How to Create a Blog with WordPress: A Complete Guide
Marie Gabrielle Laguna Arismendi
Experienced English Copywriter, Scriptwriter, Editor and Digital Strategist; Physician
Would you like to discover how to properly set up a WordPress blog? Starting a blog may be intimidating, particularly if you are not a computer whiz. However, you are not the only one who has this problem.
We chose to provide the most comprehensive instruction on how to establish a WordPress site with no technical skills after aiding over 400,000 people in building blogs. Regardless of your age, the method is simple to understand. If you need help, our knowledgeable team will assist in establishing your blog for free.
Do you have what it takes to take the first step? Let's get started:
Step 1: Setting Up
The most frequent mistake people make when beginning a blog is choosing the wrong WordPress blog, so make sure that will not be one of them. Using WordPress.org, often referred as self-hosted WordPress, makes even more sense for 95% of individuals.
Why? Since it is free software, which implies it is totally free to use, you may add extensions, change your blog layout, and, most significantly, monetise your site (find out what the difference is between WordPress.org and WordPress.com). WWordPress is by far the most extensively used website engine, with all of the most popular blogs using it. To keep things in context, WordPress is utilized by 42% of all web resources online!
What Is the Purpose of WordPress Being Free?
There are no strings connected. Since you build and host it yourself, it's free. You might require web hosting and a domain name for another way of putting it. People enter in your domain name to get to your website. It's the address of your website. Take, for example, Google.com and wpbeginner.com.
Web hosting servers are responsible for the files on your website. It is where your website is located online. For each website, you will need web hosting. The cost of a new domain name is $14.99 per year, and site hosting is $7.99 per month. That costs a lot for a beginner. You can receive a free domain name and 60% off site hosting from Bluehost, an official WordPress hosting provider, if you join up for our service.
Bluehost is a well-known web hosting provider. Millions of websites, including many of ours, have been hosted on their servers. Since 2005, Bluehost has been a WordPress partner and is dedicated to give back. Our professional staff will set up your blog without charge if you can't get it up and operating in 30 minutes following this instruction. .?
How to Register the Domain and Set Up Hosting
In a separate tab, open Bluehost and follow the prompts. You must start by pressing the "Get Started Now" icon. Afterwards, you may begin using Bluehost. Upon using it, you can pick the plan you will need for the next section. And, that is the time you will be prompted to type in the domain name of the website.
Fill in your account information and double-check the package details. The 36-month plan is perhaps the most cost-effective choice. In the first year, it allows you to save for three years. Optional goods may be purchased on this page. However, it is your choice if you want to buy anything, and you can also include more goods if you want.
Step 2: WordPress must be set up.
Once you register for Bluehost's new edition using our link, they will automatically install WordPress for you. This new version was just published to make it easier for non-technical people to create blogs. Simply log into your Bluehost subscription and pick the Login to WordPress choice to begin.
Through using Bluehost dashboard, please sign in to the WordPress site. You can also use your web page to log in to WordPress by navigating to yoursite.com/wp-admin/. When you're using a different WordPress blog web host, such as SiteGround, HostGator, or WP Engine, our entire tutorial about how to set up WordPress includes step-by-step directions for those services.
Upon installing your WordPress, you can start customizing the design of your site and start publishing once you are done.
Step 3: Picking a WordPress Theme
Blog themes are in charge of your WordPress site's aesthetic appearance.It will be undesirable to the vast majority of individuals. One of the most exciting and fulfilling components of the process is changing the look and feel of your WordPress site.
There are some themes that are free, and others are premium themes that require payment. You can also browse several premade WordPress themes if you want to. If you want to change the theme that you have, just go to Appearance > "Themes''.
Putting a new WordPress theme in place
Once you choose it, a theme preview will appear, allowing you to see how the layout will appear on your website.
Theme preview
The preview may differ from the screenshot since you may change and set up your theme later. Design, colors, font, and other components should all be checked. The greatest WordPress theme advice is to keep things simple. It helps you keep your office clean and ordered while offering excellent client service.
Simply mouse over a theme to see the install button after you've decided on one. Once you have chosen a theme that you want, proceed to installation. You must click the install button to activate them. It is required to install WordPress and activate it. You can proceed to the Appearance tab to undergo customizing.
Moreover, the built-in widgets and the customization possibilities vary depending on the theme you choose. Without writing any HTML code, you can design custom headers, footers, sidebars, and more using a WordPress page builder like SeedProd or Divi. These plugins, unlike Wix or Squarespace, allow you to completely personalize the WordPress content management system. If you've already picked your WordPress theme, it's time to begin blogging.
Step 4: Make Your First Blog Entry
To make your first blog entry, proceed to the Posts section and click on Add New Option in your dashboard. There you will see a text that you want to edit, which is the first step in starting your first blog.
Make A Blog Post Using WordPress
A block-based editor is used in WordPress, which implies that each element is displayed as a block. This enables you to design stunning blog post content designs. When you finish writing, you just need to press the "Press" icon to make your blog accessible.
On the posts page, you may also find categories and tags. These may be used to organize the information on your site. You should read up on the distinctions between categories and tags in our post. The tools on the posts page may be found in our WordPress article on how to make a new post (video included). There's also how to embed videos and add blog photos, as well as bullet lists, call-to-action buttons, and other handy features.
Step 5: Plugins and Customizations
You'll likely want to add additional famous web components like contact forms, sliders, galleries, forums, and email lists once you've written your first sample blog post. Plugins are required for all of these extra functionalities. They are tools that enhance the operation of your website.
