How to Start a Blog | 2018

April 17, 2018

So it’s been on your mind, and you’re finally ready to take the leap and start a blog. Lucky you! This post will show you how to start a blog, in a few simple steps. I will break it down for you and explain to you exactly how I started my blog in April 2016.
Step 1. What Are You Passionate About?

First things first. What are you going to write about? Really take some time and think through what you want to write about. If it’s something or things that you are passionate about, it will resonate more with your future readers. Plus, you will have that passion when you are writing.

Are you thinking about a specific topic or niche? Do you want to cover more topics, like 4-5? Are you thinking more along the lines of a lifestyle blog, like Uniquely  Created, where I talked about life topics that are important to me? Whichever you decide, finding a niche that’s just right for you is the most important step to starting a blog, as it will become your blog.

 

Step 2. Come Up With a Name

Just like naming a child or pet, naming your blog should be purposeful. You’ll want the name to fit in with your passion and truly represent your brand.  

When I first started, I already had my name, Uniquely Created, picked out as I thought my blog would be solely Faith/Christian based. Although Faith is a major part of who I am and my passion, it is not the only topic on my blog. Thankfully, as a lifestyle blogger, I get to write about several topics, however; just a few months into blogging, I felt my name no longer fit my “brand.”

This may be why you’ll find a lot of bloggers using their actual name in their blog name. In doing so, the blog’s name will always fit your passion as it is a part of you. I know, it’s a lot to consider. Come up with 3 -4 of your top picks and play around with them to get a feel for them.

 

Step 3. Is Your Name Available

You’ve done all of the work, you have a list of possible names. Now before you go to setup your website, you want to check and see if your names are available. This step may help with eliminating names when you are stuck deciding if those names are not available.

Check to see if the name is available as a domain name, as well as for social media. No one told me this step until it was too late. Not only was my domain name taken, When I selected my current domain name, it was not available to use on any social media site.  It helps with consistency and brand recognition when all of your pages share the same name.

 

Step 4. Go to Bluehost and Get Started

Now that you have settled on a name, it’s time to start setting up your website. The first step is to go to bluehost.com and click get started now.

Next, select which option of hosting you would like. If you are just starting out, I would recommend the basic package. 

Then, you will be asked to enter your domain name, the one you selected in steps 2 & 3. Your domain name is free with your hosting account. If you already have a domain name, you can enter it in the other option and Bluehost will guide you through how to use the one you already have.

 

Step 5. Purchase Your Hosting

Enter in your account information, and then it will start asking you about the package information. Understand that Bluehost gives you a monthly breakdown of the cost, but, you will be charged for the entire amount at once. I strongly recommend that you purchase “site backup pro”. If something were to go wrong, Bluehost saves a backup of your site. If anything goes wrong with your site, all you have to do is call them and they will restore your site back to normal!

 

Step 6. Install WordPress

Now that you are all done with Bluehost, you will receive an email confirmation that has your username and password. You will use this to sign into your account cpanel or homepage. Go to the website section and find the “Install WordPress” and click it.Now you will be taken to another screen, where you should select “install” again and then choose the domain in that you would like to install WordPress and choose your actual site. A status bar will appear with your progress and then once your installation is complete, your site login credentials will appear.  I recommend writing this down in your blog planner for future use.

 

Step 7. Design Your Website

If you are creative like me, this is the exciting part. If not, you can also hire someone to design your site for you. WordPress offers several FREE themes for you to use as your site design. I do recommend this when starting, as you just spent a hefty amount on your hosting. While in WordPress, go to your menu and hover over Appearance, then click on Themes. You will need to select add themes to see all of the available themes for you to install free or to purchase. YouTube is a great source for step by step directions for installing your theme.

 

OMG! You have a blog! Now is the time to schedule your launch and start writing. Make sure you check out my post on How to Create A Blog Mood Board to help with the appearance of your blog. Happy Blogging!

 

If you’ve enjoyed today’s post, please make sure you leave a comment, subscribe to receive notifications of future blog posts, and please head over to my YouTube channel to stay updated on my TTC journey where I post a new video every Sunday. As always, thanks for stopping by!

If you have found this inspiring, please share it via Twitter, Pinterest, & Facebook!

xo Tish

P.S. Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination. – Drake

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