I know, I know… starting a blog can be confusing. Four years ago, when I started my first blog, I knew absolutely nothing about blogs or blogging. I kept searching for information and “how-to” guides on Google, but they all required technical skills and I found them extremely difficult to follow.
By now, I’ve built and managed more than 20 different blogs, and during that time, I’ve learned a TON about blogging.
All I can say is that creating blogs is extremely easy and it does not require any coding skills (HTML). In fact, the whole process is somewhat automatic. So whether you are 20 or 70 years old, doesn’t really matter – you can still make it. Here’s my sample blog, which I made in less than 20 minutes. You can do that too; simply follow the steps below.
If you are still hesitating, I suggest you read my article titled “Reasons why you should start your own blog.”
P.S.: If you EVER get stuck while setting up your blog, get in touch with me and I’ll help you out.
Shall we start?
1) DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO BLOG ABOUT
The first thing you need to do is pick a blog topic. Is there anything you enjoy or are really passionate about? If there is, then start a blog about it. When I started my first blog, I was really interested in smartphones and new tech gadgets, so I picked that topic. It makes no sense to start a blog about something you have no interest in, while it’s much easier to write articles and posts about topics that you’re passionate about.
It’s even better when you have been interested in a specific field or an industry for a long time, because you are already an expert. However, if you don’t have any idea which topic or niche you want to write about, think about your hobbies or just start blogging about your daily activities, memorable moments or simply about everything.
P.S. If you already know your blog niche or topic, you can skip this step and move onto Step 2.
Click here to read more about blog topics and blog post ideas...
2) DECIDE WHICH BLOGGING PLATFORM TO USE, FREE OR SELF-HOSTED?
First of all, most of the blogs on the internet are made using the WordPress blogging platform. In fact, WordPress has been downloaded over 72 million times and is used by many popular blogs and websites.
Here’s why I think using WordPress is the best way to start your blog:
- You can choose from many different layouts and free themes
- You can easily write blog posts and add pictures/images to your blog
- You are able to categorise your blog posts and create a custom menu
- People can comment and share your blog
- etc…
Free is not FREE…
Yes, you can create a free blog on a blogger.com or tumblr.com, but they are not actually free. And let me tell you why…
You are not able to get your OWN domain – Instead, you will get a sub-domain. My blog (startbloggingonline.com) has its own domain, but if I had decided to start a blog on blogger.com (for example), then it would look like startbloggingonline.blogger.com – a bit clumsy, isn’t it?
They are lacking of different themes/layouts and plugins – In other words, your blog will look really blank and boring. If you want additional themes or plugins to customise your blog, you have to pay… a lot.
You have NO control over your blog – Your blog is hosted on another site, thus you are not the “owner” of this property. If moderators decide that your blog does not fit with their policies (which can happen quite often), they can actually delete your blog without any warnings. In short, all your hard work and time spent on the blog will be vanished within seconds.
You are not able to earn money via blogging – If you make a blog, you CAN earn money with it, lots of people are. However, If you ever decide to earn money with your blog, you are unable to do it on a free blog. They simply don’t allow you to do that. Even if they do, they want their own cut, which is usually 50%.
However, if you are on a budget and don’t plan to blog more than few months then definitely start with a free blog. A self-hosted blog on your own domain (yourblog.com) is by far the better option. It gives you full control over your blog and you’ll look more professional. It’s also a great choice for people who want to blog long-term, share their knowledge, become a blogger and earn some money from it.
