Updated August 3, 2017
Hi! If you’ve landed here, then you are probably ready to start a blog (or are at least thinking about it). This post is going to show you how to set up a professional blog from the start. When you go live, no one is going to know you’re a newbie, because you’ll have a remarkable setup!
Here’s what to expect: First I’ll talk about things to think about before setting up your blog. Next, we’re going to go through the step-by-step process of setting up your blog in the internet world. This includes picking a domain name, purchasing hosting (a location where your blog exists online), installing WordPress (your content management software) and a set up a theme.
That’s usually where most How to Start a Blog tutorials end. Not this one though. Like I said earlier, in this series I am going to help you set up all the little things a successful blog . I will cover things like setting up Google Analytics, adding a personalized favicon, how to write an excellent post, how to let search engines now your blog exists and more.
The Basics of Starting a blog
- Decide what you should blog about.
- Brainstorm name options
- Get setup online. Includes buying a web host and installing WordPress
- Make it look pretty
Starting a blog is easy and probably one the most affordable personal businesses to start. If you’re not ready to get started yet, you can save this article to Pinterest and come back when you’re ready. For the rest of you…. drum roll…
Let’s get your blog started.
1. Decide on a topic for your blog.
A lot of bloggers start out blogging about everything. That’s not a bad route to start out with – until you discover what it is you really want to focus on. Deciding what to blog about was one of the hardest parts of starting a blog for me. I’ve tried my fair share of blog topics, and I now blog about what I am most passionate. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help you narrow in on a blogging topic.
- What am I passionate about?
- What am I already doing?
- What do I have to offer that others can learn from?
- What do I talk to my friends about?
Narrowing down on a few subjects is one key to successful blogging. If you need a little bit more help, you can also read my post what kind of blog should I start?
2. Brainstorm a name for your blog.
The name for your blog will become your brand. It is how people will recognize you. It sets expectations and the mood for your blog. Think of a few names that could work for your blog and then you’ll need to see if a domain name is available.
Before you settle on a name, make sure to check the various social media platforms to ensure that your name is available.I like to use namecheckr.com for a quick glance. Consistency is best. You want your audience to be able to recognize and find you easily. If you have a long domain name, you can shorten it up for your social media accounts. For example, sallysbakingaddiction.com uses @SallysBakeBlog as her social media name. Just make sure to be consistent across all platform.
3. Get Set up Online
Before you can start blogging, you need to purchase a web hosting plan (the place your website will be located). There are a lot of options out there, but my current favorite for bloggers is SiteGround. One of the biggest reasons I recommend SiteGround is because they guarantee a 99% uptime. That’s a big deal for me because I don’t like my site being down. Siteground is optimized for WordPress users, with a custom WordPress help center and an easy WordPress install. Their support is also {much} quicker than other popular hosting companies.
I use SiteGround for this blog, and I am nothing but pleased with it. If you want your site to load fast, never have down time, and have great support – this is a great option for you, too!
Select your hosting plan
To get started, head over to siteground.com in a new tab, keep this one open because I’m going to walk you through the steps. The first thing you’ll do here is pick out your hosting plan. The StartUp plan is usually sufficient for new blogs. If your blog grows quickly (hopefully!) and you get mounds of traffic you can upgrade at any time. Of course, you could also start with the GrowBig if you prefer. In addition to being able to handle higher traffic, the GrowBig plan includes 30 days back up, supercacher (helps your blog load faster), and priority technical support.
Select a domain for your blog
This step is easy because you’ve already decided on a name and checked to make sure it is available. You can either register for the free domain that is included in the hosting package or if you already own your domain name you can point it to Siteground.
Fill in all of your information and pick out your services
This part is pretty self-explanatory. Make sure all of your information is accurate. In the section, Purchase Information make sure the plan you selected is correct. Then, pick out a data center that is closest to your location. SiteGround has data centers in the USA, Europe, and Asia. For the period, you can decide between 1 month, 12 months, 24 months, or 36 months. Even though the price is shown per month, you are billed for the entire period you select. 
Once you’ve submitted your order, you will get a confirmation message. Click proceed to customer area.
4. Install WordPress
Now we’re getting to the fun part. WordPress is a blog publishing software. It helps you upload content on a regular basis with little or no coding necessary. There are other platforms that help you blog, but WordPress is the most commonly used blogging service on the web.
As I mentioned earlier, SiteGround makes it super easy to install WordPress on your site. No confusing techy details. I like it when the work is done for me. Makes my life a lot easier and gives me time to work on more important things, or browse Pinterest. 🙂 Make sure Get WordPress pre-installed on this account is selected and then click Proceed.
Set up your WordPress login details.
This is the information that you will use to log into your WordPress dashboard. Make sure to choose a unique username to help protect your site from hackers. Do not use admin, your name, or your blog’s name as the username. Your username cannot be changed in the future, but your email address and password can.
WordPress is now set up on your hosting account! Where’s the Easy button?
Login to your WordPress dashboard for the first time!
To log in to your WordPress account, go to yourdomain.com/wp-login.php and enter your username and password.
