How to start a blog – have you ever thought of starting your own blog? This post will show you the core steps you need to take in order to start your very own money making blog in just a few minutes!
While blogging is not easy. I fully believe I am on my way to being financially independent and time wealthy. Are you ready to do the same? – then keep reading.
“THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.”
If you’ve ever had debt then you will understand the desire I had to find an additional source of income that would help me become debt free. I was desperate and determined to make this “online money making thing work.”
I looked at many, many different avenues but all seemed to be fluff. Nothing seemed to quite fit my personality. I was going around and around in circles looking at this guru, then that guru -I was frustrated.
Until I discovered blogging.
As the introvert that I am, I gravitated towards blogging because I knew that I would be able to make good money without having to always “be on” or show up on camera.
I know this is something anyone can do and if you’re ready to put in the work, I know you can too!!
Starting a blog has 4 core steps
Sign up for a CMS (Content Management system) Such as WordPress
Pick a Host For Your Blog
Select a Domain Name
Design Your Website
As you can see, starting a blog itself is fairly straightforward. Its what you need to do afterward that takes a plan and focus. I will elaborate more below and go a little further beyond the above core steps so you can really get an idea of what you need to do, (complete with screenshots.) But first, I want to get a few questions you may have out of the way!
Why Should You Start A Blog?
There are many reasons why you may consider starting a blog. I started a blog to make additional income and to serve as a creative outlet during the lockdowns.
My blog has allowed me to:
- Income Potential
- Allow me to be able to network with interesting people around the globe
- Serve as an creative outlet.
Blogging has been beneficial for me, here are additional reasons why others start a blog:
- You can make money while being anywhere – You’re location is not important in the world of blogging. As long as you have your laptop and good internet connection, you’re good to go. What’s that you hear? Oh, its sweet sweet freedom. Being location free sounds like freedom because you can be anywhere you need to be at a whim. Delicious.
- Its fun and therapeutic! – I started this blog partly because I simply wanted a creative outlet in my life. The pandemic had hit and we were in the lockdown phase and I needed a way to express myself – somewhere to put my thoughts. Its therapeutic and I genuinely enjoy it! Its fun creating my blog posts, photos etc.. So, if you love creating things then this is definitely for you!
- Flexible Schedule – This is one of the main reasons I enjoy blogging. I can work as much or as little as I want. I can batch create content so I can have a free schedule for the week etc.. What kind of freedom can you attain with a flexible schedule? More time for your kids? To enjoy things you truly care about? Having blogging as a career is a dream come true for soo many people because of this one point right here!
Do you see yourself blogging? If so keep reading. The next steps are designed to walk you through starting a blog in less than 45 minutes!
During my research phase, I began to see a running theme among all the successful bloggers! They all had a self-hosted WordPress website. I was a little intimidated by the idea of creating a blog from scratch but if these 7 figure bloggers said it was a good idea then that’s what I was going to do!
Now that I’ve been blogging for over a year I have a better understanding as to why professional bloggers prefer a self hosted blog rather than a free blogging platform like blogger for example.
HOW TO START A BLOG GUIDE
Below are a few reasons why you don’t want to start a free blog:
- You only have the bare minimum – Because you aren’t paying to be on their platform, they do not feel obligated to make certain features available to you. You will have the standard plugins, fonts, designs, colors, ect. To me this is boring and can cause anyone to lose interest in blogging. Why would you want your blog to look like everyone else’s?
- Tacky online presence– With many free platforms you have to put their name at the end of their URL. An example is when I was on blogger my URL was http://thisisdeshante.blogspot.com. In my opinion, this doesn’t look professional!
- Self Host if you want to earn serious CASH – Ad networks want you on a self hosted platform, If you’re serious about this blogging thing. You’re going to want to cash in on using ad networks to earn revenue at some points. Ad income comes from agencies putting ads throughout your website. As your traffic filters through your blog, some ads are clicked on and thus resulting in a commission to you, the blog owner. Most ad agencies require you to be on a self hosted platform to even consider you for their agency. (This can become a major part of your income in the future, many bloggers make 5, 6 and 7 figure incomes through ad revenue. So you don’t want to mess this up.)
And honestly it costs only 2.95 to become self hosted. So its absolutely worth it, trust me.
