How to Start a Blog: The Beginners Guide to Start Blogging in 2022 (Step by Step)

A step-by-step beginners guide to create a blog, start blogging and make money, even if it’s your first time.

Do you want to start a blog?

Don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner. Thousands of new bloggers, who now make money online, were in the same boat as you.

Infact, over 10,000 people search for “how to start a blog”, “how to make a blog” and “how to start a blog and make money online” every month! Crazy to think huh?

Want to skip the read and jump straight to the blog setup tutorial? click here to skip to the step-by-step blog set up guide.

Starting a blog is one of the most lucrative online businesses you can start in 2022, and in this guide, I will show you how you can start your own blog easily.

What’s even more interesting? You can create your own blog in 10 -20 minutes right now, even if it’s your first time learning how to make a blog.

In this detailed step-by-step guide on how to start a blog, you will learn the right way to start your own blog, become a blogger and start writing blog posts that generate income online.

Here’s a quick summary of the steps to starting a blog right now

How to Start a Blog in 7 Easy Steps

1. Make a plan for your blog contents, structure, and pick a domain name. Select a blog niche that sparks your interest and pick a suitable domain name for your blog.
2. Choose a blogging platform (and web hosting) to set up your blog. Use the best blog sites to create and manage your blog.
3. Create and host your new blog. Build your blog by installing WordPress.
4. Customize your blog with a simple or free blog design template. Make your blog your own – design and customize it as you like for your readers.
5. Optimize it for search engines. Create important blog pages such as: About us, Privacy policy, Contact etc. and install key blogging plugins to configure your blog for easy readability.
6. Write and publish your first blog post to start blogging. Write compelling content to create a blog that your readers love.
7. Promote your blog and make money blogging. Get more people to read your blog by promoting your blog content. Choose from several monetization options to monetize your blog.

PRO TIP: If you would like to skip the read and get started instantly, click here to jump straight to step 1.

Ever wondered if you can really start a blog that is meaningful and make enough money blogging?

Well, the truth is, yes, you can, and it is not as difficult as you think. You do not have to be famous or a popular figure to start your own blog and turn it into a profitable business.

Blogging for Beginners: The tools you need to Build a successful blog

In order to start a blog, you will need the following:

• A good blogging niche: A blog niche is ideally the topic your blog is centered on. This can either be something you are passionate about, something you want to learn more about or something you just want to start writing about.
• A domain name (your blog name): A domain name is what people type into their browser to access your blog. I.e. yourblogname.com.
• The best blog platform and hosting: A blogging platform (also called “blog sites” or “content management system”) is an online service that manages your blog content, images, design files and lets you publish your content on the internet in the form of a blog.

PS: The quick start action plan in the boxes is a quick and fast way for you to start your own blog without reading in detail every step. It saves you time if you want to get started immediately. Follow closely and practice as you learn.

How to Start a Blog – A detailed step by step guide

Follow these 7 simple steps to create a blog today.

Step 1: Make a plan for your blog contents, structure, and pick a domain name

As with every other thing in life, including building a business website, to start a successful blog that makes money you need to first make a plan.

In the case of a blog, you need a niche. What that simply means is your blog topic, what your blog will be all about or what you would love to make blog posts on.

QuickStart Blog Set up checklist for Step 1

• Write down some of the things you’d like to blog about or teach on your blog.
• Narrow down the list to the one that you find joy in doing, teaching or learning.
• Come up with a suitable domain name. I.e. yourname.com.
• Go to A2 Hosting, type in the domain name to see if it is available.
• If it is available, write it down, if it’s not, check for related names available.

» Click here to skip to the next step ➔.

The first step to start a blog that will eventually be successful is to choose a blog niche. The reason is because, this is what you’re going to be blogging/writing about and well, hopefully start making money from.

Choose a niche you feel you can do well at. It could either be something you are already good at, something you are interested in learning about or your personal life experience.

Every blog niche is profitable, you do not have to put in too much energy into this since it’s your first time building a blog. Just choose something you can freely write and blog about.

Pick a descriptive domain name for your blog

Now that you have finally decided on what to blog about, and come up with a blog topic idea for your blog, you will need a domain name that fits well to start creating your blog. It’s time to pick and register a domain name for your blog.

