I have come across quite a few people that want to know how to start a blog. I thought I would share some of my experiences on How To Start A Blog.
Find Your Niche
The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out a topic or a niche that you want to cover. You’ll want to have a main topic or genre of interest that you’re going to stick with, for example, cooking, outdoors, Things like that.
After you have your topic or niche, you’ll want to come up with a domain name. You will need to come up with multiple options. Unfortunately, domains are pretty hard to come by, since the internet has been around for so long.
Choose a Blogging Platform
Once you have a topic or a genre that you want to roll with you’ll want to figure out what blogging platform you’re going to use. I created a post a while ago that kinda talks about some of the major blogging platforms.
You Might Need Hosting
Depending on what platform you’ll be working with you may need to look for hosting. If you are using a blogging platform that requires a hosting package. I would recommend starting out with shared hosting. You won’t need anything more than that. There is no reason to break the bank in the beginning. Once your blog grows you’ll outgrow the shared hosting platform, at that point you can look into other hosting options.
What To Look For In Hosting
There A few things to consider when you’re looking at hosting companies. Look into hosting companies that have technical support included. At some point or another, you’re going to need to use it, and you don’t want to be paying extra for it. You may also want to see if they have a one-step install program for your blogging platform. This will help you when installing the software.
When you have found your hosting company, and you’re ready to start an account they will have a domain search tool. This is where you’ll see if the domain that you want is available. Once you find a domain that is available you can create your account.
Install Your Blogging Platform
Once you have your hosting account set up. You can install the blogging platform on your hosting. If your host includes technical support, they may be able to help you install your blogging platform. They may also have a one-step install program that will do it all for you.
Find a Theme and Plugins
Once you have the blogging platform installed, you can scour the interwebs to find yourself a template that you like. You can find free ones, or paid ones. It’s completely up to what you want to use on your blog. Once you have a template you can install it on your blog. Keep in mind that some templates have plugins that are required for the theme to work properly.
Once you have the theme and plugins installed and the blog is functioning you can start posting. It may seem a little overwhelming, but it’s all pretty straight forward. I hope this answers your questions on How To Start A Blog. If you have any additional questions please feel free to Contact Me.