How to Start a Blog

Do you want to learn how to start a blog?

Starting a blog is not complicated at all, and we’re here to assure you that setting up your own blog is not as daunting as many people think.

In fact, by following the step-by-step instructions in this guide you will learn how to create a blog in less than no time (no technical skills needed).

The 7 easy steps to start a blog:

• Step #1: Select a perfect niche
• Step #2: Choose a blogging platform
• Step #3: Pick a domain name
• Step #4: Get a web hosting account
• Step #5: Install blogging software and set up a blog
• Step #6: Find the right theme (blog design)
• Step #7: Write blog content

Introduction and common questions

Before you go into action steps, let us cover some valuable information. This section provides background (blogging 101) information to help you understand why people start a blog and the most frequent questions blogging beginners ask.

Why start a blog?

Become a better writer and thinker

Once you start blogging, you’ll find yourself becoming a better writer and thinker. Mastering content takes creative thought. When you become immersed in creating great pieces of content for your blog, your writing, thinking and research skills improve in the process.

Establish yourself as an expert

Blogs are wonderful tools to help people establish themselves as experts in a field or niche. We all have some kind of interest and expertise to share with others. If you’re able to produce great content and/or have a unique point of view on the topic, then be assured that your future audience will recognize it and reward you for it. With a bit of effort, you too can become an authority in your area of interest and teach others how to start blogging.

Increase your self-confidence

The more involved you become with blogging, the more your creative juices will flow. That’s one reason why blogging is so popular. As you gain knowledge about your topic, the confidence you build in your followers and most importantly, in yourself, will soar. All of this leads to increased creativity. Keep an open mind and enjoy your new-found confidence in your own abilities!

Make friends and have fun

With practice and a little effort, you can easily build your base of fans and followers. As you become known as an expert in your niche, you can inspire, encourage and help your followers make a difference in their own lives. Along with your blogging journey, you will make new friends and connections throughout the world. If you like to travel, that means a lot of couches are available for you to snooze on while winging your way around the globe!

Make money from your blog

Blogging may well become your passion but you can also monetize your blog. In fact, many authority bloggers are able to earn a living from blogging. There are many ways to make money blogging. You can place ads and receive compensation from companies by promoting their products and services. Or you can sell your own digital products and merchandise.

The most common questions

Question 1: How to start a blog for free?

People often wonder where to start a blog, but there are several blogging platforms that allow you to start a blog for free. All you have to do is to choose the one you like, register an account and start blogging. For example, you can set up a free blog on Blogger or Tumblrin a matter of a few minutes.
But you need to understand a few things when starting a blog for free:

• If you open a Blogspot account then your free blog name will be in this form: “blogname.blogspot.com” or “blogname.tumblr.com”. In the blogging community, this type of blog is the sign of an inexperienced beginner who likely won’t be taken seriously.
• You’ll be subject to rules and restrictions set by platform. They may limit or prohibit you to use ads, or they may even place their own ads on your blog. If you’re serious about blogging, you’ll want to move away from this option sooner than later.

To start a blog the right way, we strongly suggest to set up a self-hosted blog with WordPress and we will cover how-to in this blogging guide. If for some reason the free is the only option for you, then create an account on one of the platforms mentioned above and check them out.

Question 2: Do bloggers make money?

You can definitely make money blogging. The amount of money will depend on many factors and it won’t happen overnight but if you put enough effort you could be making extra income or even make a living from your blog.

When you are just starting a blog, don’t get disappointed if blogging won’t buy you a new car in the first few months.

Step #1: Select a perfect niche

To become a successful blogger you will have to choose the right niche and work on attaining the highest form of knowledge within that topic. So pick the one that appeals to you—the one you are passionate about and most interested in. Strive for success, happiness, and recognition. By choosing the niche of interest and having your own point of view you’ll be able to differentiate your personal blog from the competition.

Brainstorm to find your topic

Following is a process that can help you determine which niche is best for you:

• Make a list of your interests or hobbies. Which topics fascinate you? List them all, for instance: golf, fishing, yoga, playing games or cooking.
• Next, list accomplishments you are proud of, such as musical talent, artistic talent or sports achievements.
• Now, list difficulties you have overcome or defeated, such as: losing a significant amount of weight, recovering from a financial setback or managing a disease.

During the course of this exercise, you will get a better feeling for the topics that resonate with you. The ones you are most passionate about are the best candidates for your niche.

Step #2: Choose a blogging platform

At this stage, you’ll need to look at the best blog sites out there and determine the type of blog management tool you want to use. We recommend that you start your blog using a self-hosted setup that we show in this guide. But before you ask yourself, how do I start a blog, let us describe each option.

When it comes to blogging platforms you have the following options: free and self-hosted (recommended).

Free platforms

For many new bloggers, the availability of free tools such as Blogger or Tumblr is tempting. Of course, there is one big benefit, it’s free.

By keeping your blog on a free platform, you let the platform own your name. You’ll be subject to their rules and restrictions. If you are looking to start a blog to make money, they may limit or prohibit ads on your blog, or they may even place their own ads. If you’re serious about blogging, you’ll want to move away from this option.

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