How to Create a Blog: Complete Guide for 2024

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Do you wish to create a blog and become a blogger like me?

You don’t need to be a web developer to create a blog

It is easy to seamlessly design your blog from start to finish with no previous tech experience.

You just need to follow instructions and you will have your blog live in 30 mins max.

Ready? Let’s start!

What is a blog?

A blog is an online journal or diary that you can create content for either informational or promotional uses that is displayed to a target audience. These blog content are called blog posts.

Follow the below steps to create a blog:

Contents

Step#1: Define Your Why

Now, this step might seem pretty unimportant or unactionable but it is an important part of the process you shouldn’t skip.

Get clear on why you want to start a blog, is it for personal or business purposes, what do you want to achieve with the blog?

Do you want to build a personal brand?
Do you want to make money online?
Do you simply want to connect with like-minded people?
Do you want to gain exposure for your business?
Are you trying to build an online portfolio?
Do you want to improve your writing skills? etc

Answering these questions will keep you grounded and committed, it will also help you justify whatever investments you will be making in the future and also enable you to be consistent and patient with blogging.

So, grab a notepad or an online journal and write down the purpose of this blog and the goals you intend to accomplish with the blog.

Finally, defining your why will clarify your niche and help in the selection of your domain name.

Step#2: Select Your Niche

After clarifying your purpose behind the creation of your blog, it’s time to define what your blog will be all about, what theme does your blog fall under?

This is not to limit your blog or put it in a box, it is to help you establish your expertise, if you write about everything then people won’t refer to you for anything.

A niche will also help you define your target audience, who is this blog for? Will they find it helpful?

Your domain name, site name, and tagline will reflect your niche. Your Niche can vary from self-help, education, technology, money, health, finances, business, food, etc.

To find the perfect niche for you, ask yourself the following questions?

What are my passions?
What do I have experience in?
What is my knowledge about?
What are my willing to continuously learn about?
What do I have undying interest for?
What do I enjoy writing and talking about?

These will give you a headstart, however, if your blog is for your existing business, all you need to do is just tailor your blog to match your business goals.

Step#3: Select A Blogging Platform

The next thing is to choose the platform that you will blog on, there are a variety of blogging platforms out there that will help you build and manage your site. Here are a few to choose from:

WordPress: This is the most popular blogging platform out there, with lots of users, and unlimited resources to use.

They also have massive online support and helpful resources to help you whenever you get stuck. But WordPress has a bit of a learning curve and customization to it and it might not be the most straightforward blogging platform for beginners.

However, it’s best for businesses that want to create a strong online presence and leverage lots of features.

Squarespace: This is a simplified website building platform with drag and drop tools for easy design and immediate blog creation.

It is very beginner-friendly and professional templates to select from. Although the features of Squarespace are quite limited.

Wix: is another straightforward simplified website builder that is open to anyone and everyone, with over 110 million users around the globe.

It has easy drag and drop tools to quickly set up your blog in a matter of minutes. But Wix’s features are highly limited and its free third-party apps are largely limited.

Weebly: This started in 2006 as a student project and currently powers more than 40 million websites.

It is good for getting started but as you progress and want to take on a bigger form of creation, Weebly might not be as flexible and unlimited as other blogging platforms like WordPress with a little number of themes.

Depending on your goals, budget, and needs, you can select what suits you best. However the most recommended is WordPress, you can start with any of the other platforms to quickly get started and later upgrade to WordPress as you progress.

Step#3: Pick a Domain Name

After selecting a platform, you will be required to select your domain name, this is how your blog will appear on the web, your domain name is usually something .com, .net or .org.

For zero complications and general usage, it is preferable to go for a .com.

If you have an existing business, your domain name should be your business name. Your domain name should mirror your niche and what your blog stands for.

Ensure Your Domain Name Is:

Memorable
Simple
Easy to recall
And a reflection of your blog content.

If they don’t match the above requirements, it will be hard to type your domain address and develop a sense of familiarity with your business.

