For so long I dreamt of starting a blog but had no idea how. I would scroll through these pretty websites and wish I could create something of my own. Since I know there’s so many of you out there that wish to create your own websites and blogs, I thought I would share the basics of what you need.
Hosting
This is the first and most important thing to purchase when starting a blog. Your hosting provider is the place where all your website stuff is stored. It’s the service that loads your site, and basically does all those invisible things that are really important. A hosting service is the only cost you 100% need to get your website up and running. I use a company called Bluehost for both my blog and wedding website. They are super affordable, reliable, and have excellent customer service. If I’ve ever had a question, I’ve just used their live chat feature and they sort everything out for me.
How much is it:
Their packages start at $3.45 a month. Pretty affordable right?
What exactly do they do?
They do all the invisible back end stuff, like store your blog posts, load your site, host your domain (Your website URL/link), and host your emails.
What do I need to do?
It’s pretty simple really. First off, click this link to be taken to the site. Once you’re there, click Get Started Now.
Click the Starter Plan
Next you’ll need to choose your new domain. This is your website link. I named my blog Ever So Britty, so choose www.eversobritty.com as my domain. Use something original, and try to avoid words that could be commonly misspelt. Type it in the box on the left.
After that you’ll go through a bunch of forms with all your info and payment details. You’ll get offered a bunch of website extras, but you don’t need them! Once you’ve completed them, you’ll be good to go and install WordPress.
WordPress
WordPress is the place where you write you blog posts, see your stats, customise the appearance and basically everything else. Bluehost will immediately give you the option of installing WordPress, so click Install.
Type in your domain in the box and click Check Domain.
Fill in the boxes as follow, naming your website and creating a strong password.
Super! You’re all installed and ready to go. To log in to WordPress you’ll use the link www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin So if your site is www.dogsarecool.com you’ll go to www.dogsarecool.com/wp-admin This is where you’ll go every single time you want to do anything on your website. So go there and log in!
Your WordPress dashboard will look a little something like this.
I learn by doing, so explore your dashboard and all the tabs. If you want a tutorial of the basics, check out this youtube video. Now one thing I will tell you is to explore Plugins. These are all the little extras you can add to your site so it does different things. The little email sign up box you see in my sidebar? That’s a plugin. The social media icons that float over my photos? That’s a plugin too!
Theme
This is the front end of your website. It’s all the pretty things that you see including colours, fonts and menus. There are a bunch of free WordPress themes to get you started but if you’re wanting something a bit better, you can purchase your own theme. I started off with a free theme and then bought my own after a few months. Some themes work alone by themselves (like mine). And others work on a framework. Restored 316 Designs and Pretty Darn Cute themes work on the Genesis framework, this means you have to purchase the Genesis framework (which is basically a super general template) AND your own theme (which customises it and makes it pretty).
My favourite sites for themes:
Genesis Framework and StudioPress Themes*
Once your purchase your theme, you’ll need to go into WordPress to install it. You’ll need to click the Appearance tab on the left hand side, then click Themes. Click upload, then find your file. Your theme provider will often give you instructions on all the other things you need to do to make your website look great, so follow those!
Ta da! That my friend, is the basics of starting a blog. It may take a few steps but it isn’t actually that difficult. Want to know more? Check out this blog post where I have all my favourite blogging tools and resources. And take a look at Building a Framework by Abby Lawson. It’s an ebook that taught me everything I need to know about blogging, including doing all this!
Feel free to leave any questions in the comments below.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means I may receive some form of income if you make a purchase.