Welcome to your new WordPress blog. This is the WordPress dashboard:
5. Upload a theme to your new WordPress Blog
There are a lot of things you can do next, but my favorite is to install a theme. A WordPress theme adds structures, functions, and visual displays to your WordPress Blog. The appearance is the first impression readers have of your blog. I know your mom always said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but I think we all have a hard time with that.
There are a lot of free themes for WordPress if you are not ready to spend money on premium options. To find a free theme that fits your needs and desires log into your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Themes and start your search.
If its in your budget, I highly recommend purchasing a premium theme for your blog. I love and use Genesis themes because they are beautiful, responsive, HTLM 5 current, and SEO enhanced. If you need help choosing a theme, read my tips for picking out the ideal theme for your blog or, check out my top 10 favorite Genesis Child themes for bloggers.
How to Install a Premium Theme for WordPress
Once you have purchased your theme and downloaded the .zip file, it is time to upload it to your WordPress account. Head over to your WordPress dashboard at yourdomain.com/wp-admin On the left-hand side, navigate to Appearance > Themes > Add New
Next to Add Themes, click Upload Theme Click Choose File and then browse your computer to find the .ZIP file you downloaded when you purchased your theme and then click Install Now.
Once the upload is complete, hit activate and your theme is live. Follow your theme setup instructions to get everything looking the way you want it. Have fun with this part! You now have your site set up and can work on getting things ready to go live. This will take time. Ensuring that you’ve checked off all of these items will set you up for earlier success.
Here are the next steps I recommend completing before announcing your blog to the world.
(Just click the underlined link to go to the full tutorial).
First, set up a coming soon page and work on getting followers. That way, when you go live people will actually read your blog. Keep that page up while you work on the next steps:
6. Adjust general WordPress settings & take a tour of WordPress. These two tutorials will help you set up your new blog and become familiar with WordPress.
7. Protect your blog from spam New blogs are prone to comment spam. Set up this plugin to prevent the spam from coming. Since spam comes from auto-bots you’ll start noticing it before you ever go “live” with your blog. That’s why this is at the top of my list.
8. Add pages to your blog. Set up pages Pages exist outside of your blog feed. This tutorial shows you how to set up various types of pages.
9. Write your about page This is one of the most important pages on any blog or website.
10. Write your first post Here I walk you through writing a successful blog post in WordPress. Write a handful of posts before you go live – but don’t publish them! The biggest mistake I made when I started Blog Ambitions was publishing my posts before I went live. I wanted to look established but what resulted is some of my key posts being overlooked. It is much harder to get traffic to old posts than it is new posts.
11. Create and upload a Favicon A favicon is that little icon next to your site name in the web browser tab. Adding your own icon is a simple step to branding your blog.
12. Create a Gravatar This is a picture of you that will show up next to your blog comments. Another way to help you brand yourself and your blog.
13. Create an Author box I love author boxes (boxes at the end of your post with a short bio). They are a quick way for readers to learn who wrote the post and where they can learn more about you or connect with you.
14. Set up social media accounts Go ahead and set up social media accounts for your blog. You can even start interacting with people and let them know your new site is coming soon.
15. Set up a newsletter Social media is a great way to connect with your readers, but establishing your own subscriber list is even better. Follow this tutorial to set up a newsletter using MailChimp.
16. Install Google Analytics Google Analytics allows you to track visits to your blog. You can see how a person got to your site, what page they landed on, host much time they spent, and more. Google Analytics is a blogging must!
17. Write a privacy policy A privacy policy is a legal statement about the ways your blog collects and uses information. Hopefully, you never have a situation come up where you need one, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
18. Create a Sitemap A Sitemap is a page on your blog that lists every page on your website. Having this sitemap makes it easier for Google and other search engines to crawl (find) pages on your blog. This step is necessary before completing the next step.
19. Submit your site to search engines Google isn’t going
Go live!
Once you’ve completed the above steps, you’re ready to go live with your blog. Sing it to the world, “I have a blog!”
Publish your first post and let your friends, family, and new social media followers know that you have a blog.
Participate in link up parties on other blogs, chat with bloggers during twitter parties, and comment on other bloggers posts as ways to start gaining traffic to your blog.
Lastly, stay updated by email with my latest post. I know it’s a plug, but I post blogging tips every week to help you improve your blog. From making money blogging, to blog post ideas, and SEO tips – you’ll want to stay in the loop!
Please leave a comment below or send me an email (hello@blogambitions) with any questions you have while setting up your blog. Or just say “Hi!” I like friendly chat. Don’t forget to come back and leave me your blog URL when you go live so that I can be your fan from the beginning.
P.S. Don’t forget to grab your New Blog Checklist, because you don’t want to miss anything!
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Wow!!! Loved all of this! So much information, I hope Ive covered it all!! Still learning, but this is Such an AWSOME head start, Im sure Ill be coming back over your Blog over and over again!!! Thankyou so much!!
You’re welcome. Glad this has been helpful for you Lisa!
This has been incredibly helpful in setting up my own blog/site! Thank you for making everything so clear (and EXCITING!)
