The Ultimate Guide How To Set Up A Blog On WordPress

how to set up a blog

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How To Set Up A Blog Your Way To Success

Let’s waste no time telling you how to set up a blog site and make money. You’ve made a great decision in choosing to build your blog with WordPress. 

And it’s a fantastic decision! 

More than 440 million websites already use WordPress cms. With WordPress, you have multiple options for what your website should look like and how your website functions. 

So what next?

It would be best to have a unique blog name, and affordable hosting plan, and a tonne of great ideas for your website content.

In this article, I’ll take you hand-in-hand from start to finish through the steps to setting up your WordPress website. 

Here’s what you’ll be able to do after reading this article to the end;

  • Decide on a blog name.
  • Get your website live.
  • Download essential plugins 
  • Create your first content 
  • How to Set up a blog site

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

But first, get this E-book on how to write the perfect blog post and this SEO Blog Checklist.

Stop Wasting Time And Start Here How To Set Up A Blog Site

how to set up a blog

1. How to create a blog name 

A blog name is your brand name for identifying your website. Choosing your blog name is a crucial step when building your website. 

Your blog name becomes your domain name. Though you may change your blog name, changing your domain name isn’t so simple.

Remember that your domain name appears on the URL bar of your website. Your audience will most likely search for your website using your domain name.

Before choosing your blog name, here’s a checklist to consider on how to set up a blog:

  • Who is your blog’s target audience?
  • What is your blog all about?
  • What will your blogging personality?
  • Is your blog name easy to spell or pronounce?
  • Is your blog name memorable?

Contrary to what many content creators might recommend, it’s necessary to spend some time brainstorming the right domain name for your blog. Though you shouldn’t spend all your time on this step, you should give your domain name some thought. 

2. Register and Host your website 

After deciding on your blog and domain name, the next step is to register your domain name.

For a step-by-step, click here and request the following steps for companies for website hosting and domain names can be provided to you.

Whether you prefer a cheap option or a more expensive one, many websites register your domain. 

Registering your domain name is a relatively straightforward process.

However, I’ll add that you should try to choose a domain name with a “.com” TLD. It helps with your SEO down the line, and it is much easier for web users to find your website.

Here are some of our favorites domain registrars – Namecheap, Bluehost, domain.com, etc. 

Most website domain registrars also provide web hosting services. You should know that you aren’t restricted to only one platform for registering your domain and hosting your website. You can register your domain on one platform and host your website on a different platform.

The next step is to choose your web hosting package and set up your hosting account. Pricing varies for different hosting platforms, so pick a plan that fits your needs and budget. 

It usually takes 24 hours to get your website live. Some platforms can be more, and on other platforms, it takes less than 24 hours. 

READ:10 BIG BLOGGING FOR BEGINNERS MISTAKES YOU NEED TO AVOID

3. Designing your WordPress website 

An excellent reason for choosing WordPress for your blog or website is the abundance of tools to build your website. 

After registering your domain and hosting your website, signing into WordPress and designing your website is the next step.

Sign in to your WordPress admin dashboard. If you are using a managed WordPress hosting like Bluehost, Siteground, or WP engine, log onto your account and click on manage to get to your WP dashboard. 

Sign in to your WordPress admin dashboard.

how to set up a blog

If you are using a managed WordPress hosting like Bluehost, Siteground, or WP engine, log onto your account and click on manage to get to your WP dashboard. 

Your WP dashboard is the control panel for your website.

Here you can download plugins, create pages, add menus, customize your website and create & publish content

4. Here’s how to customize your website:

Click on appearance and download a theme for your website. There are several free WordPress themes to choose from. Choose a theme that matches your style. You can create or buy a custom theme later on Etsy

You can begin creating pages for your new website by clicking on add pages from the menus option. Creating pages will require a bit of brainstorming, but you can play around with the buttons to get used to the WordPress dashboard. 

Adding menus to your website is as simple as clicking on the menus button and navigating around to create the menus you want for your website. 

5. How to set up a blog and create content 

Probably the most important button on your WordPress dashboard. 

To begin creating content, 

  • Click on “Post” &; Add new
  • Create your content and title your post
  • You can either publish your post or save it to draft. 

READ: The Best Blog Review Tips For New Bloggers

Plugin for WordPress to download 

One of the advantages of using WordPress to build your website is the availability of countless plugins for customizing your website. 

But wait…

What are plugins?

Plugins are software that can be added to customize computer programs, apps, and websites. Plugins help you experience the web differently. 

WordPress plugins help you customize your blog to look and function the way you want as a blogger. Plugins allow you to do much more on your website, like publishing images, videos and insert social media tools to engage with your audience. 

Here are some of the essential plugins to download for your new WordPress website:

  • Elementor: Since you are new to WordPress, Elementor is a drag-and-drop website builder for building your website.
  • Rank Math: This is your go-to plugin for all things search engine optimization (SEO).
  • Contact Form 7: This plugin helps you engage with your audience. Contact Form 7 makes communicating with your audience seamless.
  • Akismet anti-spam: This plugin helps you avoid negative SEO and enables you to get rid of spammy comments.
  • Wordfence security: This is a great plugin that helps you deal with security breaches. 
  • Google analytics: Give you access to analyze in-depth detail about the visitors on your website.
  • Broken Link Checker: Let’s you know immediately when a link is broken on your site
  • Pinit button: Allow you to pin images from your website directly to Pinterest.
  • FTC Disclosure: This plugin is required once you marketing affiliate links.

You’ll find tonnes of WordPress plugins to get your website to your liking. Since you are only beginning, it’s best to download only the necessary – so you avoid complicating things. 

Conclusion

how to set up a blog

WordPress provides an excellent CMS for your needs, whether you’re setting up a blog or an eCommerce website.

Not only does WordPress provide you with endless customization options and reliability, but you have access to unlimited resources to master WordPress. 

With this guide, you can set up a blog in no time. However, if you’d like a professional website, click here to contact us

I’ll be happy to take your website to the next level and help set up a blog and make money.

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