How To Start A Blog in 2021: A Step-by-Step Guide

Want to know how to start a blog without spending a lot of time and money? Then you’re on the right page. We’re talking about starting a blog that can help you make money while getting you out of the rat race.

Some of you might assume that it is impossible, but we assure you it’s not, because many people have already done it. If you are interested in blogging, you don’t need a lot of money or thoughts to get started, but you do need a guide –a guide like this.

Although it is not easy to comprise an entire guide into a short blog post, we have tried our best.

1. Think of a name for your blog and where to host it

This is the initial step in your blogging journey. Before you decide on the hosting, you must determine the name of your blog. The blog name or domain name is an integral part of blogging because it creates an impression. The readers or visitors first check your blog name before reading the content it has.

Ideally, the name of your blog must match its niche. Think about it like a brand. How would you select a brand name? It’s not going to be something random, rather, it will be meaningful and something that speaks your business. Similarly, when choosing a domain name, you have to be thoughtful.

Once you have decided the name, select a good web hosting service.

Web hosting is the place that your blog breathes and gets pampered. It might be hard to understand this now, but it will sound simpler when you get going. In fact, down the line, you might even write your version of “how to start a blog.”

But we have to mention that Bluehost has won the hearts of many successful bloggers as one of the most reliable and affordable web hosting providers. It could be the best server for you to get started.

2. Select a blogging platform like WordPress

Blogging platforms like WordPress, Blogger and Weebly are completely free to use. But out of them all, WordPress is the most preferred and used, and we are pretty sure that you’ll like it too.

Even though you have to learn how to install and set up WordPress, it’s not complicated at all. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials showing you how to do just that.

Another benefit of using WordPress is that it gives you complete control over your blog and its content. It offers a lot of free plugins, so you can extend the functionality of your blog any way you see fit. It is also very user-friendly and SEO-friendly.

3. Pick a theme to match your blog

A faceless figure doesn’t sound right. A blog without a theme is the same. You must think about your blog’s design, layout, and overall –a theme!

Like we said earlier, WordPress has it all. Its themes are easy to customize and fun to work with, so there are no hassles. The best part is, you don’t even need a coder or coding knowledge to select and install a theme. You can do it with just a click of a button.

You can find both free and paid themes on WordPress. However, before you settle for a specific theme, make sure to double-check that the theme suits you. So always check the theme’s rating and description before checking out. But more importantly, preview the theme if there’s an option to do so.

If you don’t like the theme that you selected, you can always change it. But don’t rush. You can test it with words and pictures before opting for another theme. You have plenty of options, so don’t worry!

4. Optimize your content for SEO

You cannot overlook this because, without SEO, your site would be helpless.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) gets so much attention from website owners because it allows them to drive organic traffic to their site. It helps their site rank higher in search engines (e.g., Google), which eventually increases their sales.

There are many techniques and tricks a blogger must learn when it comes to SEO. Learning these techniques and tricks isn’t that hard, but following them and getting the best results is challenging.

As a blogger, you must have a good understanding of meta titles, meta descriptions, backlinks, keywords, and especially YOAST SEO.

YOAST is an SEO plugin offered by WordPress for free, and it’s highly recognized. You can use the free version to optimize your content, but there is a premium version as well. As you have just started blogging, you don’t have to worry about the premium version. The free version has all the tools you need to make your website SEO friendly.

5. Write blogs to attract and educate your readers

By now, you’ve learned all the steps required to set up your blog.

Once you have created it, you can then begin writing blog posts that will interest and educate your readers.

If you want to monetize your blog, you must remember that your content shouldn’t be something that people don’t want to read and learn about. Instead, you have to study your target audience and provide them what they are looking for.

Remember, every blog should serve a purpose, and it should allow the readers to connect and communicate. However, you can decide the level of connection you want to have with your readers.

For example, Neil Patel’s comment section is like a conversion because he has engaged with his readers. Some bloggers don’t prefer getting comments for their blogs, so if that’s the case with you, of course, you can set it that way.

Take-away

You can definitely make money by blogging. But if your interest is to make money and you have no interest in the niche that you’ve selected, then things might turn miserable.

Therefore, you must learn more about blogging and why people started doing it. It’s also essential to understand how different niches have direct links with blogging. You should think about how one can make combine these areas in blogging and so on.

If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to reach out and we’ll be glad to help.