How to Start a Blog for Beginners
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
Welcome to my complete guide on how to start a blog for beginners.
if you’re looking for a simple tutorial on how to start a blog you’re in the right place. This post might be a little lengthy but you can have your blog up and running in just a couple hours!
We will be covering all the basics that you’ll need to know and I will be here to help guide you along the process.
What we will be talking about in this post:
- How I found blogging.
- picking your niche/blog topic.
- setting up your blog.
- What to do after you’re finished.
My Story
Starting a blog has been one of the best decisions i’ve made.
It all started a few years back. I would see all kinds of bloggers on Pinterest and other social media platforms telling how they make ‘X’ amount of dollars a month with their blog. At first I thought it was just a sales gimmick and I didn’t believe they were actually making a living having a blog. But after seeing more and more posts I decided to do my own research and see if what these bloggers were saying was actually true.
To my surprise what I found out was not only were these bloggers telling the truth, but they actually were making thousands a dollars per month just by having a blog.
I was newly married and I loved the job I had, but I knew that someday I wanted to be at home with my future children and build the life I had always dreamed of. But, I knew that if I wanted to stay at home and pursue those dreams something had to change.
I didn’t want to be tied down to a schedule and only live for the weekends. I knew there was and is more to life! I also wanted my husband to have the freedom to be able to take time off of work whenever he wanted and not have to worry about PTO (paid time off) when doing so.
So, after reading blog after blog and every how-to tutorial out there I decided to start a blog of my own.
What Happened Next?
I became an overnight success, receiving hundreds of page views and making money in my first month. If only this was the case! It was quite the opposite actually.
I honestly thought that after I made my blog people would come flooding in to read it and that the money would just start rolling in. That goes to show you how clueless I was. I didn’t have any idea of what to do after I started my blog. What would I write about? How should I go about getting more people to see my blog? How do I become an affiliate to share the products I love? I was lost.
I had the hardest time trying to set up my blog, let alone make it profitable. I didn’t understand how certain things worked since literally everything was new to me. It wasn’t as easy as all these bloggers said it would be. I felt stuck and didn’t know what steps to take next.
I hated not knowing what to do. I felt so alone, and it seemed like every blogger wanted my money without any practical tips on what steps to take next.
But after researching, Googling and a little more digging I finally found what works! That is when I knew I had to help women who felt the same way I did start a blog of their own. I didn’t want them to have to go through what I did in order to become a successful blogger. You shouldn’t have to struggle when setting up a blog and that’s why I’m here to help you every step of the way.
You don’t have to have any special degrees or qualifications. Trust me…
If I can do this, YOU can too!
After all that talking and rambling let’s start your blog!
The Process
1.Picking a blog topic/niche.
There are literally hundreds of blogging topics out there to choose from. Here are a few popular topics for an example:
- Food
- fashion
- lifestyle
- finance
- motherhood/parenting
- organization & decluttering
The list really could go on and on. I honestly believe that you can blog just about anything as long as it benefits your audience. Even though you’re starting a blog for “you” it really is for your future readers. So, pick a topic and start researching ideas that you think could be of some help to your audience.
Tip: an easy way to start doing this is by researching what people are already searching for online/what is trending at the moment.
You don’t have to overthink it. Figure out what you’re passionate about and how you’d like to help others through that passion. It’s easy to over complicate everything when just starting out, so pick a topic you’re interested in and just go for it. You can always change your niche later. That’s the beauty of blogging.
2.Naming Your Blog
This is the fun part because you get to pick what your website name will be! This is called your domain name. You will want to come up with something that represents what your blog or brand is all about as it’s the first thing people will see.
Take mine for example, I chose the domain name www.lydiawinter.com because its easy to remember and it gives me the freedom to blog just about anything. Something that I always recommend is to use a .com verses a .net. People are much more familiar with a .com and it will make your life a little easier down the road.
Again, don’t overthink it too much. If you’re spending hours and hours just to come up with a name I would take a break and regroup later. It does matter, but it’s also not the end of the world. Just have fun with it.
Here are a couple examples of what your domain name could look like:
- janedoe.com
- lifewithjane.com
Obviously, you would insert your own name in the titles and not Jane Doe.
Some final tips. Make sure your domain is easy to spell. You’re not going to win some award for picking the most unique domain name 😉
3. Finding a Hosting Website
Basically what this means is you want to find a self-hosted website like Bluehost. Having a self-hosted blog gives you complete control and ownership.
There are lots of self-hosted websites out there but I really love Bluehost because its a very affordable option for new bloggers. It’s also what I personally used when just starting out. Bluehost is usually $10.99 a month which is a great deal for everything you’re getting. But today if you use my link you will get it for $2.95 a month!
What you’ll get with Bluehost:
-Its by far one of the best hosting websites because it allows you to scale your business right away. Meaning, you can start making money from day one. Other hosts will make you upgrade plans or add certain plugins for different things, but with Bluehost everything is all wrapped into one.
I know of bloggers who used other hosting websites only to switch back to Bluehost for various reasons. So, it’s best to start out on the right foot!
You’ll also get:
-One free domain name, a self-hosted blog and amazing customer service. Every time I have used the Live Chat feature or email services it has been extremely helpful and they always answer all of my questions. It’s amazing and I can’t recommend them enough.
And that’s the basics of what it looks like to get started when creating a blog of your own.