Yay! I’m glad that you’re excited about your own blog/site Laura. What is your focus? Do you have a coming soon page set up yet? I’d love to follow you. Let me know if you have any questions about blogging or building your site.
EEK! Mostly lifestyle, but I’ll have a common theme running throughout: all things home and design! My passion! I have the basics down, and a coming soon page already set up! Just going to get some other things ready before launching! Honestly, I’ve come back to your guide about a hundred times!
Sounds fun! Home and Design blogs doe really well. Your coming soon page looks great. Have fun prepping everything. Unsolicited blog tip: make sure to make a pinnable image with every post. It needs to be vertical 🙂 Pinterest will be your bff as you grow your blog (also, maybe your worst enemy. It will be a love hate relationship) + with every post you write, ask yourself “How does this provide value to someone else? Why would someone read this?”
Best of luck!
Thank you so much that’s so helpful, I really cant wait to start my blog now. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Anastasia. I’m excited for your new blogging journey.
Great post, we run a travel blog and I think the most important thing we tell people is to travel with a purpose, Do not just wander around the world aimlessly. (Like ours is to experience and document the Top 100 Travel Adventures) So many travel blogs do not really have a purpose or a niche. Niche is key and many miss out on that because they want to cover and do it all. Do not just start a blog because you think you will get rich quick and be able to travel the world. It takes a lot of work and lots of time.
yes, yes it does David! I agree, narrowing down on a niche certainly helps bloggers grow. Thanks for stopping by!
This has been so great! I just started my blog and I used this resource step by step. Thank you so much for the info.
Hi, Jaime. I’m so happy to hear this guide helped you get things up and running. 🙂 Your site looks great. I’m excited to see your blog promote your designs! Congrats.
So true. Love a post that gets to the point!
Alan adları Would you like to see your most-repinned pins? Are you interested in seeing which of your Pinterest boards gets the most clicks?
OMG you have been so helpful! My friend and I are new to blogging and we need help branding. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to educate us!
-Britt
You’re welcome. Good luck on your new blogging adventure!
This is such great information! I know I will probably have to come back to this post again and again! But I’m super excited about starting my own blog! Thanks for all the wonderful information!
Thank you, Holly, I’m so glad this has been helpful for you. Let me know if you have any questions while you are setting up your blog. I’m excited for you too!
Thank you for your very helpful post. I’ve been thinking about having a blog myself. Now I get some ideas and will start my own blog soon.
Thank you Kristie for the helpful and detailed information. I plan to launch my blog next month and I know I will refer to this article often. I also signed up for your newsletter, can’t wait to read more.
Thanks again,
Amy
Hi Amy! I’m excited about your blog launch. I also added a post about getting followers before you launch, hopefully, you find it helpful as well! Let me know if you have any questions as you get things set up.
Hey, that was really helpful. The simpleton in which you have broken down the step is really a dream. Thank you :).
Hi Nikhita, I’m glad this was a simple tutorial for you. Let me know if you have any blogging questions.
Hi! Thanks so much for this its so helpful! I’m was really confused on how to start a blog before reading this blog however i’m still finding it really hard to gain followers and i was really confused on which websites and things to find. I’m not sure how to really reach out to others as i am a bit socially awkward and i guess its the same on the internet 🙁
If you ever want to check out my website https://www.tumblr.com/blog/optimisticcandb
Commenting on blogs, like you did here, is a great way to reach out to others. Not awkward at all. Unfortunately, I don’t have a tumbler account so it isn’t letting me see your site.
Hi! This has really helped me out. I have only recently started blogging and will definitely take this information on board. Thanks!
From http:/observingthesphere.wordpress.com
You’re so welcome Rimor. I’m excited to see where your blogging adventures take you. Best of luck, let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you so much for this it was EXTREMELY helpful!!
I’m so glad to hear, Sarah! Can’t wait to see all of your craft posts out on the web. 🙂
Thank you for this! I can’t even tell you how helpful this all is. Im exploring the idea of blogging while all my other stay-at-home ventures have failed and got quickly overwhelmed when I dug into how to actually put the whole thing together. Great breakdown and love the visuals.
Hi Bri! I’m so glad you found this helpful. Hopefully you can continue building your blog. Let me know if you have any questions.
I just want to first thank you for all of your super helpful posts and connection with us readers! Your site is literally my go-to guide for practically everything lol especially blogging. I purchased hosting/theme etc. just recently and gosh! I knew it would take a load of work but i didn’t realize how technically declined I was I am not techie at all but didn’t think it would be such a time consumer to learn and I feel wayyy behind. In one of the comments- you mentioned hiring a technician- could you make any recommendations? Several months ago, I bookmarked one of your pages in regards to your coaching and then realized you stopped offering it! I felt so bummed because I honestly feel overwhelmed, don’t know where to safely and wisely put my money so I can get my site running and started on the right foot. I’ve been slowly following all advice on your recommendations page, I just feel like this process would spare me time if I had help from an actual person (well, email support as I travel alot). Thanks sooo much again!
