Are you wondering how to start a blog of your own? Thinking of starting one but no idea where to start? Look no further! Here are some basic steps to help you on your way.
Follow below where I show you step by step how to register and start your blog.
Step 1:
Step 2: Hosting
Are you wondering what hosting is? The company for “hosting” is the company whom you buy your domain name with. They are the ones who keep your blog running smoothly. The hosting company is what makes your site run smoothly and who you go to if you have issues. If you are hoping to work with companies for sponsored posts, reviewing products, etc, you want a site you pay for. Brands are not as willing to work with free sites. You want to be taken seriously so take yourself seriously and ensure you do your homework and find a hosting company. My favourite hosting site is Bluehost, link above to check out your favourite domain name and see if it is available. Bluehost makes it easy, I registered and honestly promptly forgot about them. I had an issue once and easily got a hold of a service representative who was able to help me immediately and that was it. Being able to get help and get your site up and running again once there is an issue is also essential. Keep scrolling down to see a step by step instruction on how to start your blog.
Step 3: WordPress
I love WordPress. I find it is really easy to use. There are lots of groups to help and YouTube tutorials to help you on your way. You want to navigate the Plug In section for help with spam blocking, social media sharing, and lots more. There are some super cool plug-ins you can use.
Step 4: Theme
Here I will show you guys step by step how you can register for your hosting company and start your blog:
1. The first step is to click here and register:
Then click “get started now” to get things moving.
2. Next you have to pick which plan you want to go with
You don’t have to go fancy here. If you just want to wet your feet with this and try it out go for the basic plan. If you really want to make it into a business you may want to check out prime. But totally up to you, you can always switch plans if you find the one you have is not working for you.
3. Time to choose your domain name
Since you already did your research in step one right? You are all set with your name and ready to get moving with it.
4. Account Information
Pretty self-explanatory here I think.
5. Choose your credit card of choice
Also self explanatory.
6. Password
Honestly I found this one to be the hardest part. The secure password is hard! Write it down so you do not forget it. The harder it is the harder it is to crack though so being secure is a good thing.
7. Create Your Password
Did you finally find a secure one? Did you write it down?
8. Congrats!
You survived the password portion. Now was I right, was that hard??
9. Pick a Theme
This is the most exciting part!! Pick a theme and get ready for fun!
10. All done!
Celebrate you are almost done.
11. WordPress time
Time to walk through WordPress and actually build your site.
12. Blog Post time
I know by now you are super pumped and ready to launch your site. Hold off! First you need to write a killer About Me section. It is also a good idea to have a few posts live on your site too when you go live so people have things to read and promote. It also entices them to come back since they can already see and like what you are doing.
13. Time to Launch
Did you write your About Me section? Have a few posts up and running? Time to go live and launch your site.
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Step 5: Extra Touches
These are not essential when working on your How to Start a Blog plan, but they are a great way to start promoting your blog and getting your blog name out there.
Tiny Torch
This is a great scheduling site. You can stick to the basic free options, or upgrade for a small fee a month to make scheduling to your accounts easier. This is really helpful to schedule all your posts to Facebook pages and groups. This website is a life saver! There are other websites you can use, but I like this one, you can sign up for a free account and schedule up to five posts a day per group/event/page, so you can pre-schedule all the posts for your private group in advance. Seriously a life saver. It makes things much easier for you in the long run and gives you less to worry about. For a small fee you can upgrade to a deluxe version and be able to schedule up to 10 posts a day, or add photo albums, all choices you can make if you think it would help your blog, otherwise the free version is pretty awesome and still really helpful.
Use this link to get $10 free to try upgraded services if you want, or stick to the free ones: Tiny Torch
Tailwind
If you have a Pinterest account this is a great tool to have. It is a great site which schedules all your Pinterest pins for you (similar to Tiny Torch above, but for Pinterest). Having a Pinterest account is a big part of running a blog to get your posts seen. At least 90% of my traffic comes from Pinterest, and I believe Tailwind is a big part of that. Scheduling your pins means you are pinning your content at the best time of day for your readers to see it, and sharing enough content to keep your blog in other people’s minds.
Use this link to get $15 in free credit to try out Tailwind
If you are on Pinterest you NEED Tailwind, it is a great time saver and ensures you reach your readers at the most optimal time!
Hootsuite
Another free site that I use to schedule and share webpages is Hootsuite. Whether you are sharing on twitter and tweeting it or sharing it on Facebook, this site can make it easy for you to share some fun content on both platforms to keep your readers engaged. It’s a great way to share articles, or other pages that may be related to your blog.
Use this link to try out Hootsuite
Want your #blog to succeed?? Try these sites to help you out! Click To Tweet
Canva
This is another free site, invaluable for making graphics. I use it to make pinterest graphics, graphics for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blog graphics, printables, so many options of things to make. It may take a bit of playing around to learn to navigate but is essential for keeping things fresh and making you own graphics.
Follow this link to start making your own designs through Canva
Do you want to #startablog? Here are some easy tips to help. Click To Tweet
Trello
This is a super cool site I was introduced to through blogging, it is amazing for making lists. I have many different lists to keep track of, upcoming posts, who I am working with for giveaways and reviews, linky parties, etc. I always have a million lists on the go and this is perfect for keeping track of everything all in one place, again free!!
Follow this link to start organizing your lists through Trello
There you have it!! My tips on How to Start a Blog, a lot for free, and super easy to learn to use. Which tip is your favourite? Do you have any more to add? Please comment below on your favourite tips to help your Blog succeed and flourish.
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