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Hello Freedom Seeker
In this post, I’m going to show you how to create a website, share 14 effective tips for starting your amazing new blog and get it up and running correctly. I’ll walk you through it…it’s not difficult.
1. Internet Terms That May Be New To You
Niche – is what you intend to blog about…your chosen topic
Domain Name – is the address of your blog (and yes, you do need one)
Website Platform – the framework your blog sits on
Hosting Company – the administrator of your site, its Server – the ‘home’ of your domain Think of it like you are renting space for your domain to live.
Theme – this is the ‘window dressing’ that makes your site look and function how you want it to.
Plugins – are pieces of software containing coded functions that can add new features and enhance the performance of your WordPress site.
SSL – This setting makes the connection between the browser your reader is using and the server ‘safe’. It’s important and some people choose to ignore it BUT I recommend that you don’t.
When you see a little lock symbol in front of a URL, it means the site is secure. e.g. https:// (secure) http:// (not secure) This ‘secure’ status is reassuring to your reader about the validity of your site.
2. Choosing Your Blog Niche
So, in order to get started you need to pick a topic (niche) that you are genuinely interested in as you will be writing about it A LOT! This may shift sideways as you get to know what your readers are really interested in, and that’s perfectly normal.
Most bloggers change the focus of their blog after a while. As your audience grows you will start to get a feel for what is most important to them.
Particularly if you encourage comments on your site, and ask questions in your emails…(you can also run surveys, readers respond well to these)
You don’t necessarily have to be super-passionate about your niche as long as it interests you…although super-passionate is definitely a bonus.
Plus, you will need to do research on any niche…we all do. This is how you will continue to find topics within your niche to write posts about.
By the way, all niches can be profitable BUT, you will need to learn how to market your blog to get people to find your posts. This isn’t difficult as most of us spend time on social media already.
In other words, which social media platforms to use, how best to use them, which strategies to use, how consistent you are with posting, and how much value to stack into your posts for your readers.
3. Choosing Your Blog Domain Name
Your blog name and domain should be the same. It can reflect your niche, but it doesn’t have to. You can use your own name, or something completely random. Some of the best blogs have unlikely names:
- chasingfoxes.com
- acupofjo.com
- abeautifulness.com
- cupcakesandcashmere.com
OR use your name
- Neil Patel.com
- Melyssa Griffin.com
- Isabellepaquin.com
Pick something easy to spell. No strange versions of the words as people won’t find it easily when they search. No slang…same deal.
Nothing kitsch or clever and no hyphens. AND, always try to get a dot com (.com) as it’s the most widely respected and recognized.
4. Get The Same Social Media As Your Blog Name
This is very important. You want to have a consistent presence on the web…even if you’re planning on a ‘hobby’ blog. But definitely, if your blog is going to be a business.
You can check your choices (yes, make sure you have more than one choice in case it’s not available) on this website namevine.com which will also tell you if the same social media handles are available.
Focus on the main ones, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest (a must for bloggers), Youtube, and definitely Instagram (a must)…maybe LinkedIn depending on your niche (not as much for bloggers)
TIP: Don’t buy through Namevine. Purchase your domain through your hosting company – more on that later.
For example, my ‘domain’ is: womanbeyou.com and my SM accounts are the same. (Except for Instagram…I had to change it recently)
When you find a domain you like, check Google to see if a similar domain but with a different spelling has a significant web presence. If so, choose another name. You don’t want confusion with your audience…they may end up on the wrong site.
5. You Need A Blog Website Platform
This is the framework your website sits on. The ONLY one that serious bloggers use is wordpress.org
This is a self-hosted platform and comes with plenty of options.
Please DO NOT choose WordPress.com. This is not self-hosted and no serious blogger would choose it as you don’t have enough control over your blog and, also you will have much less flexibility. Trust me on this!
The two versions of WordPress look so similar and contrary to what we would consider normal, on this occasion you DON’T want to be lured by the .com version.
The same goes for these…they are NOT self-hosted. You will be tempted as they are touted as FREE because the hosting and theme are all included. Plus they advertise a lot on YouTube.
- Wix
- Blogger
- Squarespace
- Tumbler
But, you will very quickly find that you’ll wish you had more options, want to have full control over your domain and to do that you will need to upgrade to their paid plan anyway – and still without the range of options available to you on WordPress.org.
Sorry to be so adamant but…with self-hosting, you’re the boss of your business. You need to have complete control.