Thank you very much for your post, it’s going to be really helpful. I have a question, though. I’m a designer and my focus is branding, and graphic, logo, and website design. I hope to get some clients from social media, but I also need to get some from my website. I will have a blog on my website, but I’m wondering if there is anything I need to do differently than you’ve shown here in this case. Obviously I’ll need a services and portfolio pages. What has me confused is that my website will be geared toward getting design clients and the blog will be a way of doing that, rather than the blog being the point of the website. Thank you!! PS my website is still under construction.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I recently started my blog and these were some great tips!
You’re welcome Amanda. Good luck blogging. Let me know if you have any questions.
Wow! and Wow!! You are so such a great instructor with a good heart Kristie, you made setting up a blog so easy and fun. God bless you for being good!. I had a website few years back but somehow lost focus on blogging due to poor traffic and I was spending for hosting without getting any thing in return, so I backed off after 2years. But now I really wanna kick-start it again and I will really need your help. Firstly, I will need your assistance in deciding a niche I can focus on, my former website was an information blog where I post news and articles. But now I need to be quite specific. am good in sharing inspiring and motivational thought, should i focus on that or should I creat a niche from the course I studied in school (Criminology and Security Studies), maybe writing contents on crimes, deliquencies and security measures.
Furthermore, a friend of mine who’s into blogging said he can help me with a niche he had wanted to blog on, only if I can pay him some token. Do you suggest I buy his idea or should I source my own niche. Looking to hear from you ma’am.
Hi .
Thank you for sharing your info! Check out my blog whimsigirly.wordpress.com
Thank you so very much for leaving this post. I am ready to start a blog, not just for the money I can earn but also for the experience with sharing my thoughts and ideas and also meeting new people.
I will definitely share my URL when I am up and running. At the moment I am still doing my research!
Question: I already have twitter and pinterest accounts but would you recommend creating a completely new one for my blog and domain name?
Thanks again!
Hi Samantha, congratulations on starting your blogging journey. To answer your twitter and pinterest questions – it depends. A lot of people convert their already existing accounts to their blog or business account and it works well. Others want to have separate accounts so that they can keep their personal life separate from their blog life. I personally have 1 twitter account, but I have two Pinterest accounts – a personal one and one for my blog. I do it this way because my blog niche is blogging and I try to only pin blogging/online related stuff for my blog ambitions account. On my personal account I pin whatever I want.
I’d say if you’re a lifestyle, family, craft, food, or related blog go a head and change your existing Pinterest over to your blog Pinterest and just have one. Pinterest will even let you change your username. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much!! You answered a few questions I had and some I didn’t even know I had about blogging. I’m in the process of starting a blog and will definitely be using this post as a reference.
You’re welcome. I’m glad to hear this post helped you out. How is the set up going? Can’t wait to see your blog live, you’ve go this Ayanna.
And hopefully, we can read another inspiring post from you concerning starting a business from humble beginnings and a predicted timeframe for receiving passive search engine traffic. 🙂
Hi! I find your blog very inspiring! I’ve had the idea of starting my own blog for around a year now, but now I’m really determined to do it! I’ve been reading a lot before starting it, so I make as few mistakes as possible, but I know they’re part of the experience.
My first language isn’t English and I don’t know if it would be a good idea to blog in my native language (Spanish) or offer translations in English as well. How do you feel about languages and blogging? Does it make a difference?
Thanks for this helpful advice 🙂
I’m excited you are going to start your blog. As far as the language goes, I would think who your target audience is and write for them. Best of luck.
Hi Kristie, Thank you for sharing these tips and guides. I have been writing contents for various websites. Now I am creating create my blog. These resources will be a great help to me for laying the foundation to my blog.
I love this, I love you, and you are now officially my favorite blogger of all time! Seriously I got squeeze you into pieces. I have been searching for a post like this for weeks. Thank you so much for this one. I just created my blog and I had no idea where to go to find resources before launching. This is a great informational blog and so easy to understand. I like that you went beyond the normal “how to start a blog” posts. That part is common sense. I’m stuck with WordPress and I was staring at it like okay.. Now what. And then I found you ❤️
Hi Kelley! this comment slipped past me somehow. Thank you so much for your sweet words. I’m glad that you found this post and that it has helped you out. Anything I can do to help you get rolling? I see you have a few posts already!
Been following this step-by-step. I’m not ready to make any posts yet but this has helped me create the foundation for my blog. I can’t thank you enough!
I’m in the same situation! If you ever want to chat or vent about this experience feel free to email me! Kelley.aroura@hmail.com if love to have someone to go through this with.
I have just started my blog – haven’t even made my first post yet! It has turned out to be a little more overwhelming than I expected. Your information was so helpful to me! Thank you for sharing!
Starting a blog can be very overwhelming Melissa. You’ve got this though. Keep coming back through the post until you have all 20 things done. Also, make sure to check out my article on how to have blog followers before you go live. Blogging for no on is no fun. Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions.
Hi Kristie!
I have been researching how to start a blog for months now and until this is all seemed very complicated! Thank you for simplifying it!
Through my research, many blogs did not start with Bluehost and just stuck to WordPress. Wondering what the difference is?
Thanks!!
