As YouTube and other such platforms have grown over the years, blogging has become less popular but is still of interest to many people! I started my blog this past summer, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It was something that I wanted to do for a while but wasn’t exactly sure how to start so I kept putting it off. Finally, I did some research and found helpful blogs with instructions on how to start one. Hopefully, this article can help you to jump-start your blog or passion project! Read below for 5 steps to starting a blog!
1. Find a niche for your blog and think deeply about what you want your blog to be and other expectations you have for it.
The first step to starting your blog is knowing what you want it to be about. If you’ve been wanting to start a blog for a while, then you’ve probably already done this step. However, make sure not to skip it. This one is the most important because it will determine what audience you’re targeting and what your purpose is. Some questions to ask yourself during this step would be: Who do you want to read your blog/what do you want your blog’s audience to be? What do you enjoy writing about the most? What do you want to share with the world? What are your short-term and long-term goals for your blog?
2. Choose a platform for your blog.
This is basically choosing where you want to build your blog. There are a bunch of options that function differently, so you should explore the alternatives and pick which suits you best. Personally, I use WordPress, which is probably the most popular option. It is very easy to use and allows you to install many different plugins that can help with things such as analytics. There are also many different themes to choose from, and if you don’t see a basic one that you like, you can search for other free ones and download them. Paid themes are also an option.
3. Pick a domain name.
Your domain name is the website name for your blog, or what you type in the address bar to reach your site. You want your domain name to reflect what your blog is all about or essentially, your brand. It is also smart to make your domain name something easy to remember and not complicated to type out.
4. Decide on a hosting service for your blog.
The hosting service that you choose is what makes your site accessible to other people. You want to make sure you pick a service that is reliable and has good reviews. I did a lot of research on this when I started my blog and ended up choosing Bluehost. They have a few options for different plans with various price points and time periods. Some other hosting services include HostGator, GoDaddy, DreamHost, and HostMonster. Bluehost is by far the most popular, especially to use with WordPress, but I suggest doing some research and picking whatever will work best for you.
5. Design and launch your site.
This is the fun part but will take the longest. When I finally decided to start my blog and got everything set up with Bluehost and WordPress, I was itching to get my site published as soon as possible. It took me much longer than I expected it would, and many aspects went into it that I never thought about before. If you have experience with creating websites or coding, this may be easier for you, but I was starting from scratch and had to teach myself how to navigate and use WordPress. After many Google searches and days of hard work, I finally got my site published looking the way I wanted it to. All it takes to make your dream of having a blog a reality is some dedication to take action and see it all the way through!