If your budget allows, go with the suggested plan. If not, it will provide you with a list of similar names to choose from. You can skip this step and pick a name once you start a blog. If you have already purchased a domain name somewhere else, you can use that name. After you choose your domain, Bluehost will take you to the registration page where you can fill in your personal info manually, or you can Sign in with your Google account to make the process even easier!
Bluehost offers 12, 24, and month packages. With a month package, you will pay a lower amount upfront, but with the other two packages, you will get a better deal if you are ready for a longer-term commitment. Review your package extras carefully. You can always add extras later if you find that you need them. I do suggest that you keep the Domain Privacy Protection box checked.
This service will hide your personal contact information from the global database, which is publicly visible to anyone on the internet. Now, enter your payment information. Bluehost will send you a confirmation email when your payment goes through. You will also receive an email to verify your email address to activate your domain. Next, you will set up your Bluehost account. You are one step closer to starting a blog! Once you log in to your web hosting account, Bluehost will offer a 4-step process to help you create a blog.
I suggest that you go with this procedure if this is your first time starting a blog. Once you finish setting up your blog with these 4 steps, you will be taken to your Bluehost account page. At this point, the WordPress software is installed and your blog structure is set up! These options are here for you to do some pre-launch customization to your blog.
This is just the first draft. Inside the WordPress dashboard, you will have to apply a few changes and add some content to make it look polished and complete. I will show you how to do this later! Did you start a blog yet? You will be presented with some popular options. You can click on the WordPress. There are more than three thousand themes available on WordPress. The look and feel of your new blog rely on the theme you choose.
Your first-time readers will notice the overall appearance of it before they even take a look at the content. Select a theme that looks great, but also works for your specific needs.
Settle on one that you like, and you can always change it in the future. It is just a skeleton of a blog. In my opinion, there are more than enough free WordPress themes to choose from for any blog topic. Both free themes are presented by WordPress.
Remember, you can always pick a different theme later as you continue setting your blog. All of the pages and unique content that you create will be transferred automatically to a new theme layout.
If the current stash of free themes does not satisfy your particular desire, you can check the available premium themes.
These themes are usually designed by third-party companies and sold on different WordPress theme sites. Remember, your WordPress dashboard is the back-end location where you will manage your new blog. It provides you with fast access to all of the tools you need to add content and fine-tune your blog functionality for the ultimate user experience. Your first step towards mastering WordPress is learning the dashboard.
Once you click the checkbox, you will be taken to an AI-powered logo maker. Start by entering a name and slogan if you have one , the tool will automatically generate different types of logos.
Select one logo you like the most, click on it, and further customize it according to your taste. When you are done with your logo design, click the Download button and a new page will show up with your logo files ready to be saved to your computer.
Now, let me show you where you can do general customizations of your blog. That includes: uploading the logo you just created or will create in the future , editing the blog title and tagline, changing colors, uploading the background image, and making homepage settings changes. If you picked a different theme the process could be slightly different.
However, in most cases, all themes have similar customization options. To start optimizing your blog, go to the WordPress admin dashboard. Locate the Appearance tab on the left-hand side and choose the Customize option. Each WordPress theme will customize a little differently. You can also check how your blog looks on different devices by using the menu at the bottom with three icons: desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
Many themes e. Gutenberg is a visual editor that works on a blocks principle. So, when you decide to add a new paragraph, heading, image, video, or anything else, there are blocks you can quickly add to new pages or blog posts.
Plugins are bundled pieces of code that affect the way your site looks and functions. While the majority of plugins are free, there are many that are offered for a fee, based on their unique functionality. At the moment, WordPress. By default, when you set up your blog, Bluehost will automatically add some plugins they think are important for any website.
You can review these plugins inside the WordPress dashboard and add new ones by clicking the Plugins tab on the left-hand side. Congratulations, you just learned how to customize your blog and make web design changes! Your framework is complete. Now comes the moment of truth and you can actually start blogging. You need to learn how to write your first blog post. Before you begin publishing posts day-to-day writing on your blog make sure you fill in all the important static pages with content such as About us, Contact, etc.
Depending on your individual needs you can decide what pages to publish. The following are the most common pages bloggers use:. A blog page provides static content or information to the readers. Standard pages that bloggers use include: About, Contacts, Products, or Services. A page also can be a cornerstone or evergreen content with information that continues to be relevant to its readers.
For example, this guide you are reading right now. Creating blog posts inside WordPress is nearly the same as creating pages. In your first blog post , you can take a moment and introduce yourself.
Tell your readers who you are, what motivated you to blog, and what you will write. Search engine optimization SEO is the process that website owners use to get more traffic to their web pages from search engines such as Google.
This number shows how important it is to make sure that you optimize your WordPress blog for search engines. SEO involves many different tactics and techniques. As a blogger, you will have to get familiar with these. As a bare minimum, you will have to do the following for every blog post or page you publish on your blog: perform keyword optimization and add SEO meta tags on all pages.
