How To Start A Blog In 2020
| Suhani Sachdeva
What Do You Need to Start A WordPress Blog?
There are three things necessary for starting a WordPress blog:
- A domain name. This is the address where your site lives. It’s the URL, or destination people type into a search engine to find your site. Kind of like the address to your house.
- A hosting account. This is the server where your files, like images, text, and databases live. Think of this like your house, which stores all your belongings.
- A little time and patience. Setting up a blog on WordPress is not overly technical or complicated complicated, but does come with a learning curve that takes a bit of time to learn.
If you’re already confused, don’t worry. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the entire process from scratch, step by step. We’ll cover the basics of how to start a blog, including…
- How to pick a winning and profitable niche.
- How to register a domain name.
- The best web hosting company and package to select.
- How to set up WordPress on your domain.
- How to pick the best theme company and design.
- The basics of writing a blog post.
- Essential plugins your blog should not be without.
- How to grow your blog to increase traffic.
- How to monetize your blog once you get traffic.
So without further ado, let’s jump right in!
First Steps
When family and friends learn that I now work online full-time, they often ask me how to start a blog and make money online.
After explaining the process of starting a blog a few dozen times, I thought it would be much easier to document a step-by-step guide on how to become a blogger.
There are many reasons to start a blog. You might be looking to express yourself and anonymously express your opinions online, or you might be looking to make extra cash through the various ways you can make money on a blog.
Whatever your reason, it’s easier than ever to get started.
Fortunately, setting up a blog is cheap and the steps are the same whether you are learning how to start a fashion, food, lifestyle, music, sports, or business blog.
Making 6-figures and a full-time living online is possible if you just launch your own website. The key is to just get it going.
And while you may be tempted to rush out and start a free blog, building a profitable website with a legitimate brand requires some very basic investments, such as a custom domain and web hosting.
But before we dive too far into the how, there are a few things to know before you create and build a blog in 2020.
Decide What To Blog About
Contrary to what many new bloggers would like to believe, blogging will not bring you millions overnight. It may be simple to get started, but be prepared to put in the time and work required to actually grow your project.
Like any other business, it requires time, patience, and commitment, so pick a topic or niche you are passionate and knowledgeable about. Trust me, your audience can tell when you love discussing the topic in your blog posts, and that will build credibility and loyalty.
I’ve made this mistake many times in the past by purchasing websites I knew nothing about then trying to relate to my newfound audience. I failed, and very badly at that.
Not only is it hard to write about a subject you know nothing about, but it’s also not helpful for readers. Stick to what you know and build off your passion.
Furthermore, a unique experience or perspective on a subject will help you stand out from other bloggers online, and encourage social media sharing from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. These mediums can provide exposure and drive huge amounts of traffic to your site.
Without going into too much detail, at the end of the day you really just want to pick a niche that you are passionate about, you are an expert in, and you enjoy writing about.
Don’t overthink it.. just pick an area that you really like, such as a hobby or side hustle, then start a blog about that.
If you’re stuck trying to figure out which niche or topic to write about, check out this video for some helpful tips: