How to start a blog with no experience
I get asked a lot about how to start a blog. Some of us are stuck at home….. or other places (like hospitals and doctors)…instead of a normal routine of an 8-5 job. (a.k.a. just over broke).
Some of us have chosen part time work or staying home just because the added health complications weren’t worth the pay of a full time or high demand j.o.b.
Regardless of our choices vs necessities, learning how to start a blog is a great way to add value to others, find your purpose and earn an income on the side…or even maybe a full time replacement!
It’s super simple and easy to create a website, even for a beginner on a budget. Once created there are a ton of directions you can go! We’ll expound on the directions later, the purpose of this post is to walk you through step-by-step in simply getting you started….in less than 10 minutes.
There’s a couple phases to building your site, so this article will be dedicated to getting started!
how to start a blog – Phase A is made of these 6 simple steps below:
Step 1 – Decide on the topic for your website.
You’ll be talking about this topic or set of topics for a while so make sure you’re choosing topics, or niche(s), you’re interested in, enjoy, and either knowledgeable of or have a desire to learn as much as you can! This way you’ll be able to look beyond the mundane day-to-day tasks it takes to operate your business and enjoy what you’re doing!
What if I can't make up my mind?
I spent 8 months on my first website constantly changing my mind and ultimately just being indecisive on my topic. I bet I changed that site at least 4 times….now that the procrastination and indecisiveness is out of my system I have 3 websites that are in different topics/niches because let’s face it, not everything went together but they’re all part of my life, knowledge and skill set. Just decide on a direction to go and get started, you can adjust it later for your audience needs and personal preference.
What if there’s already websites that cover the topic I want to blog about?
Personal preference comes in here. There’s multiple stores, service based businesses, and products that serve the same niche. Each one has their own following or clientele. For instance, Chick-fil-A offers similar food as Zaxby’s and Hobby Lobby offers similar products as Michael’s. Some will choose to shop at Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby because of being attracted by the faith based principles of these companies yet all four are thriving businesses within their respective niche.
Step 2 – Choose a CMS platform for your blog.
Sound complicated? Not at all. The CMS, content management system, is what enables you to put your words into the form of a blog, or website. There’s a lot to choose from but the most popular and largely recognized as the best across the board is WordPress. You can get WordPress for free when you purchase your hosting in Step 3.
Step 3 – Choose a host for your website.
The host makes your website available on the internet. Personally I have purchased and use Bluehost on all the websites I own. I recommend Bluehost to beginners, my clients, friends, and family looking for help on how to start a blog or new website.
I personally use and love Bluehost + WordPress for all my hosting needs! I started a while ago as a complete newbie with Bluehost, had a TON of questions, made lots of mistakes, and needed a lot of help! I’ve always gotten great service, detailed answers to my questions, and have learned so much with them!
Setting up Bluehost is quick and includes WordPress (step 2) installation as well. They have a money-back guarantee and you can check out the plans and get started here.
Why should I pay for hosting when there’s free options?
Personally, I started my websites to not only provide value to others but eventually become a source of income for my family as well. Free hosting limits your ability to monetize your site and lacks support. They can also be limited in features and be costly to transfer to a paid hosting later.
Step 4 – Choosing your hosting plan.
Once you click the Get Started button you’ll be able to choose your plan. I chose the Plus plan because it has more unlimited features and it gave me the option to have unlimited websites (I had future plans). However, looking back I wish I had selected the Choice Plus to have the added domain privacy. It keeps your contact information hidden from the public. I didn’t see the value in this protection at first….27 calls + 5 texts + 9 emails (all in one day) later…I wish I had selected it! So, until my renewal with Bluehost I make sure to add domain privacy on each domain purchase I make.
Step 5 – Choosing your domain name.
Your domain name is your address on the web (i.e. CrushingItChronically.com). If you know what name you want for your domain, enter it in this step. At the bottom of the page you can select to create it later if you’re unsure at the moment what name you want.
What if I can’t decide on a domain name because I haven’t decided on a topic or niche?
No worries! You can skip the domain name set up for later.
What if the domain name I want is taken?
Again, skip the domain name for now while you go back to the drawing board and create it later.
Step 6 – Set up your account with Bluehost
This is just all your normal information for setting up an account and in the last steps of actually how to start a blog. (after this we’ll go on to talk about some fun stuff like hanging the curtains and painting the walls!)
- Enter your account info:
- Enter your payment method (this can be saved to your account which makes renewal a breeze)
- Select your package extras (I personally uncheck the extras)
- Create the password for your account.
- You’ll be asked some questions about your blog, all are changeable later or can skip now).
Phase A of How to start a blog is complete!
Yay! Congrats! You just learned how to start a blog and are now the new owner of a self-hosted WordPress Blog! You just walked through the steps building a foundation for your blog!
So, What’s next?? Time to paint the walls and hang the curtains!
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.