This is the process of researching and selecting the right set of keywords that you think people will type in a search to find information like yours online. Ideally, keyword optimization should be performed for any blog post or page. This way it will be easier for search engines to understand what a specific web page is about when they crawl it and you have a better chance to rank higher in search results.
When you publish a new blog post or page, you will need to add SEO meta tags for each piece of content. These tags are not seen on the actual page, but Google will use metadata to better understand what the webpage is about.
If you want to start ranking your content in search engines, this is an important step to complete. SEO tags should be prepared and added when you create a new page or a post inside WordPress. The title tag length should be between characters this is what Google typically displays and the meta description tag can be between characters.
It is important to understand that you can write the most compelling copy in the world and design a blog interface that would sell people their own shoes. However, if no one sees it, all of your hard work is in vain. So, you need to know how to promote your blog. Get started by informing your friends, family, and colleagues about your new endeavor.
Basically, you should let anyone know who might be interested in reading your content. Blogger communities are a good way to connect with other bloggers in your niche. You can engage, build friendships, and help each other in spreading content. Before your blog becomes popular and starts to grow, you should look into leveraging other platforms on the web that already have some audience and readership.
To give you a better idea, here are some of the techniques that you can use:. However, in order to increase your organic traffic, you will have to learn how to get your content to rank higher in search results. There is no magic formula for higher rankings, but you should focus on the following factors:.
Appropriate and well-informed use of paid media can help you to gain exposure and attention before your organic naturally derived traffic takes hold. After starting a blog, you will begin attracting new readers and visitors. As people come to know and trust you, they will respond better to your promotional efforts. Rely on the blogging fundamentals: a clear and well-functioning blog, focused and helpful information, engaging conversation, and practical advice.
Your authority will come from helping and giving advice to your audience. It is about creating useful content and writing blog posts that will attract readers and make them come back for more. When starting a blog think about adding content that will generate future income. Our case study of the blogging industry shows that But, how can YOU make money blogging? There are seamless possibilities for you to run ads on your blog. Google Adsense , Mediavine , and Adthrive are some of the most popular choices for blog ads.
Affiliate programs are ways of teaming up with retailers to promote their products and benefit from successfully carrying out sales through a commission. There are a few popular online platforms that offer affiliate programs if you want to get started, such as Amazon Associates , ShareASale , and ClickBank. If you are creative and entrepreneurial, you could consider using your blog as a venue for selling your own products and services.
This is an option especially as your blog grows in readership, authority, and popularity. There are WordPress plugins, such as the WooCommerce plugin , that you can easily integrate into a blog and start using to sell products online. Advertisers are always looking for exposure and are willing to pay you for placing a sponsored post on your blog. Those posts usually promote advertiser products or services and are a good way to make money from your blog.
Above are the most popular choices to earn money. However, there are more ways to monetize your blog. Consider the possibilities, and then choose the method or methods that best suit you and your audience.
As a minimum, you should — from the very start — begin compiling an email list of your readers through subscriptions. Then, when you are ready to recommend products, you will have ready access to those who want to hear what you have to say. Few more things before you get started with your journey.
Below are some helpful facts and common questions that many people ask before they start blogging. Simply put, Yes , blogging is still relevant in and beyond. Technologies change. Business processes evolve. But I believe that making a blog today is still as worth it as it was 10 years ago. Blogs are a fantastic way of introducing your ideas, products, brand, business, and content to the world.
To be successful as a blogger you have to work hard and give your blog the attention it deserves, especially at the beginning. Will you be able to motivate yourself to do it right, day in and day out?
Blogging is a public act that will put you in the spotlight. The more successful you become, the more attention you will receive for your words. This is one of the most common questions people ask. Let me explain to you some ins and outs of free blogs. Several platforms allow making your blog for free. Free platforms may limit or prohibit you from using ads, or they may even place their own ads on your blog.
So, what is the best way to build a blog? To take any blog to the next level, you will have to start paying for it. That way you can get full control of your blog, access to more features, and a custom domain.
To get started right, I strongly suggest setting up a self-hosted blog and installing WordPress software free open-source on any web hosting account. If free blog hosting is currently the only option for you, create an account on one of the free platforms mentioned above. Starting a self-hosted blog is not as expensive as you might have initially thought.
The basic package also includes a free SSL certificate which protects data transfers on your site and makes it safe , 50GB of storage, and unlimited bandwidth which means you can have as many visitors as you are able to attract to your blog.
And this is more than enough to start with. If you decide to switch to a self-hosted WordPress, you can quickly and painlessly move your free blog to your new host. Most of the blogging sites allow you to export the content to another site. And WordPress features a ton of tools that will automatically import the info to the new blog. If you are running a Blogger Blogspot site, let me show you how to move it to WordPress , step-by-step. Often, people think that they should start blogging about popular topics so they can make money.
In this case, it would show that you are writing about something that you might not completely understand and love. The result would be an unsuccessful blog that not even you would enjoy. Instead, new bloggers should start a blog and write about something they love or follow. Even if it is a smaller audience, their passion and expertise will attract just the right people.
If you choose to blog about something that you are passionate about, you will be able to connect with your audience, which will help you to grow and even earn money. So, now you have picked a niche of interest, everything seems to be going great.