With the free WordPress plugin directory, there are about 59,800 plugins. As a result, you may be able to find several plugins for all you want to do. To learn how to use plugins to improve the functionality of the WordPress site, keep reading below.
Create A Contact Form Through WordPress
A contact form should be found on any website. It allows the users to send you personalized emails. To include a contact form on the WordPress site, you'll need a WordPress form builder plugin. WPForms Lite is the preferred plugin.
More than 4 million websites utilize WPForms. You may acquire WPForms by:
In addition, WPForms will generate a basic form including the fields that you need the most. You may change or add a new field by tapping on it in the left column.
How to Add or Remove Fields from Your Contact Form
When you are done editing the form, you can save it by pressing the "Save" icon and leaving the form builder. In making a new page in WordPress, here’s what you should do next:
领英推荐
Testing your form to ensure you are getting alerts is a smart practice.
Google Analytics Tracking: How to Get Started
Google Analytics is a web analytics tool that works by tracking how many users are looking at your blog. It lets you keep track of the time and what they are doing on your blog too. If you want to keep track of your audience as well, you can setup Google Analytics by:?
Upon setting up your Google Analytics, you will need to install and activate MonsterInsights WordPress. This tool is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress at no charge and the best way to include Google Analytics on your website. After the plugin has been active:?
Search Engines: How to Optimize Your WordPress Blog
The majority of individuals do not consider SEO while beginning a blog. SEO (search engine optimization) helps people locate your blog via search engines. If you want to boost the number of people that read your blog, you need to start optimizing it immediately for SEO.
The All in One SEO plugin must first be installed and activated. The WordPress SEO plugin has several features for making your site more search engine friendly.
A simple setup wizard is included with the plugin to guide you throughout the procedure. It will teach you how to create a WordPress sitemap, develop effective keywords and meta descriptions, implement schema markup, and more.
Other SEO plugins are also available, such as Yoast SEO, RankMath, and others, but we chose AIOSEO since it offers the most user-friendly interface for new bloggers. If you want to optimize your blog content, make use of a keyword research tool.
These are the SEO tools that will assist you if you want to come up with new content ideas that people are looking for in your industry. You could also check the keywords that your rivals are ranking for so that you can improve the content and outrank them. This will assist you in attracting the greatest number of visitors to your new blog site right immediately. For additional details, see our beginner's guide to keyword research for your own blog.
WordPress Plugins and Customizations
For newcomers, finding the necessary plugins might be a daunting task. To help you achieve the functionality that you want, here are the top Wordpress plugins to test out:
Backup?
WordPress backup plugin UpdraftPlus is the best. You should regularly back up your website in case anything goes wrong.
Security?
Sucuri Security for WordPress is a free security scanner. We offer a comprehensive beginner's guide on WordPress security that will assist you in safeguarding your website.
Performance?
WP Rocket (premium) or WP Super Cache (free) are two options for speeding up WordPress (free).?
Customization and Design?
For modifying your home appearance, generating unique landing pages, and even designing custom themes, we suggest SeedProd or Divi page builders.?
Traffic and Subscribers
PushEngage's push notifications are highly recommended. This enables you to communicate with people after they've left your website. It is one of the top five traffic sources according to WPBeginner.?
Email Marketing?
We recommend Constant Contact or HubSpot as email marketing services. You can use the OptinMonster free plugin to improve your email subscriber count. With the OptinMonster free plugin, you can create calls to action, high-converting popups, and scroll boxes.
Check out WPBeginner's Blueprint if you're wondering about all of the plugins and tools we utilize on our site. All of the tools we use to produce the WPBeginner blog are included in that list. Do you need any other suggestions? Check out our list of must-have WordPress plugins and tools for a variety of websites (hand-picked by our founder, Syed Balkhi).
Step 6: Getting Paid for Your Blog
You may be wondering, "How can I make money blogging now that I've created my own personal site and customized it to my tastes?" If you are thinking about monetizing your website, there are different ways to use them. Don't be fooled by the high-end automobile and home photos; they're all fake. Making money online by blogging for a living with WordPress is a fantastic approach to do so.
That's a 4000+ word guide that everyone who wants to make money from their blog should read. These are some of the most effective strategies to monetize your blog.
1.Google AdSense
Google AdSense is among the popular ways for generating money and a widely used platform for blogging and advertising. Google operates as a go-between for you and the advertiser, enabling them to bid on keywords that are relevant to your content. This enables you to get the greatest price for your adverts.?
2. Affiliate marketing
The second most common method for bloggers to earn money is via affiliate marketing. Basically, you advertise your favorite products/services to your followers, and if they purchase them, you get paid a referral fee. Affiliate marketing means advertising high-quality items and services that you are already familiar with and confident in.
There are several WordPress affiliate marketing plugins and alternatives that can assist you generate more money by advertising affiliate items.?
3. Store on the Internet
Make your WordPress site into a store! Products sold directly on blogs are a common source of income. Ebooks, artwork, music, and other digital downloads are all possible inclusions. Some blogs even provide guidance.
WooCommerce is the greatest WordPress eCommerce plugin, according to us. In addition, it is the world's most popular e-commerce site. Some bloggers, rather than starting their own shop, create an Amazon affiliate store, which allows them to sell other people's things on Amazon and receive a commission.
Your WordPress site is capable of much more than the three options shown above. You can use WordPress blogs for a variety of reasons, such as cuisine, reviews, fashion, and more.