If and when your blog starts to make money, you don’t want any platform in control of it except you.
Also, WordPress.org has plenty of tutorials to help you learn more about the technical side of the platform…and has many super-useful plugins (more about these later) to help you achieve certain things with your business.
Note: WordPress automatically optimizes your blog making it easier for Google to find it, and you want Google to find your site…You Really Do!
Ok…I think I’ve hammered the self-hosting point home enough. This is mainly for those of you who maybe don’t know much about the ‘behind the scenes’ info regarding websites. So many people get caught out.
Moving on…
6. You Need A Self-Hosting Company
The best self-hosted one around is SiteGround.com (affiliate) Yes, there are others (tried and tested) but most people come back to SiteGround as they appear to be way ahead of others with their innovation and what’s included.
When you have checked that your chosen domain and social media handles are available, purchase your domain through SiteGround. It’s much easier.
They always have a cheaper package for the year. I strongly suggest investing in the ‘Grow Big’ option paid annually if you can stretch your budget to it.
This will give you extra features giving your site more security and speed and will grow with you as your blog grows.
There are some costs with starting a blog but compared to any other type of business they’re minimal. Good hosting is one of them.
But if your budget doesn’t stretch to it, it’s no biggie…there’s no issue with the ‘StartUp’ plan as you can upgrade at any time as your blog grows.
7. Here’s How To Sign Up For SiteGround
It’s not difficult…I’ll walk you through it now.
Go to SiteGround (Affiliate)
Choose Your Plan – StartUp or GrowBig
Once you choose your plan, you will be prompted to pick your Primary Domain.
Choose the ‘Register a New Domain’ option. Follow the instructions.
NOTE: If you already own a domain with another company, I strongly suggest you move it across to SiteGround. Keep all your domains with the same hosting company. SiteGround makes it easy to do this.
Choose Domain Privacy Protection. (You don’t need anything else at this stage)
NOTE: Domain Privacy costs a little more BUT, it stops anyone from being able to access your personal information (spammers, hackers, etc) and, without it I guarantee you’ll get countless emails (and maybe phone calls) from people all over the world offering you their services…that you don’t need!
I recommend it, but it’s personal choice.
Then, make sure you review the screen and then choose the ‘PAY NOW’ button.
8. Install WordPress On Your Blog
After you sign up for SiteGround hosting, you’ll be sent all the info you need to log into your new account.
When you log in for the first time you will be prompted to set up a new website.
Choose ‘Set Up Site’ select ‘Start New Site’ and make sure ‘WordPress’ is selected.
Then set up your ‘Login Credentials’ and click ‘Continue’
IMPORTANT TIP:
Deter Potential Hackers – Choose Your Admin Username Carefully
DON’T choose ‘admin’ or your blog’s name, or even your own name.
(These will be the first they will try) Choose something completely random but something that you can easily remember.
AND: Choose A Really Strong Password
(this is not the time to use one you’ve used elsewhere.)
Also, make sure the email you put in is one you check often as it is how WordPress will contact you for administration purposes.
(Note: it can be your usual Gmail account…just your standard account you use all the time.)
NOTE: This will be a different email address from the one you will set up for your readers to contact you. That email address should always be a professional .com address and NOT a Gmail or Ymail-type account.
Now you will be taken to your WordPress dashboard page. Bookmark this as you will be spending a large part of your life on it!
If you want to just type into the browser the access for your WordPress site admin use: yourdomain.com/wp-admin/ and hit enter. (Obviously, use YOUR domain name)
TIP: WordPress sometimes has some plugins installed that may not suit your purposes. So delete most of them as we will be using some new ones.
One Great Plugin That Is Pre-Installed is SiteGround Optimizer. You can read about it with this link.
Keep this plugin as its function is to take care of caching and some other performance-enhancing issues on your site. You will need to be on the GrowBig plan or higher for this to be included.
If you begin with the Start-Up hosting plan I will recommend a caching plugin in section 12. BTW…Caching (pronounced ‘cashing’) is a temporary data storage area.
9. Install SSL On Your Blog Site
Now, I know you’re all excited and want to get started customizing your new WordPress site but there are a few steps to take first.
