A decade ago, blogging was just meant to be a hobby.
As time rolled on, it gave rise to a new genre for professional bloggers.
For many of them, blogging was once a hobby – now it’s a profession. I’m one of them for whom blogging turned into a profession in 2014. You know, that transition when my passion became my profession is tremendous.
Now you’ve decided to start a blog, but there’s enough confusing information on the internet.
So, I’ve put forward I envisioned myself as a person when I was about to start a blog, and put forward this giant guide for you to get all the resources necessary at once place.
You’re in the right place.
What topic to blog about?
Before we delve into the technical aspects of choosing a domain name, hosting, setting up WordPress, and starting a blog, let’s first address the most important question: what topic or niche should you blog about?
This decision can make or break your blogging career, so it’s crucial to choose wisely.
When it comes to blogging, it is important to choose a niche.
As a beginner, it is recommended to avoid starting a multi-niche blog.
Choosing a niche has several advantages:
- Topical relevance advantage: By focusing on a specific niche, Google sees you as an expert in that particular area.
- Loyal reader-base: Writing in a niche attracts a dedicated audience who will continue reading your blog, resulting in more direct traffic.
- Higher conversion rate: When you establish yourself as an expert in a specific niche, people trust your recommendations and are more likely to convert.
Additionally, for a single niche blog, you can maintain a lower content publishing frequency. On the other hand, for a multi-niche blog, it is often advisable to have multiple writers to cover a wider range of topics and maintain a higher content publishing frequency.
Here are some pointers to help you find profitable niches to blog about.
For finding a niche to blog about, you need to find something that you are truly passionate about and also profitable. Finding that “sweet spot” is very important or else you are doomed to failure.
- What things I cannot stop talking about? Example: Politics, Fitness, etc.
- If friends were to ask for advice, what would they ask you?
- What do you want to learn more? What excites you in life?
Passion discovery questions
- What things I cannot stop talking about? Example: Politics, Fitness, etc.
- If friends were to ask for advice, what would they ask you?
- What do you want to learn more? What excites you in life?
Profitability discovery questions:
- Are there enough affiliate products in the niche?
- Are there profitable keywords US people are searching for on Google?
- Can you create an informative or digital product in the niche?
- Can you offer a consultancy on the topic?
To find a niche that is a perfect nice which is a balance between your passion and profit, it is important to deeply reflect on and find answers to these questions. Once you have done so, you will be able to proceed with confidence.
Akshay recommends: How to Choose a Blogging Niche? (Don’t Regret Later!)
Start a blog in 10 minutes
Contrary to the popular belief that starting a blog takes a lot of time, it takes less than 10 minutes to start a new blog.
In this section, I’ll be guiding you step-by-step on how to start your blog. But before starting a blog, there may be some genuine questions running in your head.
Start a blog
Which is the best blogging platform?
I highly suggest you go with WordPress.org, as it’s the most popular and versatile platform in the world. It comes with thousands of SEO plugins and page builders.
By usingWordPress as CMS you can build a blog, a training website, an eCommerce site, and whatnot? It’s super flexible.
But, yes.
It’s a blogging platform basically.
WordPress is the clear winner when it comes to blogging platforms.
Here I’m not talking about WordPress.com, I’m talking about WordPress.org, an open source blogging platform you need to host on your server.
For WordPress.org you need to buy a domain ($10/ year) and also web hosting (around $3 per month).
If you are serious about blogging, avoid using free platforms like Google Blogger or WordPress.com if you don’t want to hinder your growth especially with SEO.
These platforms have numerous restrictions and they can delete your blog without warning or reason.
Treat blogging as a business from day 1. Just like any other business, blogging also requires investment.
How to select a good blog domain name?
Choosing a domain name for your blog is a crucial step that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Some people believe that the domain name isn’t important and that content is all that matters. However, I disagree. Your domain name is the first impression your audience will have of your blog, and branding plays a significant role in SEO according to Google.
