
- Basic for $2.95 per month
- Choice Plus $5.45 per month
- Online Store $9.95 per month
- Pro $13.95 per month
The prices listed above require a 12-month purchase; you can also buy a 36-month plan of hosting, which will give you an additional discount of 20%-55% off, depending on which plan you choose.
If you have the funds, I’d suggest going with the Choice Plus Plan because you get more robust features, and it keeps your contact information private. If you’re going to be selling products like courses or printables, you’d select the Online Store option. With Bluehost, you also get a free custom domain name.
Step 4: Choose Your Domain Name
Your domain name is where people can find you on the web. It’s your street address but for your website. When choosing your domain, you’ll want something that is easy to remember easy to spell, and it can be helpful if it represents your niche. However, many people choose domain names that are unique, for instance, Gwyneth Paltrow and her website Goop.
When you choose a domain name, you’ll want to follow three simple rules:
- Keep it simple. Refrain from using words that are hard to spell or remember.
- Use a dot.com when possible. It’s what most people remember when typing in a web address.
- Stay away from words with multiple spellings, for example, to, two, too, or 2.
Once you’ve decided on a domain name, type it into the search box and click next to see if it is available. You may need to brainstorm a few ideas to get the keywords and dot.com that you want, but don’t worry; you’ll find one that works.
Step 5: Select Your Hosting Package
After you have your Bluehost account created, you’ll be directed to a page where you need to select your hosting package. You can choose to pay for your hosting in a 12-month period or 36-month period; remember, the longer the plan, the cheaper your price. Here, you’ll add your payment info and wait for an email confirmation of registration; this only takes a minute or two.
Step 6: Install WordPress and Pick a Theme
The awesome thing about Bluehost is they make installing WordPress a snap! No tech background is needed. All you have to do is go through the guided prompts and answer the questions; it really is that easy!
Once you’ve created your account and set up your password, it’s time for the fun part, pick your theme!
Now the fun part, picking a theme for your blog! Your theme is like a book cover; it’s your blog’s design element, including fonts, colors, layouts, navigation, and overall appearance.
There are both free and premium themes that you can use to customize your site. There is nothing wrong with using a free WordPress theme; in fact, many bloggers use a free theme along with the Elementor plugin for added functionality and design options.
However, if you’re willing to spend around $100, you can get a stylish, professional-looking theme that will make you stand out from the crowd. You can either purchase a theme from the marketplace, or you can purchase a theme through Kadence (they are known for loading quickly). But if you’re working on a budget, there’s nothing wrong with using a free theme; Astra and Elementor are two free design templates that are commonly used. Just click on the theme you want to use and click Install.
Once you’ve chosen your theme, you’ll be ready to install WordPress. Again, Bluehost makes the process so easy by guiding you through the steps.
Step 7: Customize Your Blog Design
When you log in to your account, you’ll be able to customize your site with different pages, categories, sub-categories, colors, fonts, widgets, and more. Once you’re inside WordPress, click on the Appearance Tab on the left-hand side to start customizing your site.
You want to structure your site properly by adding navigational, informational, category, sub-category, and legal pages to your site.
All blogs should have the following informational pages in their navigational menu:
- About Me
- Contact
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Use
- Disclaimer
In your header menu, you’ll want to have your main blog categories for your niche, and then under your main categories, you’ll have your niche sub-categories.
For instance, if you’re a food blogger, you may have these are your main categories:
- Breakfast Recipes
- Lunch Recipes
- Dinner Recipes
- Desserts Recipes
Now, under each main category, you’ll want to list your sub-categories. In this case, the dinner category may have:
- Chicken
- Beef
- Pork
- Seafood
- Vegetarian
Having properly structured categories makes it easier for your readers (and Google) to understand and navigate your blog’s content. It will also make it easier for you to come up with new blog post ideas.
Add a Blog Logo
When you’re customizing your blog, you have the option to upload a logo. If you have room in your budget, you may want to purchase a custom logo for your blog. Having a custom logo helps distinguish you from other bloggers, which helps with your overall branding.
But if you’re running short on cash, there are some affordable and free options available.
For as little as $5, you can search for a designer in the freelance marketplace, Fiverr. Some designers charge more, but there are plenty of talented designers who are looking to build their portfolios and will create a one-of-a-kind logo for you for just $5.
If you don’t have it in your budget right now, you can use a free template from Canva. Just keep in mind that if you use a free template from Canva, you won’t be able to trademark your logo.