It’s important to do things the correct way
So, before we go any further, let’s install your SSL (URL security) meaning: https:// (instead of http:// which is not secure)
This is securing the connection between the server and the browser that people use. It gives the little Lock symbol next to your domain name in their browser search bar which instills confidence with your visitors that your site is legitimate and secure. (see at the top to the left of my blog URL)
Go into your SiteGround account and click on ‘Websites’. Then ‘Available Extras’. Choose ‘SSL’
On the next screen choose ‘Let’s Encrypt SSL’ (ignore the other two options…you don’t need them)
Add your domain name. Click ‘Go To C-Panel’. Then you will see a box to add your domain name. Then click ‘Install’
One last step, go to your WordPress dashboard and look down the toolbar on the left side for SG Optimizer. Click on ‘Environment Optimization’ and toggle the HTTPS button ‘on’.
Give it a few minutes to configure and then refresh the page. Then you will see the little lock symbol next to your site URL
***DONE! Congratulations – your site is secure!***
10. The Fun Begins – Choosing Your Blog Theme
This is the look and feel of your blog. It’s the design…how it appears to your readers. A good well-coded theme also determines how well your site performs. There are plenty of themes to choose from. Make sure they are WordPress compatible…most themes are.
My recommendation is to ALWAYS choose a paid theme.
These are updated regularly by the theme designer and are usually well coded. It’s tempting to choose a free theme to keep to your budget but please don’t do it. A paid theme doesn’t have to be very expensive…maybe $40…BUT, the benefits will far outweigh the cost.
If you choose a free theme and later on decide you want to migrate your blog to a paid theme, you could have some compatibility issues.
***However, there is one exception to a paid theme that is a good option. That’s the ASTRA theme by WordPress. It has quite a few attractive versions to choose from and they keep it updated. Worth a look!***
A theme is where you can show your personality, reflect your niche, and be creative. Just keep in mind that the ‘cleaner’ the look the better. Not too many garish colors unless your niche and yourself are super funky!
It’s best to stick to 2-3 theme colors and have plenty of white space in your pages…it’s easier on the eyes of your reader.
Also, a white or pale-colored page background with dark grey text rather than black text is less straining to your reader’s eyes. So have fun choosing your theme, but keep these basic suggestions in mind.
Be realistic about your theme expectations.
All themes come with a learning curve…just like blogging.
Don’t worry, you can handle it! There is NO theme that does it all and will be ‘Perfect’ right out of the gate. Keep things simple at first…for a few months at least.
NOTE: Just about all themes are customizable without you needing to know any coding…that’s the whole point…Phew!
They all have a section called ‘Customize’. This is where you can change the fonts, colors, menus, add menu items, add your logo, add a header image, and plenty of other things.
Also, add a Favicon (the tiny image that appears next to your site URL in the search bar)…mine is the little W – (this called your site identity in the ‘customizer tab’
In another post, I’ll show you how to make one, and also a logo using Canva.com – that’s if you don’t want to buy a logo from somewhere like Etsy.
11. Try To Control Your ‘Perfectionist’ Tendencies
I know it’s hard because I’m one too! There’s a great saying:
Those who spend time PERFECTING never spend time DOING
So True!
Don’t waste precious writing-time by spending hours, days, or even weeks messing around with your site trying to get it JUST PERFECT! – trust me, we’ve all been there.
And, there’s never a perfect site…you will always have to resist the temptation to TWEAK IT!
A common trap we ALL fall into is seeing something on another blogger’s site that we want. Chances are because their theme is different from yours, you probably can’t achieve it.
If you want something on your site that isn’t available via the ‘customizer’ tab, you may need to pay for some coding to get what you want. That’s why its not worth it to start with.
As you get more experienced as a blogger, you will start to understand what/if you need anything extra and only then, pay for coding if required.
One thing to keep in mind.
At the end of the day, how your site looks, and even your site name won’t be as important to your audience as your content. Because blogging is really all about your writing and how well you address your reader’s issues and solve their pain-points.
And, it’s about building rapport…a relationship with your readers. That’s the really rewarding part. The idea is to write content so that the reader ‘Knows, Likes, and Trusts you. More on this in the next post.
12. Possible Blog Theme Choices For You
A great theme option for a beginner blogger is a site builder like Divi by Elegant Themes (affiliate) which is very customizable These are known as ‘drag and drop’ page builders and they are all designed to work on WordPress.org sites.
Another 2 popular ones are:
Both Elementor and Thrive page builders work really well with the free WordPress Astra themes, so worth a look.
All page builders have a learning curve…but if you’re creative you will love them. Also, there are plenty of tutorials both on their websites, and YouTube.