If you are still finding it hard to come up with a domain name, you can use a blog generator like Name Generator, they give you the options of typing:

Adjectives that describe your blog
Verbs that relate to the subject of your blog
First name
Last name
Location

After typing all of those, you will be given a whole number of blog names.

Step#5: Select A Web Host

It is time to select a web host that will make your blog visible online, these hosts are the ones that will give your blog visibility and make it searchable on Google.

Just like blogging platforms, there are a variety of Web Hosting platforms to select from:

Bluehost: This is the most popular hosting service provider in the webspace, it currently hosts over 3 million websites. Bluehost pricing is highly affordable and is integrated with WordPress, so you can easily install WordPress in one click. It also comes with a free domain package. This is a great option for beginners.

Hostinger: This is a shared cloud hosting provider that has been around for a long time, founded in 2002 and also quite well known, hosting over 2 million websites. It comes along with several flexible features and a custom website builder. Hostinger offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, easy WordPress installs, and a free domain.

GoDaddy Hosting: This is an authoritative web hosting solution provider hosting over 44 million websites. GoDaddy owns a drag and drops website builder called Go Central for easy design. They also grant plans that are suitable for all types and degrees of websites.

Siteground: This is another popular hosting service provider recommended by WordPress and they are hosting over 2 million domains. They are notably known for their top-notch customer service. Siteground also grants over 20+ email accounts and a wide array of hosting services such as WordPress hosting, WooCommerce hosting, cloud hosting, and enterprise hosting. However, Siteground is a bit on the pricey side.

HostGator: This is an extremely affordable web hosting service provider that still provides high-quality services and features. HostGator provides hosting services like Cloud, Email, WordPress, VPS, Windows VPS hosting. It also has a 99.9% uptime guarantee, incredible support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Depending on your needs, budget, and preferences, select a host that will perfectly serve you.

Step#6: Blogging On WordPress

So, I am going to show you a tutorial using the most popular and highly recommended blogging and hosting platforms: Bluehost and WordPress.

Why?

WordPress because it’s the most popular and highly used blogging platform with unlimited features.

And Bluehost is the best hosting service provider on the web at affordable prices.

Besides, the rest is pretty straightforward to use.

To begin:

Step 1: Log in to Bluehost site, and click on get started now, there you will be shown Bluehost hosting packages,

Step 2: Select your hosting plan, as a beginner, just go with the basic plan, you can upgrade later on if you demand more features.

Step 3: Insert the domain name you picked above, when you type your new domain name, Bluehost will tell you if it’s available or not, and give you other suggestions if it’s not.

Step 4: Complete Registration: After picking your domain name, you will be led to a registration page, where you will fill in the required details to complete your purchase.

Step 5: Pick your preferred additional packages: Even though you have selected the basic plan, there are additional packages provided for you that will cost you more.

So, you should pay attention to them and uncheck whatever is currently unnecessary. Remember you can always make an upgrade later.

Step 6: Create your blog with WordPress

Now that you have set up your domain and web hosting provider, it’s time to get your blog running with WordPress

Thankfully Bluehost made it easy breezy.

After checking out on your web hosting provider, your login details will be sent to your email.

and click on create site,

you will be automatically taken to WordPress and required to provide your site name and tagline

Site Name: This what people will see when they visit your site so make sure it is branded by your niche. This also affects your ranking factor, therefore the name should be aligned to your blog.

Site Tagline: This is the summary of what your blog is all about in a short concise sentence. Make it catchy and perfectly describe your blog.

After having your WordPress admin login details, visit your new setup account, and login to go to your dashboard, this is where you will control everything on your blog: your play area.

Step#7: Select A Right Theme For Your Blog Design

After having all that set up in place, it’s time to create the looks and aesthetics of your blog by choosing a theme.

WordPress has thousands of themes to select from and a great number of them are free and easily customizable.