They work together. Bluehost is the company that’s hosts your files, and WordPress is thr platform that allows you to easily create a website + post new articles.
There is also wordpress.com, which is a free blogging platform that does not require a host. You can read the differences about the two WordPress platforms here
Great post Kristie!
I used BlueHost when I started my first blog.
You are right, WordPress is definitely the way to go.
Thank you so much for your help! I am researching how to set up a blog, so when I do launch it, it looks fabulous! I love that your post tells me exactly what to do, and HOW to do it. This has been extremely helpful! I would love a facebook invite to your group. I’m really nervous to start my blog but I also really want to do it! Thanks for the boost!
Hi Kristie. Just read your post. Lotta info for guy like me who is interested in starting a blog. I have a question I haven’t seen mentioned. If I set up website on desktop PC. Can I post and change things on my laptop Mac. Will I need to download WordPress on laptop as well? Any other problems that you may see working this way. Thanks for your help.
WordPress is installed online – on a host platform that you purchase. You can access it from any device, anywhere.
Thank you for all the information you give about starting a blog. I just started my blog a few days ago. It is very intimidating but fun. We aren’t live yet but I did setup the coming soon page you recommended 🙂 ~Kelly
Looks like your coming soon page isn’t activated, or maybe you took it down? I would recommend getting it up and start connecting with people and pre-marketing your blog. It’s no fun writing for no one.
Also, I would recommend changing your permalink structure (the text at the end of your URL for each post/page) before righting anymore posts. To do so, go to Settings > Permalinks. Change it to post name.
Thank you thank you thank you! This is the best advice I have read so far. I wish I had found this before I started. You give much more detailed information as far as saying HOW to do something instead of just what to do. THANK YOU!
This comment has made my whole month. You pretty much summed up my goal for this series: detailed how to get your blog up and running. You’re blog is looking great. Have fun with it. Good luck.
My question is what is the biggest difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org ? I JUST started my blog a few days ago and haven’t even published the site yet, but I’ve been reading in different places the actual difference between the 2. Of course at this point I want to be setting myself up for success, but I don’t want to break the bank yet if it isn’t something I love you know? I downloaded the wordpress from CPANEL and I’m still learning the in’s and out’s of the website so any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Jaime. The biggest differences are this: at worpress.com you don’t have access to edit the code, which means no customization or adding extras. The other big difference is with wordpreas.com you are very limited on how you can monetize your blog. Self hosted, as you are set up now let’s you do whatever.
I get it though, if you’re not sure blogging is your thing and you don’t want to invest money at first. You could always start at wordpreas.com and the switch over when ready
Or, if you are set up with Bluehost – you pay for the year (or 3) up front, but should you decide to cancel, you get all the money back for unused months. So you’ll only be out $4-5 for each month you did blog.
Good luck!
is it possible to switch from wordpress.com -> wordpress.org ?
Yes! It is. You will be able to export your WordPress.com data and then import it into your self-hosted WordPress site. Please email me at Kristie @ kristiehill.com if you would like assistance! Good luck Jaime.
WOW, thank you for your help. I just launched my blog today….I am so sorry I didn’t find you first. I definately will be following you.
If I started free on WordPress I can still just get Bluehost and go thru the steps and my blog will be here once I have all the plugins done, correct?
TIA and I look forward to reading more
Hi Amy, I am SO sorry, this comment slipped by my radar. Were you able to sort out the whole free wordpress.com and self-hosted wordpress through Bluehost? I’m happy to help sort it out, if you haven’t.
Hi Kristie,
Thank you very much for the step by step instructions on starting a blog. I have spent several months just reading the different bloggers
Blog about starting one. I would love to start one, but I get cold feet
every time I attempt to start a blog. I always feel like everyone else can do these things, except me. I will keep in touch. Thanks again.
Hi Ellient. I totally get the cold feet thing. Happened to me, too. What type of content do you hope to blog about?
Also, I have a Facebook Group for people just starting their blogs or who haven’t started yet, would you like an invite? If so, let me know which email address you use associated with Facebook.
Hi Kristie,
Thanks for the awesome info on starting a blog. I have a lot to work through, but with your help at least I have some direction now:)
I am sure I will be asking lots of questions!
Thanks again,
Tarryn
Hi Kristie! I recently started a free blog at wordpress, is there a way for me to post my blog at pinterest? Thanks 🙂
Fantastic post. I have seen a few posts with similar tips but none with the same amount of clear, easy to follow detail.
Thank you Kristie!! This is by far the best post on starting a blog. Your instructions are really clear and easy to understand. I`m half way through the set up and can`t wait to start blogging. Thank you again! 🙂
You’re welcome Sakshi! I can’t wait to see your blog up and going. Let me know if you have any questions.
This post is exactly what I needed! I just started my blog, along with becoming a Nutritional Therapist and I am more overwhelmed with the blog then I was about school. This post is so helpful and I am looking into the bluehost immediately. Hopefully I can export everything with out a problem. I have so much to do still, but this post has helped me get organized and I am so thankful!
You’er site is looking wonderful Leonora! I love the name too, Love a Healthier You. So glad this series helped to keep you organized. Let me know if you have any questions for me!
