The most common question I get asked about blogging would be, “How do you start a blog?”
For this particular post, I will show you how to start a successful blog (a professional one) in easy steps. If you know how to click a mouse and use the internet, you will do this.
Do not be afraid if you have never done this before or feel you are too technologically challenged to do it — because you can do it. How do I know? I’ve technologically challenged myself — yet I still did it. But you have the advantage of not making the same mistakes that I did by learning from my mistakes.
Picking A Topic
Pick a topic you know about or as a lot. Pick something you’re passionate about. You don’t even need to be an expert on a subject to blog about it! You can even blog about things you hate as long as you’re passionate about it.
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Some blogs have “how-to” tutorials, and some have photos, animations, cartoons, and videos as their content. The most popular blogs are the non-fiction and “how-to” blogs.
Blogging about something you know a lot about or love will encourage regular posting — therefore, people will most likely return — and reduce your writer’s block.
Doing What You Love, Know, Or Hate Is Great, But Is There A Market For The Topic You Want To Blog About?
Do a Google search or use Google Keyword Tool to find out if people are searching for your topic and related terms.
Google Trends helps to find out how popular a search term or word is. Market Samurai is a great tool that I use to find the detailed analysis of the topics and markets I want to get into.
Forums are also a great source of information to find out what the market needs. Users there might tell you what information or product they are looking for or willing to pay for. Or you can ask on the forums what people are after.
Choosing a Blog
Which is Best: WordPress or Blogger?
Call me biased because I’m using WordPress, but I’ve used both of them, and WordPress has impressed me the most — don’t hold it against me, almighty Google. WordPress has better and more plugins to make life easier, and I am all for it because I’m so lazy and technologically challenged.
Now before you rush off to signup for an account with WordPress, if you are planning on making money out of your blog or if it’s for a business, you would want to look professional.
URLs such as yourwebsite.wordpress.com/yourentry don’t look professional, and it’s difficult to remember. To get a free blog with WordPress.com, you tell your audience that your blog is just a hobby.
To get your own URL or domain, such as YourWebsite.com, for example, you need a hosting provider to host your domain. Hosting packages usually cover the registration of the domain. Okay, I’ll admit a little secret: when I began, I didn’t even know what a hosting provider was or what it did. Yes, those words technologically challenged comes into mind.
Hosting Providers
I have used quite a few hosting providers, and there are some good ones out there. So far, the ones I like have to be Bluehost and Siteground. I use both of them.
Bluehost offers fantastic, 24 hours online support. I’ve had some lame newbie problems in the past, and they have always been there to help me fix the issues — without making me feel like a noob. Bluehost support is fast and reliable. Their prices are pretty average. Not the most expensive but not the cheapest either. But you will definitely get good support with them — so for someone new to blogs and websites, they are a Godsend.
Siteground is cheap and cheerful. The prices are lower than Bluehost, but for a good reason: their support is elusive, to say the least. If you’re confident with websites and blogs, then support doesn’t really matter. To get hold of a Siteground customer service rep online is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. And Siteground has slightly fewer features compared to Bluehost. But what they lack in features, they make up for in price and overall performance. If you are on a shoestring budget and want affordable hosting, Siteground is the way to go.
So which host is better? It all comes down to your budget and support preference.
Hosting Your Website
- Before you register your domain and get your website hosted, have some backup URL or domain names if the one you want is already taken.
- Go Bluehost or Siteground and type in the URL you want that is available. Sign up, make payment (credit card or Paypal), and receive a welcome email with your website’s login details. It’s worth paying that little extra $10 a year for the WHOIS privacy protection so people can’t find your personal details when they look at who owns the website. And to prevent them from spamming your email.
- Sign in to your website by going to your hosting provider’s website and login in with your account details.
Here is where you will easily install WordPress with a few clicks:
- For Bluehost > Scroll down to Software/Services section and click on Simple Scripts > Under Blogs heading click on WordPress, > Click Install > Fill in details > Bookmark your website’s WordPress login URL — now you have a WordPress blog on your own domain!
- For Siteground > Go Account Section > click CPanel > click Access CPanel Normally > Scroll down to Software/Services section and click on Fantastico De Luxe > Under Blogs click on WordPress > Click on New Installation > Fill in details and click Install WordPress > Bookmark you website’s WordPress login URL — now you have a WordPress blog on your own domain!
Pick A Template (Design) For Your Blog
Many people get worried that they need to know how to design a website to have one. But there are templates (for WordPress and Blogger) that are free — with all the design and work done for you.
To pick a free theme, log into your website’s WordPress account (the URL you bookmarked after WordPress was installed), which I’ll refer to as the “WordPress backend” from now.
On the left panel, under the Appearance tab, click on Themes, click on the Install Themes tab across the top, tick the boxes you want or put in the name of a design or word, and click Find Themes. Once you have found and settled on a theme, click Install, click the Install Now button, then click Activate, and your theme or design should be live on your website.