The first thing that comes to my mind when setting up a blog is getting a good domain name. Choosing a domain name is similar to choosing a company name — it requires thoughtfulness and consideration.

How to choose a good domain name for your blog

Your domain name is your identity on the web; you want to make sure you choose a name that not only fits your business, but is also easy to find and promote.

There are many domain name extensions to pick from, ranging from the popular .com, .net, and .org extension – to new TLDS like the .app domain extension amongst a host of others.

These tips will help you choose a good domain name for your blog.

• Keep the domain name short and simple​.
• Make it Brandable: Allows room for growth.
• Avoid using hyphens and other Symbols.

If you would like a more comprehensive guide to choosing a domain, please refer to our guide on how to choose a good domain name for your blog here.

Expert Advice and Pro Tip: If you are confused about choosing the perfect domain name for your blog, business or brand, don’t worry, one of the best approaches is to use your name as your blog domain.

This way, you can build an entire brand of you.

Step 2: Choose a blogging platform (and web hosting) to set up your blog

Your blog platform is the online service responsible for keeping your blog online and managing things such as content, images and overall design of your blog.

There are lots of paid and free blogging platforms you can use to create a blog. The only problem with free blog sites is that your blog can get deleted at any point without notice. crazy right? yea, I know.

To avoid this, it is best to self-host your blog using a trusted web hosting company and WordPress. This way, you are 100% in charge of your blog.

QuickStart Blog Set up Action Plan for Step 2

• Click here to go to A2 Hosting for your blog hosting setup.
• Click on the “Get Started” button on the homepage.
• Select a suitable web hosting plan.
• Enter in your domain name.
• Check to see if everything looks good and proceed to complete your web hosting setup.

Expert Advice:

You can create a blog for free using free blogging platforms such as Blogger and WordPress. But if you want to build a professional blog and start a blogging business (that hopefully makes money), the self-hosted WordPress with a trusted WordPress web hosting is a better option.

Says, Craig Macaulay, a Certified business strategist

Here is how to set up your blog web hosting to build your blog

A blog web hosting is basically the company that puts your website up on the internet so everyone else can see it. Everything will be saved there. Think of it as a computer hard-drive on the internet where your blog will be saved.

There are many website hosting providers you can use for your blog hosting. Infact, we have an in-depth review of trusted WordPress hosting services here.

But for the purpose of blog hosting, our expert recommendation is A2 Hosting. The WordPress servers are fast and will help your blog rank higher in the search engines such as Google, Bing and more.

#1 – Head over to your desired web hosting provider to get started.

(This link will open in a new window so you can reference these instructions as you work).

#2 – Click the “Get Started” button.

You will be taken to the page where you will have to choose a web hosting plan for your blog and websites, even if you decide to start a new blog.

#3 – Select a suitable web hosting plan you can afford.

Select a suitable blog hosting plan for your blog. For A2 hosting, we advise you choose either the drive (if you are on a budget) or turbo boost plan for your blog web hosting. The turbo boost makes your blog load very fast and will overall improve your blog SEO (google search engine visibility).

Notwithstanding, if you have a good amount to spare, then choose the turbo package, but if you are on a budget, go ahead and choose the basic plan. You can upgrade later as you grow.

#4 – Enter your domain name.

Enter the domain name you want to use for your blog, which is same as your blog name and URL.

Select your preferred domain extension (I’d go with “.com”) and click “Search Domain”.

If the domain is available, you will get a success/congratulatory message.

If it’s already been taken, you will be required to try another name.

Keep trying till you get an available domain name. You can always use a domain name generator to generate available names.

Click on the “Continue button” to proceed to the next stage.

#5 – Check to see if everything looks good and proceed to complete your blog hosting setup.

At this stage, you will be taken to the “Domain Configuration” page (for people who registered a new domain).

Just click on the “Continue Button” to proceed.

Domain name privacy option helps keep your personal information and identity safe on the web. Once done, you will be presented with an overview of the things you have selected. Click on the “Checkout” button if everything is as you chose.

Fill out the registration forms accordingly with real information, for verification purposes. Don’t worry, they are safe.

