So, you’ve heard about the fun of blogging and think to start one of your own. You wonder how to begin, what to do and which steps should be taken to start a blog. You tried to find through the eye of Google and finally reach here.

Since you are here, I will explain the easiest steps to start your own blog. You don’t need to be worry about head-spinning technical stuffs. I’ll make it relatively simple and easy to understand. Sound good? Awesome! Let’s move on. I will cover these 8 easiest steps to start a blog.

  1. Decide your blog topic
  2. Decide your blog platform
  3. Pick a domain name
  4. Find a web host
  5. Setup your blog platform
  6. Find your blog theme
  7. Install plugins
  8. Start writing

1. Decide your blog topic
Blog is the short form of web log, which is a place or journal where you write and share knowledge to the world. Many topics had been published anywhere on the internet: web design, graphic design, business, mobile devices, fashion, food, parenting, architecture, interior design, travelling and so on. Finding the topic you passionate about is a must. It definitely makes the process of building a successful blog easier. If you write about something you don’t like, your blog will be difficult grow and you will most likely quit shortly after. So, choose your blog niche carefully before starting.

2. Decide your blog platform
There are many blog platforms available. WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger and more.

However, given that there are 74 million users, WordPress is the most popular between all. Other than the high numbers of users, there are still many obvious benefits why we choose WordPress:

  1. It is free to download and install
  2. It is supported by huge communities
  3. It has many free themes and plugins
  4. It is super easy to setup
  5. It is secure
  6. It is highly customizable

You might have probably read about the free version at wordpress.com but don’t get to keen about it. It is best to start your own self-hosted blog. Why?
You have your own domain name, not something like yourblog.wordpress.com but yourblog.com.
You fully control the design and contents of your blog
You can freely apply the monetizing strategy on your blog.

Getting your own self hosted blog does require a small amount of money for domain name and web host subscription. It won’t break your wallet though.

3. Pick a domain name
A domain name is a web address. For example, brightjournal.com is a domain name. It is going to be your identity, so you need to really take some time to think about it. It is advisable to pick a name that reflect the niche you’re going to write. To start a blog with your own domain name, go to godaddy.com or register.com. Find the search for domain name form and fill in the name you wish to have. Continue to register if it is available.

4. Find a web host
A domain name provider usually offers web host subscription as well, but you may have others in mind. Whichever you choose, make sure it serve with good quality service and support.

5. Setup your blog platform
It sounds technical isn’t it? But no, it is actually the easiest step.

  1. Download the installer file from wordpress.org
  2. Upload the files to your web host
  3. Create Mysql database by logging in to the webhost cPanel or Plesk. You may need to contact the web hosting support if you’re not sure how to do it
  4. Go to your web address
  5. Fill in your database name, database user, database password, database host, table prefix and click submit
  6. After that, you will be taken to another step to fill in site title, username, password, email, privacy and click Install. Your wordpress blog will be installed to the server

6. Find your blog theme
Wordpress offer a huge number of themes to choose from, free and paid. And it is easy to install too. Just login to the backend CMS and go to the Appearance > Themes > Add New on the left menu, you’ll find a list of theme preview. Select the one you like and click Install to apply it to your blog.

7. Install necessary plugins
Plugins extend the features of your wordpress blog. There are a lots of plugins to explore. Some are free and some require payment to use. To make it easier, here are some must-have plugins to improve your blog:

  • Jetpack by WordPress
  • Akismet
  • Contact Form 7
  • WP Mail SMTP
  • Login Lockdown
  • WP Smush.it
  • Table Press
  • All in One SEO or Wordpress SEO by Yoast
  • All In One Schema.org Rich Snippets
  • iTheme Security
  • Plugin Performance Profiler
  • Simple Social Icons
  • Video XML Sitemap Generator

8. Start writing and posting
This should be the fun part. Start writing the topic you wish to share. Make sure the content is relevant and useful for readers. Anyway, why creating a blog in the first place if there’s no advantages you can offer to your readers.

There you are, 8 steps to start your own blog. I hope this guide will provide the best and easiest step to start. But if you are still not sure how to do it, feel free to let me know on the comment box below or if you need my help to setup your blog, email me at hello[at]aurosign.com. You can simply pay as you wish. Deal?

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Comments to: How To Start A Blog
  • May 9, 2016

    Hello Wahidin!
    I read your article and I may suggest you couple things. First is about this so called “must have” plugins… I guess they are so different depending on the situation, what your blog or your site is about. For example, my “must have” are this:
    – SEO by Yoast
    – SEO Friendly Images (image optimization for SEO)
    – ShortPixel Image Optimizer (for compressing my images. It seems to have better results using this one instead other services out there, but you have to test what works better for you)
    – Simple Social Icons
    – Video XML Sitemap Generator (generating video sitemaps for your videos embedded in your page or post)
    That’s it! Different from yours, right? 🙂
    Secondly, try not to use plugins that have same functions… in your example, try to use SEO by Yoast or All In One SEO.
    The idea is testing and using what’s work for every situation.

    Reply
    • May 9, 2016

      Hi John,

      There’re indeed so many plugins up there. I’ve been testing them and found these works best, at least for me. That’s why I suggest them in this post. However, these tips are for those who haven’t known how to setup WordPress. Thus, listing them up could help those who would like to try themselves.

      However, I don’t deny your suggestions. They are good plugins and I’ve been testing them as well. I would add some plugins in your list in this post. Thanks for the feedbacks. 🙂

      Reply

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