Please go check it out by typing your website URL into a new browser window and looking. If you do not like it, you can search for another theme and activate the new one instead. You can even find the names of the themes you want by doing a Google search. Type “Free WordPress Themes pink” or “Paper WordPress Themes,” etc., with a short description of the style or color you want, and you’ll get lists of themes to choose from.
To customize your blog to the colors you want with your logos etc., I’ll cover that in part three of this post series, “How To Customize Your Blog.”
Adding WordPress Plugins To Make Your Life Easier
What are WordPress plugins?
WordPress blogs on their own are pretty okay for blogging, but your site will be pretty bare and simple in function. Unless you are a programmer who can code everything you need, you’re going to want some plugins. Best of all, these plugins are free.
What are these plugins, and what on earth do they do? The question should be, what don’t they do? From helping your site run faster to helping you add contact forms, insert ads, have slide shows, help Google find your site, let you have customized sidebar or menus, embed videos, kill comment spam, make your site prettier, and much more! Many programmers have spent the time to make these handy plugins to make our lives easier so we can have more interesting and better websites – so a thank you to all you WordPress plugin programmers out there.
To add new plugins to your WordPress backend (without installing it manually), on the left-hand panel under the Plugins tab, click Add New and type in the name of the plugin or the function that you want, and click Search Plugins. Find the plugin you want and select Install Now, and then click Activate Plugin to begin using it.
Those Are My Pinnacle 13 Endorsed WordPress Plugins To add:
Advert Inserter (via Igor Funa) — works in tandem with Marketing Manager underneath. It will make your life simpler while you monetize your website online with commercials. The closing aspect I need to do is figure out how to code the ads to make them repeat or take a seat in a positive region on my website. This plugin makes adding commercials easy.
Marketing Supervisor (by way of Scott Switzer) — works in tandem with the Ad Inserter above. This beneficial plugin controls what number of ads to show so that you do not get bitch slapped by Google Adsense. Google handiest allows 3 commercials per page, so this plugin does all the just right for you, so you don’t fear compliance!
Akismet (by Automattic) — weird call but it’s miles reachable to kill off traumatic comments who depart unsolicited mail for your website! This is already pre-established on all WordPress debts; you simply need to set off it utilizing signing up for an API key.
Multi functional Seo P.C. (by way of Michael Torbert) — will assist in optimizing your website for search engines like google and yahoo (that’s important, however, greater on that in any other post).
Comment Link Supervisor (by way of Weber Website hosting) — will make your lifestyles less difficult using letting you control the hyperlinks left by commentators.
Clean Privacy Coverage (by Kevin Sparrow) — a need for websites wanting to get on the coolest aspect of Google Adsense. This might not guarantee you will get authorized, but positive facilitates a little. Plus, it’s constantly expert to allow your website visitors to recognize how you will guard their non-public records (and I hope you suggest it!)
Speedy Secure Touch Shape (by way of Mike Challis) — enough said! Constructing net bureaucracy is an ache inside the butt, and this plugin does it for you and nonetheless gives you the flexibility to personalize it if you wish. And it’s Comfortable, so it makes me experience all fuzzy and heat. Now you have a “Touch us” Form, how professional!
Google XML Sitemaps (with the aid of Arne Brachhold) — aids search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing to index your website online asap – that’s essential if you need to be determined.
Robots Meta (with the aid of Joost de Valk) — search engines like google make use of crawlers or net spiders or net robots to “move slowly” your internet site’s pages. This plugin points the bots to the pages that rely upon and avoid those that aren’t.
Horny Bookmarks (by Shareaholic) — If you look below, you will see a social networks panel for human beings to proportion this newsletter with (like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc.). This is the first-rate to inspire people to inform their pals and own family approximately your website or articles.
Subscribe to remarks Reloaded (with the aid of Camu) — this sort of small characteristic, yet it can be effective. It leaves a touch box for commentators to tick if they wish to follow remarks with different commentators’ aid. What does that suggest, and how does it benefit you? Subscribing to remarks, they need to peer what others are saying and go back to your website! Encouraging readers to come back returned is a notable thing to have!
W3 General Cache (by way of Frederick Townes) — Makes your weblog load quicker! And that in itself is awesome because Google takes that into account when ranking one’s website. So the faster your website loads, the better it looks in Google’s eyes.
WordPress Database Backup (by way of Austin Matzko) — This one would not require an explanation. The name tells you simply how crucial it’s far to backup your website if your PC crashes or you by chance mess up your internet site.
If Your Theme Needs Extra Basic Features
If you like your theme, but it is missing some basic elements — like menus, etc., these plugins might help (remember these are optional, so check your theme first):
Menubar (by Andrea Tarantini) — some theme developers forget to put in a menubar. If your theme is one of them, this will do the trick.
Page Link Manager (by Garrett Murphey) — if your theme is missing a menubar, odds are you have no control over which links show up in your navigation menu/menubar once you add one. Here is where this plugin will help decide which pages or categories show with a few clicks.
Now, What Do I Do Zoe?
You are starting writing and putting content in!
WordPress automatically installs a pre-written first post for you. You can either delete it by writing over it or select Add New under the Posts tab on the left-hand panel.