I needed the list you wrote regarding what to do before going live! I keep piddling around doing a million different things to the format, in all reality not know what I am doing lol. I’ve needed to sit down and make a concrete list of what I need to do before going live and you just handed it to me on a silver platter!! Thank you so much! I wish I had seen this earlier and gotten a discount on my bluehost services…oh well. Maybe on my renewal?
Thank you!!
You’re welcome Natasha. Unfortunately, hosting companies make their big bucks with renewals – usually they don’t give discounts. bummer.
I’m glad you’ve liked this series though for setting up your blog. I can’t wait to see what real estate tips and tricks you’ll be sharing – especially since I am in the market to buy a house this year!
Very nice article! Thanks for all those screen shots you’ve made for the beginners like me) as I understand you used WordPress, why WordPress? What are the advantages of WordPress oven the other platforms? Thank you
Hi Kristie!
It’s me again. (sorry…) May you, please, let me know what size should be the photos is a blog post? I make mine with picmonkey and am always wondering what size I should make them. I couldn’t find any information about that except that it’s better to keep one and the same size all the time.
I’m really sorry to bother you again, but I will really appreciate your help.
Thanks a lot!
Zori
Don’t be sorry, I like helping out! You can read this post for full details on image sizing, but for your new Foodie Theme, I would recommend creating all of your photos to be 680 px wide by however long you want them!
Lol, thanks a lot! You’re the best!
I’m new n have had little education but I want to share n encorage others with my type of disabilty that we can have a happy n normal life. So thk u yr post I got off pinerest n it has given me things to learn n understand easyer
You’re welcome. I’m glad this series has been helpful for you. I love that you want to help and encourage others, good luck!
Hi Kristie!!
Oh my goodness. You are actually a god send. I am HORRIBLE at all things technological but you were amazing in guiding me through building my website. Before I found your blog, I was lost. I was sure I would have to fork out some money to hire a web designer to build it.
BUT THEN I FOUND YOU.
You explained everything sooo clearly, complete with screenshots so that I could follow along. I wish I could reach through my laptop screen and give you a massive hug. Because of you, I’ve finished! My website is done and I’m pretty proud of it. So, THANK YOU! 🙂
Alexia
This comment is as good as a hug! Thank you so much for compliments and letting me see your new site. I love it. Can’t wait to see more of your posts and details of your book. Good luck Alexia, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks a lot, Kristie! I think this is the most useful guide for starting a blog I’ve found. I’m going through every step now and it’s so much fun! You really have thought about everything that I didn’t even consider and it’s so clear and easy to understand. I’m looking forward to go live with my blog soon.
Barbara
I can’t wait to see what you do with your blog – especially since it’s about COOKIES!
hello. nice article this was. i m looking to start a blog about (fashion, beauty, fitness ) but i m out of names for my domain. can u plz gve me some suggestion abt it. and shd include all these topic in a single blog or not?.
I think those are great topics for one blog – they connect well together. As for the domain name, it is hard to find one that isn’t taken! It’s acceptable to use other extensions these days, it doesn’t need to be a .com. Good luck coming up with a name!
I have been thinking about starting a blog for awhile now and have been looking at so many different sites of how to start a new blog. This is so helpful, I am still really nervous about getting everything started, but I now I know where to start. Thank you so much, I love the step by step process.
You’re welcome Kiearra. It can be a little overwhelming to start a blog, but hopefully this series breaks things down into doable chunks for you. Also, I’m adding a new step soon that will help you have readers when you go live with your new blog – because it’s no fun to write a blog for no one.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you Kristie. I’m new in blogging with a WordPress.com I’ve nothing yet posted because u need to learn more about blogging. your blog and posts were helpful. over one hour in your site is no joke nor a waste of time.
With all the people’s comments I read, I could feel that you’re feeling fulfilled helping people. May Gos bless you.
Thank you Peter! I really do like helping people get their blogs started, and even more – become successful! Let me know if you have any questions.
I just wanted to come back and say thank you! I think I must have come back to this post everyday for a week now! I’ve been going through your list item by item and I think I’m almost ready to go live. Thanks again for the fantastic information!
Jamie, thank you so much for your response! It always makes me happy to hear my tutorials have helped someone get their blog started. Can’t wait to see your blog when it goes live. Keep me posted.
Hi there! This article is beyond helpful I wish I would have seen it before I started and launched my blog! My sister and I are very, very new bloggers and we have set up our blog on wordpress.com using the free blogging option. We have discussed lightly about using and paying for a host to have our own domain but we didn’t know if it was worth it since we have so few blog followers. If we sign up for BlueHost would we be able to transfer our wordpress.com blog there? It’s all so confusing and this article was so helpful! Thank you!
🙂
Hi Asheigh, congrats on your new blog with your sister. I think it is so fun when people start blogs together!
There are definitely pros and cons to having a self-hosted WordPress blog over a WordPress.com blog (if you haven’t yet, you can also read my post comparing the two).
Every blog I have migrated from wordpress.com to self-hosted has only gained in traffic and followers. If it is your goal to grow your blog and make it a business (aka, eventual income) you will be better off switching earlier than later.