When I first started my blog, I opted for the domain name gobloggingtips.com because I wanted to include the keyword “blogging tips” in it. This helped me grow my blog and become one of the top blogs in India. However, I soon realized the importance of having a brandable domain name. That’s why I acquired a premium domain – BloggingX.com.
If you’re serious about blogging, I highly recommend choosing a premium domain name that is both brandable and relatable to your audience. For example, the domain name BloggingX is both brandable and relevant to the blogging niche.
Avoid going too specific with your domain name, as it may limit your ability to expand into other related niches in the future. I suggest using tools like LeanDomainSearch, Namestall and InstantDomainSearch to brainstorm domain name ideas.
You can also explore premium domains on marketplaces like Sedo and eNom.
You can even consider going with an expired domain name that carries inherent authority from its previous owner. I have a dedicated blog post on expired domains that you can refer to.
Remember the “radio test” when choosing your domain name. It should be easily conveyable to listeners without having to spell it out when promoting your blog on radio, podcasts, or phone calls.
How to register a domain name
Once you finalize the domain name you need to buy, you can go with any of the domain name registrars like NameCheap, Name.com or GoDaddy.
I suggest you don’t go for GoDaddy due to their unethical business practices, as reported by Forbes and other websites.
I would suggest you go forNamecheap for great support, price and also lifetime free Whois privacy.
I personally have domains both on Namecheap and GoDaddy.
In the end, you can go with whatever the platform you choose.
If you are buying a brand new hosting account, you often get a free domain name for the first year along with the hosting. So you no need to register the domain name on any of the above registrars.
How to purchase web hosting?
There are different kinds of WordPress hosting providers. You have cheap shared hosting or premium WordPress-specific hosting providers with really good page speed.
As a beginner, I went with Hostgator and even with Bluehost to save money, but it hindered my blogging journey a lot.
However, if you’re more serious about blogging, I would suggest going with a good WordPress hosting provider.
Currently, on my blog BloggingX, I am using Rocket.net. Although this hosting provider is premium, the page speed performance and technical support are top-notch.
On the other hand, if you want a hosting provider that’s really cheap and you’re not ready to compromise on speed, you can go with DigitalOcean or Vultr. These are really cheap options, but you need to be knowledgeable about servers and the technical side of things, which may end up being a time-waster.
Alternatively, if you have a quite larger budget, you can go with Cloudways, whose pricing is lower than that of premium hosting providers like Rocket.net or WPX, but it offers really good customization options and pagespeed.
But do remember that Cloudways’ support sucks.
No matter which web hosting provider you choose, make sure that they don’t compromise on page speed, as page speed is one of the core web vitals for ranking well on Google.
For this blog post, I will be going with Rocket.net.
Setup your web hosting
To connect your domain name and web hosting provider, you need to add the hosting name servers to your domain. This step ensures that when people enter your domain name, it will direct them to your server.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Login to your domain registrar account (e.g., Namecheap or even CloudFlare).
- Navigate to the domain management section.
- Look for the option to manage DNS or name servers.
- Replace the existing name servers with the ones provided by your web hosting provider.
- Save the changes and allow some time for the changes to propagate.
Here, I have added the name servers from Rocket.net to my domain registrar. This allows my domain to communicate with my web hosting servers.
Once the name server changes have propagated, your domain name will be linked to your web hosting provider, and people will be able to access your website by entering your domain name in their browser.
How to set up WordPress?
All major web hosting providers, especially the ones that I recommended, offer one-click WordPress installation.
Let me explain how to set up WordPress on Rocket.net.
To begin, simply enter the site name, select the server location, provide some details such as the WordPress username and installation preferences, and click on the install button.
The hosting provider will then install WordPress on your server. It’s as easy as it sounds.
Once your site is installed, it will appear like this.