Enter in your billing information and click on the “Complete Order” button at the bottom of the page.

Congratulations! You now have a blog hosting. Next is to install WordPress and finally get your blog published online live.

Step 3: Create and host your blog

At this point all you have to do now is to install WordPress to set up your blog and get it published live online to start blogging and sharing your ideas.

Once logged into your A2 control panel (cPanel), you will see so many icons and headings, do not let them confuse you, just locate “WordPress” under softaculous app installer section (as shown in the image below), and click on it to begin.

Here is how to install and use WordPress to build your blog

On the WordPress installation menu, click “Install” to start the WordPress content management system installation.

#1 Choose your blog domain to install WordPress.

Choose your domain from the dropdown menu if it’s not already chosen for you. Leave the directory field blank unless you have a good reason to create a subfolder, which is unlikely if you are just starting.

#2 Enter in your blog name and descriptive title.

Under “Site Settings”, enter in your blog name and descriptive title. Write a very brief description in the description box. (I.E. ITT VIS – Visual Information Solutions – learn how to start a blog today.

Where “ITT VIS” is the name of your blog and “learn how to start a blog” is the blog descriptive title).

You get the point, right? Just type in the title you wish to give your blog.

#3 Choose an Admin Username.

Do not use the word “admin” as your username, for security purposes. Enter in the name you want your users to see on your new blog.

#4 Choose a secure password for your blog.

These will be what you use to login to WordPress once it’s installed. Use a secure password you can remember.

#5 Enter your email address.

Enter your email address under the admin email and in the box that says “email installations to”. Make sure it’s your real and original email address because all of your new blog information will be sent there.

#6 Click the “Install Now” button to begin your WordPress blog installation.

After WordPress has been successfully installed, you will get congratulatory info. on screen, telling you your installation was successful. Take note of the information to access your new WordPress site. This information will also be sent to you via email.

Congratulations! If you made it to this point, then you have just successfully created your own blog. Next is to design your new blog and start writing your blog posts.

#7 Login to your new blog to start a blog post.

There are many things you can do at this point. But first, let’s just go over to our WordPress blog and login.

To do this, look at the login URL provided by A2 and click on it. This is how you will be logging in to your WordPress dashboard and updating your blog with contents and more, including design.

Now that you’ve successfully created your own blog, it’s time to design your new blog, edit a few things, create new blog pages and write your first blog post.

Step 4: Customize your blog with a simple or free blog design template

A beautifully well designed and structured blog attracts readers, increases your UX (user experience), improves your blog search visibility and keeps your readers happy.

If you love how well this website you are reading now is designed, then you will feel the need to have a quality web design for your blog layout and structure.

At this point of your blog set up, all you have to do is to design or at least make your blog a little attractive.

If you like the design of this blog and how easy it is to read, you certainly will feel the need to get one like this for yourself.

I know you might be wondering how you can design your blog to improve user experience, especially since you are just a beginner with no web design knowledge.

Well, the simple solution to easily design your blog is to use a good blog theme or blog template, and you do not need to be a programmer/web developer to do that.

To do that, follow these simple steps.

• On the left side of your blog dashboard, you will see a menu called “appearance”
• Click on the “appearance” menu. This should open your blog themes page
• Click on the “Add New” button to select from dozens of blog design templates
• Click on the “Popular” tab. We recommend you select the Astra theme.
• Choose any theme you like and click “Install”
• Once installation is complete, click “Activate” to begin customizing your blog design.

Even though the majority of you following this step-by-step guide to make a blog are beginners looking to create your first blog, you can still be able to design and customize your blog like a professional. It only takes a good blog theme or template added to your blog to get it all done.

Step 5: Optimize your blog for search engines

Now that your new blog is published and live online, it is time to get it ready for your readers and make it easily accessible for the search engines to crawl and index your blog posts and pages.

To do this, install key blogging plugins such as Yoast from the plugin directory and activate it.

Visit the blog permalink tab on the left side of your blog dashboard and select how you want your blog posts URLs to display.

Step 6: Write and publish your first blog post to start blogging

So far, you’ve established a domain name (your blog URL), chosen your blog hosting site, set up a blog theme, and you are ready to go. Your framework is complete.