What now? How do you start making money off of it? Do a market search The first thing to do is to check out the competition. If search volumes are very high with a lot of competitive websites, you might want to narrow your niche down. Explore all of the possible keyword ideas that would be of interest to the audience, so that you can find that sweet spot between great demand and low competition.
You can once again easily check this with a Google search. When you type in your keywords, do you see any ads that pop up as the first result? Another method for monetizing a blog might be through selling affiliate products. For example: if you are blogging in the yoga niche, you could link to Amazon affiliate products like yoga pants, mats, etc.
There are two main categories we can talk about when it comes to getting paid as a blogger. One is promoting third-party products, the other requires you to sell your own products or services. You can get paid while promoting different products and services on your blog through affiliate programs or ad networks.
You get paid for the number of visits impressions on the page where your ads are displayed. You can earn money and get paid through selling your own products or services on your blog. Can you make money and how much you can make depends on many factors. Are you just starting out or have you been blogging for some time and have a group of people who trust you? Is it your primary focus or do you manage your blog in your spare time? Some even say blogging for money gets them more than a million dollars per year.
Do you want to know how to make a living blogging? Once you start your blog, you will have to work hard before getting that first paycheck. Also, passive income needs time to start increasing. Different advertisements and banners will make sense only after you have a well-established blog. While it is possible to get a few bucks per click on a Google ad, you will have to develop your site and build an audience before that becomes a reality.
So, when starting out, you can expect only a fraction of a dollar for each click, but do not let that discourage you. Everything has a start, so does your income from a blog. I always love to hear that someone is interested in learning WordPress or in general how to blog for free.
I have dedicated an entire section of our site to learn WordPress where you can level up your WordPress skills and understand the best practices. The section will guide you from the very beginnings of your WordPress site to advanced techniques that will teach you how to develop a unique site that both you and your visitors will love.
Unfortunately, gazillions of awesome domain names have been already taken, especially if you aim for the most popular. In this guide, I describe how to set up a blog and get a free domain name after. Just by clicking the button, you can skip the domain registration process and install WordPress first. Try thinking about other options or maybe another extension like. I have put together a guide to help you come up with a great domain name , so take your time and consider all the factors before registering a domain name.
To secure your blog, all you need to do is turn on the SSL certificate. It controls the data transfer on your site and makes it unreadable to nosy people who might sniff the data from the outside. But before you start worrying that only tech-savvy experts know how to do this, let me show you how you can get a FREE secure connection in just a few steps: 1.
Hover over the thumbnail that represents your site. After toggling the switch, you should wait up to one hour before the changes become visible on your blog. To quickly identify if the SSL certificate was successfully installed for your domain, check for the icon next to the URL of your blog. This will indicate that the certificate has been successfully installed and that your blog is secured.
You have your own domain name, hosting space and your blog is set up. I have seen it called Insights or Market knowledge in real estate, or even Learning or Education in finance. So the content tends to be longer form. Single words in your navigation are best. I make it easy for clients to keep up to date with blogging, with fresh reader-friendly SEO blog packages. Your email address will not be published. Post Comment.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here. A BuzzFeed News investigation, in partnership with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, based on thousands of documents the government didn't want you to see. Via whatshouldwecallcats. Via whenobamaendorsed. Via collegegreeks. Via greatdaytobeanathlete. What goes online, stays online When I first started blogging, I used to create mediocre content.
Let me explain… If you just want to create a personal blog, you can do so for free through WordPress. It costs money to have a developer create unique email collection modules or make an ad that scrolls with the user.
Social media marketing — sometimes to get more social love, you have to spend money. Every once in a while, I spend money paying consultants to help me boost my StumbleUpon or even Facebook traffic.
I can then put those 2 to 3 hours towards blogging and responding to comments. Out of all of those visitors, can you guess how many are returning visitors? I use Qualaroo and Survey Monkey to figure out what you wanted to read, and then I write it. This is the main reason I focus so hard on improving the number of comments on Quick Sprout and why I try to respond to every email I get from you.
Collect emails — as I mentioned above, you should collect emails. When you find one of these hot ideas, keep leveraging them until they die down. Write your posts in a conversational manner People prefer conversations over lectures. By using them, you will be talking to your readers instead of at them. Not only will that make your blog harder to read, but it will make your content feel more like a lecture than a conversation.
Italicize words — have you noticed that I italicize words and phrases throughout each of my blog posts? I especially do it when I am asking you a question or answer one. It helps keep you engaged because it makes certain parts seem more like a conversation.
Design is marketing I always felt that design was important , but I never nit-picked every little thing. Eventually, I was able to please you once I fine-tuned my design. People matter When I started my first blog, all I cared about is how many visitors I had and how I could convert those visitors into customers. I then respond back as I love helping you and other people. The numbers of emails — just like comments, most of the emails I receive are from you asking for help.
I enjoy responding to you and others as it brings a smile to my face. Conclusion Hopefully, you can avoid the mistakes I made when I first started blogging. So, what other blogging mistakes should you avoid? This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.
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