By default you have a blog post called “Hello World” which you may need to delete. Heading over to “Posts” > “All Posts”
Choosing and customizing the WordPress theme
After installing the WordPress on your server, you need to choose what theme you need to install on your WordPress account.
The WordPress repository is filled with thousands of themes. Don’t go with any random theme as there may be some security vulnerabilities or those themes would not be responsive on mobile devices.
I’m personally using Astra Pro on my site here at BloggingX. They both have a very generous free theme which is almost as powerful as other premium themes.
I highly suggest you go withAstra orGeneratePress themes.
As a beginner, the free versions of these themes are enough, later on, you can reinvest what you earn from blogging in getting the premium version of these themes.
Once you install and activate the theme, go to Appearance > Customizer.
This is the page in which you need to customize and modify the appearance of the theme on your site.
This page has lots of options to play with. I will be showing the most important things you need to pay attention to, in the customizer page.
Under Customizer > Layout > Header> Site Identity, you need to upload the logo of your blog and also the blog tagline.
In the Colors & Background > Base Colors, you need to select the colors your blog needs to have.
As you can see, my brand color is red and blue. I have a specific color code (HEX code). Select any two colors for your blog that are complementary to each other. You can make use of free tools like Adobe Colors to come up with a color scheme.
In the Typography and Base Typography section, you can select the font family, weight, and size for your blog content.
Like these, there are lots of options for you to play with.
Best WordPress plugins for blogs
WordPress comes with no plugins installed. But you need to make sure that you install some plugins to make sure that your site is SEO-friendly, fast, and customizable.
Here are some of the plugins that I install on all of my sites.
- Elementor: (Depending upon my use case): Most popular plugin that helps you build visually appealing pages using a drag and drop interface. Despite the criticism it has received regarding page speed, it has made significant improvements in that aspect.
- UpdraftPlus: This is a plugin that allows you to take a full backup of your WordPress site and store it in your server or any remote cloud storage solutions like Dropbox or Google Drive.
- iThemes Security: You need to also install this plugin for securing your WordPress site from hackers and possible vulnerabilities. Using a security plugin is very essential in case of shared hosting environments.
- WP Super Cache: There are dozens of caching plugins for WordPress. However, some of the most popular ones like W3 Total Cache are not advisable to be used on shared hosting environments. If you are on a shared hosting, I advise you to use WP Super Cache.
Don’t use cracked themes or plugins for WordPress, as they pose significant security risks and hinder your growth mindset when treating blogging as a business.
I recommend taking the following steps to secure your WordPress account:
- Change the username of your WordPress account from “admin” to something else.
- Use an alphanumeric password with special characters.
- Always use an SSL certificate to ensure your website loads under HTTPS, as it’s now a ranking factor. Bluehost and many hosting solutions offer free SSL certificates, so be sure to enable it. Additionally, consider installing a free plugin called “Really Simple SSL” to ensure proper HTTPS redirection and serve all WordPress resources under HTTPS.
- Limit the number of failed login attempts. You can find an option for this in the security section of the Jetpack plugin, or you may choose to use a separate plugin for this purpose.
How to create WordPress pages?
Before publishing any articles on your WordPress blog, it is essential to set up some important pages. These pages are essential for any website:
- Homepage
- Blog page
- About page
- Contact page
- Privacy policy page
- Terms page
- Disclaimer page
- Cookie policy page
Many people often overlook some of these pages, but it is a good practice to include all of them on your website.
By default, on WordPress, all the posts you publish will be displayed chronologically on the homepage of your site.
If you prefer to have a static homepage for your website and publish blog posts on a separate blog page, you can set it up in Settings > Reading.
First, you need to create a homepage and also blog page under “Pages” section of your WordPress site. Publish them and do the settings as in the above screenshot.
The homepage can be designed using content builders like Elementor (which I use) or even Divi Builder.
And also create the remaining pages that I mentioned above. You can refer to the above pages that I’ve created for this blog – BloggingX for getting some ideas.
How to creating WordPress blog posts?