To pick: Still, on your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance and click on themes,

then go ahead and select Add New.

There are categories for you to browse through, from features, popular, latest, favorites, and premium. There’s even a feature filter if you want to optimize your results.

You can now browse through the themes to select what you feel will best represent your blog, you can also get a preview to see what it really looks like.

Check out the description, ratings, and responsiveness (it should be mobile responsive), all these will influence your choice.

When you have made a choice, click on Install under the theme and then activate it.

And Voila! you have selected your blog theme. You can also change the theme whenever you want.

To see how your blog now looks with the new theme, visit your blog and

Now, should you select a free or premium theme?

For beginners, it is recommended you get started with a free theme and go with that, as you progress you can switch to a paid theme that fits your goals.

Step#8: Create Blog Content

You have set up your website and launched it, it’s now life but how are you going to create blog content popularly known as blog posts?

Blog posts are what will draw visitors to your website and give your blog meaning.

To get started, you need to create static and defining content for your blog, these are content that visitors will navigate on the menu bar to really understand what your blog is all about in detail.

Here are The Static Content Pages You Need To Create:

About

This page is where you outline who you are, what your blog is all about, why you started your blog, who this blog is meant to serve, and what they can expect from this blog.

If it’s a business blog then it is a summary about your business, your team information can also be included. However, if it’s a personal blog, you should talk about you and your blog niche.

Contact

How can your clients/customers/readers reach you? On this page, your contact details such as email and social media handles should be displayed.

You should also embed a contact form on this page, where they will fill their names, subject, and message directly to you without leaving your website.

Sidebar Content

This is the column that displays on either the right or left side of your blog depending on the theme of your blog. Here you can categorize your blog posts, based on topics, tags, most popular, etc

This will encourage your readers to check out other blog posts on your site, by simply clicking the link.

SEO meta tags

This is where you will fill in content that will optimize your posts for search engines. Such as titles and description tags for all blog posts.

This doesn’t appear on the actual pages but they need to be prepared.

After having these static content ready and published, you can go ahead and publish your regular blog posts.

Services/Products

On this page, display your services and products, its detailed description and why they should purchase it.

Testimonials

Place praises and great commentary from your existing customers or consumers on this page, this will give you more credibility.

Portfolio

Display your past commendable work or milestones here to showcase your capability and experiences.

So, how do you go about creating these pages:

Creating pages on WordPress is thankfully seamless and pretty consistent with all page types.

To get started, go to your WordPress dashboard and then go to pages, click on Add New,

you will now view the main page screen editing, where you will type all necessary information, when you are done, either preview it or click on the publish button, to make it go live.

Create a Navigation Menu

To keep your blog organized and professional, you will need a navigation menu to make it easier for your visitors to find your pages and navigate your blog.

Without this menu bar, your pages will be invisible to the public.

To create a menu, go to Appearance on your dashboard, then click on the menu:

you will now be led to your available created pages, you can also go ahead and trash pages that you don’t need. The pages are displayed with checkboxes to tick, so tick on the ones you want on your main menu click on “Add to Menu”. You’ll see your pages listed in the section on the right.

You can drag-and-drop those pages to reposition their order and realign them.

After that, below your menu, there are checkboxes under Display location, you find your main navigation location right there, then tick it.

Finally, go to the save menu and click on it, your menu is now set, to see how it looks on your blog, exit and visit your blog.

Customize Your Blog Sidebar and Footer

Most themes display various sidebars and a footer, so depending on your selected theme the availability and style of side-bar vary.

You will need to customize and make tweaks to the display of your sidebars through the use of WordPress widgets.

Widgets are blocks of content that are displayed in different sections of a WordPress blog.

To get to widgets, hover over Appearance and click on widgets

and you will see several kinds of available widgets:

You can customize these widgets by placing them in their right sections and predefined widget areas

Simply drag and drop widgets to their relevant widget areas as displayed by the theme:

Create Blog Posts

There’s a whole separate section for creating blog posts on the WordPress dashboard.

