Starting a WordPress Blog is Easier Than You Think
Did you know that starting a WordPress blog is actually much easier than you think?
I have outlined five steps below that will help you on your blogging journey. Of course, each step can take quite a lot of time and might be confusing if you’re a beginner, but that’s why I’m here!
You’ll find that each step below has its own dedicated guide. I know what you’re thinking…Nick, you’re awesome.
Step 1 – Find a Domain Name and Hosting Provider
The very first step to starting a WordPress blog is to of course find a great domain name that will be suitable for your brand or business. You will also need to find a reliable hosting provider. Your domain name is the URL of your website and the hosting provider is where all your files are stored. You should take your time choosing both of these, it’s very important.
For both domain name and hosting, I use a company called Siteground.
Step 2 – Install WordPress
The second step to starting a WordPress blog is actually installing the WordPress platform itself, which is the system you will use to create your site. There are many other platforms of course, such as Wix or Squarespace, but I recommend WordPress as it’s incredibly simple to use. It can be downloaded with just one click from your Siteground control panel.
WordPress also powers the majority of all websites and blogs on the internet, including some very big names, so it’s an obvious choice for many individuals who are serious about starting a blog or website.
Step 3 – Choose a Theme
The next step is choosing which theme you are going to install on your website. There are thousands of free themes that can be installed directly from your WordPress dashboard. Although these are probably fine if your blog is for personal use and you don’t care about making money online, I wouldn’t recommend these for business blogs or websites.
If your goal is to start a blog on WordPress to make money, I highly recommend you invest in a premium WordPress theme such as the Kadence Theme. I’m using this very theme for my own site and I love it.
Step 4 – Install the Right Plugins
I know what you’re thinking, what on earth is a plugin? Without going into too much detail here, plugins are a simple and non-tech way to add more features to your site and increase overall functionality. If you want a particular feature on your site, such as social media icons, you can install a plugin from your WordPress dashboard.
There are thousands of plugins to choose from, so selecting the right ones can be difficult. This blog post will help you choose which plugins to go for.
Step 5 – Start an Email List
If you are serious about starting a blog on WordPress to make money, or any other online business for that matter, you’ll want to start an email list. An email list can be a big asset for any business and its importance shouldn’t be overlooked.
One of my favourite reasons for starting an email list is that if your blog or business were to suddenly evaporate into thin air tomorrow, you would still have all those emails. So you could technically start a new blog or business and have a ready-made customer base at your disposal.
Another reason of course is that your dedicated subscribers are more likely to engage with your content and products than some random reader that’s just stumbled upon your site. I use Mailchimp for my email list.