In order to start creating blog posts for your WordPress blog, you need to head over to the posts section of your WordPress site.
Instead of starting to write articles right away, it is important to first prepare a solid content strategy. This involves conducting effective keyword research and following best practices for writing high-quality blog posts.
To learn more about how to write great blog posts, you can refer this blog post.
Integrating Google Analytics and Search Console
For measuring the traffic and the user behavior on your site, it’s very essential for you to install Google Analytics on your WordPress blog.
For doing this, first head over to Google Analytics. Here you need to create a new property and select it as a website and fill in the details.
Google Analytics
Here click on the button, “Get Tracking ID”.
Now, Google will present you a JS code, copy it.
You need to head over to your WordPress account, there install a plugin called “Insert Headers and Footers”.
Now paste the copied code in the header so it will be added to all the pages that you have on your WordPress site.
After getting your site added in Google Analytics, it’s very easy to add your site to Google Search Console.
After entering the URL, the search console asks you several ways to verify the property.
You’ll be selecting verify using Google Analytics and click verify.
As you’ve already integrated your site with Google Analytics there’s no need to again verify it for Google search console adding the HTML tag.
It’ll get auto-verified.
Google search console helps you to easily track the SEO health of your site. It notifies you if there are any issues with your site that prevents Google from ranking or indexing your site. It also lets you know if your website is penalized.
10 FAQs on starting a blog
When you decide to start a blog, you’ll have lots of questions in your head.
Some of these questions may be preventing you from starting a blog.
Let me answer some of these questions briefly, and they’ll give you clarity regarding what to expect.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Should I be good at writing? Blogging requires decent English communication skills, especially if you’re writing in English. If you’re not confident in your English skills, consider starting a blog in a language you’re proficient in. However, make sure there is a sufficient audience interested in reading content in that language.
- Can I start a blog if I don’t know how to code? You don’t need coding skills to start a blog nowadays. With just a few clicks, you can set up a blog without any coding knowledge. However, basic knowledge of HTML and CSS can be helpful for customizations.
- How long does it take to start a blog? Starting a blog can take less than 10 minutes. It’s a relatively simple and quick process.
- What does it cost to start a blog? To start a blog, you’ll need a domain name and hosting. A good domain name can cost as low as $3 for the first year, with yearly renewals around $10. Shared hosting solutions can start from as low as $2.99 per month when paid annually.
- Which blogging platform should I choose? WordPress is the recommended platform for its versatility and widespread usage (59.5% of all websites with CMS). If you’re looking for a free option, you can start with Google Blogger, but it may have limitations in terms of freedom and customization.
- Should I write my own content? For beginners, it’s highly recommended to write your own content in a niche you love. As you progress, you can consider outsourcing blog content to freelance writers. If you’re not confident in your writing skills and are certain about the success of your blog, you can invest in quality writers.
- Where can I get content to write about? In the beginning, focus on learning keyword research and competitor analysis to find topics to write about. Refer to top-ranking articles on those topics, create an outline, and combine your own experiences, perspectives, and examples to write unique content.
- When will my blog start getting traffic? For a new blog, the first five months should be dedicated to creating quality content and promoting it on social media to gain referral traffic. Once you have enough content, Google will start driving traffic to your blog.
- How many blogs should I start? It’s easy to get carried away and start multiple blogs, but for beginners, it’s recommended to start with one blog and pour all your efforts into making it one of the best in its category.
- How much money can I earn with blogging? The amount of money you can earn through blogging varies greatly. Some people make seven-figure incomes online, but achieving such success requires smart work and persistence.
Wrapping up
To sum it up, starting your own blog involves several steps that you need to follow. However, your job doesn’t end there.
It is important to continue learning about SEO, promotion, copywriting, and marketing.
Constantly upgrading your knowledge and striving for excellence from the very beginning will help future-proof your blogging business and set you up for success.
Here are some more related blog posts that you can read: