How to Start a WordPress Blog (2024): Beginner Guide

Have you thought about starting a WordPress blog? Does blogging about something you like and sharing your thoughts, ideas, and tips with the world excite you? Are you ready to create a blog but need help figuring out what to do?

No worries. We’ve got your back with a step-by-step beginner guide on exactly what you need to do to start a WordPress blog.

What Would You Need to Start a WordPress Blog?

There are three things you need to start a WordPress blog:

  1. First, a domain name (this will be the name of your blog, i.e., pickupwp.com)
  2. Second, web hosting (this is where your website lives on the Internet)
  3. Lastly, a blogging platform, i.e., WordPress (the software you will use to build and manage your blog).

Getting Started: Blog Hosting and Domain Name

If you’ve never created a blog or launched a website, you’re wondering:

What is blog hosting, exactly?

Blog hosting refers to the location of your website’s files. It is the internet home of your website. Every website requires web hosting.

Also, they allow you to obtain a domain name for your blog.

A domain name is what users put into their browser to get your website. It’s the internet address for your website—for example, google.com and pickupwp.com.

When it comes to blog hosting, you should look for three things:

  • Easy but reliable technical setup: You don’t want to waste time with complicated hosting installations.
  • Reliability with uptime: Your blog must be operational at all times of the month, day, and hour.
  • Fast page loading speed: The average time it takes for your blog page to load.

These things will help you save time and earn more money from your blog.

Your visitors will spend more time reading your content when your WordPress blog works smoothly. This results in more conversions, higher blog income, and more engaged readers.

Which Hosting Provider Should You Choose?

There are many WordPress hosting options available. It gets difficult for any beginner to choose.

So, to save you time and money, we recommend Bluehost for domains and blog hosting.

Why?

Because their web hosting is quite simple to set up, their service is excellent, and their plans are highly affordable.

Even if you are totally new to blogging, you can set up a blog with Bluehost in a matter of minutes!

They’ll even set up the WordPress blogging platform for you. You just need to sign up, and you can start blogging right away.

So, you’ve decided on your domain name and web hosting. Awesome!

Next up: blogging platforms and software.

When it relates to blogging platforms, we recommend starting your blog on WordPress.org.

WordPress.org is the most popular blogging platform or Content Management System (CMS) in the world.

It’s a piece of software that allows you to manage your blog website, publish blog posts, and do a lot more.

The WordPress dashboard is easy enough for even complete beginners to understand. In just a few minutes, you can master the fundamentals!

Moreover, WordPress is highly customizable once you feel comfortable enough with it. You can build anything with WordPress with easy-to-use design tools and customization options.

Let’s start with our Bluehost WordPress tutorial to start your blog now!

Step 1. Get a Bluehost Hosting Account

1. Visit the Bluehost Site

Open the Bluehost.com website in a new window and click on the “Get Started” button to get started.

Bluehost Homepage

2. Select a Hosting Plan to Start a Blog

Next, select the hosting plan. If you’re a beginner, go with the basic plan, which will cover all of your site’s essential needs.

Bluehost Hosting Plan

Once your blog takes off and starts generating a lot of traffic, you might want to consider upgrading to the premier version of your hosting plan, which has more advanced features that are better suited to dealing with the high volume of traffic.

3. Input a Domain Name

You’ll need to register a new domain if this is your first time using WordPress. Choose an extension from the drop-down option next to the name you want to use. You may select from various domain extensions, including .com, .net, and .org, to mention a few.

Create Bluehost Domain Name

Bluehost will examine the domain and tell you if it’s available when you click the “Next” button. If the domain name is available for use, you can proceed with the registration procedure. If not, you’ll have to choose a new name.

4. Register Bluehost Account and Hosting Option

Create Your Bluehost Account

First, fill in your account information. Make sure you use your best e-mail address because that is where Bluehost will send your login details and account information:

Bluehost Account Information

Select the Best Hosting Package

Second, select your Bluehost web hosting plan’s duration:

Bluehost Package Information

Choosing a more extended plan lets you lock in a lower price, but you will have to pay everything in advance.

