The best WordPress Blog guide and how to start the RIGHT WAY in 7 simple Steps (2020).
Have you ever thought to start a WordPress blog the right way?
Well starting a WordPress blog can be scary, especially when you are not a web designer.
In this post today, I will guide you through the whole process of setting up your WordPress blog.
I have helped 200,000+ on the 5 steps to start a blog.
This best WordPress Blog guide is comprehensively written to guide everyone
Who wants to start blogging using WordPress platform
And without any programming or coding skills.
I have made it possible for anyone, irrespective of the age.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, I earn commission if you buy any product via the link, without any extra cost on your side.
Requirements To Start A WordPress Blog
For you to start a WordPress blog, you need three things:
- Your unique domain name (this will be the name of your blog i.e websolutionse.com)
- A web hosting service provider (this is the service that helps your website go live on the internet)
- A WordPress Blog themes (Recommended: StudioPress themes)
These three things are the most important, to get you started.
Let us get started with the six steps.
Step 1. Choosing The Right Platform For Setup
For most beginners who wants to start building a WordPress blog,
They are victims of choosing the wrong WordPress blogging platform.
Better for you friend, I know with this guide you would not make such mistake.
For most WordPress users, it is most benefitting to start with the self-hosted WordPress( WordPress.org)
Against the free WordPress platform (WordPress.com). This is the reasons
WordPress.org is:
- Free to use,
- You can install plugins,
- You can customize your blog design,
- You can make money from your blog without any boundaries.
35% of most blogs and websites on the web use the WordPress,
This makes the WordPress the number one website platform for most successful bloggers.
Quick Reminder: WordPress is free
Yes, it is free. Because you need to set it up and host it yourself.
6 vital facts about WordPress:
- It is an open source
- It is free
- It is the most important self-help way out for website building
- It is a multipurpose platform – it can run any type of website
- It is optimized, fast, and secure
- It is built for SEO – making your website visibility easy
Now that you have chosen the right WordPress platform,
What next now is to choose your domain name.
Choosing Your WordPress Blog domain name
Choosing the right domain name is the first step to starting a WordPress blog.
The name you choose must be clear and easy to understand.
Make sure you choose a name associated with your niche.
Moreover, if you do not know what niche to blog or you are confused on how to go about it.
I have a comprehensive post on the 10 best niches to blog and make money online.
Therefore, after knowing your niche, you can carve out your blog name base on your niche.
An expression that is associated with the niche you are in,
For instance, I use my domain name (websolutionse.com) from what I intended to do.
That is Web Solutions by Emmanuel, which gave birth to websolutionse.com
Alternative, you can use you name as your domain name (neilpatel.com).
Tips To Choosing A Perfect Domain Name And Web Host For Your WordPress Blog
No matter what name you choose, be it yourname.com or domainname.com.
Make sure to follow these tips.
Make it easy – Make it easy for people to find you on the internet.
Let it Communicate – Do not use complicated spellings, or creative misspellings.
Make it short – Let your characters be less disturbing for user.
Try to use niche-related keywords – For example, if your WordPress blog has something to do with business, it will be nice to have “business” included in the domain name; it works the same in non-business industries as well.
In addition to the above mentioned tips;
Make sure your blog domain name is unique – It should be discerning to the user and Google!
Do not use numbers and hyphens – Adding these parameters will confuse people, and makes it difficult to put in plain words your domain to others.
Ensure to use domain name extension such as .com, .net or .org if your goal is international visitors.
Moreover, use a domain name extension such as .de, .fr, .ng, uk or .ru
If you want a country-targeted visitors.
Using a Web Host For Your WordPress Blog
There are different companies on online that you can register a new domain name and hosting package.
Nevertheless, let us not complicate things for ourselves
By buying domain name and hosting from two different companies.
Let us get everything done in one place; this is why I recommend Bluehost.
This is my reasons for recommendations:
- Bluehost is a highly regarded web host company and highly optimized by WordPress.
- It is one of the three companies recommended on the official WordPress.org website
- It is cost effective for every beginner (from $3.95/month)
- It is easy to navigate and has a beginner-friendly features
- You get a free domain name whenever you buy any of their hosting package
Let us get started – this is how to get a web host for your WordPress blog
This is a systematic guide.
First, click here to go to Bluehost’s homepage.
Here we are on the page, click on the “Get Started” button.
Pick up the Basic plan – this is going to be enough. It is only $3.95/month.
Then enter the domain name that you have made up your mind to use for your WordPress blog:
After that, make available your personal details:
Confirm the details you have provided for the hosting setup that you have chosen.
This is located beneath the section of your chosen hosting package:
Now that you have gotten here, click the SUBMIT and conclude your purchase.
Step 2. Installing the WordPress Software for your WordPress Blog
Follow this steps to install your WordPress for your WordPress blog.
First step is to log in to your Bluehost account with your credentials
Then click on “My Sites”
Locate “Create Site” and click on the button
Make available some basic information about your site, after which the WordPress installation will start.
