Staring a blog can seem like a tedious task. I for one, am not technically inclined. Thankfully, my husband is so he helped me so much when I began my journey. Now, my content is not typically about blogging, I am a parenting blogger, but I have had so many of my friends ask me about it. So, I figured I would put it all down as simply as possible, with help from my wonderful husband. I even put together this resource page for you that is PACKED with everything you need to create a blogging empire.
*This post does contain affiliate links. I will get a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase services through these links.*
Starting a Blog
When I began starting a blog, I really had no idea what I was doing. Like I mentioned, I am not technologically inclined so thankfully I had my husband to walk me through it all. Now I am here to walk you through it just like he did for me! I will say it isn’t a get rich quick type thing, but it doesn’t have to take years to start making money. I started making some extra money in about my second month. So see, it can be done!
Get a Domain
So when I first started, I used WordPress.com. While this is a great platform, you are extremely limited on monetization. If you do the free plan you can’t monetize at all. With the paid plans, you can monetize, but it is limited. After less than 30 days with this platform, I decided to bite the bullet. I moved over to a self-hosted site with WordPress.org and I have never been happier!
There are literally hundreds of places where you can purchase your domain name for relatively cheap. Places like GoDaddy offer super inexpensive domain names. Your domain name is extremely important. You want it to be simple and memorable, because this will basically be your brand in the future.
Seriously though, I have spoken with so many other bloggers and they all say the same thing; “I wish I would have started out self-hosted”. So learn from our mistakes, and just go for the self hosted option! I promise, domains and hosting are not super expensive!
Get Hosted
After you have your domain, the next step in starting a blog is getting hosted. There is a plethora of hosting sites out there. Most of them are rather inexpensive, starting at about $5 a month. Some of the ones that my husband recommended when I started my blogging journey were SiteGround and Bluehost. Both of which offer extremely inexpensive hosting, along with excellent customer service The cool thing about Bluehost, is that it offers $10 in Ebates when you sign up, saving you even more money! Customer service is important, because it is likely you will need to contact them to assist you at some point in your blogging journeySo go take a look around their websites. See what packages they have to offer and pick something that fits your needs! You don’t need an expensive option starting out. The basic package will be perfect for any new blogger.
Install WordPress.org
WordPress.org is what I use and I LOVE it. It makes everything extremely easy. Once you have your domain and hosting, all you do is go to their website and download it. They make everything extremely easy for us non technical folks, and their customer service is great. I have emailed with them a few times, and have no complaints in that department!
Make it Pretty
We all know that aesthetics are important, especially in the blogging universe. Now that you are all set up with hosting, a domain and you have WordPress installed it is time to get pretty! You have the option of choosing from a large number of free themes, or you can purchase a premium theme. This really all depends on how much you want to initially pay. You can start with a free theme, and then upgrade at any time.
Get Writing
Now you are all set up and have completed starting a blog! I would recommend having about ten or more posts written and scheduled before “going live” with your website. It is nice to have some posts to promote once you are live, so take your time and write quality content that readers will love!
This was great tips. That any blogger can utilize. How many post should a blogger write when they first get started?
I did it all wrong, lol I only had 1 and it was such a mistake. I would recommend having around 10 or more ready to go when you make the site live.
Great resource for explaining how someone can get started! Blogging is fun but lots of work!
I agree! I love it and enjoy it, but there is a lot of work involved as well.
These are great tips! Blogging is such hard work, and I have seen a lot of people quit early on!
This is wonderful! I have so many people ask me about starting a blog and where/how they should start. This is a great post for that!
Thank you 🙂 I have had a lot of people ask me about it as well, so I figured this would be easier than saying all 1000 times lol
Really great and simple tips for anyone who wants to get started blogging. The host is major. I’ve gone through two now, but am happy with who I’m with now. The previous one kept stop working. No bueno.
These are great tips – I know several people who have expressed interest in blogging, but haven’t taken the step because they’re intimidated by the process. It isn’t that complicated though, especially when you can find posts like this one that line everything out for you.
