Starting a WordPress blog is pretty simple. Follow these 11 easy steps to get your blog up and running today.

1. Choose a Niche

Choose an area or specialty that you want to focus on. It could be anything from photography to travel, fitness or finance, hobbies, or diet. Choosing a niche ensures you reach a specific audience.

2. Select a Domain Name

  • The domain name gives you blog identity and is the name people will type on their browsers to access your blog. It’s usually in this format: www. yourblogname.com
  • Go to Namecheap, Godaddy, or Hostgator and check if the domain you want is available for registration.

3. Get Web Hosting –

Hosting is where your website files are stored. If you are starting a simple blog, consider shared hosting. You can get a hosting plan for as low as $3.99 a month. Many hosting services such as BlueHost, SiteGround, and Godaddy offer a free domain for the 1st year and a 1-click WordPress installation via the Softacuous app.

When shopping for hosting services, keep these in mind.

  • Pricing and renewal rates— Check for introductory offers, as many hosts offer lower prices for the first year and then increase the rates during renewal.
  • Uptime guarantee —Select a hosting service that promises 99% uptime to ensure your website never goes offline.
  • Customer support—Sign up with hosting providers who offer reliable, 24/7 support via email, phone, or live chat.
  • Ease of use — Check to ensure the host offers a simple administration tool like cPanel and one-click installers.
  • Security — A good host will offer free SSL certificates to secure your website, automatic backups, firewalls, and DDoS protection.

4. Install WordPress

Once you register a domain and select a hosting plan, you can go ahead to install WordPress. Log into cPanel or DirectAdmin then look for the setup wizard to install WordPress on your domain.

Installation takes less than a minute. Once WordPress installation is completed, you can log into your dashboard by visiting www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin.

5. Choose and Install a Theme

A WordPress theme is a collection of files that determine a blog’s design, layout, and appearance. The theme controls the front-end styling, navigation, header, footer, colors and other design features.

Navigate to the Themes section, then upload a premium theme from ThemeForest or Elegant Themes, or any vendor. You can also install the free themes available in the WordPress themes library. Once you install the theme, you can customize its appearance to your liking.

6. Install Essential Plugins

Plugins are add-ons or extensions that extend the capability of WordPress. Some of the essential plugins you’ll want to install include:

  • Yoast SEO to optimize pages and posts to rank better in Google.
  • Imagify or Smush to minify your images
  • Jetpack to protect your website from spam and hackers
  • Contact Form 7 to create contact forms
  • WP Super Cache to improve website loading times
  • MonsterInsights to connect your WordPress site with Google Analytics
  • Elementor, an intuitive drag-and-drop builder to customize page design and layout

7. Create Primary Pages

From the dashboard, create these pages:

  • Home: Introduces your blog and its purpose to your audience.
  • About: Tells your story and your motivation for creating the blog.
  • Contact: Provides a way for visitors to get in touch.
  • Privacy Policy: Explains how your website collects, uses or stores personal data.

If you intend to promote affiliate products, remember to add a disclaimer.

8. Create Your First Blog Post

Go to Posts > Add New in the WordPress dashboard and create your first post. Add a title and the content, as well as accompanying images, to the post. Format the text with headings and bullets to improve readability then publish it.

9. Perform On-page SEO

Use Yoast SEO to optimize your posts with relevant keywords. You can add the keyword to subheadings, meta description and the title. Create a sitemap so search bots can crawl and index pages. Doing this will ensure your post appears in Google search results.

10. Set up Google Analytics

Connect your WordPress blog with your Google Analytics account to track traffic and visitor activity. You can find the analytics tracking code in your Google Analytics account.

11. Promote your blog

Share your freshly published posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media pages.

That’s all it takes to create a WordPress blog. If you have any questions or need help, get in touch with me at charles_langat [at] hotmail.com.