Congratulations! You’ve finally decided to start your own blog. You’re on the path toward creating a website that perfectly reflects your brand, brings in revenue, and helps with search engine optimization. Oh, and delights your readers too!
But before we get carried away thinking about your future blogging successes, we’ve got to actually build a blog. Thankfully, when you use the right tools, setting up a well-designed blog is really easy. Just follow these three simple steps.
1. Select a Hosting Company
Every blog needs a place to live. Just like a real-world business, your blog has to have a physical location where you can store your product (in this case, the files of your website) so customers (your blog’s readers) can access them.This physical place is a specialized computer called a server. And that’s where WordPress web hosting companies, like Bluehost, come in. We provide space on a server for your website to reside. And WordPress, the world’s most popular blogging platform, is our niche market.
For more than ten years, WordPress has recommended Bluehost as a top hosting company. And there are a lot of reasons why: we support all WordPress functionality, have a one-click WordPress install, provide expert tech support 24/7, and offer a 30-day money back guarantee. On top of that, signing up with Bluehost is affordable. All you have to do is visit the Bluehost homepage and click the “get started now” button.
Once you have clicked “get started now,” you can choose a hosting package. Bluehost offers three separate packages (basic, plus, and prime) with varying benefits to suit your needs.
After you select your desired hosting package, you will choose your domain name. Bluehost will check the database of all domains to make sure you aren’t trying to buy a name that already exists.
Additionally, you’ll notice you have several top-level domains (TLDs) to choose from, including:
.com
.club
.net
.tech
.space
.website
.online
.org
.info
.biz
.site
.co
.us
.name
After you have selected your domain name, simply fill out basic account information, choose any add-on services that interest you, fill out your payment information, press submit, and you’re ready to roll.
After you submit your information, you are officially ready to install WordPress.
2. Install WordPress
Installing WordPress sounds complicated, but Bluehost only asks you to do one simple thing: click a button.
To install WordPress, go to the cPanel, find the section called “MOJO Marketplace,” select “One-Click Installs,” and then click on the WordPress icon located at the blog section at the top of the page.
Once you have selected the “WordPress” button, click “install,” and your installation preferences will appear on the next page.
Choose where you want to install WordPress. Select which domain you’d like to use WordPress on.
Advanced Options. This section will allow you to set up your username and password for login. Make sure that the “automatically create a new database for this installation” box is selected, unless you have another database set up that you’d like to use.
Indicate that you have read the “Terms and Conditions.”
Once you have followed these steps and pressed “install,” your new WordPress blog is set up. All that is left to do is log in to your new blog and start customizing the look and the feel.
3. Login to Your New Blog and Pick a Theme
WordPress makes logging into your blog simple. Just click on your login URL (for example, www.WhateverYourNewDomainIs.com/wp-admin) and enter your username and password.
When you first log in, you’ll notice that your blog looks a bit boring. To spruce things up, you need to select a theme. A WordPress theme is your blog’s facade. It controls the look, feel, design, and all other front-end elements of your website.
There are several ways to do this, but one of the most common is to select a free theme from WordPress. If you are interested in something fancier, you can buy an affordable WordPress template in the MOJO Marketplace.
For the aesthetically challenged, we’ve put together this guide to choosing a well-designed theme. But no matter how creative (or not) you are, there are some basic principles you should follow when picking a theme.
Select one that has only one or two easy-to-read fonts (Arial, Courier, Verdana, and Times New Roman are always safe choices).
Make sure it is mobile responsive.
Choose a theme that is customizable, so you can inject your own personality.
Only purchase a theme that updates automatically with WordPress.
Now all that is left to do is to start generating awesome content. Blogging success, here you come!
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