How to Start A Blog:
Download WordPress
I recommend WordPress as this is the Content Management Tool (CMT) that I use currently. Here you want to choose carefully. The have a hosted option (www.wordpress.com) and a self- hosted option (www.wordpress.org).
It is recommended that you use the self hosted option if you are trying to take your blogging seriously and intend on sticking with it for the long term. The reason being that most advertising agencies prefer self hosted blogs to display their ads.
And display ads are how bloggers make some of their money along with other methods. So don’t shoot yourself in the foot by opting for the hosted option.
Choose self hosted so you can turn this hobby into a full blown business.
Pick A Host for your Blog
After you sign up for WordPress you will need to pick a host.
There are many, many hosts on the market but I only recommend Bluehost.
Firstly its the hosting plan that I currently use. Its also one of the most affordable hosting out there. You really only need the $2.95 a month option but the $5.95 gives you much more if you want to spend the two dollars more. Either of them will work great!
Starting a blog does not have to break the bank and so, I think its adventitious to start off with Bluehost and as your blog grows larger you can feel free to switch as Bluehost does have size limitations.
PS: We do get commissions if you sign up for blue host through the links in this post.
Please feel free to research other hosting companies and do make the best decision for you. I can only may recommendations based on my personal experience!
Go to the Bluehost Website.
Click the blue button that says “Get Started”. (PS: Bluehost might look slightly different depending on if they update there site, which they do a lot. The steps will still be the same).
Choose Your Plan.
You’ll be shown multiple options when you get to this page. Choose which one is the most economical for you. I chose the choice plus option as has added privacy and security features and wasn’t that much more that the basic.
Get a Domain Name
This is the fun part. Choose a name for your website that reflects the brand you are trying to build. Here are a few steps to remember when picking your name for your website.
- Don’t over think this but remember that this is the first thing people encounter when they see your site. Make it memorable and relevant.
- Make sure its available and end it with .com
- Keep it simple.
I went with my name for this blog because It affords me the freedom to blog about anything I find interesting at whatever phase of life I am in. So choose in a way that doesn’t box you in if you’re unsure what you want to blog about at first. If you know what you want to blog about then you can name your site as specific as you want! Have fun!
Enter In Your Account Information
Ensure you put in the correct information in this section. You will receive correspondence from Bluehost and updates periodically as needed to your email. So you want to make sure that is correct.
I recommend choosing the 12 month or 24 month option just so you don’t have to think about renewing so often.
Set up your passwords.
After you submit your account and payment information you will be prompted for upgrades and special deals. Just say no, you don’t need it.
Once your purchase is complete, you will be asked to choose a password. Add a password that you will remember.
You will use this password to log in. You will be able to connect your WordPress and Bluehost together and you will be able to log into WordPress through Bluehost or you can choose to log into WordPress separately. Totally up to you.
Design your dream website!
Okay! So I guess this is thee most interesting and exciting parts of this process. Designing your website. WordPress has a few free themes and priced ones in their system so you can use one of those. However, If you really want to stand out, some of the best themes are from 17th avenue.
17th avenue have some of the most beautiful themes I have ever seen and they are affordable. Some themes can run you into a $1000 dollars or more so this is a real treat for a fraction of the price! If you’re just starting out I recommend you using a free theme.
You can even pay her extra to go ahead and set it up for you! talk about easy. There are detailed instructions so you can very well set it up on your own if you have the time!
That’s it for setting up your blog!
Congrats, congrats! You now have a blog up and running! Now is the time to press gas, no breaks. The only way to make money in blogging is to create content! Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just start!
PS: Now you’re probably wondering how to gain traffic right? Rest assured, I’ll be writing a post about exactly how to earn thousands of visitors to your site quickly so you can earn more ad income.
Update: I recently posted a blog that outlines how to write a blog post that will actually help you get traffic here .
If you’re interested in using a blog generator to up your blogging game then you must read this post here !
Best of luck on your blogging journey!
About the Author
De’Shante’ Grant -Parris
De’Shante’ is a Lifestyle and Wellness blogger with a degree in Psychology. De’Shante’s love for living a life in balance was heightened through her experiences watching people in her life lose themselves to the rat race of life. De ‘Shante believes unbearable stress and neglect can lead to many preventable illnesses. She is an advocate for a life of wellness and self-care as top priority in our human experience.
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