Steps for Setting Up a WordPress Blog From Scratch

Blogging has always been present since the earliest days of the internet and has never been more popular than it is now. Maybe you are also interested in starting your own WordPress blog, and thankfully, there is good news.

You can do it by yourself in less than 30 minutes if you give your undivided attention to the task, so allow us to help you out and give you a few steps to setting up your own WordPress blog and getting your voice out into the vast void of the internet.

Getting Started

So there are three things you need to get started. First, you are going to need a domain name, which will be the name of your blog. Next, you'll need a web hosting account; this is where your website will basically “live” on the internet. 

This can be a bit daunting when you are still new to the whole business, but shared web hosting has never been easier, with plenty of options to help you out and cater to your every need. 

Finally, you need, as we mentioned, 30 minutes of your undivided attention. Yes, it is that easy to start your own blog, and again, it is not all that difficult if you know what you are doing or have someone to guide you. 

Blog Name and Platform

The most significant mistake people generally make when building their blog is choosing the wrong platform, but thankfully you have just avoided that mistake by being here. 

For the overwhelming majority of users, it makes more sense to use WordPress.org, as it is open source, which means it is 100% free to use. So you can install your own plugins, customize your blog's design to your heart’s content, and perhaps most importantly, make money from your blog without any restrictions. 

It is also the most popular website platform used by practically all successful blogs, so to put that into perspective, 43% of all websites on the internet use WordPress. So you might be wondering why it is free—where is the catch? 

Well, there is no catch; it is free because you have to do the setup and host it all yourself. This means you need a domain name and web hosting.

Domain Name and Web Hosting

A domain name is what people will type to get to your website, so basically, it is your blog’s address on the internet, for example, google.com. 

Now, web hosting is where your website files will live, or your website’s house on the internet, if you will, so obviously every blog requires web hosting. 

You have to pay yearly and monthly for both of these, but you can find deals and opportunities all over the internet, so do not be discouraged. Once you have a domain name and web hosting taken care of, it is time to move on and get to the meat of the process.

Selecting a Theme

The theme will control the appearance of your blog, so when you first visit it, it will look very boring and unappealing, so it is in your hands to spice things up a little.

Customizing the look and feel of your new blog is easily one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of the journey of creating your own WordPress blog. 

You can choose from thousands of pre-made WordPress themes that you can quickly install on your site, but you should keep in mind that while some of them are free, others are premium themes. 

You can change your theme by going to your dashboard and clicking first on Appearance, then Themes. Quite self-explanatory really. Click on the Add New button, and then start browsing through the more than 9000 free WordPress themes that are available. 

You can also choose different filters to scroll through them, such as popular, latest, etc. The best tip we can give you when selecting your theme is to strive for simplicity in design. 

While it is tempting to just go all out, elaborate, colorful, and stylish, it is more appealing to visitors to your blog when things are kept clean and clear and are not overwhelmed by the sheer volume of style, so that they do not even know where to go and what to read. 

First Blog Post

Now then, it is time to get started on your first actual blog post. To write your first post, merely click on the "Posts" tab, then click the "Add New" button in your WordPress dashboard. 

WordPress employs a block-based editor, which enables you to create simply stunning content layouts for all of your blog posts. Now comes the part where we cannot help you. The writing. 

This is your platform, your mind, and your voice, and only you decide what goes in here. Whether you are writing about food and cooking, entertainment, fashion, politics, or history, it literally does not matter whether you are interested in the most obscure subject imaginable or are following the latest trends. 

You control how the company and its revenue are run. You write whatever you want, about whatever you want, and no one can say otherwise, a freedom that is intoxicating to many and will also give you many happy hours just typing away. 

Once you are done writing, just go ahead and click the Publish button in the upper-right corner of the screen to make your blog post available for public viewing. 

You might also notice several other sections, such as Categories and Tags, which you can use to organize your blog posts into sections once you have a lot more posts. And this is it; you now have your blog active and available for anyone to read.

Creating a blog is much simpler than most people realize, but most are still too timid to take the plunge or are simply not interested in even bothering. Do not be like those people; let your opinions be heard. 

You never know how valuable your ideas and input are until they have been scrutinized by others and their value gauged. You are now ready for that process to begin, and it is firmly in your control as to what the world sees. 

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Posted 3 months ago by Allen Brown