This installation is autopilot.
After this is completed, Bluehost will display you the installation and login details.
Make sure to save this information anywhere safe.
Just as WordPress is setup, then you are set to customize your WordPress blog
And make the appearance your own and begin blogging.
Step 3. Selecting Your WordPress Theme
Your theme is the skin that covers your WordPress software (skeleton)
And makes the appearance of your blog beautiful.
Therefore, after your WordPress’s installation, your first blog theme looks something like this:
Default WordPress theme
For most beginners, it is not appealing
There are tens of hundreds of WordPress’s pre-made themes provided for every blogger to install.
Some of them are free themes, while others are paid.
I will recommend you using either of these premium themes from StudioPress, Themeisle and ThemeForest.
You can modify your theme by going to your WordPress dashboard, then click on Appearance » Themes.
Add new WordPress theme
Go ahead and click on the Add New button.
On this part, you will able to find about 7,000+ free WordPress themes that are available in the WordPress.org themes directory.
You have the categories popular, latest and featured where you can sort,
As well as other feature filters (i.e industry, layout, etc).
Select a theme
Hover through any theme of your choice, and click on Preview button
To see how the design will look on your WordPress blog.
Preview theme
This is what you should look for in any theme – Minimal Design, Colors, Typography, and other elements.
Make simplicity in design your excellent WordPress theme criteria.
This will help you maintain a clean, clear and good users’ experience.
If you have seen a theme you like, click and install it.
Then activate your theme.
Immediately you have installed and activated your theme,
The next thing is to customize it to your taste
This can be done by clicking on the Customize link under the Appearance menu.
If you need help selecting a theme, I have a detailed guide on things you should consider and how to customize your WordPress theme.
Now that you are done with the selection of your WordPress blog theme,
It is time to install and customize the appropriate plugins
Step 4. Installation and Customization Of Plugins
Before you write your first blog post, you need to add some essential plugins on your website.
Plugins such as contact forms, MonsterInsights, Yoast SEO, newsletter subscription form and Social shares are very essential to start your WordPress blog.etc.
These plugins will help you start your WordPress blog.
WordPress plugins are software that help you to insert new features to your WordPress blog without the need of programming skills
The WordPress plugin directory is having about 55,400+ WordPress plugins available for bloggers.
Therefore there is no limit to what you can achieve with these plugins.
Create a Contact Form in WordPress for Your Blog
Congratulations that we have come this far.
Let us create contact form for your WordPress blog.
One basic feature of every WordPress blog is a contact form.
This form allows your users to contact you through email directly.
For you to create one, you need a WordPress form builder plugin
To create and add a contact form on your WordPress blog.
For an awesome contact form builder, I recommend you use the WPForms Lite plugin.
This is the same form I am using a this blog’s about and contact page
This is a free version of the popular WPForms plugin, and the best contact form plugins for WordPress.
An alternative to this is the Ninja Plugin.
WPForms has 3 000 000+ users
Start your installation by going to Plugins » Add New page and typing WPForms in the search box.
After that, you need to click “Install” and then “Activate”.
After activation, quickly head to WPForms » Add New page to create your first form.
Adding a new contact form in WordPress
This will open the WPForms builder interface.
Step 1: Enter a name for your contact form and then click on ‘Simple Contact Form’ template.
A simple contact form will be created for you with all the required fields.
Either of these field to changeable, it also allow you to add a new field from the left column.
When you are through editing the form,
Click the save button at the top right corner and then exit the form builder.
Create a new page in WordPress now by going to Pages » click “Add New” and call it ‘Contact’.
On the edit screen, you need to enter the WPForms block into the editor.
Subsequent to that, pick the form you created earlier from the drop down menu and it will be loaded on a live preview of the form in the editor.
At this moment, you can now save and publish the page you just finish creating.
Afterwards, you can visit it in your browser to see your contact form in action.
Now you are through creating a contact form and its page.
Let us set-up Google Analytics.
Setting up Google Analytics Tracking For Your WordPress Blog
Google Analytics is a tracking tool by Google.
This plugin helps you see and track how many people are visiting your blog,
Their location and what are their activities on your website.
Google Analytics is best to install on your WordPress blog when starting, so you can see the growth of your WordPress blog.
Let us get started;
To start with, sign up using your Gmail account for a free account on Google Analytics website
Google Analytics sign up
Provide your information and website URL into the appropriate field.
After that, a tracking code will be assign to your WordPress blog by Google Analytics.
Now that you have gotten your Google analytic tracking code:
It is time to go back to your WordPress admin area to install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin.
This is the best free Google Analytics plugin for WordPress,
This plugin helps you add Google Analytics on your site with ease.
2 million websites on the internet trust this plugin, so it is the best for you.
After installation and activation, zoom to Insights » then to » Settings page to configure the plugin settings.