Create crucial pages such as About us, contact us, and privacy policy on your blog to help your readers learn more about you and your blog.

How to start and write a blog post

• On the left side of your blog dashboard, you will see a “Post” navigation link
• Click on the “Post” tab
• Click the “Add New” button to add a new blog post
• Enter in your blog post title on the title section
• Start writing your blog post

Start blogging. Write and publish new blog posts, share your blog on social media, create a YouTube account to share video content and keep promoting your blog.

Step 7: Promote your blog and make money blogging

There are many ways you can promote your blog at this stage. You can start by creating brand awareness for your blog. That is, create the necessary social media profile pages for your blog.

However, from my personal experience as a website and blog owner myself, I recommend you get or publish enough content on your blog first, before diving straight into promoting your blog.

In the blogging industry, your content is your product, and without products, you can’t sell or make money.

Frequently Asked Questions on Setting up a Blog

Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about creating a blog, starting a profitable blog and more.

How do I start a blog for free?

Here is how to start a blog for free:

#1. Signup with a free blogging platform to build your blog for free

If you want to create a blog for free of cost, the first thing you need to do is to choose and signup with a free blog site platform or a free website builder. Same way you create a free website.

Some of the best free blogging sites to create a blog for free include Blogger (blogger.com), WordPress (wordpress.com), Medium (medium.com), Wix (wix.com) and Weebly (weebly.com).

#2. Click on “Create New Blog” and name your blog

Choose a descriptive name for your blog. Usually, your blog URL takes the domain name of the blog site you use to make your blog. i.e. yourblogname.blogger.com – where “yourblogname” is the name of your blog and “blogger.com” is the domain name of the free blog hosting platform.

#3. Design your blog with a free blog template

All blogging platforms have a library of free blog templates you can use to quickly design and style your blog, regardless of the free blogging site you are using for your blog set up.

Choose from a variety of free blog templates or use a premium template if you need more customization and design functionality.

#4. Add crucial blog pages to help your readers know you better

Some crucial blog pages you need to immediately create on your blog are:

• About page.
• Contact page.
• Legal pages such as Privacy Policy and terms of service.

#5. Write blog posts and start blogging

Start blogging by writing blog posts. Share your blog posts on social media to get your initial blog readers and people to visit your blog.

How do I create a blog with no money?

• Visit blogger.com and sign in using your Gmail.
• Click on the down arrow on the left.
• Click “New Blog”.
• Enter a name for your blog and click next.
• Choose your blog URL and save.
• Select a template to customize your blog.
• Start blogging.

Do make sure you comply with the blogger content policy and its terms of service. Blogger is a free blogging platform provided and managed by google, and your blog might get deleted if you go against the blogger policy.

How do I become a blogger?

The 7 simple steps to make your own blog in summary

• Step 1: Make a plan for your blog content and pick a domain name.
• Step 2: Choose a blogging platform (and web hosting) for your blog set up.
• Step 3: Start your blog by adding WordPress.
• Step 4: Select a simple blog template to design your blog.
• Step 5: Optimize your blog for search engines.
• Step 6: Start Blogging – write and publish blog content.
• Step 7: Promote your blog.

Conclusion

Having your own blog comes with many great feelings and fun, as you can write about whatever you want, get recognized and get your voice heard across the world. More interesting is that you can get paid blogging while doing the things you love.

Do you love dog grooming or pets in general? Then start a pet blog! Want to write about your travels in Kansas? Create a blog and share your experience with the rest of the world! Want to earn money online? Yeah! Start a blog and get paid blogging while doing the things you love. It’s total freedom to do what you want, when you want and how you want.

Anyone who can access the internet and post on any online platform can create a blog for free, either by using a free blog maker such as Wix, free blog sites like Blogger or a website builder. It’s that easy, but if you want to start a successful blog that makes money online, then it requires a little investment, dedication, patience and constant work.

While this guide teaches you how to start a blog for free or for business, and outlines the step-by-step process to help you make a blog, growing your new blog to the point where it starts making lots of money online is a whole different thing altogether.

However, with time, consistency and further research, your blog will eventually become profitable.