Add WordPress Plugins for More Functionality
During the design process, you may find that you need to add some WordPress Plugins for additional functionality. For instance, you may want to add a contact form or start collecting email addresses for your email list.
To add a new plugin, just browse the available plugins in your WordPress dashboard and download the ones that you need. There are thousands of plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math that help bloggers optimize their blog posts for search results. Others, like Social Rocket, add share buttons to your blog content, so users can easily share your blog posts via social media.
While plugins can add more functionality to your blog, too many plugins can slow down your site’s loading time. Be sure to only download reputable plugins that are compatible with your WordPress site.
How to Write Your First Blog Post
Now the part that you’ve been waiting for, writing your first blog post! Since you’ve already chosen your niche and mapped out your parent and child categories, this should be easy in terms of what to write about.
Here are some simple tips to write high-quality content:
- Create a catchy title that will reel readers in.
- Break up your content by using sub-headers (H2 and H3), bullet points, and numbered lists.
- Add images to your post to help break up content and enhance the overall idea of the post.
- Proofread your post for correct spelling and grammar (I like to use Grammarly).
- Is your post helpful? Does it cover the topic in-depth?
- Did you properly quote and credit your sources?
If you need more help writing your first blog post, check out this helpful tutorial.
Marketing Your Blog
Before you can start making money from your blog, you need to market it; get visitors to read your articles.
Here are some of the most popular methods for getting traffic and marketing your new blog.
Word of Mouth
After I launched my blog, the first thing I did was sent out an email to all of my family and friends, letting them know about my new endeavor. Not only did I ask them to check it out, but I also asked them to spread the word if they knew of anyone who could benefit from it. This act alone helped to build traffic and momentum to my newly launched site.
Social Media
To help spread the word about new posts on your blog, you’ll want to create social media profiles on various platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. Each platform has its own pros and cons, and which ones you choose to use will depend on your niche, where your audience hangs outs, and what platforms you prefer. I suggest starting with two and investing time in nurturing and growing them before adding more to the mix.
Email Marketing
From the day you launch your blog, you need to start collecting email addresses from your readers so that you can remain in contact with them. To do this, you’ll need to sign up with an email marketing provider. Don’t worry; you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get started. In fact, you can get a free account with Constant Contact or ConvertKit (this is what I use).
Once you’re signed up, you’ll install sign-up forms on your blog so you can collect the reader’s email addresses and then send subscribers regular email correspondence.
This post explains email marketing in more detail so you can get the hang of it quickly.
SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization. Basically, you want search engines, like Google and Bing, to index and rank your content high in their algorithm so that when people do an internet search, your content is easily found (preferably on page one).
When you do your keyword research and write your content, you’ll want to consider your niche, the reader’s intent, FAQ questions, and phrases that individuals are searching for and intertwine these into your blog posts. This is an oversimplified definition, but it gives you the gist of what SEO can do for your blog.
This article talks more about SEO so you can start learning the ropes.
How New Bloggers Can Make Money
Whether you want to make blogging a side hustle or earn a full-time income, there are many ways to monetize your blog! From paid sponsorships and working with ad networks to affiliate programs and selling digital products. Just click on the topics below to explore the various monetization methods.
If you’re wondering how much a successful blog can earn, you can check out this post, where a bunch of successful bloggers share how much they make!
Why You Should Start a Blog in 2023
Yes, I still believe you can start a blog in 2023 successfully.
Blogging has been a dream career for me, and even after doing this for 14 years, I still love it. Yes, there are challenges and the landscape changes almost daily, but it’s still a viable option for making money from home.
Here are some reasons why you should start a blog. You get to work in a niche that you love, it’s easy and affordable to get started, and it offers freedom, flexibility, and financial stability.
You also don’t need any experience or a college degree to get started; it’s perfect for beginners! It also teaches you new skills that can be carried over into a traditional job or another business venture. You’ll need to put in some sweat equity, and it may take many months before you begin making money, but it might be the best decision you ever make!
Are you ready to start a blog? Be sure to grab my FREE blogging e-book, where you’ll learn tips for creating awesome content, getting traffic, and monetizing your blog.
Do you want to start a blog? What’s holding you back? What questions do you have about the setup process? Drop me a note below, and I’ll respond to your question personally.
Originally published in July 2015. Content updated October 2023.