Choose Your Package Extras

Third, under Package Extras, you may select several extra services for your blog:

Bluehost Package Extras

Enter Your Payment Information

Finally, just provide your payment information, read and accept the terms, and click the Submit button:

Bluehost Payment Information

Congratulations!

You’re now a proud and happy member of the Bluehost community, along with your domain name and web hosting plan!

6. Set Your Password

As the final step in registering with Bluehost, you’ll create a password once you’ve entered your payment information.

Create Bluehost Password

Step 2. Install WordPress

When you sign up for Bluehost’s new version, they’ll install WordPress for you automatically. This updated version was just released to make it easier for non-technical users to build a blog.

To get started, log in to your Bluehost account and click the Login to WordPress option.

Log to your WordPress Blog From Bluehost Dashboard

You may also access WordPress straight from your browser by going to yoursite.com/wp-admin/.

WordPress Login Screen

Once WordPress is installed, you may customize your blog’s appearance and start blogging.

Step 3. Choose Your WordPress Theme

Themes control the visual appearance of your WordPress blog.

There are many pre-made WordPress themes available for installation on your site. Some are free, while others are premium WordPress themes that cost money.

Go to your WordPress dashboard and select Appearance » Themes to change your theme.

WordPress Dashboard Theme Option

Here, you can see your active theme and other themes you installed.

To install a new theme for your WordPress blog, go ahead and click the Add New button.

Add New Theme

On the next page, you may search among the 9,500+ free WordPress themes in the official WordPress.org themes directory. You may sort by most popular, most latest, most featured, etc.

Theme Toolbar and Search Filter

When you hover your cursor over a theme, you’ll see a Preview button. When you click on it, a theme preview will appear, allowing you to see how the design will appear on your website.

Preview and Install WordPress Theme

Once you’ve selected a theme you like, hover your cursor over it to see the Install button. Click on it, and WordPress will install the theme right away. The install button will then be replaced by an Activate button. To activate the theme, you must click on it.

Activate WordPress Theme

After installing your theme, go to the Appearance menu and select Customize option.

There will be built-in widgets and customization options depending on the theme you pick, allowing you to adjust your blog’s style.

A WordPress page builder gives you even more design flexibility by creating a custom header, footer, sidebar, and more without writing any HTML code.

Once you’ve chosen your WordPress theme, you’re ready to start writing your first blog post.

If you need help selecting a theme, then you can see our guide on how to choose a WordPress theme.

Step 4. Create Your First Blog Post

Go to Posts » Add New in your WordPress dashboard to start writing a new blog post.

WordPress Dashboard Post Create Option

When a new post page appears, enter a title and text for your blog article.

You will notice several other sections on the posts screen, such as Categories and Tags. These may be used to organize your blog posts into sections.

When you’re finished and happy with your blog post, click the Publish button, and you’re done.

WordPress Post Screen

Congratulations!! You now have your blog site and are a blogger.

Step 5. WordPress Plugins

After you’ve published your first blog post, you’ll undoubtedly want to start adding other common website features like contact forms, galleries, and sliders.

To add all these features, you need to use plugins.

WordPress plugins are software that allows you to extend the functionality of your website without having to write any code. Read how to install WordPress plugins.

There are over 59,000+ free WordPress plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory alone. This implies finding a plugin for whatever you want to do.

Here Are Some Must Have WordPress Plugins

Here are a few of our recommendations:

Step 6. Make Money From Your Blog

Now that you’ve set up your blog and customized it to your taste, you’re probably asking, “How can I make money blogging?”

There are several options for successfully monetizing your blog. There is no such thing as a get-rich-quick scheme, though.

Following are some of the best ways to make money from your WordPress blog.