Hover to Posts on your dashboard, go to add new,

then just like pages you will view the editing section, click publish after filling it with content.

It will automatically appear on your homepage, visit your blog to see it in real-time.

Create a Blog Step#9: Promote your Blog

You have launched your blog and even written some blog posts but nobody knows this except you, so you have to put the word out there so that your message can be shared and be beneficial.

Below are a few ways you can promote your blog

Tell Your Family and Friends

Inform them that you have a new blog and they should check it out, they can give you feedback, they can also spread the words to their friends. Send them the link to your blog through their social profiles.

And you already have your first batch of blog audience.

Inform Existing Customers (For businesses)

Spread the word to your customers that you have a new blog that will be valuable for them, so they should check it out and also inform you what they want to see on your blog.

This will increase your brand value and get you started with content marketing to attract and retain customers.

This is not limited to just businesses though, if you have an existing audience on a platform like social media and others, tell them about your new blog where they will find high-quality content.

Get Active In Your Niche Community

Find similar high profile blogs like yours and participate, comment on their posts, share their content. Answer questions under posts, this will position you as an expert and ultimately draw attention to you, leading to your blog.

Guest Post On Authoritative Blogs

Writing guest posts is one great way to grant your blog awareness especially on blogs that have wide reach and authority. Ensure you are active on those blogs as mentioned above, this will make it easier to get guest posts on those blogs.

You are not going to guest post on just any blog, but blogs that serve your target audience.

You get to put yourself in front of your target audience and gain their massive attention to you and your blog.

Social Media

Insert links to your blog and blog posts on your social media profiles, let your followers know you now have a blog with better and exciting content.

It’s also important to grow your social media network because the larger your followers the more blog visitors you will gain.

Build Your Email List

An email list is highly important for your blog and business. It will give you evergreen contact and personal connection to your target audience. So, start collecting email addresses of your blog visitors as soon as possible, where you will share newsletters, blog updates, new post alerts, and other valuable content.

This will keep you on the radar of your blog visitors instead of being forgotten after a visit.

Invest In Ads

If you really want to instantly grow your blog inorganically, then it’s a good idea to invest in paid traffic.

Google Ads and Facebook ads are a great place to start.

Answer Questions on Quora

Quora is a popular Q&A blog, where people ask questions and experts give them answers. Try answering your niche related questions on Quora to gain visibility, there’s space to do some self-promotion below your answer.

This will increase your blog awareness and visibility and also give you authority.

Benefits Of Starting A Blog

The benefits of starting a blog are:

Make an income online.
Increase your brand awareness.
The opportunity to create content.
Provide value to your customers or readers.
To express yourself.
To build a community.
Get clients.
Become a better writer.
Gain Influence.
Become an expert in your niche.
Share your knowledge.
Build an online portfolio.
Create a strong digital presence.
Market yourself, products and services.
Establish your authority.
Develop a personal brand.
You get feedback.

Why is Creating a Blog Important

Marketers who prioritize blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
On average, companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than those without
60% of all marketers believe blog creation to be their top inbound marketing priority
59% of B2B marketers consider blogs the most valuable channel
Companies who blog get 97% more links to their websites.
Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trustworthy source for gathering online information.
77% of internet users read blogs.
Internet users in the US spend 3X more time on blogs than they do on email.
Businesses that blog experience twice as much email traffic as businesses who don’t.

Conclusion

Starting a blog is really beneficial and doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With just a few steps you can easily launch your blog.

Begin with defining your why, then niching down in order to serve your target audience, you can then go ahead and pick a blogging platform that you prefer.

The next step is to select a domain name that reflects your business, then select a host that will make your blog live, if you want then launch your blog with WordPress.

To make your WordPress blog design unique, select an appropriate theme and you can go ahead to create blog content.

You can now go-ahead to launch and promote your blog.

That wasn’t techy at all right? So get started to create your blog now.

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