If you purchase your hosting, you will still need to go through the steps on this page and then import your WordPress.com content to its new location.
To do so: from your wordpress.com account, go to your dashboard and down to tools, export. Download the XML file.
Now, log in to your new self-hosted WordPress site and go to Tools > Import. Upload the XML file. It should be a fast upload since you don’t have very many posts yet. But if it freezes, just refresh and upload again, and it will pick up from where it left off.
A few more blogging tips for you: make sure every post include a picture. Also, try to include a pinnable picture in every post (a vertical image that depicts what the post is about).
Please feel free to email me with any other questions!
Thanks so much for this post! I knew there had to be more to starting a blog than just getting a domain and hosting, this really goes into details and makes starting a blog a little less intimidating. I have a idea for my blog and already have some post ideas I’m working on, my question is how often do you post new content?
You’re welcome Heidi! All of those “How to start a blog in 10 minutes” posts are a bit misleading, there is certainly a lot more that goes into starting a blog than setting up the basics.
That’s great that you already have post ideas that you are working on. There really isn’t a perfect number for how often you should post new content. A lot of it depends on what type of blog you have. For new bloggers though, I recommend starting out with 2-3 posts a week (unless you blog about a very specific topic, then 1-2 posts a week is fine). One of the biggest reasons blogs fail is because the blogger gets burnt out. Don’t let this happen to you.
Good luck, fee free to reach out with any other questions.
Kristie!!! YAY! I am so excited I found this post!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I knew that there was “something” out there calling my name that wasn’t typical. As it turns out it is blogging and I have the exact idea for what I will blog about. It was literally right in front of my eyes for my entire life! Isn’t that the way it goes?!
I have the passion now I just need to achieve the dream. I will post again once I have my domain purchased and site live. I am incredibly excited and can’t wait to share it with the world!
~Brittany
I’m excited for you Brittany! Shoot me an email with any questions or if you need help getting things set up. Can’t wait to see what you blog about.
Thank you for the helpful information
Your welcome Kim, glad you found it helpful in setting up your new blog.
Thank for the helpful information.
Really nice clear guide! Would have been so handy before I struggled to set up my domain… sigh 😛
Oh no! Sorry setting up your own Domain was a struggle, do you have it all sorted out now? Do you need any help/have questions?
This is a great step by step for me. I have a great focused idea for a blog but I’m feeling really overwhelmed about putting it together. There seems to be lots of moving parts to put together and the technical aspects are difficult for me. I’m sure I’ll be referring to your site often. Why do you use wordpress instead of blogger?
Such a great post! Thank you for sharing all your knowledge, I am feeling a lot more confident about jumping into the world of blogging now 🙂 One question I do have, though, I already have a domain purchased from GoDaddy and I’m wondering if I should use them to manage my WordPress blog or go through BlueHost like you suggest?
Thanks!
Michele
Hi Michele, I’m glad my post helped you have more confidence jumping into blogging. GoDaddy is a great place for domain names. They really excel at domain names. I personally would not use them for hosting. From my experience, the customer service is much slower than most hosting companies, they don’t give access to all of your files unless you pay for higher plan, and they seem to have more down time. BlueHost is a great starter hosting company. My other favorite hosting company is SiteGround. If you want to be serious about blogging, sign up with them. The rest of this tutorial will be applicable.
You can leave your domain name hosted at GoDaddy and point the nameservers to whichever hosting company you chose. Let me know if you decide on that route and I can walk you through those steps.
Thanks for the reply! I think I will go with SiteGround, if I run into any trouble I know where to come!
Thanks again!!
Michele
You’ll love SiteGround – I do, that’s the hosting I use for this blog. Good luck. Can’t wait to see your new blog.
After reading the book “Start” by Jon Acuff, I knew it was time to finally pursue my “awesome” and start writing. I couldn’t think of a better place to start than blogging. Your post gave me the direction I need to get started, and I am so thankful for that. I’m still a little nervous to make it all happen, but I am very excited as well. Everyone keeps telling me I cannot do it, but I know that is not the case. Thanks again!
I think you can do it! What do you want to blog about? Can I email with a proposal?
Please help! I am trying my best to get a blog going but I am not doing too well. I signed up with bluehost and set up a wordpress.com account through them. I started posting and am trying to add Akismet but when I add my wordpress.com user name and password it says I don’t have an account.
No one seems to know how to help me. Any chance you can?
Yes, I can! If you have bluehost, then you will not use wordpress.com to manage your blog. Shoot me an email and I’ll send you more instructions. Kristie@kristiehill.com
hi Kristie,
I read you blog. i found it very useful. thanx a lot for this wonderful blog. i have few queries regarding it. i have an clothing e-commerce website which i m going to launch soon, its at the final stage of finding a good web hosting site n server. I want to write a blog for my website. I m confused how should i go about it. I already have my domain name how will i link my blog and my website. pls help me
Do you already have hosting for your e-commerce site?
