How to Start a Blog

Whether you want to blog as a hobby or as a business don’t wait. If you have a good subject (people love reading about food, travel, cocktails, gardening, etc…) and a plan, put it into action.

It takes no time at all to set up. What takes effort is creating content and keeping at it even when you want to give up.

The basics of starting a blog:
Decide on a name
Use something that goes well with your niche. Without going deep into SEO etc… I can tell you to use words that apply to your niche and that might help people remember the name of your blog and help search engines find you.

What do you want your domain name to be? Go to Bluehost and check whether your domain name is available by using the box marked “new domain”. If you already own a domain name use the box marked “I have a domain name”

If your domain name is taken, Bluehost will suggest alternate names. Pick one or try checking another name in the New Domain box. Once you have your domain name you’ll need to host that domain name. You can do this through other services like Yahoo etc… but Bluehost has competitive rates and is reliable, plus if you host with them you get your domain name for free. To do that you can just continue by filling out Account Information, Choose a Package and fill out Billing Information.

Now you have your domain name and web hosting figured out you’ll need blogging software. Use WordPress, don’t bother with the others, you’ll change to WordPress eventually anyway so just go for it from the start.

Installing WordPress
WordPress is a blogging software that is really easy to use.
All you need to do to install it is login to Bluehost, scroll down to the Software/Services section of the first page and click on the WordPress logo.

On the next page select the option “Start a brand new install”.

Click complete.

Once the “Installation Complete” write down your login URL, username, and password, you’ll need them to log in.

Type your login URL into your web browser. A login screen like the one below should appear. Enter your username and password.

Choosing a theme
Last thing you need to do is pick a theme. WordPress has many free themes to pick from. You can do a search for “WordPress Themes” and find a lot of free options. There are also many beautiful premium themes at Studiopress to choose from.
You can install your theme by following the instructions from the specific website.

Now you can start blogging. Log in to the admin page on WordPress and write to your heart’s content, hit publish, then write some more.
Make sure to include photos or video to make it more interesting to your audience.
You are officially a blogger.

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