Connect Google Analytics using MonsterInsights
On the settings page, click ‘Connect MonsterInsights’ button to connect Google Analytics to your WordPress blog.
Complete the setup by following the on-screen instructions.
After that, your blog analytics report will start displaying straight from your WordPress dashboard
Under the MonsterInsights tab.
Website stats reports in MonsterInsights
Step 5. Create Your First Blog Post
This section is most delicate part of any WordPress blog.
Blog post is the key to becoming a successful blogger,
Without quality content your WordPress blog, visitors will not value it.
I have written 7 keys to write a great content for your blog and the proven ways to promote you content
This will help you create quality and SEO kind of content.
To get started, click on the Posts » Add New menu in your WordPress dashboard.
An editor area will show up, this is where you will start writing your first blog post.
Block-based editor is the new technology deployed by WordPress where each element is a block.
With this new block-base editor, you can create beautiful content layouts for your WordPress blog posts.
After writing, ensure your post is grammatically free and check Copyscape for duplicate content.
Locate the Publish button on the top-right corner of the editor and click on it
To make your blog post publicly available.
Publish blog post
Beneath the post bar, you have other sections like Categories and Tags.
Use this categories and tags section to classify your blog posts into sections.
Step 6. Optimize Your WordPress Blog for SEO
Our next discussion on this post is how to optimize your WordPress blog for SEO.
Most mistake new bloggers do is not to optimize for SEO when creating a blog.
SEO is an acronym for search engine optimization; it helps visitors discover your WordPress blog in google search engines.
Optimizing your blog for SEO from the beginning help in driving more to your blog.
I have a comprehensive and detailed post on 10 proven ways to boost your website search engine visibility.
Let us get started; to begin with, install and activate the Yoast SEO plugin.
This is the complete WordPress SEO plugin that will help you optimize your blog.
A good alternative is the RATH MATH SEO plugin.
Immediately after activation, new menu item labeled ‘SEO’ will show up.
Click on it to take you to the plugin’s settings page.
Follow the plugin’s quick configuration wizard to the set up your WordPress blog for SEO.
Other plugins I recommend are,
Backup – UpdraftPlus: This is the WordPress’ most excellent backup plugin. You should always create backups of your WordPress blog in case something ever goes wrong.
Security – Sucuri: This is WordPress free Security scanner for your WordPress blog.
Step 7. How to Monetize And Money From Your Blog
Wow! It awesome that we have arrived here,
Moreover, this is part most bloggers love to engage in, because making money online is the key in recent times.
Now that you have created your WordPress blog and customized it to your taste,
Let me show you tips to make money from your newly created blog.
There are many different ways to monetize and make money from your blog.
Quick reminder: Let no one deceive you that there is a get rich quick scheme.
Do not be bamboozled by the galleries of expensive cars and mansions because they are all fake.
I have created a well-detailed guide on how to monetize and make money from your blog.
Make Money Online Blogging with WordPress
Remember, there are no shortcuts to making money online.
Ensure to employ commitment and passion as you run your WordPress blog. In a short while, you will earn thousands of dollars from you blog and make a living.
Some Of The Proven Ways To Make Money From Your Blog.
1. Google AdSense
Google AdSense
Google AdSense is the best advertising platform on the internet platform for bloggers and publishers.
It acts as an intermediary between bloggers and advertiser.
Google permit advertisers to bid for keywords relating to your content. Helping you get the best rates for the ads on your blog.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing
The second most common way to earn from your WordPress blog is Affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is a form of online marketing where you are been paid a commissions for directing traffic or sales to an online retailer.
You can start earning money immediately from your WordPress blog
By promoting all kinds of companies’ products, services and promotional offers online.
The key factor in running affiliate marketing is to recommend high-quality products and services that you before now have used and you trust.
There are plenty of affiliate marketing programs you can.
These programs will help you make more money when promoting their products.
I have a complete step by step affiliate marketing guide for beginners, that will help you get started.
3. Online Store
Another way to make money from your is adding an online store to your WordPress blog.
You can start selling digital product directly from you blog.
As a lot of bloggers make money online doing same.
You can start selling physical products; digital downloads like eBooks, artwork, music, and more.
WooCommerce is the best eCommerce plugin for WordPress. So I recommend it every f my readers.
This is also the most commonly used eCommerce plugin on the web.
There is no limit to what you can do with your WordPress blog.
Your WordPress blogs can be specifically for reviews, food blogging with recipes, fashion blogging and many more.
These blog niche has its own ways of making money online.
Conclusion
At last you have just learned how to start a WordPress blog and how to make money from it.
From the above guide, you can see that you do not need to hire anyone to create a WordPress blog for you.
This is a DIY (Do It Yourself) guide.
Creating and starting a blog with WordPress, as your platform is the most budget-friendly solution available online.
If you have any questions about how to you can create a website from scratch, free to ask in the comments below.
If this guide helped you, please share on twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn.