How to get started blogging on WordPress
There are many great reasons to start blogging. Perhaps you want to share your ideas with the world, hone your writing skills, use it for advertising your business, or harness it as a way to make some extra income. Yet at the same time, you might find the notion of setting up a blog a little daunting if you don’t have a lot of tech expertise.
The great news is that you don’t have to be a computer whizz in order to create a blog! The beauty of WordPress is that it’s straightforward enough for anyone to use, no matter how old you are or how much experience you have. To make it even easier for you, this post will go through all the steps you need to take in order to get your blog up and running.
Let’s turn your blogging dream into a reality!
Decide what you want to blog about
Before you do anything, you ought to come up with a clear notion of exactly what you want to blog about. You probably already have a rough idea – otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this article – however, it can be helpful to zero in on a specific niche in order to build a dedicated audience of readers.
Make sure that you choose a subject you’re passionate about because that will make it much easier to come up with ideas for individual posts and continue your blog for many years. Not only that, people can sense when a writer is genuinely enthusiastic about a topic – and it makes for a more enjoyable read.
You might also find it useful to have a target audience in mind (for example, a certain age group, people with a specific interest, or those working in a particular industry) when coming up with post ideas.
Choose a domain name
Now that you know what your blog will be about, it’s time to choose a domain name. This is your web address and what people will type in the search bar to reach your site. Ideally, you want to select a name that is fairly short and catchy so that people can easily remember it, type it, and tell other people about it.
It’s a good idea for your domain name to be either the same as the name of your blog or an intuitive shortened version of it because you want it to be instantly understandable when people see it. If possible, try to put in a keyword that’s relevant to the content of your blog. Lastly, avoid using existing brand names and slogans for obvious reasons!
Sign up for web hosting
The next step will be to purchase a web hosting plan from a hosting provider. This is what powers your site and where your website files live. Basically, it’s what will allow web users to access your blog.
There are all sorts of different web hosting services out there, so take some time to research the options and see which one you most like the look of. Some will offer a free domain name for the first year when you sign up, so be sure to keep an eye out for deals. If you commit to a longer term, you can usually get a preferable rate too.
Install WordPress
Once you’ve got your web hosting and domain name sorted, you’ll need to install WordPress on your new site. This is a simple process that should only take a few minutes to complete, although the specifics will vary depending on which web hosting company you’ve chosen. Don’t worry. You won’t need any technical knowledge for this! Once you’re set-up, you’ll be able to move on to the fun parts.
Choose a theme for your blog
Your WordPress theme controls the visual appearance of your blog. There are literally thousands of options to choose from, some of which are free and others that are premium themes you need to pay for. To change yours, go to ‘Appearance’, then select ‘Themes’, and click the ‘Add New’ button.
Of course, you don’t want to look through every single one before making your decision, so try narrowing it down by what’s popular, the latest additions, or the themes that are recommended for your niche. You can preview those you like the look of, then click ‘Install’ followed by ‘Activate’ when you find the perfect fit.
Try to pick a theme that is clean, easy to navigate, and aesthetically pleasing. It’s also advisable to choose one that is responsive because lots of readers access blogs on their cellphones nowadays, and this will ensure your site adjusts to different screen sizes.
Customize your site
Once you’ve selected a theme, you can make certain tweaks to how it looks by customizing it. The tools in your WordPress dashboard will let you alter factors such as the color scheme, the images, how the navigation menus look, and so on – even if you don’t know how to code. Go to ‘Appearance’ then ‘Customize’, and play around with the different possibilities your theme offers. You can preview the changes you make, and if you like them, click ‘Save & Publish’ to make them go live.
In addition, you have the chance to add functionality to your blog by using plugins. These enable you to add more advanced features such as buttons linking to your social media sites, contact forms for readers to get in touch with you, and so on. There are hundreds of free plugins available, as well as some premium options you can buy from third-party developers.
Set up your workspace
With your WordPress site ready to go, spend a bit of time creating your ideal writing space so that you can start blogging like a pro. Ideally, you want to have a desk you can use (rather than hunching over your laptop on the sofa) and a comfortable office chair with good back support. This will help you to maintain a healthy posture while writing. You’ll also need a high-performance computer such as 11th Gen Intel Lenovo Laptops to ensure that you have all the features you need to kickstart your blogging career.
Other factors to consider include having good lighting to avoid eye strain and glare on the screen (natural light is best if possible) and a pair of noise-canceling headphones to help you concentrate.
Start writing your blog posts
You cannot put it off any longer – it’s time to get writing! One top tip is to get several high-quality blog posts written before you publish your first one, to help you stick to a regular schedule as you get started. To create a blog entry, go to ‘Posts’ and then ‘Add New’. You can write directly in WordPress or copy and paste text from another document.
Make sure that you format your post before publishing it. That means adding images and links, plus using headings and subheadings to ensure that your writing flows and is easy to read. Once you’re happy, hit ‘Preview’ to see how the article looks. Don’t forget to check the previews for mobile and tablet as well as desktop! If you spot any issues, simply go back to the editor and fix them.
Publish your first post
Once you’re happy with your work, you’ll be ready to take the plunge and publish your first post! All you have to do is press ‘Publish’ and make sure it’s set to public. You’ll also have a choice between publishing immediately or scheduling your post to be published at a specific time and date in the future. That way, if it’s easier for your lifestyle, you can write all your posts in one hit but set them to go live at spaced-out intervals. Don’t panic if you spot a typo after you’ve published a post because you can always go back and edit, or even delete it completely.
Optimize your blog for SEO
If you’re going to all the effort of blogging, you probably want people to read what you’ve written. By optimizing your site for search engines, you make it easier for web users to find your blog. There are plugins that can help with this, and you’ll need to think about using keywords to optimize the content of your blog posts as well. The idea is to drive more traffic to your blog organically, enabling you to build up a loyal following of readers. This is paricularly important if you’re hoping to eventually make money from blogging.
Keep up your motivation
Many blogs fail because people lose their enthusiasm and stop posting before they’ve had a chance to become successful. Try the following tips to help keep your motivation high for the long run:
- Engage with followers by responding to comments
- Turn blogging into a habit by sitting down to write at the same time every day or week
- Keep a list of ideas for posts on your phone, so you never run out of topics
- Read other popular blogs to get some top tips and tricks
- Set some clear goals to aim for
- Treat blogging as a business, not a hobby
- Find a blogging buddy to hold you accountable
- Celebrate your achievements
- Remember why you began your blog in the first place