How to Start a Blog in 6 Easy Steps

Have you at some point in your life thought of starting your own blog? It’s a great idea — not only is it a good pastime, but with a blog, you can express your thoughts, help others with problems you’ve overcome, establish yourself as an expert, and even make money.

Here’s how you can set up your blog in 6 easy steps:

Why Should I Start a Blog?

There are multiple reasons why one would want to start blogging. It is one of the best ways to share ideas, experience, knowledge, and expertise online. It is also a great tool to make money and even pursue it as a full-time profession. Businesses use it to share their expertise about their industry, products and services to reach a large number of people through content marketing. There are others who blog to build a strong personal brand and go on to become published authors, while some simply blog to share their experience with their dedicated readers.

How Do I Start My Blog?

Once you have identified the purpose of your blog, it is time to set it up. We suggest blogging on subjects that excite you or you have an expertise in. Talking about a subject that is niche can help you establish authority. In all probability, you will not be the first to blog about a particular topic, but don’t fret. Present your topic in your own fresh and unique way to attract views.

Now that you have established the purpose, picked a topic, it is time to create your shiny new blog!

Step 1: Choose a Blogging Platform

When it comes to choosing a platform for your blog, you are spoilt for choice. WordPress, Blogger, Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly are the some of the most popular platforms available. As someone who is new to managing a blog, you will want to use a platform that doesn’t require coding or any technical proficiency.

WordPress is one of the most popular and widely used blogging platforms. With its simple-to-use interface and flexible functionality, WordPress options include hosted and self-hosted blogs.

• Hosted WordPress blogs are free but they restrict your income potential.
• Self-hosted WordPress blogs have a nominal cost attached as they offer you more control in terms of customization and functionality as well as an unlimited income potential.

Step 2: Pick the Right Domain Name

A domain name is your blog’s identity. It is the first touchpoint for your reader which is why it must be on point. Pick a domain name that is short, catchy, and easy to remember. These qualities make for a striking first impression — and one that will last the test of time. Not only will such a name result in the creation of a stellar online brand, it will make for a stronger web presence. The best way to acquire a slick web address is to pick a unique, definitive, and crisp new domain extension. With hundreds of new domain extensions such as .SPACE, .WEBSITE, .ONLINE, and .SITE now up for grabs, make a smart choice to denote your space on the web.

Step 3: Find a Host

A hosting service provides server space to accommodate your website and transmit it on the web. However, before you pick a hosting provider, consider aspects such as speed, security, support, track record, and the type of server being offered. These aspects determine the overall user experience of your blog. Do your research before picking one.

There are four types of server hosting options to choose from — Shared, VPS (Virtual Private Server), Dedicated, and Cloud. This decision is primarily based on the amount of traffic that will be directed to your blog and the size of the content hosted.

Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround, GreenGeeks, and HostPapa, to name a few are nominated as the best blog hosting providers according to webhostinggeeks.com.

Pro-tips: Look for a host that provides domain privacy and SSL certification. For instance, Bluehost provides domain privacy in its ‘Prime’ package.

Step 4: Design your Blog

A well-designed blog arracts recurring visitors and loyal readers. People love sharing good content with their friends across social media which translates into more subscribers and readers for you! If you are using an open source platform such as WordPress, you are in for a treat because WordPress allows you to play with a range of design possibilities as it offers over 2,500 design themes.

Before you finalize on the theme, preview it to see what it looks like for the visitor and read the reviews. Also, check for last date of update to ensure that theme is constantly receiving support from its developers. Another crucial design element to consider is responsiveness across all device types.

Don’t shy away from abundantly using whitespace and making bold typography choices. The idea is to keep the design flamboyant, utilitarian and light. A light website makes for a quicker load time. Since every theme is accompanied with a preset color palette, it makes your work even simpler.

Design your blog keeping the visitor journey in mind and ensure that it is simple to navigate around, and the sub-pages and information are logically presented. Include a simple form for visitors to reach out to you and offer social media plugins to enable them to share your work.

Step 5: Get the Smartest Plugins

Embed smart plugins to your blog that will not only make your life easier but also deliver an enhanced user experience. Here are a few smart WordPress Plugins that you can choose for your blog.

• Yoast SEO — Helps optimizing your blog for the best SEO results.
• BackupBuddy — Allows you to store and backup all your website content in automatic schedules.
• WPForms — Allows you to seamlessly create contact forms, subscription forms, payment forms, and other types of online forms.
• Google Analytics — Provides invaluable statistics and insight into understanding your audience.
• Edit Flow — Offers a smooth workflow management system for multiple authors.
• After the Deadline — Allows you to quickly check your blog for grammar and spelling errors.
• Sucuri — Monitors your blog website for any suspicious activity and provides real time alerts.

Step 6: Write compelling content

Once you have everything setup and ready to roll, you must woo your readers with content that is well thought of, easy to consume, and informative. Well thought-out, engaging content will enable your blog to become an authority in your niche and empower you to build a strong personal brand. If you’re a business, write about topics that are applicable to your industry and then subtly slide in your core competency and services — avoid making your blog too salesy. Ideally, your blog content should be compelling enough for the reader to be moved by your words and act on your CTA. Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing, compelling, clear, crisp, and concise content writing is a formula that always works.

And voila! You are all set to enjoy an exciting journey in the world of blogging.