Create your first blog in 3 easy steps
Before I start giving you my 3 easy steps for starting your blog, I want to say this is not a technical review on the services I use, but rather a quick overview of how a newbie blogger – like me – started in the journey of blogging and what tools I found more useful. Later on I will share in more detail my technical experiences, and also limitations when working on my blog. And yes, the images in this post are completely unrelated to the topic – Enjoy!
I’ve had the idea of creating a travel blog for the longest time. Around 4 years ago I created my free WordPress account, and even wrote my first post (now deleted – for your own good)! The truth is, even though I was very excited on the idea, I was also very nervous, and scared on sharing my experiences with the world. Now the feeling is not that different, but I can say I’m more confident on the way I handle what I post.
One of the things that held me back from continuing blogging was the lack of knowledge on the resources to use in order to build my blog. And while the free WP services made it super easy for beginners like me to start blogging, it also did not meet my expectations, because some features that I had in mind were not offered in that free service – of course, it was free! So, 4 years later, and full of energy to continue working on my blog I want to share with you three easy steps I took in order to bring this page to a reality:
Steps to create your blog
1) Organize your ideas, choose a topic, and a name! – I chose travel and photography!
So, you have an idea of what you want to share in your blog? That’s great! It is how we all start. On my end, I always knew I wanted a travel blog (what’s more mainstream than that?). It’s OK, I just needed my space for sharing what I love! Based on that, I started to write a lot of ideas in a notebook, ideas which are now written in the blog.
Along those notebook notes I also started to make a list of potential blog names. I spent weeks thinking about names, making sure my options were available in all social media platforms, and most importantly that the domain was available as well! I have to say I read a lot of articles from expert bloggers and that helped me a lot. I even used name generators like NameMesh – just keep it simple, and move forward! Do your research and I’m sure you’ll find the best of the names!
- Activity: What’s the blog for? – Choose the name
- Time it took me to complete: 1 month
- Cost: FREE – well, maybe it’ll cost you a few nights of research
2) Get a domain name and hosting for your blog
Now that you decided what name to use for your blog you probably already know if it is available or not. There are several hosting companies offering very competitive prices on the market. I had a hard time choosing the one to use, but basically was between the three below:
a) Namecheap: OK, this was my choice, basically because I read good reviews on the NameCheap support service, and their prices were the best. Also, because one service caught my attention: EasyWP – this is still in beta, but this blog is running on it, and I have no complains so far. With EasyWP you can basically integrate WP into NameCheap in one click, I honestly find it very easy to use, and its offerings are very complete. They also give you 10GB of free storage, which so far I haven’t used! Read more about it on the link.
b) GoDaddy: I knew GoDaddy before I started my research, but NameCheap was cheaper and had great reviews, so I passed on it. You can still check them out, and compare for yourself!
c) Bluehost: With time I plan to move to Bluehost, a very complete offering for hosting services. It has great reviews as well! Also, if things don’t go as expected with option #1, I’ll definitely migrate my site there.
As mentioned before, there are dozens of options for buying, and hosting your domain. Make sure you take your time to choose what best adapts to your needs. Spend some time learning the platform and the tools that the system offers.
- Activity: Buy your domain and choose your hosting provider
- Time it took me to complete: 2 weeks
- Cost: $8.55 for the DNS and WhoisGuard protection included / $8.88 for one year of EasyWP basic (this is to be renewed per year and price will increase).
3) Choose the best theme and start blogging!
Picking a theme is one of the most important steps in the creation of your blog, this will help you build the design you want and will express what you really wish to transmit to your readers.
I started creating my site with a free theme from WordPress called Ashe – this after trying many others which simply didn’t adapt to what I was looking for: A clean, natural look that was easy to use for beginners.
I fell in love with this theme and started building the blog on it. The Ashe free theme works great, but I wanted more flexibility, and noticed this theme had a professional offering as well. So, I took their demo, and that same night I knew I wanted to upgrade my site.
Now I have access to unlimited colors, +800 Fonts compared to the 3 of the free option, have post sharing links for social media, and many cool options like sticky navigation which I use in almost every page on the blog, plus I have technical support available from the company that develops the theme. I am not saying you have to upgrade to a Pro version, but it will definitely help you reach your goals faster. So far I have no complains and Ashe Pro has met my expectations. Look around for the many options in the WordPress offering and make sure you also choose what’s right for you!
- Activity: Select the perfect theme for your site
- Time it took me to complete: 1 night!
- Cost: $29 for life on a regular license
What now?
Starting a blog is no easy task, I know! But, as you noticed, these steps are simple and doable! It just takes a little patience, and time to find the best option for you and your budget. The journey is rewarding, and the learning curve will only get us closer to our goals!
I am definitely still missing a lot of additions to my blog, but I have decided to go little by little, and taking advantage of the amazing tools and resources mentioned above. I hope all – or some of them – help you in your process as they have helped me. Happy blogging!
Note: Don’t forget to start your presence in the social media platforms! So far I’m only spamming you with Instagram 🙂 Will move forward as I progress here.