My blog uses a pre-built Divi theme from a designer because I loved the look of her design…and then I customized it using the inbuilt ‘customizer’ tab which all themes have…and I also used Divi by elegant themes (affiliate) to change and add some other things.
Divi has ‘Yearly’ access or ‘Lifetime’ access (which as always, works out cheaper). However, If you just want to try out Divi for a year then go with that. You can always upgrade to Lifetime once you realize the fantastic Divi builder flexibility.
However, if you don’t want to play around with your site more than just the usual Customizer option then have a look at choosing a theme from studiopress.com (affiliate) They have some great choices.
Some are Genesis and some aren’t. Genesis themes have a Parent/Child theme relationship. It’s not so complicated as it sounds and all themes include clear installation and customization instructions. Plus good customer service if you need help.
13. Now To Install Your Blog Theme
When you purchase your chosen theme, you will be sent the file in a Zip File format. A good theme will include clear and specific instructions on how to install it and in what order.
Read the instructions carefully and follow them. There is always a ‘contact’ if you get stuck.
Go to your WordPress dashboard to install and activate your theme. Look for ‘Appearance’ on the side toolbar > Themes. You’ll see the default theme that always comes with a WordPress site installation. Often it’s called the same as the year eg. 2021.
TIP:
Leave the default WP theme as a backup as it’s good to always have an inactive theme on your site besides your active one. Remove any others. To do this, click on the theme image you want to remove, then click ‘delete’ in the bottom right corner.
***Congrats – now you have your new blog!***
14. Next, Install Some Great Plugins
As explained earlier in the post, plugins are pieces of software containing coded functions that can add new features and enhance the performance of your WordPress site.
There are many plugins to choose from, but as with anything, some are better coded than others and some are kept up-to-date more than others.
So, I’m going to recommend the ones that I, and many other bloggers choose to enhance the performance and flexibility of their WordPress site. If you choose others, always look at the ‘Star’ rating and how often it’s updated.
To install a plugin, click on the Plugins tab on the left side of your WP dashboard. Select ‘Add New’ and you will see a search box appear. This is where you can type in the name of any plugin you want. Then you will be given the option to ‘Install’ and then ‘Activate’
15. Recommended Essential Plugins
1. Rank Math – A free plugin that optimizes your SEO to help your website rank higher in search engines like Google.
2. Yoast SEO – also a free plugin that optimizes your SEO to help your website rank higher in Google.
Both the above plugins are excellent. They have a FREE and a paid version. The free will be fine to start with. I have used Yoast SEO for a while and I’ve recently changed over to Rank Math to try it out. So far they are both really good and do what they are supposed to do…help you optimize your site for SEO. It’s personal choice.
3. UpdraftPlus
This plugin is an absolute MUST HAVE on your site. It has a FREE or paid version. The free version will be enough. It automatically backs up your database and content into the cloud. That way if there’s ever an issue and you lose your content you can restore it with one click.
4. WP Rocket
This is a caching and site performance-enhancing plugin that really helps your site load faster – super important these days with your web-users have really short tolerance for slow-loading sites. This is a PAID plugin…but well worth it!
NOTE: Instead of WP Rocket, you can choose to stick with the SiteGround Optimizer which does the same thing…although it’s not quite as robust…but it’s free for the ‘GrowBig’ plan and above.
This is a super popular plugin designed to protect your website from malware and attacks from malicious attempts to get into your site by brute force. This is FREE and has an upgraded option.
6. Antispam Bee
This is a one-stop solution for unwanted spam comments. It also keeps track of previous attempts to spam you and blocks them permanently. It’s a FREE plugin.
7. Short Pixel Image Optimizer
This is easy to use, install-and-forget image optimizer to resize and compress all new images, and also past images that are already loaded on your site ‘media section’.
This helps to keep your site loading fast without getting bogged down from the size of large image files. This plugin is FREE for up to 100 credits and it’s cheap to buy credits if you start loading heaps of images.
This is a social media sharing tool that you can customize to suit the colors of your theme. There are plenty around to choose from and it’s worth doing some research..but this is simple to set up and use, so it will get you started and it’s FREE.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial about starting your website and becoming a blogger.
There is more info that you need to know and will really help you with your new blogging business, and I’ll share this in future tutorials. So, take your time and have fun starting your website and installing your theme and plugins.
When you’re ready check out the next post where you’ll learn how to make your blog ‘legal’, together with a couple more plugins, AND…super important, how to start an email list.
See you there…
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