Setting Up Your Blog
1. Naming Your Blog
Pick a name that best suits your niche. It really can be anything, but try not to overthink it like I’ve said before. Once you’ve picked a name for your blog here is what to do next:
Side note: If you’re really stuck and can’t think of a domain name, you can still create a blog without one. All you will have to do is claim your free domain name later once you’ve had more time to think about it.
2. Set Up a Website Host
Think of a website host as the home address for your blog. It’s where your blog is going to live on the internet! I know what you’re thinking, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. It might seem like there is a lot to learn, especially if you’re a newbie. But don’t worry. I am here to guide you every step of the way.
Contrary to popular belief, website hosting is very affordable. In fact, if you use my link to sign up (my affiliate link at no extra cost to you) you will get 30% off your purchase and the best part is it’s only $2.95 a month.
To start, you are going to click here and once the new browser opens click on the blue button that says, “Get started now”. The screen in your new browser should look like this one below:
After clicking on that blue button it will take you to a page with different hosting plans. I recommend getting the “basic” plan. It has everything you need to start a blog and it’s also what I personally used when starting out.
Then, after selecting a plan that best suits your needs you should see a screen pop up that looks like this:
If you already chose what to name your blog, go ahead and enter that name in the “new domain” space to see if it’s available. Once you’ve finished this step you should see this screen:
This is where you will enter your personal information for your Bluehost account. Just fill this page out and click on to the next page.
Personally, I would recommend the 36 month plan as its the most bang for your buck. Just know if you do choose this option Bluehost will charge you upfront for the cost. If you don’t decide to choose this plan you still have a great choice with the 12 month plan. Remember, blogging is a long term investment and if you take this seriously it can change your life.
I also would recommend to add the “Domain Privacy Protection” package. This just ensures that no one can steal your personal information or access it. After this you just need to pay. Yay! One step closer to being done.
After you finish paying you’re basically done! Congratulations! You are are now a up-and-coming blogger. Bluehost will send you an email to confirm your account.
After you receive the welcome email you will need to make a password for your new account. I would suggest writing your password down somewhere that you will remember.
Once you click on the “Create Account” button you will be taken to the login page next.
After you login to your account you will be asked to create a website.
Note: once you login you will have access to the Live Chat where they can answer any questions you might have. They are extremely helpful and I still use this feature.
Once you click on the button that says “Create your website” you will be asked how much help you are wanting when setting up your site.
If you’re anything like me and you can sometimes be not so tech savvy I would recommend selecting the option that says “A little help”. This will also show you some tips and tutorials that may be helpful. Otherwise, if you are feeling confidant and don’t need a lot of assistance go ahead and select “No help needed” button.
The other option you will see is “Built for you”. This is a feature you can pay for to have Bluehost set up your blog for you. Personally, I wouldn’t choose this option since I am showing you exactly what to do step by step.
After clicking on the button “A little help”, you should see a screen pop up that says, “What’s the primary purpose of your site?”. I would just click the option that says “Blog”. It’s a fairly broad term that allows you to do most anything you’d like with your website.
Once you choose the “Blog” option you will see a screen like the one below that asks you how you would like to build your WordPress site. I recommend choosing WordPress for your option. It offers a variety of options for bloggers, including free plugins and many other website add-ons. It’s also one of the most popular choices among bloggers.
After you click on the “Get started” button, you should see a page come up that prompts you to select the type of website you’re wanting to create.
I know this process is a little long, but you’re almost finished. I promise!
Next, it’s going to ask you what you want to name your blog. This might be confusing, but all it’s asking is what name do you want people to see on your actual website when they find your blog. For example: my domain name is lydiawinter.com so I would just write down Lydia Winter for the name. It’s super simple so don’t overthink it. It just sounds more confusing than it really is.
For the next question, just fill those in like you normally would. I should add, these answers can be changed at any time so don’t worry about answering perfectly.
Now, you just need to click “continue” and then we will pick the theme for your blog. Personally, I would choose the free theme option. You can be very successful with your blog using a free theme just as you would with a paid theme.
One of my favorite free themes is “Ona”. Its a great option for new bloggers.
After you pick your theme, you get to start doing the fun part! Writing posts, customizing the design etc. You should see the main Bluehost page like this:
The page above is what you’ll see every time you login to Bluehost.
Congratulations, your blog is officially made. If you want to keep working on your blog there is a couple options of what steps you can take next. You can either login to WordPress.com or use the shortcuts that are listed in your Bluehost homepage.
Something that I always tell new bloggers is try to stick with your design for 3-6 months. Blogging is long-term and your goal as of right now is to focus on creating amazing content that will build a solid foundation for the duration of your blogging career.
You can always change the look of your blog down the road. There are lots of other free themes to choose from or you can pay for a theme that’s already been designed.
Just a Note:
- Its normal to feel overwhelmed when first starting out. You just have to take one small step at a time.
- Blogging is not a get rich quick, overnight success story. You will have to put work into it, but I promise you it’s worth it. Just keep in mind WHY you’re doing this.
- Try not to overthink everything. Your pictures don’t need to be perfectly edited and your blog doesn’t have to look perfect either. Instead, focus on creating amazing content for you readers and you will start to see results.
- Self-doubt is also completely normal. Embrace the new season and keep your head down.
What’s Next?
You did it! Your blog is officially set up. The next steps you will want to focus on are writing your first blog posts and eventually posting them to Pinterest. But more on that later…
I will be posting a couple blog posts that will explain all of that in detail soon.
I’m so excited for you to have started a blog of your own. It truly can be life changing and it can be one of the best decisions you’ll make.