1. Google AdSense

Many bloggers earn money by displaying advertisements on their blogs. Google AdSense is the most effective approach if you want to monetize your blog.

It is the most popular blogging and publishing advertising platform. Google acts as a mediator between you and the advertiser, allowing them to bid on keywords that match your content. This enables you to obtain the best possible rates for the advertisements.

There are also some of the best Google AdSense alternatives available if you don’t use Google AdSense to make money from your blog.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is the second most popular way for bloggers to make money. You promote your preferred items/services to your followers, and you get paid a referral commission if they buy them.

Affiliate marketing is all about recommending high-quality items and services that you already use and believe in. There are several affiliate marketing plugins and tools available for WordPress that may assist you in making more money by advertising affiliate items.

3. Online Store

Many bloggers generate money by selling products directly on their websites. This might include physical items, digital downloads such as ebooks, artwork, music, and other media. Some bloggers go so far as to provide advisory services.

We recommend WooCommerce since it is the best eCommerce plugin for WordPress. It is also the most widely used eCommerce platform in the world.

For more details, check our guide on how to start an online store with WordPress.

Some bloggers don’t want to deal with the effort of setting up their store, so they set up an Amazon affiliate store, which allows them to sell other people’s things on Amazon and earn a commission.

What Are You Waiting For? Start A Blog!

Getting started with blogging is as simple as following the six steps above, and the learning curve for starting a blog is much shorter if you start by paddling rather than diving in headfirst. There is plenty of time to concentrate on minor theme changes, new plugins, and SEO optimization, but effective blogging nearly always comes down to the content that you create.

Most visitors are more concerned with your content than your style or fancy plugin features. So embrace the idea of blogging, start writing, and start a blog!

We hope that you found our article on how to start a WordPress blog helpful.

For more, check out these other helpful resources:

Lastly, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the latest WordPress and blogging-related articles.


Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does it Cost to Start a WordPress Blog?

The cost of creating a blog using WordPress varies, but expect to pay between $150 and $200 upfront. After that, your monthly expenses will be decided by the optional extras you buy. On average, you should likely pay between $5 and $200 every month.

Is WordPress Good for Starting a Blog?

WordPress is the easiest platform to use for creating blogs and managing website content, so we strongly recommend using it.

Can I Start a WordPress Blog for Free?

WordPress.org is the king of free blogging platforms. It is a free platform, but you must create the site mostly by yourself after that. You must also host the software yourself. While free WordPress hosting is available, paying a reasonable fee for a reliable WordPress server is a better long-term plan.

Can I Start a Blog Without Hosting?

No. Web hosting is where your website files are stored. Every website needs web hosting to start a blog.

How Can I Make Money With WordPress Blog?

There are many ways to monetize your WordPress blog, including affiliate marketing, Google AdSense, selling ebooks, etc.

For more, check out the best ways to make money with a WordPress blog.

Can I Design a Blog Without Coding Skills?

Absolutely. You don’t need any programming, coding, or design skills to build a professional-looking WordPress blog.

WordPress themes are simple to set up and customize. WordPress themes, such as Astra, come with ready-made starter templates that you can import with a single click.

Other powerful themes, such as Divi, offer complete drag-and-drop design options for customizing your blog.

Then there are powerful drag-and-drop page builders, such as SeedProd and Divi Builder, that works with any WordPress theme. You may simply drag and drop elements to create your own pages.

Do I Need Plugins for my WordPress Blog?

Absolutely. Plugins are the base of your WordPress blog. They add vital functions to your website, whether you need to add contact forms, boost SEO, increase site speed, or provide email opt-ins. A plugin can perform anything you want for your website.

Check out our list of the best blog plugins for WordPress.

Can I Switch Blogging Platforms Later?

When starting a blog, many beginners make the mistake of selecting the wrong platform, such as Medium, Tumblr, Blogger, or others.

However, you can easily switch to WordPress. We have a detailed guide on how to move from Blogger to WordPress.