Kristie! I just wanted to send you a heartfelt THANK YOU for helping me get my blog started!! I didn’t even know where to start and I’m just so grateful for all of the information you have on your site. Take a look at my site (www.dirtinmyshoes.com). I think it looks really good and I couldn’t have done it without you. I will refer you to anyone who needs help getting started. Thank you for all that you do!
Congratulations Ash! Your blog is looking great and I love your focus. I grew up in Utah and loved exploring the outdoors on family camp outs. Can’t wait to read about your adventures – especially since you also have a little guy.
Would you like some blog tips?
Hey, Kristie!
First of all I can’t even begin to thank you for the great help I got from your blog during the currently ongoing process of preparing for my blog.
I just want to ask you something about BlueHost. In the screenshot you attached here it clearly says that it will bill the total hosting price for the 3 years in advance. Now when I check this page on BlueHost it only says “Billed Annually at ../yr” beside the extra options, BUT for the Account Plan it just says “36 Month Price – $3.96/month” and there’s no “Hosting Price” underneath that. Does this mean they bill you monthly nowadays or it’s still the whole 3 years in advance?
I’d really love it if you explain this because I want to buy the 3 year plan but I’m not really sure I want to pay the whole lot in advance.
Thanks again Krisite!
Hi Salma, I’m glad to hear you have found my blog helpful in creating a blog.
In order to qualify for the lower monthly pricing, you must pay for all 3 years in advance. Even though the pricing is displayed as “per month” you can only select to pay for 12, 24, or 36 months – up front.
The extras have a fixed rate and can only be paid for on an annual basis.
One of the beauties of BlueHost is should you decide not to continue with their hosting for the full 3 years, they will refund you any unused months.
Hope that helps, let me know if you need further clarification.
Thank you so much for the reply, this actually was all the clarification I needed! 🙂
Oh good! Let me know if you have anymore questions for me!
This is a very helpful post for someone like me that is just planning to go into blogging biz. There is just one question I have please, You did not talk on making money from the blog.Or is it that making money through ads clicks is automatically set along with your above blogging process with bluehost?
Hi Michael. You can read this post on how to make money blogging.
Thanks for the advise…I am just starting my own site and this is so much to take in. I have so many ideas for my blog, but I don’t know how to get started. Your post has really helped get me started. Thanks a million!!
Glad this series has been helpful for you! Let me know if you have any questions along the way.
thanks your list realy help me to start blogging
Your welcome Ade, your site is really coming together, and nice gravatar! Let me know if you have any questions
All in one. It is what I was looking for. Thank you so much. Brygida
Glad you found this post to be all in one! Let me know if you have any questions!
What a great list! I love this!
Thanks Elizabeth, that means a lot coming from you!
Thank you! I’ve finally taken the jump of starting a blog and have been pretty overwhelmed. I’ve had a shop on etsy & ebay for 2 years but want to branch out on my own. I’ve doing quite a bit of research and am glad i found this post! I currently use weebly and bought my domain but everything I read says wordpress is the way to go? I wonder if is it a big enough difference that it would be worth switching?
There’s so much to learn! Thank you for sharing the info! This new to blogging chicy would be sooo lost without such awesome posts 🙂
Since you already own a business, I think a self hosted website is the best way for you to go. You can actually add weebly to a self hosted site. WordPress is the most popular for its functionality and possibility. Many people us Woo commerce to sell product on their site. Let me know if you have any more questions, I’m happy to help!
These are great! I had a favicon rotator plugin but I’ve been trying to limit the amount of plugins I use. I may have to investigate your post about adding a favicon.
Thanks so much for sharing. This is brilliant.
I’m pinning to my blogging board.
Wishing you a lovely week.
xoxo
I just nominated you for Liebster Award. Check it out on my blog: http://www.stylecharmer.com!
Hey Kristie! Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday! I’m excited to connect with you and follow your blog and tutorials! I can already tell that they’re going to be extremely helpful when I can questions! -Erica
Hi Erica! Glad you stopped by. Let me know if there’s any blogging related things you have questions on, happy to help! Also, good luck on your new twitter adventure!
Hi Kristi,
Well, thepeacefulhaven.com is up and running ALL thanks to your amazing blog posts on how to set up a blog! I am indebted to you…because I know full well my blog would not be here if it were not for your clear advise! All I have to say is…THANK YOU!
I’m so excited for your new blog, The Peaceful Haven Janelle! I am glad that my tutorials helped you get your blog set up and running. Good luck!
Hallo I am starting my blog I am very new to this hope u will like my blogs….
Thanks for stopping by my blog! It seems like you have plenty of great resources here, I’ll have to check them out when I’m not about to go to work! How long have you had this site for?
Corinne x
Thanks Corinne! The blog has been in the works for a while, but I just went “live” with it on April 25 of this year.
Hey Kristie, thanks for stopping by DYOB today and I really appreciate your comment about disabling the Pin it button! Only thing is, the code did’t come through in the comment. :[ I’d love to add it to the tutorial and credit you 🙂
I wish I’d had access to all these tutorials when I started my blog. Thanks for visiting Night Owl Corner….just stopping by to check out your blog too!
Linda
Thanks for stopping by!