Starting a blog is the easiest way to share your ideas and expertise with the world.
And if you want to, you can use it to promote your business—or make money straight from the blog.
Luckily, in 2017, making a blog is easier than ever.
It used to require lots of coding skills: HTML, CSS AND PHP, but today starting a blog can be as simple as creating a document in Word. That is, if you have simple instructions to follow.
I’ll guide you through everything with images, so you get your blog started today.
Over 25,000 people have already used the WebsiteSetup.org instructions to start their own blogs and websites, so we’ve probably answered every question you might have here.
But if you get stuck with anything, feel free to contact me, and I’ll help.
Just promise to let me know when your blog is up and running, so I get to see it—that’s the best part for me (and the reason I still offer free help like this).
STEP 1: Before You Start a Blog (Q&A)
How Much TIME Does Blogging Take?
Blogging can take timeSetting up a blog is really simple and straightforward.
Following these instructions will likely take less than 20 minutes.
However, choosing a domain name and the blog’s theme (which determines how it looks) could take a while if you don’t yet know what you want them to be.
Lastly, creating quality content that your potential readers want to read can take even more time. For example, it took me more than 72 hours to put this piece of content together (including images and videos). That said, many people write shorter articles in only a couple of hours—you don’t have to spend more time on writing than you want.
Overall, blogging doesn’t have to take much time. It’s completely up to you to decide how seriously you want to take it.
How Much Does Blogging COST?
How much does blogging cost?You might be wondering, “Will it cost tons of money to start my blog?”
The short answer is “No.” You can even create a blog free if you want to.
BUT there are a couple of things you should pay for.
A domain name (www.YourBlogAddress.com) will cost around $10/year (but you can get it free—more about that later).
Web hosting is usually around $4-$15/month or more (although, the host I use and recommend is a bit under $3/mo). In a nutshell, it costs less than a coffee at Starbucks.
Bottom line: If you want to start a serious blog, you’ll need to spend a few dollars to get a domain name and web hosting. We’ll go through these in detail in STEPS 3 and 4.
Can I Use Blogging To Make Money?
blogging for moneyShort answer is Yes.
Some successful bloggers make insane amounts of money ($50k/mo and above), and most of it is passive, too.
There are endless ways to earn money with your blog.
Some folks are offering services, some using Google Adsense program, some are monetizing their blogs with Amazon and some are just selling physical/digital items.
You can learn more about monetizing your blog here: 33 Ways To Monetize a Blog.
But you can set up a blog for fun or as a hobby, too. That’s completely fine and many people are already doing it. I’ve helped to set up blogs for a lot of writers who just want to become a better writer. Some people just want to share their opinion/knowledge. Some are doing it for fun.
All that said, no matter what your goals are, you should follow these same steps to get your blog started today.
STEP 2: Choose Your Blogging Platform
WordPress Logo
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform.
When starting your blog, there are several platforms to choose from (tumblr, blogger etc..).
However, one that really stands out from the pack is WordPress.
It’s FREE, very user friendly, and perfect for people who’ve never built a blog before.
Why People Use & Recommend WordPress?
It’s FREE (you only need a web host & domain name)
There are 5k+ free & paid WordPress themes available to make your design look top-quality.
They have super helpful support forum.
It offers 45k+ free plugins to help your blog run more smoothly and efficiently.
91% of all blogs are running on WordPress, including this one— WebsiteSetup.org and WordPress is also used by 62% of the top 100 company blogs.