I was so intimidated in the beginning. I think that is why it took me so long to actually decide to just do it.
Oh gosh my husband did all the hard work for me! He got the domain, the server. I just do the pretty things! It works out so well!
Ha ha I did the same. But I also wanted to learn so I had him show me and kind of teach me so I could handle it if something went down while he is at his day job
I been blogging for a year or so as part of project uni and the challenge was to get $$ without a domain and it really worked but your tips work amazing for now that i want a domain
Oh man I bet it was super hard to make money without a domain…doable but much harder I’m sure
These are all great tips! I am always looking for more ideas because in this career, I’m always learning.
Great tips. It can be overwhelming starting a blog.
These are some great tips! It can be tricky to set up a blog, but it’s so worth it!
Good tips. Easy to read and simple to follow. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what you have to say in the future.
These are some great tips for beginner bloggers. I have to tell you. I have to tell you, I wish I had this information when I started blogging 6 years ago. It took me a long time to figure everything out myself.
I always have friends ask me how they can get started blogging. This is a great resource that I can share with them!
Hopefully it is helpful! I have a few more in this series coming soon too!
Great tips for newbies. I think the biggest thing about starting about blog is to do it. Start writing and creating and the rest will follow
Love posts like these. Great intro to blogging. Will be helpful to many. Wish I found a blog like this when I started my blog.
Great tips! I set mine up 6 months ago and i really had no clue at all where to begin!!!
These are fabulous tips, I enjoy reading about blogging so much! I have in fact an e-book on how to start a blog coming out so it’s good to see that I’m on the right page with others:) Great post as always!! x
I agree that these are great tips for getting started. It helps to have a friend who can do the technical part for you.
You’ve done a great job explaining the steps of starting a blog and provided great resources as well. Blogging is a fantastic thing, but many people don’t realize just how much work it is, even just getting a blog set up and launched.
I love blogging and although it’s difficult to break through I would recommend it to any mom that is willing to put in the work 🙂
Thanks for sharing. It’s definitely a journey and a big learning curve. I’m still figuring it all out as a mom with a full-time job outside of the home. I’ve learned from scratch and still learning a lot as I go. Thanks for the tips and suggestions.
Some great tips here on having a successful blog. We hope to make some money on ours one day.
Great newbie tips! Just keep writing what you love 🙂
These tips and steps are perfect. I know so many people who have a blog without a host (something free like wix) and end up regretting it in the long hall, SO important)
Thank you for reminding me how much goes into starting a new blog. My husband is creating a spin off site and needs to do all of the above!
This is great! I know starting a blog can be very confusing when you have no idea what your doing.
It’s so hard to know where to actually start when writing a blog. I started 6 months ago now but had put it off for a while. Sometimes you just have to find your feet but it would be so much easier to have a post like this to read beforehand!
This is great for influencers looking to start a blog. There weren’t many posts like this when I was a beginner so I’m sure many appreciate your tips!
These are all some really great tips and I did most of these when I started my blog. I definitely wanted my own domain and not a free site. I looked at it as an investment into my future.
Such helpful info! I remember how confusing it was getting starting! This lays it all out so simply!
These are some great tips! I really love it !!
Sometimes you have to stop thinking about it and just start it. This is such a nice guide especially for people who have no clue on how to start a blog and monetize.
I think this is great! It’s really important to have a guide like this especially for newbies. It’s easier to start when you know how to start and what to do next.
Se manifique! brilliant and perfect tips for anyone starting a blog from scratch. Wish i read this when i started
Great info! I’m a new blogger myself and I also did things a bit backwards haha – I had everything set up before I started writing content. o far though it hasn’t been a problem!
Thanks for this step-by-step guide! I have lots of friends who always ask me how to start a blog from scratch – your post nails it!
Thank you for your tips! When I first started blogging, I have literally zero knowledge how to do it. So i diligently visit some websites and blogs that I follow and study them little by little, and lots of trial and error. Now am happy i did it 🙂
Great rescources! I live WordPress for my blog and website!
Thank you for a helpful guide!